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"So, you're saying you're not part of Pain or Akatsuki?" Jiraiya said.
"Hmph." Koro snorted coldly.
"Konoha did clash with Amegakure in the past, but there shouldn't have been any major conflicts since then, right?"
"No conflicts?" Koro glared at Jiraiya. "You don't actually believe Konoha's influence over Amegakure ended after that war, do you? Let me tell you—it was far from over. After that war, Hanzō-sama wanted to kill Yahiko and colluded with 'Konoha's Anbu.' In the end, Yahiko did die, but Konoha's Anbu never showed their faces again, leaving Hanzō-sama exposed to danger…"
"Is that true?" Jiraiya had no idea that Konoha had gotten involved in Amegakure's internal strife afterward.
"Yes." Koro nodded.
Jiraiya frowned.
At the time, Konoha had also suffered heavy losses—Nawaki, Dan Katō… even Kakashi's father had died indirectly because of that war.
Though Konoha ultimately won that battle, the "Sannin" each chose their own paths and left the village.
All things considered, Konoha had been in a weakened state back then, with no energy to spare for external affairs.
Under those circumstances, would the Third Hokage really have allowed Anbu to interfere in Amegakure's affairs?
No matter how he looked at it, Jiraiya found it hard to believe.
"Are you sure it was Konoha's Anbu?"
"Our villages had just fought each other. I'm not blind enough to mistake them for someone else." Koro sneered.
Jiraiya's heart grew heavy.
After the war, Konoha interfering in another village's internal conflicts would have been extremely unwise. And from what he could see, Konoha hadn't gained any real benefits from it—in a way, it was even a losing move.
"But… even if Anbu did intervene, they were helping Hanzō. By your own words, Anbu was on your side. So why do you hate Konoha so much?" Jiraiya felt there was a major flaw in the other shinobi's logic.
"The first reason is the war between our villages. You can't deny that, right?"
Jiraiya nodded.
Though Amegakure had started the war, the suffering had been shared by both sides.
Of course, that didn't mean he accepted their hatred.
"The second reason is 'Anbu's interference in Hanzō-sama's battle with Akatsuki.' You might argue that Konoha was helping Hanzō-sama, but if Konoha hadn't gotten involved in the first place, Hanzō-sama wouldn't have died… It's like you stirred up a hornet's nest, then dropped the stick and ran. But we? We had no chance to escape. Hanzō-sama was killed, his rule ended. Konoha is absolutely responsible for this." Koro's voice burned with anger.
"Well… let's set aside whether Konoha's involvement was justified. But is it possible that even without Konoha, Hanzō would've poked the hornet's nest himself?" Jiraiya asked.
"Of course it's possible. But since we couldn't escape, we had to make our own judgments when dealing with Akatsuki. Hanzō-sama was an extremely cautious man. So tell me—who gave him the confidence to directly eliminate Akatsuki? Strength. And that strength included Konoha's Anbu. It was his misjudgment of Anbu that led to his ultimate defeat."
Jiraiya rolled his eyes.
This guy was dead serious, convinced of his own righteousness. Arguing with him would be pointless—they could go in circles forever.
"Tell me this—do you hate me, or do you hate Pain and Akatsuki more?"
"Both."
"No, rank them." Jiraiya didn't give Koro room to dodge.
After a moment of thought, Koro muttered, "Akatsuki."
Jiraiya and Konoha might be detestable, but they weren't a constant threat to him. Akatsuki and Pain, however? Every moment was spent in fear—fear that Akatsuki would discover he was a remnant and kill him.
He wasn't afraid of death. He was afraid of dying meaninglessly.
"Good. Your enemy is Akatsuki. My enemy is also Akatsuki. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We might not be friends, but at least we're not enemies for now. Do you agree?"
Koro nodded.
"Then tell me—what exactly is Akatsuki?" Jiraiya pressed.
"Aren't you going to release me first?"
"If what you say is true, I'll let you go. Don't worry, I won't turn you into a toad just yet."
"…"
Koro sighed, knowing full well that in Jiraiya's hands, he was as helpless as a fish on a chopping block.
"I don't know much about Akatsuki. Just that they're a group of people who came together for different goals. They're also the force Pain relies on."
"Who are their members?" Jiraiya asked.
Koro shook his head. "No idea. You think I'd have access to Akatsuki's core members? Impossible. All I know is they wear black cloaks with red clouds…"
Jiraiya's mind immediately flashed to Danzō and Orochimaru's recent attire.
Those two were also part of Akatsuki…
"But one thing's certain—they're all missing-nin from major villages, possibly even S-rank. Honestly, wouldn't be surprised if some were Konoha's own traitors. Believe that?"
Jiraiya didn't argue.
Danzō and Orochimaru were both missing-nin. And Itachi? Even if he wasn't yet, he'd likely be branded a criminal sooner or later.
"What about Pain? Earlier, you said if he leaves Amegakure on Sunday, the rain never stops. Does that mean he can detect foreign shinobi through the rain?" Jiraiya recalled another puzzling detail.
"Yes." Koro didn't hesitate. "Some of our remnants left the village before Akatsuki took over. When they tried to sneak back in, they were discovered. I don't know how it works, but it's definitely tied to the rain."
Jiraiya rubbed his chin. So, Pain already knew he'd infiltrated Amegakure.
He had assumed the village's security was lax—clearly, he'd underestimated them.
"One more thing about Pain… he's not just one person." Koro added.
"Not one person? What do you mean?" Jiraiya pressed urgently.
"Exactly what it sounds like. I don't know why, but we've seen other Pains. That's why we've held off acting all this time—we don't know which Pain is the real target."
A chill ran down Jiraiya's spine.
He was grateful he'd run into Koro—without him, he'd never have gotten such crucial intel.
But as for how to deal with Akatsuki and Pain… he still had no solid plan.
"By the way, can I ask you for a favor?"
"What?"
"From what you said, there are other remnants in Amegakure, right? Can I meet them?" Jiraiya asked seriously.