Chapter 429 — Taking Action Personally
Today became a day of mixed emotions for Konoha—
heavy… yet filled with an undeniable sense of relief.
The heaviness came from one simple fact:
Those who had once attacked Konoha and unleashed the Nine-Tails—causing catastrophic destruction—had appeared again.
This time, they struck the Hidden Cloud's camp without restraint.
The Fourth Raikage was left gravely wounded.
The perfect Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails fought them head-on—
and was ultimately beaten to the brink of death.
Such overwhelming power sent chills down everyone's spine.
Even though Konoha's forces at the front reacted immediately and rushed in as soon as they sensed something wrong—
the attackers still withdrew calmly.
That, at least, could be considered a small mercy.
Perhaps… they were wary of Uchiha Fugaku's strength.
But the "joy" of the day was just as clear.
Those same attackers had clashed with the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki—
and the aftershocks of that battle…
were beyond anything anyone could have predicted.
No one realized just how devastating the consequences would be.
The result?
The Hidden Cloud's main force was completely scattered—
effectively wiped out.
Unbelievable as it was, for Konoha…
it wasn't bad news.
After all, they were at war with Kumogakure.
And this unexpected disaster had essentially annihilated the enemy army.
Which meant—
the war was over.
Even if the outcome felt complicated, even bittersweet…
it had already happened.
Nara Shikaku and Kakashi both wore strange expressions.
They never imagined that while seeing Kei and the others off—
something like this would occur.
If anything, it meant one thing:
Uchiha Kei didn't need to leave at all.
Unlike Kakashi, who simply marveled at Kei's "luck," Shikaku's thoughts ran much deeper.
He knew Kei's strength.
He also knew that Minato Namikaze could teleport across vast distances.
The last time Kei and the others caused chaos in Kirigakure—
it was Minato who brought them back.
So this time…
was it the same?
Had Minato sent them to the front lines—
only for them to "test" the strength of the Raikage and the Eight-Tails—
and accidentally wipe out the entire Cloud army?
In an instant, Shikaku pieced together a frighteningly accurate picture.
He even began to suspect—
that Fugaku's troop movements had been coordinated in advance.
Perhaps the goal was to shift this war from a bloody conflict…
into a controlled negotiation.
Of course, without concrete information, these were still just hypotheses.
No matter how confident he felt, speculation alone wasn't enough.
He needed more data.
---
"Alright," Minato said calmly as he sat behind his desk in the Hokage's office. "What are your thoughts moving forward?"
His expression was completely composed—
as though the destruction of an entire enemy army hadn't shaken him in the slightest.
He had even dismissed the ANBU and reinforced the office with sealing barriers, clearly preventing any eavesdropping.
Only three people were present:
Minato, Uchiha Kei, and Nara Shikaku.
Shikaku glanced between the two of them—
and became even more certain his guess was correct.
So it really was them.
As for why they hadn't acted earlier…
that answer wasn't hard to find either.
He briefly recalled the recent reforms.
If opposition had grown too strong—
would Kei have responded with something like this?
The thought crossed his mind—
but he quickly dismissed it.
Yes, Kei could be ruthless, even seemingly without limits.
But for reasons unknown, he had no intention of abandoning Konoha—
nor turning it into his personal possession.
He was still willing to maintain order.
Still willing to operate within certain boundaries.
A man like that was terrifying—
but also worthy of respect.
"There's not much to discuss," Kei said casually, taking a seat. "It depends on the condition of the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. After that, we decide our next move."
"We already have updates," Minato replied. "The Fourth Raikage is seriously injured but stable—he's regained consciousness. The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki is in worse condition, but with the Eight-Tails' chakra protecting him, he should survive until he receives treatment in Konoha."
"That's good," Kei smiled faintly. "Then we're holding two strong cards."
"Next step—negotiations."
"With those two in hand, we should be able to secure even greater benefits."
Referring to the Raikage and his brother as mere "cards"—or worse, bargaining chips—
made both Minato and Shikaku twitch slightly.
But they couldn't deny it.
No matter how high their status in Kumogakure—
right now, they were defeated.
And defeated enemies…
were prisoners.
Even if their loss had "nothing to do with Konoha,"
the reality remained unchanged.
"Sorry to interrupt…" Shikaku finally spoke, scratching his head awkwardly. "Since you two were directly involved, you clearly understand the situation. But my position is a bit different…"
"You don't need to overthink it," Minato said with a shake of his head.
"Shikaku, the fact that you're here already shows our trust in you. So let me be clear—this war was never something we truly took seriously."
"And now," Kei added, glancing at Minato before continuing bluntly, "due to a slight miscalculation on our part, the prolonged war we intended to maintain—one that would keep everyone's attention focused—has come to an early end."
Kei hadn't originally intended to lay everything out so openly.
He had only hinted at things before.
But Minato clearly trusted Shikaku—
so there was no need to keep hiding.
Besides, Shikaku already knew about what Kei had done in Kirigakure.
He had even participated in certain… morally questionable dealings.
And given his intelligence—
he likely understood far more than he let on.
"Just as I thought…" Shikaku nodded. There were minor discrepancies, but overall, it aligned with his expectations.
"In that case, if we want to maintain attention while minimizing losses, prolonged negotiations will be essential."
"Exactly," Minato agreed. "Which is why we need to carefully decide what demands to make."
