When Nagato went out to personally escort the team, the Rain Shinobi Village forces and Root operatives suddenly launched an attack on the Akatsuki camp. They not only slaughtered a large number of the remaining members but also captured Konan.
However, weakening the Akatsuki was not Hanzo's ultimate goal—he intended to completely eradicate them. After taking Konan, he left Yahiko with a threat:
"If you want your companion back, come alone to a designated location in the Land of Rain. No one else is allowed to accompany you."
Hanzo knew that while Konan and Nagato were important figures in Akatsuki, Yahiko was the true leader. By eliminating all three at once, the organization would be on the verge of collapse.
To ensure Akatsuki's complete destruction, Hanzo also ordered Danzo to lead his Root forces in a second attack on the Akatsuki camp after Yahiko left.
All of this was Hanzo's own doing, but it was also influenced by Uchiha Obito and White Zetsu. Without White Zetsu's provocation and manipulation, the hostility between the Rain Shinobi Village and Akatsuki might never have escalated to this point.
"Obito, Obito, that guy is finally dead!"
White Zetsu emerged from the ground and spoke in a mocking tone to Uchiha Obito.
"It's tragic to die at the hands of a companion... and he even willingly walked into it himself!"
Before White Zetsu could continue, Black Zetsu reached out and twisted him from behind. It knew all too well that White Zetsu had no filter, always saying the wrong thing at the worst time.
Are you trying to remind Obito of Nohara Rin's death?
Uchiha Obito ignored White Zetsu's taunts and, in a cold voice, said, "Yes. The plan can proceed."
The Akatsuki had suffered devastating losses—less than 40% of its members survived, and with one leader dead and another crippled, even Nagato, despite his Rinnegan, was in no condition to recover.
Black Zetsu believed that Obito should take advantage of this moment to manipulate Nagato into using the Rinne Tensei Technique to revive Uchiha Madara.
If Madara were resurrected and harnessed the power of the tailed beasts with his Senju-infused strength, no one would be able to stop him.
But Obito seemed to have a new idea—one that suggested he was beginning to lose control of the situation.
Konoha Village – Sarutobi Clan Compound
Ever since Sarutobi Hiruzen left the Hokage Building in anger, he had distanced himself from Konoha's affairs.
Having lost all political power, he spent his days in the clan compound. But he was not idle—he continued to study ninjutsu, forbidden techniques, and more.
Even if village matters had once consumed his time, he was still a master of countless jutsu—so much so that he had earned the title "The Professor of Ninjutsu."
Now, Sarutobi Hiruzen sought to further improve his strength. He foresaw that, to prevent Konoha from falling under Orochimaru's influence in the future, he would inevitably have to confront his former student in battle.
But today was an exception. Nara Shikaku had come to visit him for tea, giving Hiruzen a rare moment of relaxation.
Setting down his teacup, Shikaku remarked, "Lord Third Hokage, I heard that Nawaki has secured enough missions from the Daimyo's province to last Konoha for the next three years. And they're all easy—mostly domestic construction projects with no real danger. Sounds like a good deal."
Hiruzen sighed. "There are pros and cons. Ninjas who neglect combat will eventually lose their strength..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly exhaled a puff of dry smoke and continued, "Although these missions are safer, in the long run, Konoha's strength will decline. If another war breaks out in the future, we won't have the power to deal with it."
"You're right, Lord Third. Even if a peace agreement has been signed, we cannot ignore the threats posed by foreign enemies," Nara Shikaku agreed wholeheartedly.
Even if Konoha was in a time of peace, its military strength couldn't be neglected. If the village allowed its shinobi to grow complacent, then ten years from now, when other villages had regained their power, Konoha's response couldn't just be using Earth Style techniques to reinforce their foundations.
Nawaki is still too young—blinded by the minor benefits from the Daimyo's court, Shikaku thought to himself. It's unfortunate that Nawaki, not me, is the Jōnin commander. If I were in that position, I would have strongly advised the Hokage to reconsider.
As Sarutobi Hiruzen and Nara Shikaku chatted, they heard someone arriving at the estate. Moments later, Sarutobi Biwa led Namikaze Minato inside.
"Senior Shikaku, Lord Third," Minato greeted them with a smile, though the exhaustion on his face was unmistakable. He had held nothing back on this mission. Over the past month, he had destroyed three Root strongholds in the Land of Fire and captured seventeen Root operatives.
Although he had failed to eliminate Danzo, his accomplishments were remarkable, earning him a well-deserved return to Konoha for rest.
When Sarutobi Hiruzen saw Minato, he immediately gestured for him to sit and asked, "You're back, Minato. How did the mission go?"
"Not bad. We've completed our investigations in the Land of Fire, and many Root operatives have been captured. Anbu is still tracking their remaining members. If Danzo is located, a hunting squad will be dispatched."
