The next day.
When Naruto woke up, he touched his clothes, which were still neatly in place. With a throbbing headache, he staggered to the bathroom to wash up, trying hard to recall what had happened the night before.
The three of them had drunk, eaten, moved to three different places, and vomited twice. Finally, during the last round, they opened up and vented some of their pent-up negative emotions.
Having achieved this point, Naruto felt relieved.
A scummy boss never cared about his employees' physical well-being, and they only worry about whether their work will be delayed. They don't care about the employees' mental health, as long as it didn't interfere with his plans.
After a quick breakfast, Naruto activated the Gate of the Underworld again. The coordinates were set for Iwagakure. As the three of them stepped through the gate, a flash of golden light erupted before the gate violently collapsed and vanished.
In the blink of an eye, the three of them, along with the gate, disappeared mid-air, leaving behind only faint ripples in their wake.
…
Meanwhile.
At the Land of Rain.
Heavy rain poured from the sky. Atop a towering structure, Nagato sat weakly on a stone chair, his face pale. He looked weak and exhausted, as if he was about to die of kidney deficiency.
Two years ago, when Jiraiya and Naruto had joined forces to storm Nagato's hideout and obliterated the Six Paths of Pain, Nagato had finally to his senses.
Naruto also did not kill Nagato out of consideration for Jiraiya's sake, as Naruto had also considered that if Nagato died, the Rinnegan would fall into his hands.
Naruto was unwilling to take over this hot potato, nor was he willing to contact Obito and his gang in advance, so he simply extended the life of the dying Nagato.
He wasn't some kind-hearted fool, and he just wants to keep Nagato alive to contain Obito and his gang. In Naruto's eyes, Nagato's survival was nothing more than a means to an end.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the empty hall. Konan folded the paper wings behind her, and the click of her high heels against the stone floor rang out crisply.
"Nagato, how are you doing?"
"I'm fine." Nagato replied, gripping the armrests of his chair, with veins bulging on the back of his hands. He slowly raised his head, his face twisted in pain, as though he was on the verge of collapsing.
"Have they arrived?"
"Yeah." A trace of reluctance flashed across Konan's face, and after hesitating for a moment, she said, "Nagato, listen to me, you are in a very bad condition now."
"You can't go out at this time. Amegakure still needs you."
"I don't have much time left. I'll have to end it sooner or later." Nagato stood up from the chair, enduring the pain, "I know I'm going to die soon. It's a good thing they're here now."
"Nagato… you'll die if you do this." Konan frowned, "Let me hold them off. If necessary, we can still contact Jiraiya-sensei… or even Naruto."
Hearing this, Nagato said nothing. He felt nothing but guilt toward Jiraiya. As for Naruto, Nagato understood perfectly well that the only reason Naruto had helped him was to use him as a pawn against Obito.
To die when the time came… this is the only purpose of his life, and it is also his destiny.
But he couldn't tell Konan about this, because when he raised his head and looked at Konan, a trace of barely perceptible sadness flashed in his eyes.
"No."
"I was supposed to die a long time ago. Surviving until now is already more than I deserve. Jiraiya-sensei can't save me, and I'm not afraid of death. I've lived this long just to take revenge on them."
"Whatever you do, don't let them take my eyes. If I failed, take them and go straight to Konoha to find Naruto. Don't look back."
Konan stared at the panting Nagato with complicated expression. After a moment of silence, she nodded. In the end, there was nothing left to say, so she sighed and turned away.
Amegakure was in turmoil, shrouded in wind and rain. Through the haze, a lone figure stood atop the highest tower, silently surveying the village.
The next moment, a huge pair of wings unfurled behind the figure as they shot into the storm.
Outside Amegakure.
Sasuke and his team looked up at the endless curtain of rain and came to a halt.
"Sasuke, don't you think those guys will be shocked when they realize we sneaked into Amegakure?" Suigetsu grinned wildly as he reached out to touch the rainwater.
The entire area was flooded, and for someone like Suigetsu, who could liquefy his body, this was like fighting on home turf. It was practically like having an entire arsenal at his disposal.
The rain continued to fall relentlessly, and Sasuke did not respond. Instead, he carefully observed their surroundings. Meanwhile, Karin shot Suigetsu a glance and said, "Suigetsu, be careful. According to the intelligence, this isn't just some small village. The former leader of the Akatsuki is not dead and has been in here all along."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Suigetsu waved his hand and said, "We're just here to watch the show, not pick a fight with those guys."
"And also see if we can take advantage of the situation." Karin said, adjusting her glasses.
Jugo's mountain-like body stood behind the three people, his expression unchanging. He had already noticed something unusual about the village, but he simply glanced at Karin.
Karin's Sensory Ability is much stronger than his. Under normal circumstances, the information that Jugo uses from Natural Energy and the feedback from small animals only plays a supporting role.
"There are two incredibly strong individuals in the village. Getting too close could be fatal. Uchiha Madara has probably arrived as well. He is on the other side of the village and is on the outskirts just like us." Jugo said.
"Ha! That bastard Uchiha Madara is finally here!" Suigetsu clenched his fists in excitement and shouted loudly.
"Idiot!" Karin held her head and shook her head, "We can't afford to mess with anyone here! We came to pick up the scraps, not get beaten to a pulp."
"Stay cautious. We're only operating on the periphery." Sasuke said.
"Tch!" Suigetsu shrugged, "I know, I know. But if I get a chance to run into that bastard Uchiha Madara, even if I can't beat him, I'm taking at least two swings at him."
"Stop talking nonsense. If you really run into him, you'll probably die here. Stop saying those meaningless stupid things." Karin shot back mercilessly.
"I just don't have a proper weapon, that's all! I was hoping to get some info on the Seven Ninja Swords along the way, but there wasn't even a trace of news." Suigetsu grumbled.
"Cut the excuses, you coward!"
"Who are you calling a coward?! Who's the one who keeps risking his life to protect you guys?" Suigetsu argued confidently, though internally, he couldn't believe he'd actually put himself in harm's way for them multiple times.
"Enough arguing!" Jugo mediated.