"A God who guides the world?"
Nagato's declaration sent shockwaves through every conscious defender, the sheer audacity of his claim leaving them momentarily speechless.
"Delusions of grandeur!" Nawaki spat with undisguised contempt.
His hands completed their seal sequence with practiced efficiency, and he opened his mouth to release his technique.
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
A razor-thin stream of high-pressure water erupted from his lips, shooting toward Nagato's floating form with tremendous velocity. The technique was designed to cut through virtually any material, its concentrated force capable of slicing through steel as easily as paper.
The compressed water jet traveled at incredible speed, but given the distance involved, Nagato barely seemed concerned enough to bother absorbing the attack.
Shimmer.
However, just as the water stream was about to make contact with its target, the visible projectile suddenly vanished as if it had never existed.
Whistle!
A nearly invisible needle of compressed water shot from Nawaki's mouth with even greater velocity than the previous attack, moving too fast for most eyes to track.
But this secondary projectile wasn't aimed at Nagato—instead, it targeted Deidara and Sasori who were positioned on the large clay bird nearby.
The microscopic water dart moved faster than the original water column and would be virtually impossible to defend against due to its size and speed.
Nagato had shifted his position to avoid Nawaki's initial assault, which meant he was out of position to intercept this follow-up attack in time.
BANG!
The tiny water needle struck the head of the massive white bird with the force of a high-caliber bullet, exploding the clay construct's cranium and sending ceramic fragments flying in all directions.
With its guidance system destroyed, the bird immediately lost stability and began plummeting toward the ground in an uncontrolled descent.
"Excellent opportunity!" Nawaki's eyes blazed with tactical satisfaction as he watched the enemy's aerial support failing.
While Nagato maintained his emotionless expression, Nawaki was already preparing to pursue the falling Akatsuki members and capitalize on their vulnerable state.
Clank!
At that critical moment, mechanical sounds emanated from Sasori's back as hidden compartments opened to reveal a pair of steel wings that extended like the appendages of some technological bird of prey.
The metallic wings suddenly began rotating like helicopter rotors, generating enough lift to carry Sasori skyward even as their original transport crashed below.
He reached out with both arms and caught Deidara just as the explosive artist was about to impact the ground, their practiced coordination suggesting this wasn't the first time they'd faced such an emergency.
Deidara, now suspended in Sasori's mechanical grip, was so furious that his cheeks puffed out like an angry child's, his eyes literally blazing with indignation at having his artistic creation destroyed.
Sasori fixed Nawaki with a cold stare, though careful observers could detect a hint of genuine apprehension in his puppet-like features.
Over his many years of pursuing the ultimate art through puppetry, Sasori had collected countless ninjutsu scrolls and technical manuals. The water technique Nawaki had just demonstrated was documented in one of those ancient texts.
If his memory served correctly, this was the Second Hokage's legendary secret technique—Heaven's Crying. The jutsu was designed to create a false sense of security with an obvious attack before delivering a hidden killing blow that exploited the enemy's moment of relaxation.
During the Warring States Period, Tobirama Senju had used this exact technique to eliminate numerous powerful enemies of rival clans, earning it a fearsome reputation among those who had survived encounters with the Second Hokage.
Seeing that his opponents were now fully alert to his capabilities, Nawaki chose not to waste additional chakra on follow-up attacks that would likely prove ineffective.
"Nagato, you..." Both Minato and Jiraiya's expressions shifted as they processed the implications of what they had witnessed.
"For now, I'll concede that Konoha has achieved a tactical victory in this engagement," Nagato said, his cold gaze sweeping across Minato, Jiraiya, and all the defenders gathered on the mountainside.
His attention lingered for a moment on Naruto, whose face still burned with murderous determination despite the overwhelming power disparity.
"But understand that this is far from over," he continued with absolute certainty. "Today's outcome changes nothing about the ultimate fate awaiting this world."
"Your ally has been eliminated," Minato said deliberately, his tone carefully measured as he attempted to gauge Nagato's reaction. "I killed him myself."
"Hahaha." Nagato's laughter was genuinely amused rather than bitter or forced. "Fourth Hokage, do you truly believe you achieved victory in that encounter?"
His expression took on the quality of someone sharing profound wisdom with children. "When the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara fought their legendary battle at the Valley of the End, everyone assumed that Hashirama Senju had emerged victorious."
The pause that followed was pregnant with terrible implication. "But was that really the case?"
"What are you saying?!" The color drained from the faces of Minato, Jiraiya, the Third Hokage, and every other veteran ninja present.
"I acknowledge that you surpass my current capabilities," Nagato continued with clinical detachment, his gaze fixed on Minato with something approaching respect. "You may even be approaching the legendary level that Hashirama Senju once achieved."
His smile grew colder and more knowing. "The question becomes whether you can accomplish what even the God of Shinobi failed to achieve in his time."
