"Jiraiya, what are you so worried about?"
On the eve of the Joint Chunin Exams, watching the retreating backs of Team 7 as they departed, Tsunade felt a wave of irritability. She had noticed that Jiraiya's mood had been off for some time.
Jiraiya's expression was heavy, burdened by thoughts that seemed to steal his sleep. "In the scrolls Orochimaru left behind, his evaluation of the Fifth Kazekage makes me deeply uneasy."
As a partner who had collaborated with Shiraishi for years, Orochimaru had developed certain suspicions and deductions based on the breadcrumbs of Shiraishi's research directions—such as cell cloning, synthetic biology, and soul-based ninjutsu.
In particular, Shiraishi's invitation to deal with the Eight-Headed Serpent (Yamata no Orochi) technique of the White Snake Sage at Ryuchi Cave had confirmed Orochimaru's belief that Shiraishi possessed similar secret arts.
After all, a powerhouse like Shiraishi wouldn't be so indifferent toward a powerful soul-based secret art like Yamata no Orochi unless he already possessed a soul technique comparable to the Eight-Headed Serpent or Orochimaru's own Living Corpse Reincarnation.
Following this logic, Orochimaru had been secretly investigating Shiraishi's research trajectory. He eventually reached a conclusion that startled even himself: Shiraishi likely possessed multiple "split individuals," some of whom held significant positions within the Ninja World.
The primary suspect was currently Sunagakure's constant shadow—the Fifth Mizukage of the Hidden Mist, Hozuki Izuki...
However, this deduction was so world-shaking that Orochimaru couldn't be certain. Following that lead, he even listed Hagoromo Mato—who had appeared out of thin air on the Hidden Mist battlefield years ago—as a suspected target.
Furthermore, Orochimaru had cataloged various genius shinobi who had emerged in recent years, such as Uzumaki Tomoki and Shira, as potential candidates.
As for the geniuses of the Uchiha clan, Orochimaru did not suspect them; in his eyes, an existence capable of awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan could not be easily controlled or possessed.
This was exactly why Orochimaru had once coveted Uchiha Kaede so fiercely—he believed the Sharingan possessed the power to rival the Fifth Kazekage.
Among the suspects, Uzumaki Tomoko was marked as a "Red Target"...
It had to be said that as one of the few people in the world whose scientific philosophy approached Shiraishi's, Orochimaru's scrutiny of these details successfully forced Konoha to notice a link they had previously ignored.
In this moment, Jiraiya truly felt a sense of admiration for Orochimaru.
In his youth, Jiraiya had been impulsive, untalented, and a "dead last." Because Orochimaru was gifted and favored by their master, Jiraiya had felt jealous, believing that Sarutobi-sensei only cared for Orochimaru.
Later, Jiraiya found his own path. After accidentally reverse-summoning himself to Mount Myoboku and meeting the Great Toad Sage, he began his training there.
Through relentless effort, he mastered a series of incredibly powerful ninjutsu. His relationship with Orochimaru had always fluctuated between mutual support and fierce competition.
But right now, Jiraiya suddenly felt that Orochimaru was better suited for the current Konoha than he was.
Orochimaru's brilliance was fully displayed within the brevity of that scroll...
"The Impure World Reincarnation seems like a very useful trump card, but we have no idea what other methods the Fifth Kazekage possesses. Once we lose the advantage of the Reincarnation, what means do we have left to deal with him?"
This was the source of Jiraiya's worry: there was simply too little information.
Orochimaru's deductions seemed absurd, yet part of the hypothesis might be true. Ultimately, no matter how much he pondered, the lack of intel remained the bottleneck.
"Then why aren't you accompanying Team 7 to Sunagakure?"
"This public intelligence doesn't require my intervention," Jiraiya said with a bit of his usual vanity, before his face turned dead serious. "I intend to make a trip to the Land of Rain."
The Land of Rain?
Tsunade blinked. "You want to make contact with Akatsuki?"
