"Konan, you're back?"
In Amegakure, Pain sat atop a tall tower, gazing down through the veil of rain that shrouded the village. After a moment of silence, he spoke.
Behind him, a woman with blue hair and a black cloak adorned with red clouds approached.
"Yes, I'm back. But... I ran into something along the way."
Konan nodded, her voice low as she recalled what had happened.
"Someone's been there. They left a bouquet, paying tribute. If I'm not mistaken, there's probably only one person who would do such a thing."
"Jiraiya-sensei, huh..."
Though Konan hadn't said it outright, Pain immediately understood. A touch of nostalgia crept into his voice.
"To think he still remembers us... But unfortunately, this isn't the past anymore. His beliefs probably don't align with ours now."
"I know. And that saddens me too."
Konan nodded again. In truth, she had known for a long time—Jiraiya would never approve of who they had become.
"What I'm really wondering now is why he came to the Land of Rain in the first place. If I hadn't gone there, I wouldn't even have known he'd been. Was he here for the village?"
"Unlikely. I didn't sense any unfamiliar chakra."
Pain shook his head. The existence of the Rain Tiger at Will Technique gave him great confidence. And it was precisely that confidence that made the situation so troubling.
"I suspect their movements around Iwagakure have drawn attention. They're probably planning to enter the Land of Earth through the Land of Rain."
"Why not just go through the Land of Grass or the Land of Waterfalls? Wouldn't that be closer?"
Konan spoke without thinking, but then fell silent. Her question left Pain pensive as well.
Perhaps… taking the long way around was their way of paying tribute.
"We can't go back, Konan."
It took a while before Pain finally shook his head.
"Notify the others. Have them head over as soon as possible."
"Won't that cause too much of a commotion? It might draw Ōnoki's attention."
"It's just a precaution. If trouble arises, we'll be ready to respond. I have no intention of starting a conflict with Ōnoki."
The Akatsuki was short on funds at the moment. Besides, Pain had been discreetly diverting Akatsuki's funds to help develop his village.
Making an enemy of Ōnoki now... wouldn't be wise.
"Understood. I'll make preparations."
Konan gave it some thought, then nodded and turned to leave, leaving Pain alone in the curtain of rain.
"Jiraiya-sensei..."
After a long moment, Pain murmured again, shaking his head.
"Such a shame... your convictions, your stubbornness."
...
"This damn place, the Land of Earth, really is the worst."
Within the borders of the Land of Earth, three figures clad in black cloaks with red clouds silently advanced. Kisame, carrying his massive Samehada blade across his back, glanced up at the blazing sun and couldn't help but shake his head.
Having lived most of his life in the misty, moisture-rich Land of Water, this dry, dusty terrain felt stifling and uncomfortable.
"Still better than the Land of Wind," came a hoarse, low voice from inside Hiruko. It was Sasori speaking.
"Enough with the pointless talk. Any intel on that brat called Deidara?"
"Not yet. That flytrap hasn't revealed anything useful."
Uchiha Itachi shook his head. That strange guy—Zetsu—hadn't shared much, only that Deidara was somewhere nearby.
"This place really isn't much, though."
"Oh? I didn't think you'd be the picky type, Itachi-kun."
Kisame grinned, revealing rows of shark-like teeth.
"Come to think of it, you didn't get a chance to participate in the Third Great Ninja War, did you?"
"..."
Itachi gave Kisame a sidelong glance but didn't bother answering.
Though Kisame had guessed wrong—Itachi had participated, even if he was only three or four years old at the time.
It was during the war against Iwagakure that he killed for the first time—an event that had left a deep imprint on him ever since.
"Enough with the small talk. Stay sharp this time."
Sasori raised his head and glanced at the sky before lowering his voice.
"That Deidara kid is Ōnoki's student. As much of a troublemaker as he is, Ōnoki still acknowledges him."
"He might have some sort of protection around him. If we find him, we need to make the move clean and quick—I don't want to stir up any trouble."
"Oh? I didn't expect the infamous Sasori of the Red Sand to be this cautious. Looks like some of those rumors aren't worth believing after all."
Kisame raised an eyebrow and chuckled as he spoke.