The defenders had been speculating about the masked man's identity since their first encounter, but with the limited information available, definitive identification had seemed impossible.
Now Nagato was providing that answer in the most disturbing way possible.
"That's impossible!" the Third Hokage exclaimed, his weathered hands trembling with the magnitude of what was being suggested. "I learned of Uchiha Madara's death directly from my predecessor. The information was absolutely verified!"
Every eye turned toward Minato, waiting for clarification about what had actually transpired during his private battle.
The Fourth Hokage's expression reflected shock that matched their own. "I killed him," he said with absolute certainty. "I pierced his heart with my own blade and felt the life leave his body."
"Where is the corpse?" Sakumo asked with military precision, his analytical mind immediately focusing on the crucial evidence.
"He activated a Four Symbols Seal as a final gambit and sank to the ocean floor," Minato replied grimly. "The body was never recovered."
The shadow clone he had left at the battle site had dissipated without finding any trace of physical remains, though that could be attributed to the seal's destructive effects rather than survival.
"The Four Symbols Seal activates only upon the user's death!" Nawaki declared with conviction. "Even if that masked coward's identity was what you're suggesting, he should be definitively dead!"
While Nawaki lacked expertise in advanced sealing techniques, his heritage as a member of the Senju clan—distant relatives of the Uzumaki—and his grandmother Uzumaki Mito's teachings had given him substantial knowledge of such forbidden arts.
"Stop spreading lies and uncertainty!" he shouted at Nagato, his voice cracking with emotion.
Minato's brow furrowed as he studied Nagato's expression, searching for any hint of deception or bluff.
"I cannot eliminate you today," Nagato said with matter-of-fact acceptance, his tone suggesting this was merely a tactical setback rather than strategic defeat. "But when I appear again, that will mark the moment when this world's fate is finally decided."
His gaze locked with Minato's for a long moment before shifting to focus on Jiraiya with something that might have been nostalgic affection.
"Sensei," he said, his voice growing softer but no less cold, "the prophecy you have pursued throughout your entire life is indeed authentic."
The words carried weight that seemed to settle on Jiraiya's shoulders like a physical burden.
As Nagato finished speaking, Deidara had already prepared their escape route. With practiced efficiency, he hurled every remaining explosive in his arsenal skyward before immediately triggering their detonation.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The coordinated explosions filled the air with dense smoke and debris, creating a perfect concealment screen for their withdrawal.
"We cannot allow them to escape!" Nawaki shouted in alarm, his hands already moving toward intercepting seals.
Itachi's newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan crystallized with focused power as he attempted to penetrate the obscuring smoke. Among all present, only sensory specialists and his enhanced vision had any hope of tracking enemies through such effective concealment.
However, when Itachi peered through the swirling clouds of smoke and dust, he found empty sky where their opponents had been moments before.
"They're all gone!" he reported with frustration.
Jiraiya, still maintaining his perfect Sage Mode, confirmed the tactical intelligence. "I can sense that all the major chakra signatures that attacked Konoha today have vanished simultaneously."
His enhanced natural energy perception showed no trace of the overwhelming power that had threatened their village.
Immediately, he turned toward Minato, expecting orders or strategic guidance.
The Fourth Hokage stood with his brow deeply furrowed, clearly processing multiple layers of tactical and strategic implications from everything they had witnessed.
"There's something I must confirm immediately," Minato said after a moment of intense consideration.
Flash!
Before anyone could respond, he vanished from their position in a burst of golden light.
Minato materialized in the heart of devastated Konoha, his enhanced senses taking in the scope of destruction that Nagato's techniques had wrought upon his village. Buildings that had stood for decades were reduced to rubble, streets were transformed into cratered wastelands, and the very geography of the area had been permanently altered.
His gaze swept across the ruins until it locked onto a specific direction, and he immediately began moving with urgent purpose.
Nagato's massive Shinra Tensei had destroyed all of Minato's carefully placed Flying Thunder God markers throughout the village, which meant even his legendary speed was limited by conventional travel methods.
"As I suspected—still here!" he said with relief as he reached his destination.
Before him lay the Second Hokage, restrained by the sealing chains and binding techniques that Kushina had used to neutralize the Edo Tensei summon during the earlier phases of battle.
Rather than pursue Nagato immediately, Minato had been considering the implications of everything the enemy had revealed. Nagato's cryptic references to the legendary battle between Hashirama and Madara suggested knowledge that went beyond historical records.
Even the Third Hokage, who had received information directly from the previous generation, had never learned the complete truth about that pivotal confrontation.
But there was one individual currently in Konoha who had experienced those events firsthand—someone who could provide definitive answers about what had really transpired decades ago.
The Second Hokage, summoned through Orochimaru's Edo Tensei technique, was the key to understanding whether Nagato's claims had any foundation in reality.
Minato needed to know, once and for all, what had actually happened at the Valley of the End—and whether Uchiha Madara's death had been as final as history claimed.