Mastermind of the Akatsuki

After selecting the leader of the Ninja Allied Forces, the Six Kage Summit was about to conclude.

Next, the leaders of the major ninja villages only needed to assemble their ninja troops to launch the war against the Masked Man and Madara Uchiha.

However, returning to their villages from the Land of Iron posed a significant challenge for the Five Kage.

The Five Kage and their corresponding ANBU units were the top forces in the ninja world. Even when facing ninja squads numbering in the thousands, they could hold their ground.

But the ninja who threatened the Five Kage and ANBU was named Madara Uchiha.

If Madara attacked isolated ninja squads from the villages, excluding Amegakure's squad, the others would likely face crushing defeats with little chance of escape. But if they did not return to their villages, how could they gather their ninja forces? Could they rely solely on summoning creatures to relay messages?

At this point, it seemed like the only option—this was the only way to avoid encountering Madara during their journey back and to prevent the village leadership from being wiped out in one strike.

A day later, the Five Great Ninja Village leaders contacted their respective villages.

Upon opening the intelligence scrolls, the faces of the Five Kage all changed drastically. They left their rooms intending to convene an allied forces meeting to discuss how to respond next.

They found Yahiko and Byakuya, who were exchanging intelligence scrolls with each other. Judging by their expressions, they seemed to have received bad news—most likely connected to their villages.

When they saw the Five Kage arrive, Yahiko and Byakuya lowered their heads slightly and said, "You came to see us because of the attacks on our villages."

The leaders exchanged glances and nodded.

The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, spoke first, "While I was away, Iwagakure was attacked by unknown ninjas. The attackers were those unknown creatures called the White Zetsu. Although Iwa defeated them, the village suffered considerable losses."

The Fourth Raikage angrily said, "White Zetsu also attacked Kumogakure, and in addition to them, there were some rogue ninjas who defected from our own country."

Sasori of the Red Sand glanced at Byakuya and said, "Due to our puppet army, Sunagakure didn't lose many personnel, but hundreds of puppets were destroyed. If I hadn't taken the Jinchūriki away beforehand, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Hearing this, Mei Terumi and Zabuza's expressions darkened, "The Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure was kidnapped. According to our ANBU's reports, the attackers were Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki."

"Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki kidnapped the Fourth Mizukage?"

This news shocked all the ninjas present.

They were surprised the attackers were rogue ninjas from Konoha and Kirigakure, and even more stunned that the Fourth Mizukage was taken. This confirmed the reports that the Fourth Mizukage was no longer combat-capable.

Tsunade quickly spoke to explain, "Itachi Uchiha is a rogue ninja. Konoha will definitely dispatch forces to capture him, and the Fourth Mizukage will surely return safely."

Mei Terumi and Zabuza shook their heads and said, "This matter has nothing to do with Konoha. Kisame also participated, and his strength is actually not inferior to the Fourth Mizukage. We don't know why he sided with the Masked Man's faction."

Tsunade fell into deep thought and said with one hand supporting her chin, "The Masked Man may have bewitched Kisame and Itachi. Perhaps they truly believe in Madara's ideology."

After a pause, Tsunade added, "Also, Konoha itself was attacked by the White Zetsu and suffered heavy losses. Besides the White Zetsu, we've also detected the activity of Orochimaru and Rasa."

When Tsunade mentioned this, Jiraiya's face darkened.

He had thought Orochimaru was merely allied with Danzo, but he never expected a close connection to the Masked Man as well, which unsettled him deeply.

Sasori's expression also soured upon hearing the news of rogue ninja Rasa.

After the Five Kage detailed the situation in their respective villages, all eyes turned to Yahiko and Byakuya, curious about what had happened in Amegakure.

Under their gaze, Yahiko sighed lightly and said, "Last night, Amegakure was also attacked by the Masked Man's forces. As for our losses, we lost two ninja."

"Only two ninja lost?"

Everyone exchanged glances, secretly impressed by Amegakure's strength.

