In a hidden location, the Rinnegan emitted a faint glow in the dark environment, appearing both mysterious and powerful.
"Who is it? That chakra doesn't belong to an ordinary intruder—it feels familiar. It must be someone I've met before."
Nagato, thin as a skeleton, stared ahead, his gaze seemingly penetrating obstacles to spot the invader already entering Amegakure's streets.
"It has to be dealt with immediately—no matter his purpose, the danger must be nipped in the bud. An uninvited powerful ninja can never mean anything good."
Making up his mind, Nagato's chakra spread outward through his chakra transmission amplifier, reaching out to activate the Six Paths Puppet bodies—excluding Deva Path.
Whoever he was, by entering the village as an intruder, he had become an enemy. And if he was an enemy, he had to be eliminated!
The sealing of the Tailed Beasts had reached its most critical phase. This unknown intruder possessed great strength—the abundance of chakra within him far surpassed that of Hidan and others within the Organization. Clearly, this would be a tough opponent.
At a time like this, having such a strong ninja enter the village was like a time bomb waiting to go off.
To prevent disaster before it strikes, the invader needed to be eliminated swiftly and decisively.
Although Deva Path—the main combat unit—was currently occupied and couldn't be deployed, Nagato believed the remaining puppet clones should handle the situation without issue.
After brief consideration, Nagato devised a strategy to deal with the intruding ninja. His expression deepened; on his already emaciated frame, veins began to bulge visibly.
...
Elsewhere, Jiraiya quickly arrived on the streets. He hadn't changed his disguise—his original outfit showed no Hidden Village traits anyway.
Rather than immediately hunting for ninjas or gathering intel, he chose first to enter an adult izakaya.
This village had been isolated for so long that he hadn't even grasped the basic situation yet. Therefore, he intended to start by gaining some understanding in this chaotic setting before planning further steps.
His informant had previously provided basic intelligence, but for verification, Jiraiya decided it was better to collect information himself. In the world of ninja, only personal experience could deliver the most authentic knowledge—even if one's informant was reliable, full trust was never advisable.
Jiraiya knew exactly how to pull useful intel out of places like this.
The hostesses, who regularly dealt with all sorts of clients, were the perfect starting point.
After a few quick rounds, Jiraiya started subtly prying information from the hostesses. Initially, they remained cautious—as he wasn't a regular, his face was unfamiliar. But as the alcohol flowed, the desired information gradually spilled from their lips.
The details aligned closely with what his informant had told him and what he'd already gathered himself: the current leader of Amegakure was no longer the old Sanbi, but instead a new generation of young rising stars.
They staged a coup many years ago, after which Hanzo was defeated, the government changed hands, and the village fell under their control.
The current leader rarely makes public appearances in the village. Most communication comes through a Divine Messenger, and internal affairs are mostly handled by the original village administration.
Oh, one more thing—this new leader of Amegakure claims to be the incarnation of God, destined to lead the village out of suffering. The Divine Messenger is said to be the most trusted figure beside God—a woman capable of flight.
As for other intel, this hostess doesn't know much. In fact, even what she knows has been gradually picked up through conversations with ninja she regularly encounters.
As long as life stays peaceful, the villagers could care less who's in charge. So as a regular civilian of Amegakure, that's all she really knows.
Jiraiya leaned back against the sofa while the hostess beside him had already passed out completely drunk.
"It seems I'll have to focus on the ninja themselves, but this 'God' and his messenger definitely require attention. Also, there's still no direct evidence linking Akatsuki and Amegakure. Although previous intel almost confirms a deep connection between Akatsuki and this village, judging from the civilians' reactions, it seems they truly know nothing about it."
After leaving a stack of money behind, Jiraiya slowly got up and exited through the back door, slipping into a nearby alleyway where his sensor abilities detected another ninja—probably someone who'd just come out of the izakaya.
Though secluded, Amegakure boasts a surprisingly modern architectural style—looking even more advanced than Konoha—even if the endless rain tends to get on people's nerves.
Jiraiya stretched out a hand to catch some raindrops, feeling as though he had overlooked something important, although he couldn't quite put his finger on it yet.
He glanced at the ninja hugging the wall and moving cautiously. Without hesitation, and confirming nobody else was nearby, Jiraiya vanished from his spot and reappeared behind the ninja. Before the man could react at all, Jiraiya knocked him unconscious and dragged him away.