He spread his hands slightly.
"Unfortunately… Fugaku is still at the front, escorting the Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki back."
Nara Shikaku glanced at Uchiha Kei before speaking decisively:
"I already have a rough idea. If we want these negotiations to last—and to maintain enough attention—then we'll have to set the price very high."
"Start high, settle low," Kei murmured, stroking his chin. "So we push our demands to a level they can accept… but not immediately. Force them to bargain, argue, and drag things out."
"In other words," Minato straightened in his seat, "the three of us will need to work this out carefully."
"This is one of Konoha's most important matters."
"And you two are the people I trust the most."
---
Bang!
In Kirigakure, inside the Mizukage's office—
Uchiha Obito slammed his fist onto the desk, shattering it instantly.
His face was filled with fury.
A stark contrast to the dull, almost lifeless Mizukage beside him—and the eerily calm Black Zetsu, who seemed utterly indifferent.
Not long ago, a messenger hawk had arrived at the Mist ANBU base, carrying detailed intelligence.
It was a report on the battle between Konoha and Kumogakure.
Although Kirigakure had effectively turned the Land of Water into a near-isolated state—
that didn't mean they had withdrawn all their spies.
Some intelligence agents still remained embedded across other villages.
Of course, Obito had long planned to recall them all.
After all—
he intended to destroy Kirigakure completely.
There was no need to preserve any intelligence network.
"These damn bastards!" Obito snarled. "He's impersonating us again! That bastard—he's doing it again!"
"It's already happened. Getting angry won't change anything."
Black Zetsu stood calmly, his tone almost absurdly composed.
"Besides… what's the point of your anger? Can you even beat him?"
"…What about Nagato?" Obito turned, his voice ice-cold. "Don't tell me someone with the Rinnegan can't handle him."
Right now? Probably not.
Black Zetsu couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Those eyes didn't even belong to Nagato.
He could only wield them because his body could withstand their burden.
Even if he had adapted somewhat—
they still weren't truly his.
He couldn't fully unleash their power through his own body.
Of course, the boy was clever.
Since he couldn't use everything at once, he split the abilities—controlling them through puppets.
But clearly, it wasn't enough.
He wasn't a puppet master to begin with.
Handling multiple "threads" of control simultaneously was incredibly difficult.
On top of that, each ability required understanding, adaptation, and mastery.
In his current half-baked state, if Nagato faced that damned Uchiha Kei—
he might as well be delivering the Rinnegan straight into the enemy's hands.
Even Black Zetsu felt suffocated by the situation.
He had never imagined that the boy from back then would grow into something this troublesome.
According to reports—
Kei had already manifested the fourth stage of Susanoo.
Black Zetsu knew enough about Susanoo to make a judgment.
The description mentioned only a pitch-black chakra giant—
no armor, no wings.
From that alone, he reached his conclusion.
Combined with Kei's earlier display in Kirigakure—
it wasn't hard to believe he could achieve such a level even with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"But what I don't understand…" Black Zetsu muttered internally, "…is why he hasn't gone blind yet."
From the moment Kei appeared—
Black Zetsu had been constantly shaken.
At this point, he had grown used to it.
But that didn't mean he didn't hate him.
Back then, Obito had released the Nine-Tails in Konoha—
and Kei had coincidentally unleashed the Three-Tails in Kirigakure.
That bastard had taken advantage of the situation—
and turned it against them.
Worst of all—
it aligned perfectly with their own objectives.
Black Zetsu wanted nothing more than to tear him apart.
A man who could expose their plans so thoroughly—
was too dangerous to ignore.
But no matter how furious he felt—
he didn't dare act recklessly without fully understanding Kei.
Expose their intelligence?
That would only make things worse.
Who's to say Kei wouldn't just impersonate them completely and start hunting Jinchūriki everywhere?
That would ruin everything.
"…Does Kirigakure still have agents in Konoha?" Black Zetsu asked calmly.
"Konoha?" Obito seemed to regain some composure, answering coldly. "There should be a few left. That guy purged most of the ANBU and intelligence network last time. The ones remaining are lying low."
"I need to understand what's going on with his eyes," Black Zetsu said flatly. "His condition is abnormal. Based on how he's been using his dōjutsu, he should already be blind."
"That only points to one possibility…"
"He has cells like mine?" Obito's gaze sharpened.
"Possibly. But not necessarily." Black Zetsu shook his head. "He might have discovered how to awaken the Mangekyō… and even how to fuse it into the Eternal Mangekyō."
That made Obito frown—
but only briefly.
Soon, he relaxed.
Because he realized—
this was an opportunity.
"…I see." His voice turned colder. "Then I'll go to Konoha myself. I have ways of uncovering deeper secrets."
"You're going personally?" Black Zetsu seemed surprised, but after a moment, he nodded. "Fine. You're more reliable than those agents."
"But remember this—you're not his opponent. If anything feels off, retreat immediately."
"…Do I need you to tell me how to do my job?" Obito snapped, irritation flashing through his tone.
"I trust your judgment," Black Zetsu replied calmly. "Before you leave, I'll teach you a few more Uchiha techniques. Take a month to prepare."
With that, his body slowly sank into the ground—
vanishing from the Mizukage's office.
Obito remained where he stood.
Behind the mask—
a faint, unreadable smile spread across his face.