Not only did they have Byakuya, a supremely powerful shinobi who could fight Madara head-on, but they also had abundant talent. While the other major villages suffered heavy losses, Amegakure only lost two ninja.

However, was the reaction to losing only two ninja an overreaction?

At this moment, Jiraiya seemed to recall something and asked Yahiko and Byakuya, "Yahiko, Byakuya, those lost ninja from Amegakure would not happen to be…"

Before Jiraiya could finish, Yahiko nodded and said, "Jiraiya-sensei, you guessed right. The losses are Nagato and the Six-Tails Jinchūriki."

"Nagato and the Six-Tails Jinchūriki?!"

Upon hearing that Amegakure lost the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, the Five Kage began to understand Amegakure's mood. Losing a Jinchūriki was indeed a huge blow.

Although Nagato was not widely famous in the ninja world, he was a high-ranking member of Amegakure.

Upon hearing this from Yahiko, Jiraiya froze for a few seconds, then asked, "Yahiko, did Nagato really die? Isn't he the Child of Prophecy? And wasn't Hanzō-sama supposed to be stationed in Amegakure as well?"

After a long silence, Byakuya spoke, "The teacher was present as well. He is severely injured and it's uncertain when he will awaken from his coma. As for the culprit behind the attack on Amegakure, I have my suspicions. If I'm not mistaken, it should be Madara Uchiha's true body."

Byakuya narrowed his gaze, "Only Madara himself could defeat the combined forces of Nagato and Hanzō. This was a serious oversight on my part, and it won't happen again."

Everyone nodded in agreement with Byakuya's speculation.

Yet they were also very curious why Madara's true body attacked Amegakure instead of the Land of Iron, where the summit was being held.

Could Amegakure have some special significance, even more important than the Five Kage and the Jinchūriki? Or did Madara know Amegakure would secure the Allied Forces leader position and decided to strike preemptively to crush their fighting spirit?

As everyone pondered this, Jiraiya stepped forward and asked Byakuya, "The reason Madara attacked Nagato must be because of the Rinnegan, right? Aside from the Rinnegan, I can't think of anything more important than the Tailed Beasts."

Byakuyа nodded with a gloomy expression, then said, "Before hearing the news of Nagato being attacked, I didn't think that the Masked Man and Madara Uchiha could cause much trouble. The Masked Man is a failure I've repelled many times, and Madara Uchiha is just a defeated subordinate of the First Hokage. The others are merely outcasts who were expelled from their villages. Even united, they're nothing more than a disorderly mob. But Nagato is different. His eyes harbor a power that truly frightens me."

At this, the Third Tsuchikage and Fourth Raikage couldn't help but interrupt, "Jiraiya, Byakuyа, what exactly are you discussing? That ninja called Nagato from Amegakure possesses the legendary Rinnegan? Isn't that the eye of the Sage of Six Paths?"

Jiraiya explained, "The Rinnegan is the eye of the Sage of Six Paths, but it also belongs to Nagato. One of the main reasons I stayed in Amegakure to teach Yahiko and the others was because of Nagato's Rinnegan. Otherwise, I probably would have just given them a few ninja scrolls and left."

Yahiko looked a little embarrassed, "Jiraiya-sensei, you don't have to be so blunt. I thought the bond between us as teacher and students would be a bit more sentimental."

"Back then was back then. Later, after spending time together, our bond grew," Jiraiya coughed and continued. "During my teaching of Nagato, I witnessed the Rinnegan's abilities firsthand. It made me resolve to train Nagato as the prophesied one to end the chaos in the Land of Rain. However, from what happened afterward, it seems the prophesied one of the Land of Rain isn't just Nagato alone."

At this point, Jiraiya looked toward Yahiko, Byakuyа, and Konan. Hearing this, Tsunade gave a helpless smile, and the other village leaders deeply admired Jiraiya's boldness. Putting themselves in his shoes, none of them could have done what he did.

The Rinnegan is rarer than even the Tailed Beasts.

