"Lord Jiraiya," the girl began slowly, "as for ninjutsu, as long as you trace it back to its source, any technique can be easily imitated."
"What are you trying to say?" Jiraiya's eyes were as sharp as knives, fixed on the girl, while his mind raced, sifting through past intelligence, trying to place her.
"I am not your enemy, nor do I bear any ill will towards you, Lord Jiraiya." The voice from under the fox mask suddenly grew solemn. "I came here only to tell you of Sakura Haruno's whereabouts."
"Hmph. Are you trying to tell me you've captured Sakura?" Jiraiya snorted coldly. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find any information that matched this girl.
For this girl to suddenly appear and offer to tell him Sakura's location, there could only be one possibility: Sakura had already fallen into their hands. That's why Jiraiya had wanted to capture and interrogate her. But now, it seemed things weren't so simple.
"No," the girl shook her head. "Sakura is currently in the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. She will be returning to the village shortly. Therefore, Lord Jiraiya's mission is over. If you head back now, you might even arrive before she does."
Jiraiya frowned at the girl's words. The Waterfall Village? What is Sakura doing there? Could Sasuke be in the Waterfall Village? No, that's impossible. If Sasuke followed Orochimaru, he would be in the Sound Village. So what does this girl mean?
Could it be... she wants me to end my mission early and return to the village, to stop investigating Sakura's whereabouts? And in reality, they've captured Sakura? Hmm... that's a possibility.
"I'm sorry, but your information has too many questionable points. I can't believe you. And I still don't know who you are. I can't trust you. You'll have to come with me," Jiraiya said, then clapped his hands together, increasing the power of his Wild Lion's Mane Technique.
However, the girl's Needle Jizo seemed to be just as strong. Even as Jiraiya increased the force of his binding jutsu, the girl stood there, unshaken.
"Sigh..." the girl sighed. "I'm sorry, Lord Jiraiya, but I cannot reveal my identity to you yet. At least, now is not the right time. But I am not your enemy."
Jiraiya stared at the girl coldly, saying nothing, but the output of his chakra increased even more. Yet, it still seemed to have no effect on her.
"My name is Shuying!" the girl—no, Shuying—said with a sigh. "I came from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, which is how I know of Sakura's whereabouts."
"The Waterfall Village!" Jiraiya's expression faltered. "You're a Waterfall ninja?"
Shuying hesitated for a moment before saying, "You could say that."
"Then! As an ally of the Leaf, what is the meaning of a Waterfall ninja stealing Konoha's intelligence?" Jiraiya still refused to let Shuying go. There were too many suspicious details for him to ignore.
"Lord Jiraiya, I have told you all the information I can. Please, return quickly. Don't waste any more time here." A hint of helplessness laced Shuying's voice from under the fox mask.
Then, without any visible movement from Shuying, the hair of her Needle Jizo technique instantly erupted, shattering the hold of Jiraiya's Wild Lion's Mane. A large cloud of hair flew into the air between them, obscuring their vision.
"Don't run!" Jiraiya's experience told him that Shuying was trying to retreat. However, even though he reacted quickly, by the time he rushed to the other side, all he saw was a pile of long, black hair.
"Dammit!" It had been a long time since Jiraiya had been so frustrated. Looking at the scattered hair on the ground, he carefully took out a scroll, preparing to seal it.
However, before he could reach for it, the black hair on the ground spontaneously combusted. Jiraiya immediately formed hand seals, intending to extinguish the flames with a Water Style jutsu, but he was a step too late. In the end, all he got was some water-soaked ash and dirt.
"Leaving no trace at all," Jiraiya shook his head, feeling vexed. The ninjutsu she used was his own, and even the hair scattered during the fight was burned away. Besides knowing her name was Shuying, he hadn't obtained a single piece of useful information.
Wait, that's not entirely true. Jiraiya stroked his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. He suddenly remembered what Shuying had said earlier: "As for ninjutsu, as long as you trace it back to its source, any technique can be easily imitated."
Jiraiya hadn't understood the first part of that sentence, but the second part was clear. The technique she had used was an imitation. So, if he could find a ninja who could imitate ninjutsu, he might be able to find a clue. Jiraiya didn't quite believe her claim of being a Waterfall ninja.
But the ninja world was vast. Where could he find such a ninja? Jiraiya felt a headache coming on. For now, he should head back to the village. If the information Shuying gave him was correct, then at least it showed she truly held no hostility.
Seeing the increasingly familiar road, Sakura felt a faint thrill of excitement. Of course, it wasn't because she was about to return to the village, but because she was about to capture her first Tailed Beast. She wondered how Yakumo's training was progressing.
In Sakura's view, Yakumo's role was more important than Karin's. Karin would be useful in a head-on confrontation with a Tailed Beast, but if Yakumo could successfully cast a genjutsu on the Jinchuriki, there would be no need for a direct clash.
Therefore, she still regretted Sasuke's departure, but she didn't want to waste any more time looking for him.
As Sakura gradually saw the great red gates of Konoha, a bad feeling crept into her heart. As she got closer, that feeling became a reality. She saw Naruto standing at the gate like a statue, waiting for his wife to return.
When Naruto saw the familiar figure approaching, he became ecstatic, hopping and skipping over to her side.
"Sakura, you're back! So, so, how did it go? Where's Sasuke? Didn't Sasuke come back with you?" Seeing no sign of Sasuke, Naruto instinctively refused to believe it.
"Don't ask. I need to report to the Fifth Hokage right now. We'll talk later," Sakura said, not wanting to tell Naruto the results just yet. She walked past him and headed straight for the Hokage's tower.
As for her cover story after parting ways with Team 8, Sakura had prepared it perfectly. She was confident it had no loopholes. To make it more believable, she had actually spent a day in the Land of Rice Paddies, making a show of asking around.
Pushing open the door to the Hokage's office, Sakura was surprised to find Jiraiya there as well, speaking with Tsunade with a serious expression.
When Tsunade saw Sakura enter, her brow furrowed, and her scrutinizing gaze fixed on her. Being stared at like that by her master, Sakura suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
"Master!" Sakura said, feigning composure. "I'm back."
"Mm, come here," Tsunade nodded, her expression still grave. She looked at Sakura and asked, "What were you doing in the Village Hidden in the Waterfall?"
Wha-what's going on? Sakura was filled with astonishment. I haven't even said anything yet. How does Master know I went to the Waterfall Village? But she couldn't show her composure now; that would definitely be seen as abnormal.
"Huh? Master, how did you know I went to the Waterfall Village?" Sakura asked, feigning surprise.
"Hmm... so you really did go to the Waterfall Village?" Tsunade's expression immediately softened.
"Yes," Sakura nodded. "After I parted ways with Team 8, I..."
Sakura then recounted the fabricated mission report she had prepared. Although she didn't know how her master had found out she went to the Waterfall Village, it seemed that wasn't the main point.
After she finished, Tsunade fell into deep thought. Jiraiya, standing to the side, looked at Sakura strangely and remained silent.
"Um, Master, did something happen?" Sakura asked, feeling the atmosphere was a bit strange and deciding to take the initiative.
"This matter is related to your time in the Waterfall Village," Tsunade said.
"What is it?" Sakura had a growing sense of foreboding.