Chapter 415: Jiraiya: The three-year period has expired! New January book ticket request
"Sunagakure actually admitted defeat?"
Northern Land of Rain, Amegakure Camp.
Hanzō clutched the intelligence from the Land of Wind, letting out a heavy sigh.
Originally, he thought the intelligence Hiruzen Sarutobi sent was merely to stabilize him… to make him fight harder in his battle against Iwagakure.
But now it seems, the announcement Sunagakure made to the entire Ninja World… indeed meant that the war between Sunagakure and Konoha was over.
Next, Konoha's forces stationed in the Land of Wind would be freed up. Once White Fang Hatake Sakumo and that kid entered the Land of Rain battlefield, then… Iwagakure's defeat would only be a matter of time.
Thinking of this, Hanzō couldn't help but stand up, gazing at the distant clouds and rain, secretly congratulating himself on how correct his decision had been.
Although the process was a bit difficult, he… ultimately chose the right side, preserving Amegakure among the three great Ninja Villages and defending the territory of the Land of Rain.
"Someone! Issue an order! From today onwards, all Amegakure Ninja no longer need to conceal their strength. Assist Konoha… to completely drive Iwagakure's invaders out of the Land of Rain."
"This war is almost over! The Land of Rain will finally usher in peace!"
"Oh~~~"
Amidst the thunderous shouts, the lightning deep within the clouds became increasingly agitated… "Useless! A bunch of useless people! Sunagakure actually lost!"
Like Hanzō, Ōnoki, who was in the Iwagakure Camp, also believed that the intelligence Hiruzen Sarutobi sent a few days ago was merely a small tactic to pressure him… For this, he had even mocked the Konoha Ninja who delivered the message that day.
But who would have thought that the speed of being proven wrong would come so quickly?
Before he could even make his next move, Sunagakure's announcement had already spread throughout the entire Ninja World.
"Tsuchikage-sama, what… should we do next?"
"Once Konoha transfers the forces remaining in the Land of Wind to the Land of Rain battlefield…"
Looking at Ōnoki's gloomy expression, Hachimangu stopped speaking halfway through, then decisively closed his mouth.
He understood those principles, and Ōnoki naturally understood them too.
"Issue an order! Maintain the deployment, continue to attack Konoha and the Amegakure Camp…"
"Before everything settles, we still have a chance!"
Although he said this, deep down, Ōnoki had already accepted the possibility of Iwagakure losing the war.
What he was doing now was merely to constantly pressure Konoha and Amegakure, forcing them to propose a ceasefire first… This way, Iwagakure could withdraw completely in the subsequent negotiations, avoiding the fate of Sunagakure, which had to pay money and Ninjutsu… On the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers, by a certain lake.
Several desolate mountain ranges, now like sleeping giants, lay dormant in this land.
Amidst several urgent whooshing sounds, several Konoha Anbu members stopped at one of the mountain ranges.
These people were one of the ANBU Squads Hiruzen Sarutobi sent to search for Jiraiya… Even though the battle in the Land of Rain was stabilizing, Hiruzen Sarutobi never neglected the search for Jiraiya.
Especially now, with Sunagakure defeated, and the end of the war with Iwagakure in sight, finding Jiraiya and having him join the war against Iwagakure as soon as possible, in order to avoid future accountability within the Village, seemed particularly urgent.
"Hopefully, this time we can open this barrier, otherwise… we'll have no choice but to return to the Village and bring over the sealing squad."
As he whispered, two Anbu members each threw out a scroll… Instantly, a large amount of Chakra continuously overflowed, and countless complex symbols flew from the scrolls, finally merging into the mountain range beneath their feet.
"Barrier: Release!"
The moment the two Anbu members finished speaking, everyone felt the scene before their eyes blur. The originally desolate mountain range suddenly sprouted countless towering trees, and at the end of the dense forest, directly facing the lake, several small huts suddenly appeared.
"It seems our premonition was correct. Jiraiya-sama is indeed here…"
On the lake in front of the huts, Jiraiya, Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato were conducting their usual training.
Three years had passed, and what had grown for Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato was not just their height and appearance… but also their strength, which was comparable to that of a Special Jonin!
With the synergy between the three of them, even a slightly stronger Elite Jonin would likely be forcibly suppressed.
"Hmm?"
"Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, today's training ends here. You all train Ninjutsu here for a while. Jiraiya Sensei suddenly has a stomachache… Once I've taken care of my personal business, I'll come back to guide your training."
Jiraiya didn't give Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan a chance to show concern. The moment he finished speaking, he instantly shunshined away from the lake.
"Hey, you guys, that's far enough! Don't go any further!"
The so-called stomachache was just Jiraiya's usual clumsy excuse.
His true purpose was to stop Konoha's Anbu from approaching the lake and discovering the Rinnegan's existence.
"Jiraiya-sama~"
"Did Sensei send you to find me? After all this time, you still haven't given up?"
Looking at the Anbu members in front of him, Jiraiya shook his head helplessly… To avoid the search of Konoha's Anbu and the Land of Rain's frontline troops, he had taken Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan to countless different places over the past three years.
Eventually, he had to activate a barrier, covering an entire mountain range, before he could enjoy a few months of peace.
"Jiraiya Jonin, the war between the Village and Sunagakure… has ended."
"The war with Iwagakure will likely also conclude soon. Hokage-sama is recalling you!"
"Hokage-sama said that if you don't want to be held accountable within the Village, and if you don't want to be stripped of your Ninja status… you'd best return with us and join the war to subjugate Iwagakure."
Looking at Jiraiya's flippant expression, several Anbu members felt a surge of anger welling up inside them, and their voices even grew a few degrees colder.
As a Kage-level expert personally trained by Konoha!
When Konoha faced a crisis, he didn't appear on the front lines to help the Village resist the invasions of Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
Instead, he was playing hide-and-seek with them, holed up in a place like this, training three kids from Amegakure… Such a person didn't deserve their respect… not even if he was the Hokage's disciple.
If such things could be tolerated, could be considered acceptable?
Then what about those kids… who died on the battlefields of the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain?
"I understand… I will deal with things here as quickly as possible and rush to the front lines."
As the person involved, no matter how obtuse Jiraiya might be, he could clearly perceive the emotional changes of the Anbu in front of him.
He understood in his heart that his three years of being outside Konoha, especially during wartime, had probably angered quite a few people.
"Jiraiya Jonin, please don't make things difficult for us… Hokage-sama's order is to bring you before him immediately after finding you…"
"…I… understand! Give me one day. I have to say goodbye to my disciples!"
With a bitter smile, a touch of melancholy entered Jiraiya's eyes.
It was unclear if it was due to the Anbu members' attitude or because he was about to part ways with Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato!
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