Minato spoke openly about the mission details, fully aware that this was technically a breach of protocol—but Konoha had changed.
"Don't concern yourself with Danzo. Just focus on completing your mission, Minato," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "Konoha may know about Danzo, but Danzo also knows about Konoha. He won't let himself be caught so easily."
"I'm not too worried about that," Minato replied. "But Lord Third, I received a message from Lord Jiraiya while I was outside. He has something important to tell you."
With that, Minato stood up and quickly arranged an enchantment barrier around them. During his training in the Flying Thunder God Technique, he had learned extensively from Konoha's barrier and sealing specialists, making this one of his strong suits.
After setting up a simple barrier, he bit his finger and performed a series of quick hand seals.
"Summoning Technique!"
A small toad appeared before them. It opened its mouth, and a hand stretched out from within. Moments later, Jiraiya stepped out of the toad's mouth.
"Lord Jiraiya!" Nara Shikaku exclaimed in surprise.
"Yo, Shikaku, Lord Third—long time no see," Jiraiya greeted them with a grin. "It's rare for me to return to Konoha, but it's a shame I won't have time to visit the hot springs for… research."
"Stop talking nonsense, Jiraiya," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, irritated. "You know how dangerous it is for you to be here. Even with this barrier, it's not entirely safe. What are you doing back?"
"Relax, I've set up a reverse Summoning Technique linked to Mount Myōboku. If anything happens, I can escape instantly," Jiraiya reassured him with a smirk. He patted the toad on his shoulder before his expression turned more serious.
"By the way, Sarutobi-sensei, I've already met with Tsunade. There's a strong chance I can convince her."
"Really?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was a little surprised and found it hard to believe. Had Jiraiya really managed to convince Tsunade in such a short time?
However, seeing Jiraiya's confident expression, he still said, "If Tsunade truly stands with us, it would be a great help. Even just her presence could make it easier to remove Nawaki from power."
As the number one beauty in the ninja world, a renowned medical master, and the Princess of Konoha, Tsunade was incredibly popular. Her presence alone could boost the morale of Konoha's shinobi by at least 50% in battle.
"Probably. But I trust Tsunade's judgment," Jiraiya replied confidently. "If she realizes the ninja world is about to face a major crisis, she won't stand idly by."
He had even told Tsunade about events from thousands of years ago, and at the time, she had seemed convinced by his words.
"However, the main reason I came to you today is something else—something difficult to explain in words. You'll understand when you see it. I visited the pharmaceutical facility and witnessed something remarkable in the Land of Tea…"
Jiraiya slowly began recounting what he had seen.
Groups of people had been sent to the Land of Tea. After investigating their identities, he discovered they were criminals transported from the Land of Fire.
However, after arriving, something horrifying happened—it wasn't long before they were transformed into monstrous beings, two or three meters tall.
Their skin turned gray, metallic bones protruded in places, and they no longer needed sleep. Even more disturbingly, weapons—actual firearms—seemed to grow from their bodies.
If not for the distinct birthmark on one of the prisoners, Jiraiya wouldn't have believed they were once human. It was a large-scale human experimentation project, where condemned criminals were being turned into artificial puppets.
"Besides the human experiments, I also saw numerous metal puppets," Jiraiya continued, his face serious. "But what's strange is that they didn't seem to be controlled by any puppeteer. The entire facility was filled with bizarre technology, which is undoubtedly the core of the Kain Chamber of Commerce."
Despite his extensive experience, Jiraiya lacked the technical knowledge to fully comprehend what he had seen. Additionally, the area was heavily guarded, preventing him from infiltrating deeper. There were too many unknowns—too many things he couldn't yet explain.
"In short, I need your help," Jiraiya said firmly. "There are far too many guards. I counted at least a hundred, but conservatively, I estimate there are over three hundred. And that's not even considering those body-modified monsters."
Nara Shikaku stroked his chin, deep in thought. "If we can uncover the truth behind this facility, it would be a powerful bargaining chip against Kain. Human experimentation is a line most people in the ninja world refuse to cross—criminal or not."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, glancing at Namikaze Minato, suddenly realized what Jiraiya was suggesting. "Jiraiya, Orochimaru won't allow us to leave the village freely… Are you planning to have Minato use the Flying Thunder God Technique to sneak us out?"
"Exactly," Jiraiya confirmed with a nod. "With Minato's teleportation, as long as the village helps cover for us, we can slip away unnoticed to investigate the Land of Tea."
"Shadow Clones and the Transformation Technique should be enough to create a convincing decoy," he added with a smirk. "It wouldn't be hard to make it look like we never left."
Jiraiya then looked thoughtful. "In the meantime, I'll find Tsunade again. Once she sees the truth about these human experiments, I have no doubt she'll stand with us."
…
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