Until now, Konoha had not had a direct confrontation with Akatsuki. After all, Danzo's past actions had led to Yahiko's death, making the relationship between Akatsuki and Konoha extremely strained; the Iwa ninja usually acted as intermediaries.
However, through intelligence from Iwagakure, Konoha's top brass finally understood why Onoki placed such importance on Akatsuki.
The leader of Akatsuki possessed the legendary Rinnegan...
Hearing about the Rinnegan, Jiraiya's first thought was of those three children in the Land of Rain. He planned to take the opportunity while Naruto and the others were at the Joint Chunin Exams to head to the Land of Rain and make contact with Pain.
Over the years, he had shown too little concern for those three children. Jiraiya felt an instinctive urge to go to the Land of Rain and check on them.
"Jiraiya, what exactly are you hiding from me?"
At the mention of Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko, Jiraiya fell silent for a moment...
They were the disciples he had taken in the Land of Rain at the end of the Second Shinobi World War. Long ago, the Great Toad Sage had prophesied that he would mentor a child who would bring either unprecedented peace or total destruction to the world, and one day, Jiraiya would be forced to make a choice...
Though Shiraishi's appearance had altered the future, the "Child of Prophecy" remained the key to the future.
Whether it was Uzumaki Naruto or Nagato, although Jiraiya had first met them because of the prophecy, he now viewed them as his own children.
Sensing the change in Jiraiya's heart—and having seen the intelligence regarding Akatsuki—Tsunade had long suspected that the leader was one of the children Jiraiya had cared for. Since he didn't voice it, she wouldn't push.
"Then, for your trip to the Land of Rain... please take care."
She had ten thousand things she wanted to say, but didn't know how to start. Tsunade could only hope he would return safely.
"Don't worry, I am the Great Hero Jiraiya! Hahaha!"
Mastering the senjutsu legacies of both Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave, Jiraiya was currently Konoha's strongest combatant. Under normal circumstances, no accidents should occur, yet Tsunade's heart wouldn't stop racing.
The rain had stopped...
Jiraiya, who had rushed through the night, arrived outside the Hidden Rain Village only to find that the rain—so common to the village—had vanished.
The crimson sun burning in the sky and the powerful auras crashing through the perimeter indicated that the Akatsuki organization was under attack.
Jiraiya quickly appeared on a section of the city wall, activating his unique sound-wave detection perception to take in the tactical situation at a glance.
The Fifth Kazekage has personally taken the field...
Understanding that Shiraishi was likely after the Rinnegan, Jiraiya rushed toward the main battlefield. His original plan was to collect intelligence, especially regarding the Kazekage's current power levels.
But the moment he realized Shiraishi's goal was the Rinnegan, Jiraiya abandoned his cautious plan. Regardless of whether the Akatsuki leader was Nagato or Yahiko, they were his disciples. Knowing they were facing the strongest monster in the ninja world, Jiraiya's first instinct was to support them.
He charged in without a shred of hesitation!
"Sage Art: Goemon!"
Arriving at the battlefield, Jiraiya seized the perfect opening, directly entering Sage Mode and flawlessly combining Wind, Fire, and Oil into a terrifying high-temperature combustion.
In an instant, the area was flooded with thousands of degrees of boiling oil, a method capable of incinerating an opponent over a massive area. The strike caught the "Aoki Shiraishi" completely off guard!
"Jiraiya-sensei..."
High in the air, Konan's eyes filled with shock. In that moment, Uchiha Kaede condensed a blade of flame and fired it toward her, but Jiraiya's hands rapidly wove a sequence of seals. An invisible light refracted, blocking the flaming blade for her.
Amidst the raging fire, a figure remained motionless, allowing the horrific high-temperature flames to engulf him. "Jiraiya, one of the Sannin... do you realize what you are doing?"
As the Sage markings around Jiraiya's eyes deepened, he gave a boisterous laugh. "Fifth Kazekage brat, I know exactly what I am doing."
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