If any village had encountered Nagato with the Rinnegan, they wouldn't hesitate to capture him to boost their own strength. With the Rinnegan, Nagato is at least an elite-level force capable of greatly enhancing a village's power.

Yet, the Land of Rain was lucky—not only did it possess a Rinnegan, but also Byakuyа, a monster able to surpass even Nagato.

If it weren't for the threat of the Masked Man and Madara Uchiha, once Nagato and Byakuyа reached their peak, the ninja world might have returned to an era of two great powers—but led not by Konoha, but by the inconspicuous Land of Rain.

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Ōnoki asked with some doubt, "Nagato's strength should be less than Byakuyа's. Is the Rinnegan alone enough for Madara Uchiha to defeat the Allied Shinobi Forces?"

"The Rinnegan alone is not enough, but it can revive the legendary Ten-Tails."

Byakuyа raised his head, as if recalling something terrifying, and said, "The Ten-Tails is the combined form of all nine Tailed Beasts. No ninja could defeat the Ten-Tails—not even the First Hokage back then."

Ōnoki pondered and noticed something odd, then asked, "If the Rinnegan can revive the Ten-Tails, and the Land of Rain has the Rinnegan, then why hasn't the Land of Rain tried to revive the Ten-Tails?"

Byakuyа glanced back at Ōnoki and replied, "The Land of Rain does not have the strength to contend with the Five Great Shinobi Countries. Also, we only possess the Rinnegan—not the crucial Outer Path: Human Path (Gedō Mazō). The Rinnegan is the key to activating the Ten-Tails, but the Gedō Mazō is its vessel."

Ōnoki nodded and then asked a critical question, "Byakuyа, why are you so familiar with the Rinnegan and the Ten-Tails?"

His question immediately resonated with the others. They thought the same.

If Byakuyа could not explain, they might not act against him but would certainly harbor suspicions.

Byakuyа remained calm and said, "Information about the Rinnegan and the Ten-Tails is passed down through the Senju and Uzumaki clans. The Uchiha clan probably has records too, which is why Itachi Uchiha betrayed Konoha."

After a pause, Byakuyа looked at Ōnoki and asked, "Tsuchikage, do you remember the battle between Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage at the Valley of the End?"

"Of course I do…" Tsunade quickly answered, "I was just a child that night, but the scene of mountains collapsing and earth shaking is unforgettable. But why don't I know anything about the Rinnegan or the Ten-Tails from that time?"

Byakuyа shook his head and explained, "I don't know. It might have something to do with the unexpected death of the Second Hokage. He died before passing these secrets on to the Senju descendants—killed by the Gold and Silver Brothers."

"I see…" Tsunade accepted this explanation, and many of her questions were answered.

Grandpa and Second Hokage surely told the clan about the Rinnegan and Gedō Mazō, but the Gold and Silver Brothers' rebellion accidentally killed the Second Hokage, causing the Senju clan to lose important legacies, such as the research on Wood Release and these hidden secrets.

Byakuyа, as an Uzumaki descendant, unexpectedly inherited the Senju's legacy, growing to his current power, just one step away from the original Grandpa and Second Hokage.

Clearing his throat, Byakuyа continued, "The battle between the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha was not just a fight—it was also a clash of ideals. Madara Uchiha wanted to gather the Tailed Beasts to revive the Ten-Tails and plunge the ninja world into an eternal dream. The First Hokage opposed Madara's ideology and eventually defeated him, maintaining the Five Great Shinobi Countries' order.

However, Madara didn't die. He faked his death to escape. But the price of faking death was severe—he lost most of his combat strength and had to implement the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan by cultivating successors. The First and Second Hokage understood this, leaving legacies so that the Senju descendants could oppose Madara's schemes. For years, I have been following their wishes, fighting against the Masked Man."

Hearing this, everyone finally understood why Byakuyа was so devoted to opposing the Masked Man.

Yet, a new question appeared in their minds: If Madara Uchiha had lost most of his strength, why was he still so powerful?