Outside the Hidden Rain Village.
Figures swift as afterimages darted through the rain, finally halting at the edge of a forest near the Hidden Rain Village.
Leading them was none other than the Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village.
By his side stood a group of elite Hidden Cloud shinobi clad in raincoats, including the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii—core forces of the village—as well as rising stars like Darui.
At that moment, Cee, an elite jonin of the Hidden Cloud, leaned in close to the Fourth Raikage and whispered, "Sir, the Hidden Leaf shinobi have arrived!"
The Fourth Raikage, who had been staring intently at the Hidden Rain Village ahead, shifted his gaze and glanced back.
A large group of Hidden Leaf shinobi, also wearing raincoats, approached swiftly, led by Jiraiya and Tsunade.
The Fourth Raikage frowned slightly. "For a battle of this scale, the Hokage shouldn't be absent!"
Jiraiya chuckled. "The old man's getting on in years. Let's leave the heavy lifting to us disciples!"
"Hmph!"
The Fourth Raikage let out a cold snort, saying nothing more.
After all, two of the "Legendary Sannin" of the Hidden Leaf were present, so he couldn't press the issue further.
At that moment, a teasing voice came from above. "Sarutobi Hiruzen isn't too old to wield a blade, is he? If so, he should retire early and pass the Hokage seat to someone else!"
The group looked up to see the Third Tsuchikage slowly descending from the sky.
Following him, a large number of Hidden Stone shinobi silently crossed through the rain, assembling in the forest.
Tsunade retorted sharply, "The affairs of our Hidden Leaf Village are none of your concern, Lord Tsuchikage!"
The Third Tsuchikage's face stiffened, and he refrained from further taunts. Instead, he gazed at the Hidden Rain Village shrouded in the rain, sinking into thought.
Jiraiya also turned his gaze toward the Hidden Rain Village, a complex expression crossing his face.
The Land of Rain held countless memories for him, but returning to this place now filled his heart with nothing but regret.
"If only I had brought them back to the village back then…"
A bitter smile tugged at Jiraiya's lips.
He had once believed that Nagato, bearer of the Rinnegan, was the "Child of Prophecy" foretold by the Great Toad Sage. Yet, he never imagined that his former student would become a threat to the entire shinobi world.
Not long after, the Fourth Mizukage and the Fourth Kazekage arrived together at the rendezvous point.
Trailing the Fourth Mizukage were elite Hidden Mist jonin like Terumi Mei, Hoshigaki Kisame, and Momochi Zabuza. Behind the Fourth Kazekage stood elite Hidden Sand shinobi like Chiyo and Yura.
This time, the five great shinobi villages had truly deployed their finest!
Upon arriving, the Fourth Mizukage gazed at the distant Hidden Rain Village and asked, "Is the intelligence reliable? Is the Akatsuki's base really in the Hidden Rain Village?"
The Fourth Kazekage voiced his doubts as well. "Hanzo died just like that, without a trace? That guy doesn't seem like someone who'd go down quietly!"
Tsunade replied, "This is intelligence we intercepted. Its credibility is high!"
Undoubtedly.
The Hidden Leaf had not fully disclosed the origins and details of the Akatsuki to the other four great shinobi villages, omitting certain sensitive information. They only shared that the Akatsuki was likely hiding in the Hidden Rain Village.
Since they had pinpointed the exact location of the Akatsuki's base, the five great shinobi villages, wary of leaks, did not involve smaller villages. Instead, they quickly mobilized their elites for this surprise assault on the Hidden Rain Village.
Still hovering in midair, the Third Tsuchikage, hands clasped behind his back, asked, "Have you all decided which opponents you'll handle?"
The Fourth Mizukage nodded first. "The Akatsuki members Biwa Juzo and Kurosuki Raiga will be dealt with by our Hidden Mist!"
Chiyo, standing behind the Fourth Kazekage, said calmly, "Sasori will be handled by my squad!"
Tsunade declared, "The Hidden Leaf has formed specialized squads. Uchiha Itachi, Hiruko, and Shinno will be our responsibility!"
The Third Tsuchikage nodded lightly. "As for Deidara, that brat, I'll deal with him personally!"
The Fourth Raikage snorted coldly. "Hmph, look at the mess your villages have made! It's your rogue shinobi who've bolstered the Akatsuki's ranks!"
"Now's not the time for that!" the Third Tsuchikage interrupted the Fourth Raikage, then asked, "The remaining Akatsuki members will be handled as planned. This time, we're not just here to rescue the Jinchuriki—we're here to completely eradicate the Akatsuki!"
The Fourth Raikage urged, "Then let's move!"
Swish swish swish.
In an instant, figures darted out from the forest, streaking through the rain like phantoms, charging toward the Hidden Rain Village.
As the large group of shinobi invaded, alarms soon blared within the Hidden Rain Village, followed by sporadic battles breaking out across the area.
The fighting erupted suddenly and ended just as abruptly.
In less than an hour, the battles surrounding the Hidden Rain Village had completely subsided. Large groups of Hidden Rain shinobi were rounded up and gathered together.
The swift conquest of the Hidden Rain Village did not bring relief to the five great shinobi villages.
On the contrary, whether it was the four Kage or Tsunade and Jiraiya, their expressions were unusually grave.
The Third Tsuchikage shouted, "Where's the interrogation team? I want to know what's been happening in the Hidden Rain Village all these years!"
At the Third Tsuchikage's urging, the interrogation team quickly stepped in, separating and questioning the captured Hidden Rain shinobi. Soon, pieces of information were compiled and delivered to the temporary command post.
Reading through the interrogation reports, the Fourth Mizukage sighed. "I never thought someone like Hanzo would actually fall to the Akatsuki."
The Fourth Raikage remarked, "He got old!"
The Fourth Mizukage continued, "But one thing is certain: this was indeed the Akatsuki's base before. They only left after abducting the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki!"
The Third Tsuchikage suddenly asked, "That's odd. When they abducted the Two-Tails Jinchuriki before, why didn't they evacuate?"
Hearing the Third Tsuchikage's question, Yugito Nii's face darkened, about to say something when—
The Fourth Mizukage interjected, "If there's any difference between the Akatsuki abducting the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and their abduction of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails this time, it's that the Battle of the Land of Grass happened in between!"
The Third Tsuchikage said, "Right. The Akatsuki leader revealed himself during the Battle of the Land of Grass, and some of us recognized him!"
As soon as the Third Tsuchikage finished speaking, everyone present turned their gazes to Jiraiya and Tsunade. The group consisted of sharp minds, and with a bit of analysis, they realized the Hidden Leaf must have some connection to the Akatsuki leader.
Originally, they had planned to confess to the other villages after defeating the Akatsuki. But they hadn't expected the Akatsuki to so decisively abandon their Hidden Rain Village base, leaving Tsunade and Jiraiya frustrated.
Now, seeing that they could no longer hide the truth, Jiraiya had no choice but to say, "The Akatsuki leader, Nagato, was my disciple years ago."
"What!?"
Jiraiya's words sent shockwaves through the group, leaving everyone stunned.