Black Zetsu was just a step away from escaping alive.
Immune to the Flying Thunder God mark, he was doing everything he could to burrow deeper into the endless desert sands.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would soon slip away from pursuit, carrying the Rinnegan with him, waiting for the perfect moment to resurrect Uchiha Madara.
However—
The yellow sand was suddenly devoured, and the area where Black Zetsu was fleeing turned into a massive hollow void.
"What?!"
Black Zetsu couldn't believe it. He had no idea why the sand that was just there a moment ago had vanished in an instant.
Then, he noticed strange insects crawling all around him.
"I've bred parasites capable of devouring sand."
Aburame Tatsuma finally arrived, and before Black Zetsu could escape, he had ordered his parasites to consume a large section of the desert.
"Sealing Technique."
Minato seized the instant when Black Zetsu froze in shock and unleashed the most powerful sealing technique he could use under these conditions.
If this still wasn't enough to capture this bizarre creature, then he would have no choice but to resort to the legendary Dead Demon Consuming Seal...
"Damn insects!"
The sealing formula didn't fail like the Flying Thunder God mark had—it spread densely across Black Zetsu's entire body, layer after layer, until it completely engulfed his writhing form.
Soon, Black Zetsu's constant muttering was silenced as the seals fully activated.
When the sealing was complete, two round, squishy objects squeezed out from Black Zetsu's body, bounced twice, and rolled to Minato's feet.
"What's this?"
Minato bent down and picked up the two round objects.
Hmm... the texture was strange—soft, sticky, and bouncy...
"Wait, this is...?"
Minato examined them closely, and suddenly realized what he was actually holding. Without another thought, he used the Flying Thunder God technique and vanished right before Aburame Tatsuma's eyes.
"That was..."
Aburame Tatsuma reached out as if to stop him, but only grabbed at empty air.
Well, once again, he'd been ignored.
With a sigh, he shifted his attention back to Black Zetsu.
After such a long chase, he had finally caught something worthwhile.
Now, he was determined to find out exactly what this elusive creature really was.
Hmm... but first, maybe he'd use it to experiment on his new breed of parasites.
...
Ōnoki's meeting with Yahiko went surprisingly smoothly.
The doubts and resentment that had once lingered in Ōnoki's heart faded away as they continued their discussion.
Yahiko's ideals hadn't been eroded by time; on the contrary, they had become even firmer.
Right in front of Ōnoki, Yahiko spoke passionately about his vision for peace in the shinobi world—his wish for people to resolve disputes through dialogue, not warfare.
Hmm... still too young.
That was what Ōnoki thought, though outwardly, he only smiled and played along.
After all, sending this idealistic kid back to his rain-soaked village in Amegakure wouldn't harm Iwagakure's interests in the slightest.
The two spoke warmly for some time and even shared dinner at the best restaurant in the village. The next day, they jointly announced a peace agreement, with Iwagakure formally recognizing Yahiko as the legitimate leader of Amegakure.
Not only that—Ōnoki, as the head of the Shinobi Alliance, generously extended an invitation for Yahiko to join the alliance itself.
That same day, after seeing Yahiko off, Ōnoki returned home in good spirits, hands clasped behind his back, ready to properly instruct his granddaughter.
Kitsuchi had never been particularly impressive—no Kekkei Genkai—but his daughter, at least, was talented.
Their conversation a few days ago had made Ōnoki realize it was time to start thinking seriously about his successor. Was Deidara the better choice, or was Kurotsuchi the stronger candidate?
"Come to think of it, isn't it time for the next Chūnin Exams?"
Watching Kurotsuchi shouting "Ha! Hya! Ya!" as she trained in the field, Ōnoki suddenly spoke up, glancing at Kitsuchi beside him.
"Yes, and this time, Deidara is also—"
Kitsuchi nodded, assuming his father was about to pull another one of his questionable schemes.
"Idiot. We're all part of the Alliance now. Those petty tricks of the past—just let them go."
Ōnoki scolded him sharply, making it clear he wanted no more underhanded tactics.
Kitsuchi nodded gloomily, thinking to himself that those so-called "petty tricks" had all been Ōnoki's ideas in the first place.
But he didn't dare say it aloud, only stood there in silence while Ōnoki continued lecturing him.
"So, which village is hosting the Chūnin Exams this time?"
"Konoha."
"Oh? Konoha again?"
Ōnoki hesitated for a moment, the thought of seeing Takeshi stirring faintly in his chest. Yet, as the leader of the Alliance, he worried that such a visit might cause a stir.
After weighing the pros and cons, he decided against going personally.
"In that case, have Monga depart to discuss the exam details with Konoha. As for the jōnin leading the team, that'll be your responsibility."
Ōnoki handed the task to Kitsuchi, then turned his attention back to Kurotsuchi.
...
Meanwhile, in Konoha, the delegation from Kirigakure had already arrived to discuss the upcoming exams.
At the moment, they were being shown around the village by Nara Tōen.
"Please take a look, Lady Mei Terumi. This is the Konoha Police Headquarters. They're responsible for maintaining order within the village."
Nara Tōen's tone remained as lazy as ever, his face showing not a flicker of emotion as he addressed the beautiful kunoichi beside him, who was wearing a blue dress.
"I see. But from what I've heard, the real authority for maintaining Konoha's order actually lies with the Internal Affairs Division under the Fifth Hokage, doesn't it?"
Mei Terumi covered her mouth with a soft laugh, subtly probing for information.
"As for the Internal Affairs Division—they're Konoha's counterintelligence organization, responsible for handling intelligence both inside and outside the village.
As for where their headquarters are located... unfortunately, I'm just a chūnin. That's far above my clearance."
Nara Tōen shook his head calmly, unfazed by Mei's probing.