All of this happened in less than a second—smoothly executed—and the captured ninja certainly didn't possess any strength to resist Jiraiya.
Thanks to Amegakure's sophisticated drainage system—with pipes as large as buildings crisscrossing everywhere—he effortlessly carried the recently captured Rain Ninja into one such tunnel.
As a veteran of multiple Great Ninja World Wars and one of the Sannin, Jiraiya naturally knew certain ninja techniques for gathering intelligence.
Using Ninjutsu to scan the minds of weaker ninja wasn't a problem for him, but the captured ninja appeared to be merely a Chunin without any obvious crimes committed in Jiraiya's eyes. Therefore, instead of immediately resorting to violent mental techniques like soul-searching jutsu, Jiraiya bound him and prepared to interrogate physically after reviving him.
This method might be crude and time-consuming, yet Jiraiya, patiently balancing persuasion and pressure, supplemented it with simple Genjutsu to guide the psychological process.
Soon, the resisting ninja could no longer withstand the pressure and revealed everything he knew. Yet Jiraiya, having obtained valuable intelligence, furrowed his brow with a gloomy look in his eyes.
From what the chunin revealed, he now knew—he had already been exposed!
The moment his body was struck by the rain outside, his location had been completely compromised, because those raindrops were part of a ninjutsu called Ushitora Zammai no Jutsu (Grudge Rain), used by Nagato—who controlled this body—and fancied himself as 'God.'
Anyone who entered the technique's range and was caught in the downpour would be sensed by him. So Jiraiya's unfamiliar chakra signature must have stood out like glowing beacons in the night.
"Miscalculation here. Didn't expect such a ninjutsu existed. But for something on such a massive scale—monitoring an entire village while continuously maintaining the technique year after year—could a single ninja truly accomplish that alone?"
Jiraiya stared thoughtfully at the unconscious ninja he'd knocked out, carefully analyzing the newly acquired intelligence and considering his next move.
Since he was already exposed, why hadn't anyone come to arrest him all this time? Or perhaps this ninjutsu wasn't as powerful as the Rain Ninja claimed.
He placed the unconscious ninja into a hidden corner, casting simple Genjutsu over him so he wouldn't awaken anytime soon. Then Jiraiya moved forward along the drainage pipes.
No matter what happened next, he'd first move under cover of the rain and reassess his plan later.
From that chunin just now, he also learned that the village leader resided within Akatsuki Tower—the tallest building in the entire village.
Jiraiya remembered that structure well, since its extraordinary height had caught his attention even before entering the village.
Recalling the direction of the building from memory, Jiraiya estimated his current position while moving through the maze of drainage pipes.
Though the drainage system was complex and ever-changing, it posed no real difficulty for his heightened senses.
"He hiding inside the pipes now?"
Controlled by Nagato, the Animal Path leaned halfway out from Akatsuki Tower, coldly scanning the village below until finally focusing on the spot where the intruder's chakra disappeared.
The intruder's chakra vanished from within the effective range of Ushitora Zammai no Jutsu, which meant he must have realized the function of the rain and chosen to hide immediately, evading surveillance.
"You think you can hide yourself? How naive!"
A long strand of hair hanging over his right forehead, the Animal Path wore a murderous expression and leapt downward. In midair, he twisted his body several times, rebounding off walls before diving into a drainpipe.
Earlier, since the intruder was in the busy commercial district filled with people, he chose not to act immediately. Now, however, the invader deliberately moved into the drainage pipes to escape detection—an ideal place for him to strike.
To avoid causing unrest within the village, the wide yet complex drainage system indeed made for a perfect battlefield.
Therefore, he himself entered directly from one of the entrances as well.
Although the drainage pipes were extremely intricate, locating the intruder was only a matter of time for him.
[Summoning Jutsu!]
As soon as entering the pipe, the Animal Path immediately launched a ninjutsu.
The Animal Path could summon large-scale [Boss Summons] modified by Black Receivers without needing a Summoning Contract, and could also share its vision.
Using summoned beasts to locate intruders hiding in the shadows was the perfect approach.
