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After leaving Konoha, Jiraiya first submitted the first draft of his novel to the publishing house.
The "Akatsuki" that Tsunade had mentioned was a group of formidable individuals. Even if Jiraiya didn't entirely share her concerns, he still feared the possibility of unforeseen circumstances.
To prepare for the worst, he chose to publish a novel. That way, even if something were to happen—even if there truly were no future installments—he would have no regrets.
Of course, the manuscript still needed revisions after submission, but Jiraiya no longer had time for that. His priority now was locating Akatsuki's base.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Tsunade seemed unusually familiar with Akatsuki, yet she hadn't provided much concrete intelligence. As far as he knew, her only source of information on Akatsuki was a rogue ninja from Kirigakure named Asachi Midorima.
This raised a question: Setting aside his status as a rogue ninja, how reliable was the information provided by this "Asachi Midorima"?
As her longtime partner, Jiraiya trusted Tsunade's judgment. After all, if her gambling luck was bad and her discernment was lacking, she wouldn't have survived in the shinobi world for so long. So, he wasn't necessarily doubting whether Asachi Midorima was lying—rather, he questioned whether Akatsuki was truly as powerful as claimed.
Perspective shaped conclusions. Standing at different heights, one could view the same matter in entirely different ways.
This didn't mean Jiraiya would underestimate Akatsuki. On the contrary, as a veteran of the Second Shinobi World War who had remained active on the front lines to this day, no one understood the importance of accurate intelligence better than he did.
However, Jiraiya had his own information network.
Gathering intel on Akatsuki might be slightly troublesome, but in his eyes, the intelligence he obtained was far more reliable.
For an organization like Akatsuki, which sought to profit from war, reputation was everything in this "market."
For a "mercenary group," credibility meant strength and trustworthiness. Otherwise, clients would rather hire ninjas from Takigakure or Kusagakure, or other smaller organizations, than turn to Akatsuki.
In truth, Akatsuki hadn't made much effort to conceal its movements.
On one hand, Akatsuki was rapidly dominating the war "market." At the very least, to many smaller nations, Akatsuki had already demonstrated superior cost-effectiveness. On the other hand, other mercenary groups had challenged Akatsuki out of resentment—only to swiftly transition from "prosperity" to "annihilation."
As for the identities of Akatsuki's full roster, no concrete information had surfaced.
According to Jiraiya's sources, this wasn't because Akatsuki's members deliberately shrouded themselves in mystery, but rather because nearly everyone who had encountered them ended up dead. Those who did know the names of certain members usually only learned them posthumously—his sources claimed that Akatsuki's membership was constantly shifting, as they were not immortals and could still perish.
After learning this, Jiraiya felt a headache coming on.
This suggested that Akatsuki was far more troublesome than he had initially thought.
The only silver lining was that the location of Akatsuki's leader had been leaked.
"In Amegakure. This came from someone who once worked with Akatsuki."
Amegakure…
He had been there before—during the Second Shinobi World War.
After the war, the village had been left in ruins. It was also where he had taken on three students, so his ties to Amegakure ran deeper than either Orochimaru's or Tsunade's.
He wondered how those three were doing now…
As for the current state of Amegakure, the intel he received indicated that after a civil war, the village had split into two factions—one of which was Akatsuki.
Now, it seemed Akatsuki had emerged victorious.
At the same time, the village had become extremely isolationist. Forget free entry and exit—even formal invitations from Konoha, such as for the Chunin Exams, faced immense bureaucratic hurdles.
After careful consideration, Jiraiya decided to infiltrate Amegakure. After all, attempting to enter through official channels would be far too troublesome.
Amegakure was a village of perpetual rain, where water flowed through drainage pipes into an internal lake. This gave the village a unique structure compared to other shinobi villages—filled with pipelines and steel structures.
A toad emerged from the water, scanning the surroundings. Once it confirmed no one was nearby, it opened its mouth, and Jiraiya climbed out. He immediately checked his surroundings, relieved when he found no observers.
The infiltration had gone smoother than expected—at the very least, no one had detected his use of the "Toad Concealment Technique" to enter the village.
Now, he needed to find a suitable place to gather information. His primary objective was to collect intel on Akatsuki before formulating a plan.
Taking on such a large organization alone, even as one of the "Legendary Sannin," was beyond his capabilities.
As for the best places to gather intel, there were usually two options—bars or bathhouses.
But since he was operating solo, a bar was the more practical choice.
Just as Jiraiya made up his mind, two shinobi walked down the central street. Both wore long black cloaks adorned with red clouds.
Though Jiraiya hadn't obtained detailed information on Akatsuki's members, he had heard about their signature attire—red-cloud-patterned black robes. He instinctively glanced at them, and a chill ran down his spine.
One was a man in his fifties, his right eye and arm wrapped in bandages—none other than Danzo, who had defected from Konoha the year before last.
The man walking beside him was younger, with long black hair, a lean frame, and eyes brimming with malice. As he spoke to Danzo, a sinister smile occasionally crept across his face.
Orochimaru!?
Recognizing Danzo and Orochimaru, Jiraiya immediately reassessed his understanding of Akatsuki.
Regardless of the others' strength, these two alone were enough to prove that Akatsuki's reputation in the mercenary world was no accident.
A sudden realization struck him—if Orochimaru and Danzo were both part of Akatsuki, did that mean the coup against the Hokage two years ago, including the attempt to "control the Third Hokage," had been orchestrated under Akatsuki's orders?
If so, then uncovering Akatsuki's true nature was more critical than ever.
Jiraiya's brow furrowed, his mood growing heavier.
The presence of Orochimaru and Danzo was undeniable proof that Akatsuki's strength far surpassed his initial estimates.
As Jiraiya adjusted his plans, high atop a distant tower, Pain's expression darkened.
"What's wrong?" Konan noticed his shift in demeanor.
"My rain was blocked by a powerful chakra," Pain replied.
"An intruder?"
"Uncertain for now."
"Should I locate them?" Konan asked.
"Not yet. We have new members who've never been fully vetted. Once everyone is assembled, we'll determine if there are other intruders."
"But that means the rain will have to continue for a while longer."
"It doesn't matter. With new recruits joining, it's only natural to test their capabilities. If someone has indeed infiltrated, they won't escape!" Pain's voice was icy.
*****
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