"Regardless of who wins or loses, Orochimaru won't be the one suffering."
Jiraiya's voice was calm, but everyone in the room understood the meaning behind his words.
"In the end, both sides will take damage. That's exactly the outcome he wants."
Tsunade snorted in irritation.
"That sounds exactly like that bastard."
After a brief pause, she suddenly turned toward Shizune.
"Wait, Jiraiya. Before you continue your report, go and bring Naruto, Gaara, and Fuu here. They need to hear this as well."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Shizune immediately left the conference room.
The atmosphere grew noticeably heavier.
Jiraiya's expression became grim as he folded his arms.
"Speaking of Naruto, besides the intelligence we obtained from Orochimaru, Kakashi and I also received some troubling news."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"What happened?"
Jiraiya sighed.
"I've already heard about Naruto saving the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki and defeating an Akatsuki member. His achievements are impressive."
A faint smile appeared on his face before quickly disappearing.
"Unfortunately, the Akatsuki's actions didn't stop there."
The room fell silent.
Tsunade immediately sensed something serious.
"What are you saying?"
Jiraiya looked around the conference hall before speaking slowly.
"The Akatsuki Organization has launched a large-scale operation targeting multiple Tailed Beasts simultaneously."
Everyone's expressions changed.
"The Jinchuriki?"
"Yes."
Jiraiya nodded.
"Their objective is obvious. They intend to catch the Five Great Nations off guard."
His voice grew heavier.
"After I warned the major villages about Akatsuki's plans to capture the Jinchuriki, they changed their strategy. Instead of operating secretly, they mobilized nearly all of their members and launched coordinated attacks across multiple nations at the same time."
Tsunade and Baki's faces darkened instantly.
"Jiraiya, tell us everything you know."
Jiraiya nodded.
"We still don't have complete information, but several facts have already been confirmed."
He took a deep breath.
"The Two-Tails Jinchuriki of Kumogakure, Yugito Nii..."
"The Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, Roshi..."
"And the Six-Tails Jinchuriki of Kirigakure, Utakata..."
He paused briefly.
"All three have most likely fallen into Akatsuki's hands."
The room erupted into shocked murmurs.
Before anyone could recover, Jiraiya delivered another blow.
"Furthermore, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, disappeared some time ago. There's a high probability he suffered the same fate."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Tsunade, Baki, and the other senior officials stared at him in disbelief.
This wasn't merely bad news.
It was a disaster capable of shaking the entire ninja world.
"The Two-Tails..."
"The Four-Tails..."
"The Five-Tails..."
"The Six-Tails..."
One official swallowed hard.
"Four Jinchuriki have already been captured?"
"How is that even possible?"
Another clenched his fists.
"The Akatsuki shouldn't possess that level of strength..."
Tsunade looked toward Jiraiya.
"You warned them. The villages should have been prepared."
Jiraiya laughed bitterly.
"Prepared?"
His smile contained no humor.
"Not everyone took my warnings seriously."
"Sunagakure is Konoha's ally, so they were willing to listen. But the other Great Nations..."
He shook his head.
"Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure..."
"They didn't trust me enough."
Baki immediately snorted.
"They can trust you now."
His tone was filled with sarcasm.
"Unfortunately, it's already too late."
"The leaders of those villages only know how to scheme against one another and fight for their own interests."
"They never understood that Jiraiya-sama was trying to protect the entire ninja world."
Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively.
"There's no point discussing that now."
"What matters is deciding our next move."
At that moment, the conference room doors opened.
Naruto, Gaara, and Fuu entered together.
Sasuke and Hinata followed closely behind.
The moment Naruto spotted Jiraiya and Kakashi, his eyes lit up.
"Perverted Sage!"
"Kakashi-sensei!"
"You're back!"
He rushed forward excitedly.
Ever since obtaining his new power, he had been eager to show it off.
Before he could say anything, Jiraiya burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Naruto, I've already heard about your accomplishments."
"You really are my student!"
Naruto's face instantly darkened.
"There you go again!"
"The moment you open your mouth, all my achievements somehow become yours!"
The tense atmosphere in the room loosened slightly as several people chuckled.
Tsunade rubbed her forehead.
"Enough."
She interrupted before the argument could continue.
"Jiraiya, continue the report."
Jiraiya nodded.
Without another word, he pulled several sealed scrolls from his robe.
After forming a series of hand seals, he activated a Release Seal.
Poof!
The scrolls unfurled, revealing information gathered from Orochimaru's intelligence network.
"The Akatsuki Organization is composed primarily of S-Rank rogue ninja originating from various hidden villages."
"Their membership fluctuates, but there are generally around ten members."
He began reading the list.
"Kakuzu. A rogue ninja from Takigakure."
"Kisame Hoshigaki. A rogue ninja from Kirigakure."
"Uchiha Itachi. A missing-nin from Konoha."
"Deidara. A rogue ninja from Iwagakure."
He paused briefly.
"And one more member from Sunagakure."
"The Red Sand..."
"Sasori."
The reaction was immediate.
"What?!"
Gaara's eyes widened.
Kankuro nearly jumped from his seat.
Even the veteran Sunagakure officials looked stunned.
"Sasori of the Red Sand?!"
"The genius puppeteer who disappeared years ago?"
Jiraiya raised a hand.
"Calm down."
"Let me finish."
The room gradually settled.
Jiraiya continued.
"There's also another member named Zetsu."
"He doesn't appear particularly threatening at first glance, but he serves as Akatsuki's intelligence officer."
A strange expression appeared on Jiraiya's face.
"And finally..."
The room grew quiet again.
"There are two more members from Amegakure."
Tsunade immediately noticed the change in his expression.
One of them..."
His voice became noticeably heavier.
"Is the true leader of Akatsuki."
Tsunade's heart skipped a beat.
"Amegakure?"
"Who is he?"
For the first time since entering the room, genuine sorrow appeared in Jiraiya's eyes.
"A woman who uses paper-based ninjutsu."
"And..."
"A man who possesses the Rinnegan."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)