Instantly summoning many mid-sized messenger animals, the Animal Path swept his gaze across them before leaping into the mouth of a chameleon. Then, separating from the other summoned beasts, he began searching for the intruder.
While Nagato multitasked with his abilities, one part focused on controlling the Deva Path Pain who was working hard at sealing the tailed beast, while another controlled the Animal Path using summoned beasts to hunt down the intruder.
Standing atop the finger of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Zetsu sensed something. His eyes, which had been tightly shut, slowly opened. He glanced back and forth between the Deva Path and Saitama, then smirked with a knowing smile.
Saitama, however, remained unaware of what was about to happen—or had already happened—outside. He continued focusing entirely on performing the Tailed Beast Sealing Technique.
He had absolutely no idea that Jiraiya had arrived. Although Jiraiya had previously infiltrated this village from memory to spy on Akatsuki, the shinobi world's overall situation was completely different now.
At this point, the Akatsuki had already shown their strength throughout the ninja world through secret attacks on hidden villages and collecting the tailed beasts. Normally speaking, it wouldn't make sense for Jiraiya to come alone, deep into enemy territory.
And yet, Jiraiya had indeed arrived.
...
In Amegakure, at the steep mountainside location, was the Raikage's office.
"Raikage-sama, these are letters from the other villages. Please review them."
Mabui arranged the messages sent from the other Four Great Villages on the Raikage's desk, indicating for the Fourth to read through them.
"There's no need to look at them. An alliance among the Five Great Villages against just one organization—this has never happened since Kumogakure's founding. Though Akatsuki have some strength, they don't warrant us being so fearful. Tell them mutual cooperation is barely acceptable, but forming a full military alliance? Impossible!"
Standing facing the window with his back toward Mabui, the Raikage didn't even glance at the scrolls placed on the table. He had already heard all the information from Mabui, so there was no need to recheck the scrolls himself.
"But Raikage-sama, please think this through carefully,"
Mabui hesitated slightly, her expression conflicted. She feared the Raikage's words were just an impulsive outburst. Although Kumogakure was very powerful and had always competed with Konoha Village for the title of strongest village since its foundation, this wasn't really the time to stubbornly insist upon independence.
She still remembered clearly how, after a ninja accompanying Yugito returned and reported the news of her capture by a mysterious enemy, the enraged Raikage punched straight through the entire office, reducing it to ruins.
Later on, Kumo had dispatched personnel throughout the ninja world searching for traces of the enemy, yet ultimately came up empty-handed.
Without exchanging information with Konoha and other villages, they wouldn't even have known the name of the organization responsible for capturing Yugito—the akatsuki.
Once learning the name Akatsuki, Kumogakure did launch specific investigations targeting them. However, aside from discovering several small peripheral outposts within their own country, they again hit a dead end, gaining no useful clues whatsoever.
"The entire Shinobi World joining forces? There has never been such a concept. If we really unite, then who should be in command? Should we follow Minato of Konoha, or that old fossil from Iwagakure? Hmph! As for me, I certainly won't take orders from an old enemy!"
Raikage turned around, his voice filled with resentment while arcs of electricity crackled along the armor on his arms.
Earlier, a group of ninjas encountered Iwagakure's forces in Snow Country, and naturally he had caught wind of what happened there. Though impulsive by nature, he wasn't foolish—within a short time, he had formed many suspicions, stunned by Akatsuki's true strength.
As for this organization daring enough to extend its hands toward his own Hidden Village, Raikage hated them down to his bones—but due to the lack of intelligence, he was unable to strike back.
Mabui wore a blank expression after listening to Raikage's childish words, unsure how to respond. Although there had never been precedent for unity across the shinobi world, judging from the information they currently possessed, the danger level of the Akatsuki Organization was absolutely extraordinary—no single Hidden Village alone could handle this threat.
Now, many Hidden Villages' interests were under threat, and forming an alliance among them actually seemed like a reasonable choice. Once the entire force of the Shinobi World united, Akatsuki wouldn't stand a chance!
"I've already seen the message. It's necessary to attend the Five Kage Summit hosted by Konoha. Even if eventually we fail to form an alliance, at least we must show our correct stance."
Mabui quietly gazed at him as she awaited his final reply. If Raikage still insisted on his opinion, she would have no choice but to respond accordingly—it was after all her role as his secretary, not his master.
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