The jungle was incredibly quiet at night, making even the slightest sound stand out remarkably.
Everyone present were experienced Upper Ninjas, and their eyes immediately turned towards the sound. Some even reached for their ninja pouches.
"No need to panic, it's not an enemy," Jiraiya said at the right moment. The Konoha Ninjas relaxed again, continuing their rest in their own ways.
"Quack..."
From the smoke, a grey-skinned toad leaped out, spitting out a letter from its mouth before disappearing on its own.
Jiraiya flicked off the sticky fluid from the letter and unfolded the paper inside, a look of joy appearing on his face. "That Orochimaru fellow, he sure made me search. He's actually alright now."
A teacher knows his student best. When the Third Hokage wrote this letter to ask Jiraiya to do something, he put what Jiraiya cared about most on the first line.
Of course, due to space limitations, he didn't go into much detail, just reported that he was safe. But Jiraiya was satisfied with this.
He continued to read, and his relaxed expression gradually tensed.
"This old man's move is quite fierce!"
Jiraiya sighed inwardly, looked up at the big tree in front of him, and said, "Hizashi, Shisui, come down."
Whoosh whoosh...
After two sounds of wind cutting through the air, Shisui and Hyuga Hizashi landed in front of Jiraiya, bowing to each other.
"No need for all this formality..."
Jiraiya stepped forward and whispered a few words in Hyuga Hizashi's ear, "...How about it, can you do it?"
Hyuga Hizashi looked surprised but nodded, "I'll try."
As he spoke, veins bulged on his temples, and he directly activated the Byakugan.
However, unlike usual, Hyuga Hizashi didn't look around. Instead, he cast his gaze towards the ground, his sight piercing through hundreds of meters of soil and directly locking onto a figure that was completely white.
"It's there!" Hyuga Hizashi pointed in the direction of the White Zetsu, but was shocked. Was something really spying on the squad?
This is a failure for a reconnaissance ninja!
Jiraiya immediately entered Sage Mode. He clapped his hands downwards, and the ground trembled, soon splitting open into a huge crack.
"Shisui, act!"
And at the bottom of this crack, the White Zetsu clone showed a shocked expression.
Although it possessed racial talents that gave it an advantage in reconnaissance, its overall abilities were just average compared to normal ninjas. At this moment, it couldn't react in time and didn't escape immediately.
And at this moment, Shisui was already diving down.
"Damn it!" The White Zetsu clone let out a strange cry, intending to use the 'Mayfly Technique' to sink deeper into the ground. However, the surrounding earth had already been controlled by Senjutsu Chakra, making it not as easy to use as usual.
One step slow, a hundred steps slow. The White Zetsu clone knew it couldn't escape, and suddenly, several wooden spikes shot out from its body, piercing its own chest.
Blood trickled from its lips, and the White Zetsu clone smiled and spat out two words, "Bye bye..."
The red light in Shisui's eyes dimmed, and he frowned slightly.
Although this strange creature's reaction was not good, its decisiveness and resolve were stronger than an ordinary ninja's. It completely disregarded its own life, giving him no chance to use genjutsu.
After collecting the body, Shisui leaped out of the ground and bowed slightly to Jiraiya. "I wasn't fast enough, and he died."
"It's not your fault. Your speed is the fastest among them. This creature was just too decisive."
Jiraiya healed the crack in the ground and exited Sage Mode. He glanced at the body of the White Zetsu on the ground, then turned to look at Hyuga Hizashi.
"You'll have to work hard during this time and constantly watch for such creatures underground."
"Yes!" Hyuga Hizashi nodded slightly.
"Continue resting."
Jiraiya looked around, seeing the surprised expressions on everyone's faces, and said slowly, "Don't worry too much. This thing is just a bit hidden. Its actual strength is only at the level of Genin or Chunin."
"We have important things to do tomorrow, so get plenty of rest."
"Yes!" Everyone responded in unison.
...
Land of Rain.
In the basement of a tall black tower, the air suddenly distorted.
The next moment, Obito, wearing a mask, stepped out of the vortex.
In front of him, the red-haired man lying on the wooden bed suddenly opened his eyes, the Rinnegan flashing with a dim purple light, and an aura instantly erupted.
"'Madara', I told you not to come here to find me."
"This time, I have something important to discuss,"
Obito was unaffected and said calmly, "Not long ago, I received news that a Zetsu clone was killed by a ninja squad led by Jiraiya."
"Oh, so what?" Nagato closed his eyes again, showing no concern.
"Zetsu is skilled in stealth and hides deep underground. Even if the Konoha Ninja have the Byakugan, they wouldn't look into the blind spots."
Obito paused and then slowly said, "Only Orochimaru knows of Zetsu's existence. If something like this happened, it means he has at least re-established contact with Konoha."
"As expected," Nagato replied indifferently. He had said long ago that what the masked man was doing was a waste of time.
Obito was used to this dismissive attitude and his tone remained steady.
"In the previous battle, Orochimaru discovered the weaknesses of the Six Paths of Pain and has also seen you in this form..."
"He might not recognize your identity, but Konoha has others..."
Nagato opened his eyes, his expression somewhat silent. He suddenly remembered the tall man who taught him for three years.
"I don't want to interfere with your personal matters,"
Obito said unhurriedly, "But you should know how much of a threat your power poses to the Five Great Ninja Villages. They will definitely join forces to get rid of you."
"Hmph..."
After a moment of silence, Nagato suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Your warning is too late. After I fought Orochimaru, someone already provided a solution."
"Who?" Obito frowned. Nagato's answer surprised him.
"The leader of Kusagakure, Muku!"
Nagato said slowly, "...As long as we declare war on Konoha next, the other ninja villages won't attack our organization; they'll be happy to watch from the sidelines."
"Impossible. You should know that Kusagakure, without the help of other ninja villages, is definitely no match for Konoha,"
Obito said sternly, "This will only push the organization into a fire pit."
"...Indeed, in terms of numbers, Kusagakure is inferior to Konoha."
Nagato's voice was hoarse, but his words carried a sense of determination. "But with White Zetsu, we have a huge advantage in intelligence, and we can completely attack their weakness and continue the battle."
Nagato briefly explained the tactics formulated by Kusagakure's leader Muku. Obito's brow furrowed as he listened.
He actually found that if they proceeded like this, there was a good chance of holding Konoha back.
The premise was that he would be willing to send White Zetsu to provide strong support.
---
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