Naruto: The Primal Hyuga Pierces the Shinobi World

As he spoke, Shinichi slowly stood up. He had left behind a lot of Flying Thunder God Kunai in Amegakure, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to return to Amegakure.

By now, Nagato should have already emerged from the Gedo Mazo, right?

perhaps...

Inside the tent, Xiao Nan seemed to have heard the commotion outside and quickly lifted the curtain.

When Minato saw Konan peek out, he glanced at her. Although it was their first meeting, Minato recognized her through Jiraiya's investigation report.

"This must be Konan, Jiraiya's disciple, right?!"

"I am also a disciple of Jiraiya-sensei, so I should be a bit older than you. May I presume to call you junior sister?"

Minato smiled gently and showed no hostility towards Konan despite her being a member of Akatsuki. Instead, he used Jiraiya's identity to try and get closer to Konan.

enemy?

At Minato, even being labeled as an enemy doesn't mean the other person becomes someone you can't talk to.

Even if Akatsuki hadn't posed a real security threat to Konoha yet, there would still be room for maneuver before they took full action.

"Junior sister?"

Konan was somewhat surprised by how Minato addressed her. After carefully examining the blond, warm-looking man before her, Konan gently shook her head.

"You'd better not call me by such affectionate terms."

"We don't have that close a relationship."

"Similarly, I advise you to abandon that naive idea. Nagato will not negotiate with the people of your Konoha Village."

Konan could sense the goodwill emanating from Minato, but she felt she couldn't accept it. Konan knew very well why Akatsuki had become what it was today, and it was inextricably linked to the ninjas of Konoha.

Konan still felt some gratitude towards Jiraiya, the one who had truly taught them, but towards Minato, a pure Konoha ninja, she felt mostly hatred.

Although the person who forced Yahiko to commit suicide back then was not Minato, and even Hanzo of the Salamander was the main figure in that incident, to Konan, all these murderers are the same.

Minato could sense Konan's hatred for Konoha from her words, but he wasn't angry or embarrassed. Instead, he spoke quite sincerely:

"No matter what happened in the past, people still have to keep living in the present, don't they?"

"Whether it's Konoha or Amegakure, all our goals are actually the same."

"Doesn't everyone want to live in a peaceful and tranquil environment?"

"The leader of Akatsuki is named Nagato, right?"

"Perhaps things aren't as uncommunicative as you think?"

"On the contrary, I feel that... as fellow disciples of Jiraiya-sensei, we have a lot in common to talk about."

Minato Namikaze smiled, completely unconcerned about Minami's aloof attitude.

"This is... the Fourth Hokage of Konoha?!"

Konan looked at Minato Namikaze, thought to herself, and fell silent. She could feel the sincerity in Minato's heart. Although it was the first time she had met him, the feeling he gave her was completely different from the image of a Konoha ninja in her mind.

Furthermore, Minato and Jiraiya give off different vibes. Jiraiya is forthright and unpretentious, while Minato...

How can I describe it?

Elite demeanor, yet full of approachability?

Konan didn't know how to describe the feeling Minato gave her, but strangely enough, she could vaguely see some of Yahiko's traits in Minato.

However, Konan also knew very well that Minato and Yahiko were completely different. Yahiko was naive, but the Minato in front of her gave people a contradictory feeling... If she had to say... shrewd yet naive?!

Although he didn't know what Konan was thinking, Minato was very clear about his purpose in coming to the Land of Rain. At the same time, he had already planned out his next move.

"Xiao Nan, right?"

"Let's go, Shinichi and I will take you back to Amegakure."

"Perhaps...this will make him feel our sincerity."

Minato's words surprised Konan once again.

What did she hear?

Minato is going to send her back to Amegakure?

Konan had already mentally prepared herself to become a prisoner, and she had already accepted the torture she would suffer after being sent to Konoha. But now Minato Namikaze was saying that he would let her go.

This was something Xiao Nan hadn't anticipated.

"Let the tiger return to the mountain?"

"Doing this will only make Nagato more reckless."

"Although I am very willing to leave, I have to say that you are not a smart leader."

Konan frowned, and after a brief moment of surprise, he became deeply wary of Minato. He didn't understand what the other party was planning to do, and the enemy's "leniency" made Konan uncomfortable.

"So, in your opinion, what do I need to do to be considered a smart leader?"

"To take you back to Konoha for execution? To exacerbate the conflict between Konoha and Amegakure?"

