260. Disaster Strikes

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It wasn't just Naruto who was hungry everyone was starving. Combat was exhausting, after all.

The ones cooking lunch?

Kakashi and Sasuke.

Recently, Sasuke had "cheated" his way into learning how to cook, and his movements were eerily similar to how his mother used to cook.

Thankfully, he hadn't copied her habit of flipping his hair mid-recipe.

"Sasuke, you're amazing."

Sakura rested her chin in her hands, watching him cook with a slightly defeated expression.

"Yeah, it's impressive…" Naruto sat beside her, also observing. "But I wonder how it actually tastes?"

If Sasuke's food turned out to be as terrible as his attitude sometimes, then his girlfriend was doomed.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were already back in Konoha, having been sent home by Naruto.

Jiraiya was eager to interrogate Hidan for any intel. Tsunade, meanwhile, was fascinated by the idea of an "immortal" ninja particularly one like Hidan.

If he was truly immortal, he might become a limitless resource for Konoha's medical research.

Imagine having a dissected human whose organs kept functioning.

The contributions to medical science would be groundbreaking.

---

"Smells amazing!"

Sakura happily took a bite of Sasuke's cooking and immediately felt at peace with the world.

"It really is good," Kakashi commented, smiling under his mask.

Naruto, seeing that the others had "tested for poison", finally took a bite himself.

His eyes widened.

"五蚂蚁! (Five stars!)"

Sasuke was smirking now.

Maybe he should cook for Itachi next time.

With full stomachs, the team finally set off for home, stopping by the Fire Temple to inform Chiriku of their success.

Naruto was in high spirits—

Not because of Sasuke's cooking, but because they had just taken out two major Akatsuki members.

And then…

An interesting thought hit him.

"Wait. Is the Akatsuki about to go broke?"

Kakuzu, their chief financial officer, was dead. How would they fund operations now?

He started listing members in his head.

Konan? No way. That woman was a walking money furnace.

Deidara? Impossible. The guy could barely resist blowing up things inside his own base.

Nagato? Yeah, right. That guy was too busy thinking about war.

Then there was…

Kisame, Tobi, and Black Zetsu…

Naruto blinked.

"…Hold up. That's it?!"

Akatsuki was running low on members.

It was actually kinda sad.

"Hope they don't recruit anyone new," he thought.

He had no idea how far along they were in hunting Tailed Beasts, but honestly?

He was rooting for Akatsuki to go bankrupt before they could finish.

---

The journey home was smooth almost too smooth.

No fights. No random bandits.

Not even a couple of stray cats fighting in an alley.

Even after returning to Konoha, things remained peaceful.

Days passed without incident.

Until…

A massive announcement shook the village.

"What?! Kumo was destroyed?!"

Naruto stared at Minato, completely stunned.

Beside him, Kushina's expression mirrored his own.

Tsunade and Jiraiya, who had received the intel first, looked extremely grim.

"It's true," Minato confirmed.

He pushed forward a stack of photos.

"These are images from the scene. It won't be long before the whole ninja world knows about this."

The Land of Lightning was almost entirely surrounded by sea, with only a small land border connecting it to the Land of Frost.

Kumogakure itself was built high in the mountains, making it one of the most well-defended villages in the world.

It was so difficult to invade that, during the previous ninja wars, most nations didn't even bother attacking unless absolutely necessary.

And yet—

Now, in the photos before them, Kumogakure was gone.

The once-mighty hidden village was nothing more than a massive crater.

Entire mountain peaks had been severed, leaving behind jagged, unnatural cliffs.

The ground was littered with shattered debris. Every building had been crushed beyond recognition.

The few survivors in the images wore grief-stricken expressions as they cleared rubble, likely preparing to rebuild.

There were no signs of a battle only destruction.

These photos were taken after the attack, meaning whoever did this had already left.

"It had to be Pain, right?"

Naruto barely stopped himself from saying "good job" out loud.

"Horr—horrifying!" he corrected himself when he noticed everyone staring at him.

Kushina placed a firm hand on his head, silencing him.

She didn't like Kumo, but she didn't want so many innocent people to die.

Minato spoke gravely.

"Kumo suffered catastrophic losses.

The Eighth-Tails jinchūriki was captured.

The Raikage was critically injured.

Even with evacuation protocols, civilians still suffered casualties."

Minato wasn't fond of Kumo, but seeing such devastation made him uneasy.

He also couldn't help but wonder—

If Konoha were attacked the same way… Could he stop it?

Tsunade was thinking the same thing, considering how many casualties her medical ninjutsu could save in a scenario like this.

But the one most shaken was Jiraiya.

This was the work of his student.

And he blamed himself.

Minato read Jiraiya's thoughts instantly.

"Jiraiya-sensei, I understand."

He met his old teacher's gaze.

"I also have a student who lost his way. I also want to stop him.

But even if we defeat Pain, another will take his place.

Not because of Madara.

Not because of Black Zetsu.

But because this world remains broken.

As long as nations continue exploiting smaller countries… As long as resources remain unfairly distributed…

Someone like Pain will always emerge.

Which is why…

The upcoming Five Kage Summit will be the first step toward real peace.

Naruto was stunned.

His dad was actually thinking about production and economics?

"Is this even the same Minato I know?!"

Jiraiya, meanwhile, clenched his fists in frustration.

Seeing this, Tsunade patted his shoulder.

"Don't look like that. Minato's thinking more clearly than you right now.

All we need to do is support him.

Wasn't your whole thing about finding the 'Child of Prophecy'?

Maybe it was Minato all along."

She smirked.

"Still doubtful?"

She crossed her arms confidently.

"Wanna bet on it?"

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