Late night.
Konan fled this town.
Jiraiya couldn't catch up with Konan, so he returned to the inn, feeling noticeably gloomy, with many things on his mind.
"Kagura."
"You should return to Konoha first!"
Jiraiya looked at Akihara Kagura, deciding not to tell him about tonight's events to avoid dragging his student into trouble.
Because Jiraiya planned to go to the Land of Rain and the Hidden Rain Village to investigate, infiltrating alone would be easier than taking his student along, which might be inconvenient.
How could Akihara Kagura possibly agree?
After all, all the trouble that has emerged recently was orchestrated by Akihara Kagura; his goal wasn't to return to Konoha!
"What happened?"
Akihara Kagura furrowed his brows, quickly deducing from the outcome to the process: "Wasn't Jiraiya-sensei always tracking Orochimaru? Did he find any trouble tonight?"
"More trouble than imagined..."
Jiraiya remembered his old friend and his student colluding together, joining the same organization, suddenly feeling a headache.
Akihara Kagura looked at the troubled Jiraiya and continued deducing from the outcome to the process: "I remember Jiraiya-sensei telling me that Orochimaru must have joined a strong organization with powerful figures?"
"Not the strong kind..."
"They are not strong, but rather very special..."
Jiraiya rubbed his forehead, unsure of how to open up to Akihara Kagura, eventually sighing and revealing some truths.
"In any case."
"I encountered Konan tonight, which means Nagato might not be dead, and very likely is in the same organization as Orochimaru."
After saying this, Jiraiya felt relieved, solemnly expressing his intentions: "I need to infiltrate the Land of Rain and the Hidden Rain Village to gather intelligence, as it's too dangerous..."
"My strength..."
"Could help Jiraiya-sensei, right?"
Akihara Kagura spread open his palm, slowly clenching it into a fist: "Last time, we saw that Orochimaru joined a strong organization with another formidable member; luckily, I arrived in time..."
"..."
Jiraiya had to admit Akihara Kagura's strength was impressive.
However, if they were to infiltrate the Hidden Rain Village this time, they might encounter the Ninja Demigod Salamander Hanzo, as the salamander's poison and Hanzo's power are highly dangerous...
"This time, we might run into Salamander Hanzo."
Jiraiya reminisced about his youth, recalling scenes from the Second Ninja World War: "Salamander Hanzo is quite a dangerous enemy..."
Speaking of it...
The title of Sannin of Konoha is actually a humiliation.
Because it was given after Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade were defeated by Salamander Hanzo during the Second Ninja World War, with Hanzo calling them the Sannin of Konoha.
However, the Ninja World did not see it as a humiliation, but as recognition from a strong figure to the weaker ones, leading to the name Sannin of Konoha gradually spreading across the Ninja World.
"I've heard of..."
"The so-called Ninja Demigod, Salamander Hanzo."
"If Salamander Hanzo is indeed the mastermind behind Orochimaru and my senior brothers, and a group of people under his command were to besiege Jiraiya-sensei..."
Akihara Kagura casually framed Salamander Hanzo, letting Jiraiya imagine that scenario, then continued: "If I'm there, at least I could help out quite a bit, even using the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to escape with Jiraiya-sensei in case of emergency."
"..."
Jiraiya couldn't help but nod.
Just the combination of Dust Release, Wood Release, Lava Release, Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and Sage Mode ensure Akihara Kagura can hold his own against a village shadow.
Simply the Flying Thunder God Jutsu alone...
This kid is indeed the perfect support for infiltration tasks!
"If it really becomes impossible, I can still lend a small hand..."
Akihara Kagura seemed like a student concerned for his teacher, but his next words exposed his true nature: "I heard the Land of Rain is in civil war; I could go to the battlefield to eliminate a few Hidden Rain Ninjas, drawing their attention, making it easier for Jiraiya-sensei to gather intelligence..."
"..."
Jiraiya's forehead twitched.
Having heard Akihara Kagura's previous words, he thought his student had become reliable, but Jiraiya was surprised by such outrageous ideas still lingering in his mind!
"You're coming with me."
Jiraiya decided to take Akihara Kagura, reminding him: "Prepare many Flying Thunder God Kunai, we'll mark the outside with the Flying Thunder God beforehand."
"If their mastermind is indeed Salamander Hanzo..."
Jiraiya sighed deeply, realizing the situation suddenly became quite tricky.
Akihara Kagura was not inclined to reveal information about Nagato, so he threw the blame onto Salamander Hanzo: "Orochimaru and that puppet-wielding guy are very strong... Is the Ninja Demigod's strength really so immense? Can he make so many people willing to follow him?"
"Very strong!"
Jiraiya seriously nodded.
Even after many years, Jiraiya was no longer the person he was in the past, yet he still feared the danger posed by Salamander Hanzo, especially his summoned beast, Salamander, which could release poisonous mist only curable by excellent medical ninja.
If one accidentally gets poisoned...
This time, there might be no one to help detoxify.