"..."
Jiraiya's eyes flashed with a hint of astonishment!
Yahiko was really dead!
Could Salamander Hanzo actually be lying?
What Jiraiya didn't expect was that Shimura Danzo was involved in this matter as well; why does that guy always appear where he shouldn't!
Jiraiya quickly suppressed his inner shock, fearing that Salamander Hanzo might notice any flaws, and took the opportunity to gather intel: "I remember Akatsuki having someone named Nagato and another named Konan..."
"You're talking about that kid with the Rinnegan, right?"
Salamander Hanzo seemed to assume Jiraiya was sent by Konoha to help, and sighed, "That kid named Nagato with the Rinnegan is definitely still alive, but his legs should be broken..."
"Originally, I wanted to recruit them into the Hidden Rain Village, but it was your Konoha's Hokage Assistant who pressured me to ambush them, handing the Rinnegan kid over to Konoha to handle, which led to today's situation, keeping me and the Akatsuki Organization in constant opposition..."
When Salamander Hanzo said this, his voice carried a hint of anger as he questioned, "Now the Land of Rain's situation has deteriorated to this point, with the Akatsuki and the Hidden Rain Village locked in civil war, and Konoha only now dispatching help. Isn't this a bit too dismissive of our alliance?"
"Don't forget."
Salamander Hanzo directly shifted all blame onto Shimura Danzo, speaking coldly, "Your Konoha ninja are also the culprits here, even the masterminds behind the attack on the Akatsuki! I'm getting old, and the Hidden Rain Village isn't capable of eliminating the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki keeps growing and will inevitably destroy the Hidden Rain Village and use the Rinnegan's power to seek vengeance on Konoha!"
"..."
Jiraiya lowered his head.
The tall, white-haired man's face looked very grim at that moment.
Although Salamander Hanzo had only said a few words, Jiraiya roughly guessed most of the truth of the situation.
The past story...
It was something like the Hidden Rain Village and the Akatsuki originally got along fairly well, but Shimura Danzo intervened, trying to snatch Nagato's Rinnegan and directly coercing Salamander Hanzo to attack the Akatsuki, killing Yahiko and allowing Nagato and Konan to escape.
Shimura Danzo!
Why does Shimura Danzo always have to stir up trouble?
His current disciple, Akihara Kagura, was deeply influenced by Shimura Danzo, and it was quite a struggle to correct his thoughts and views; now he's learned that his former disciple Yahiko was murdered by Shimura Danzo's scheme.
Yet…
He knew nothing of this matter until now.
Now, Nagato might start to hate Konoha ninja again.
Jiraiya had painstakingly raised the three children, teaching Nagato to forget the hatred of two Konoha ninjas who killed his parents, and all it took was one action from Shimura Danzo to reset everything back to square one.
No wonder…
No wonder Konan didn't want to acknowledge him.
Jiraiya recalled the Konan who avoided him in the town, the Konan who didn't wish to speak with him, and suddenly everything seemed to make sense.
"Lord Hanzo."
Jiraiya looked at Salamander Hanzo, his expression turned serious; he needed to get all the information from Salamander Hanzo: "If I am to help deal with the aftermath, at least tell me everything about the Akatsuki Organization first."
"That's a given."
Salamander Hanzo nodded, inviting of his own accord, "Then come with me to the Hidden Rain Village. I'll tell you all the information I have about the Akatsuki now. Let's resolve the past matters as soon as possible so that the Land of Rain can return to peace sooner."
"Alright."
Jiraiya nodded steadily.
After all, Salamander Hanzo was a ninja demigod, so there was no need to worry about him breaking his promise.
Besides, if Salamander Hanzo wanted to kill him, he could have done it during the Second Great Ninja War.
"Are you alone?"
Salamander Hanzo glanced at Jiraiya and continued: "When will Konoha's other backup troops arrive? To eradicate the Akatsuki Organization, the two of us won't be enough; that kid with the Rinnegan isn't easy to deal with..."
"..."
Jiraiya fell silent.
After all, he wasn't officially sent by Konoha to execute a mission; he was there to gather intel on his former disciple Konan and her companions, and also to train his disciple Akihara Kagura...
"..."
Jiraiya thought for a while and then took it upon himself: "If Lord Hanzo wants to resolve the war with the Akatsuki peacefully, then just myself is enough."
"Young man, are you joking?"
Salamander Hanzo widened his eyes, warning, "Do you think the war between us and the Akatsuki can still be solved peacefully?"
Salamander Hanzo got heated when speaking of past events, "Back then, I and Konoha's Hokage Assistant Shimura Danzo killed the leader of the Akatsuki, Yahiko. It's even said that most of the Akatsuki members perished in that turmoil..."
"In that siege, only a young girl and that kid with the Rinnegan escaped. Such hatred can't be solved with mere words. They want to wash away the hatred with blood and life; I don't harbor such naive thoughts..."
"I understand."
Jiraiya suddenly felt things had gotten even more troublesome, yet he could only brace himself and say, "Let me understand the current situation of the Akatsuki first!"
According to Salamander Hanzo, the Akatsuki must harbor immense hostility towards the Hidden Rain Village and Konoha, and Konan and Nagato must be fully blinded by hatred. Even Jiraiya, upon hearing about past events, held a grudge towards Shimura Danzo…