Jiraiya was dead.
Orochimaru walked over and looked at the lifeless body, his expression unreadable. He stared at Jiraiya for a moment longer than necessary.
His former teammate had always been both clever and foolish—reliable in battle yet hopelessly obsessed with an empty prophecy. He had wasted most of his life chasing it, missing countless opportunities along the way.
Jiraiya had spoken to them about the "Child of Prophecy" multiple times, but Orochimaru had never put his faith in something so intangible. Despite being a summoner of one of the three great sage regions himself, he held no particular reverence for the Great Toad Sage.
Orochimaru believed in controlling his own fate. Hoping for salvation from another was foolish, just like expecting an enemy in war to share your desire for peace.
This belief had caused many arguments between him and Jiraiya, always ending the same way—Orochimaru, exasperated by Jiraiya's stubborn and naive logic, would simply ignore him. They had never truly been on the same path, and Orochimaru had seen that from the very beginning.
Seeing Orochimaru's silence, Sasori asked, "Are you feeling sentimental?"
"Not at all," Orochimaru replied casually. "Life is fragile. That idiot probably always knew this day would come. His death means nothing to me."
He then turned to Hyuga Mirai. "Mirai-kun, was that just now… your dojutsu?"
Mirai had not yet exited his Tenseigan Chakra Mode, and both Orochimaru and Sasori could clearly see his glowing blue eyes.
"Yes, the Tenseigan," Mirai replied without hesitation. "The Byakugan has potential for evolution, and the Tenseigan is one of its advanced forms."
He had no reason to hide it. The Tenseigan had many abilities, and neither of them were likely to betray him. Even if they were interested in obtaining it, it would take them over a decade to cultivate a pair—unless Mirai willingly shared the chakra from the Giant Tenseigan, which was the foundation of his power.
"The Byakugan has multiple evolutionary paths, but it requires extensive genetic experimentation," Mirai added.
Orochimaru understood immediately, but Sasori found it harder to grasp. Still, he committed it to memory, planning to study it further when he returned.
Sasori's scouting puppet flew back, and after observing the battlefield, he remarked in surprise, "That dojutsu is terrifying. My mecha puppets wouldn't stand a chance against it."
One attack had shattered the Four Violet Flames Formation, pierced through a mountain, and burrowed over a hundred meters underground.
If he lined up all his puppets in a row, they would still be annihilated in an instant.
"Then improve your materials," Mirai suggested. "Your puppets are already well-designed, but their durability and adaptability need work. The materials in the shinobi world are lacking… but we can discuss that later."
The three of them—each devoted to their research—had quickly shifted into a discussion about puppet modifications while Jiraiya's corpse still lay beside them.
And Sasori was listening intently. He always took constructive criticism on his puppets seriously. Previously, he had been satisfied with their durability, but Mirai's attack had exposed a major flaw—his mecha puppets were not strong enough.
Still, this was not the place for further discussion. They were within Sunagakure's territory and needed to leave before drawing attention.
Using his Tenseigan's spatial manipulation ability, Mirai located Jiraiya's summoning dimension within the Iwasu Toad's stomach and released the people trapped inside.
"Sir."
Kaikan Sanmoku nodded upon seeing Mirai. With the signal restored, Unit 18 had regained full control over him.
"We'll leave the rest to you," Mirai said. "We're heading out."
"No problem, sir. We lost consciousness and woke up here. Jiraiya must have knocked us out after getting the information he needed."
Sanmoku quickly provided an explanation before making himself faint again, waiting for passing Sunagakure shinobi to discover them.
As they departed, Orochimaru asked, "Mirai-kun, what do you plan to do with Jiraiya's body? Should we inform Tsunade?"
"Tsunade, huh…" Mirai's expression twitched slightly before he shook his head. "Not yet. As for Jiraiya's body, there's no need for Edo Tensei. Just dispose of it normally."
If Tsunade learned about this now, she would undoubtedly hold a grudge. It would be better to wait—once their organization grew stronger and the dawn of a new era approached, then he could tell her.
Until then, he would keep it from her for as long as possible—at least until she had finished her research into the electronic field.
"The nano-space capsule is almost ready. I'll send you both one when the tests are complete. Orochimaru, I'll leave Jiraiya's body to you. I have something else to take care of, so I'm heading off."
***
Over half a day later, a passing Sunagakure patrol squad discovered Keikou Sanmoku's unconscious group. They quickly revived the sand shinobi but noted that Sanmoku and the other civilians still required medical attention.
Upon hearing their story, the patrol shinobi were enraged. Without hesitation, they rushed the injured back to the village and reported the incident to Pakura.
***
Boom!
Pakura slammed her hand down, shattering her desk in fury.
"How is Sanmoku-kun doing?"
"He suffered compression injuries but has been treated with the medical machine. He's still unconscious, but he should recover soon," the ANBU reported. Thanks to Unit 18's control over the medical system, they could freely alter his recorded condition.
"Lady Kazekage, although the four guards did their best to protect Keikou-san, they still revealed some of Sunagakure's information under Jiraiya's interrogation. Please issue their punishment."
"Punishment, huh…"
Pakura exhaled. Right now, Sunagakure was severely understaffed. "Send them to the construction site. They'll work on the expansion until it's finished—only then will we discuss their punishment."
This was an extremely light sentence. By standard protocol, those four should have lost their shinobi status and been imprisoned. But Pakura had chosen to let them atone through labor instead.
"And Sanmoku?"
"According to the others, he did not reveal a single piece of information despite Jiraiya's interrogation."
Pakura smiled in relief but then scowled, frustrated with her own village.
"Have those shinobi learn from Sanmoku. It's embarrassing when a civilian has stronger willpower than trained ninja. Assign them the heaviest, most exhausting tasks!"
"Understood, Lady Kazekage!"
With that, the ANBU left to carry out the orders.
Later, Pakura summoned Sunagakure's high council and Kaikan's elder to discuss the attack. They unanimously agreed to allocate personnel and form search squads.
Letting one of the legendary Sannin roam freely in their territory was unacceptable. Someone like Jiraiya, just like Konoha's White Fang in the past, could wreak havoc if left unchecked.
Even though this was not wartime, the fact that Jiraiya had openly attacked Keikou Sanmoku and attempted to extract information was a serious provocation. If they didn't take action, there was no telling how much information he had already relayed to Konoha.
Pakura also decided to send an official letter of protest to Konoha. There was still an alliance between the two villages, yet Jiraiya had acted so recklessly. If Konoha didn't provide a proper explanation, she wouldn't hesitate to tear up the agreement.
Some conservative members of the council worried that such an extreme response might be unwise, but the majority supported Pakura's decision.
They weren't weaklings who would sit back and do nothing. The Keikou Family and Sanmoku had done so much for Sunagakure, only to be ambushed right outside their village. If they didn't respond accordingly, they might as well bury their heads in the sand.
With the majority in agreement, the letter of protest was swiftly written and handed over to a messenger, who set off for Konoha to demand an explanation from the Third Hokage.
(End of Chapter)