The Whereabouts of the Water Gate

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya was taken aback at first, but he quickly regained his composure.

He looked into Kushina's eyes and said:

"Minato has gone out on a mission and hasn't returned yet..."

Although Jiraiya hid it well, the observant Kushina still noticed.

She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and continued speaking:

"Jiraiya-sensei, you can't hide it from me..."

"Although you've concealed it well, my intuition tells me that Minato... he might have already met with some misfortune..."

As one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, Jiraiya must have known about Minato's situation.

Actually, the most suitable person to come here to protect the Jinchūriki is not Jiraiya, but Minato!

With Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique, no matter what anomalies occur here, the Jinchūriki can be instantly transferred using the Flying Thunder God Technique!

However, due to Minato's disappearance, the Konoha leadership had no choice but to entrust Jiraiya with this important task.

Upon hearing Kushina's words, Jiraiya fell into deep thought.

Finally, he sighed and decided to tell Kushina the truth:

"Kushina, promise me..."

"No matter what you hear later, you need to stay calm..."

Kushina nodded heavily, indicating that she was very strong.

Immediately afterwards, Jiraiya spoke again:

"Not long ago, Minato went to Takigakure to carry out a mission: to bring back the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki..."

"but…."

"They encountered the [Twilight] organization..."

"According to intelligence from the front lines, Minato's entire squad is missing. Currently..."

"Whereabouts unknown..."

Upon hearing this, Kushina's face turned pale instantly.

Her tightly clenched hands trembled slightly. Although she had been mentally prepared, the shock she felt upon hearing the news was still like a tidal wave, difficult to calm down.

A flicker of disbelief crossed her eyes, quickly replaced by deep worry and unease.

"Everyone is missing...whereabouts unknown..."

Kushina repeated these words softly, as if trying to etch them into her heart.

She looked up at Jiraiya, her eyes glistening with tears, but she stubbornly held them back.

"Then...is there any chance he'll come back?"

Minato... he's so powerful...

"He has a way to get back... right?"

Jiraiya's gaze became complex and heavy. He slowly shook his head, his voice low and firm:

"Kushina, I understand how you feel, but we have to face reality..."

"Minato is indeed very strong, but the Twilight organization is no pushover either. They act mysteriously and are ruthless. Even we in Konoha know very little about them..."

"This mission is exceptionally difficult; Minato and his team are facing an enemy far exceeding expectations."

"but,"

Jiraiya changed the subject, trying to give Kushina a glimmer of hope:

"Although the situation is not optimistic, we have not given up the search for them."

"Konoha has dispatched multiple search and rescue teams, and I am also actively contacting other ninja villages in the hope of obtaining more information about [Twilight] and the whereabouts of Minato and the others."

"We will never give up as long as there is a glimmer of hope."

As Kushina listened to Jiraiya's words, the light in her eyes gradually dimmed, but she still managed to force a smile:

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei..."

"I will wait, no matter how long it takes, I will wait for Minato to come back..."

"He is my husband, and I believe he will definitely... return safely."

Jiraiya nodded silently, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He knew all too well what waiting was like, and he also knew how much untold pain and fear lay behind Kushina's current strength.

He gently patted Kushina's shoulder, as if to pass on his strength and belief to her:

"Kushina, you need to take care of yourself too..."

"If Minato knew, he would definitely want you to be safe and sound."

Then, Jiraiya changed the subject and began to discuss the current situation:

"Kushina, the Nine-Tails' rampage is something we're quite concerned about right now..."

"But don't worry, I will personally take care of your safety."

"But you must always remain vigilant, after all, the Nine-Tails is the most unique and the most powerful among the other tailed beasts..."

Kushina listened attentively to Jiraiya's instructions, her eyes flashing with determination.

She knew that she was not only a wife waiting for her husband to return, but also the Jinchūriki of the Uzumaki clan responsible for sealing the Nine-Tails!

She was under the most pressure of everyone present!

Soon after making arrangements for everyone, Jiraiya also hurriedly left.

What he has to do right now is far more important than protecting the Jinchūriki!

Of course, it certainly wasn't something as outrageous as peeping into a women's bathhouse.

According to him, this is called appreciation…

....

Beneath Konoha Village...

Madara Uchiha sat upright on the ancient wooden throne, one hand gently resting on his chin, his deep eyes gleaming with contemplation.

The entire space was filled with a repressive and majestic atmosphere, as if even the air itself had frozen.

Suddenly, Ban's gaze sharpened in a certain direction, as if piercing through the barriers of space and revealing a secret unknown to others.

Immediately afterwards, accompanied by a strange spatial distortion, the figures of Fengtian and the others appeared out of thin air in front of Ban, as if stepping out of the void.

"I'm back... Fengtian..."

Ban slowly rose to his feet, his voice deep and authoritative, each word seemingly carrying an irresistible power.

Upon hearing this, Fengtian nodded slightly in response.

He then released Minato, Killer Bee, Kabuto Yakushi, and the others who were imprisoned in the Kamui Dimension.

Seeing this, Madara Uchiha frowned, his heart filled with doubt, and asked in a deep voice:

"What does this mean, Fengtian...?"

Fengtian remained calm and composed, responding as usual:

"These people have been completely sealed away by me. Their chakra is no longer usable and is completely under my control."

He paused slightly, then continued:

"However, keeping them inside my [space] indefinitely would indeed restrict my movements..."

"After all, I need to be ready to deal with any situation that may arise at any time."

"And they are kept under the watchful eye of the White Zetsu, only needing to be fed a few soldier rations periodically to keep them alive..."

Upon hearing this, Madara Uchiha did not show any agreement on his face. Instead, he shook his head, and a cold killing intent crept into the corner of his eyes.

"Such a complicated approach is really not my style."

"It would be better to be swift and decisive, and kill them all to prevent future troubles."

Before he finished speaking, Madara Uchiha began to exude an astonishing aura, a powerful and oppressive presence that inspired fear in those around him.

His eyes gradually turned bloodshot, as if they were burning with raging flames. In the next moment, he was about to make his move and destroy the person in front of him.

Seeing this, Fengtian's heart tightened, and he quickly spoke to stop Ban's impending killing intent:

"Stop! Lord Madara! Don't kill these people yet!"

His voice carried a hint of urgency, clearly indicating his deep concern about what was about to happen.

Ban paused slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his crimson eyes, before coldly uttering two words:

"reason?"

His tone was devoid of any emotion, as if he were asking a trivial question.

Seeing this, Fengtian was secretly relieved that Ban hadn't acted immediately. He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then spoke:

"I suspect that the backlash from my eye power is related to the [cause and effect of killing]..."