"Or perhaps Nani threatened Nagato, preventing him from acting rashly?"

"Doing that doesn't seem to eliminate the Amegakure's resentment towards Konoha, does it?"

This was the first time in Minato's life that someone had said he wasn't smart. Hearing Konan's assessment, Minato's smile widened.

"Eliminate the misunderstanding?"

"Hehe, now I'm sure you really are Jiraiya's disciple."

"You're just like Jiraiya-sensei, equally whimsical and naive."

"Conflicts are like scars on a person's body. The pain will eventually disappear, but the scars will always remain."

Konan is alluding to Yahiko's death back then; she knows very well that Nagato will never forget Yahiko.

"Scars certainly won't disappear, but you can't let a scar reopen and become a wound again, right?"

Minato nodded and smiled, not completely refuting Konan's words.

"Let's go, it's getting late."

"If I send you home early, you and your partner might even be able to have dinner together."

As they were talking, Minato didn't say anything more, but got up and went into the tent. At the same time, Shinichi, who had heard this, also got up and came to Minato and Konan's side.

Regardless of Konan's feelings at that moment, he grabbed Konan and Minato's hands and immediately activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.

The group of figures flashed and disappeared into the dense forest in an instant.

When the three figures reappeared, they had already returned to Amegakure.

This is the battlefield where Shinichi and Jiraiya faced the Gedo Mazo. The groundwater has seeped away, and the surrounding dilapidated buildings still show that a great battle had just taken place here not long ago.

Right in front of the three stood a giant golem sitting cross-legged. The golem seemed to be in a dormant state, motionless, and its towering presence in the Rain Village's iron tower complex seemed somewhat out of place.

The village was unusually quiet, and there was no one in sight within a hundred meters.

Shinichi Hyuga used his Byakugan to see through the surface of the Gedo Maw and saw Nagato resting with his eyes closed inside the Maw's mouth. He then pointed to the Maw's mouth and explained:

"Nagato is inside the golem's mouth."

"It seems to be in hibernation."

As Shinichi spoke, Nagato inside the golem seemed to sense the Byakugan's probing sensation and suddenly opened his eyes.

When his gaze fell upon Xiao Nan and the others, the cross-legged golem began to tremble violently.

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path... has awakened!

...............

Chapter 163 The Child of Prophecy! (Please Subscribe)

The commotion caused by the resurgence of the Gedo Mazo was immense. Both Shinichi Hyuga and Minato had strong sensory abilities, and at the moment the Mazo revived, they were able to sense the terrifying pressure emanating from it.

When Nagato saw that Shinichi Hyuga had returned with Konan, he completely disregarded Minato Namikaze, a stranger, and directly manipulated the golem to grab Shinichi Hyuga in an attempt to take Konan back.

At this moment, Nagato had no time to think about what the other party's purpose was in returning to Amegakure, nor did he consider why his teacher Jiraiya hadn't returned with Shinichi Hyuga. At this moment, Nagato only had eyes for Konan.

A gigantic hand descended, blotting out the sky. Shinichi Hyuga and Minato exchanged a glance and quickly said:

"The person you want to see is inside the golem's mouth."

"It seems the other party has no intention of talking to you."

As he spoke, Shinichi Hyuga gently pushed Konan's waist, imprinting the Flying Thunder God mark on her body while simultaneously pushing her towards Minato.

It goes without saying that Konan is the key to starting the conversation. Since Minato Namikaze intends to talk to Nagato, he needs to use this key.

As he pushed Konan aside, Shinichi Hyuga quickly ran to the side, firing a Flying Thunder God kunai as he ran. Combining the abilities of Body Flicker and Flying Thunder God, Shinichi Hyuga flashed out of the giant hand's range in just a moment.

Although Minato Namikaze was carrying Konan, who couldn't use chakra, his escape speed wasn't much slower than Shinichi Hyuga's. After hearing the information Shinichi Hyuga provided, Minato had already made up his mind.

The opponent, hiding inside the golem's mouth, felt invincible from the start. Although Minato knew that taking Konan hostage might calm the opponent down and get them to the negotiating table, he didn't see it as the only solution.

Since the other party is so confident in their own strength, then we should first destroy that confidence and force them to sit at the negotiating table. In this way, Konoha will be the one in control.

Deep down, Minato rejected the practice of using hostages to coerce others into submission.