"It's not about being cautious. I just don't want to end up clashing with that guy Pain."
Sasori cast a sidelong glance at Kisame and replied coolly.
"Ōnoki, that old man, is indeed powerful. He even possesses the legendary Kekkei Tōta. If I had the chance, I'd much rather add him to my collection."
"A puppet made from his body would surely be incredibly effective. Unfortunately, he's a client for now—such a shame."
Creating puppets cost money. Sasori's arsenal of hidden weapons wasn't cheap either, and even the poisons he used required serious funds.
That's where the ninja villages came in—they provided essential resources, gave you stable income through missions, and offered substantial benefits as your rank increased.
Being a rogue ninja wasn't easy. That wasn't just a saying—it was the truth.
"Tch. You talk like you could actually beat Ōnoki."
Kisame couldn't help but shake his head at that. Kekkei Tōta wasn't some joke.
Sasori raised an eyebrow but didn't get the chance to reply. Suddenly, a pitcher plant burst from the ground ahead of them!
"There you are. Good. I've confirmed his location."
Black Zetsu glanced over the three of them and spoke in a low voice.
"Deidara is inside a temple to the west. There's an ANBU team stationed nearby, so be careful."
"The west, huh? Got it."
Uchiha Itachi gave a curt nod and turned to head out. But Black Zetsu continued.
"Friendly tip—it's better to wait a little before making a move. That way, you'll avoid drawing attention. Also, there's something else you should know."
"Hmph. Then just say it," Sasori snorted, while Kisame also looked over.
"You've got a tail."
Black Zetsu's tone was flat, unaffected.
"Pain's already been alerted about this. To avoid accidents—and be ready to support you if something happens—he's mobilizing people. But that'll take time."
"So hold off for now. It'll make things easier afterward."
A tail?
The three exchanged glances. None of them had noticed anyone following them.
"Who is it?"
They grew noticeably more serious, but Black Zetsu simply shook his head.
"Not sure. But whoever it is, they're definitely not just some amateur."
...
"This place is already way better than the Land of Rain."
At a small village near the border, Kitagawa Gen looked up at the clear sky and nodded approvingly.
Even though they were still at the edge, the climate had already begun to change. Looking further ahead, the terrain of the Land of Earth was visible in the distance.
Unlike the flatter landscape of the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth was full of rocky formations and towering mountains.
But at least this place didn't have the endless downpour of the Land of Rain.
"So many mountains."
Jiraiya muttered while peering through binoculars at the landscape ahead.
"No wonder it's so hard to invade this godforsaken place—natural fortifications everywhere."
"And I've heard that the only way into Iwagakure is through narrow mountain passes."
Kakashi chimed in from the side.
"To invade the Land of Earth, you'd basically have to come by sea. That's what happened during the Third Great Ninja War."
Gen nodded. He understood what Kakashi was referring to.
Back then, Kakashi and his team had blown up the Kannabi Bridge, severing Iwagakure's supply lines and forcing them to surrender.
But there was a deeper reason behind that victory: before their operation even began, the Third Raikage—headstrong as ever—had taken his men to scout around Iwagakure.
Unfortunately for him, they got discovered.
For three full days and nights, the Third Raikage fought off tens of thousands of Iwa-nin to cover his men's retreat.
And in the end, he literally died of exhaustion.
His death created a major problem: Iwagakure now had to redirect its forces to guard against a potential seaborne retaliation from Kumogakure seeking vengeance for their fallen Raikage.
That's why there was no point dragging out the standoff with Konoha in the Land of Grass. After the Kannabi Bridge was destroyed, Ōnoki simply chose to surrender.
'Otherwise, rebuilding one measly bridge wouldn't have been that hard, right?'
Besides, the terms the Third Hokage offered Iwagakure weren't just generous—they were exceptional.
Of course, even with all these messy behind-the-scenes factors, none of it diminished the achievements of Kakashi and his team back then.
"All right, enough about that," Jiraiya said as he packed away his binoculars.
"The ANBU the old man sent already left a message for me. They've tracked the movements of that mysterious organization—and they've entered Iwagakure."
"So get ready. We'll be heading in later. Good thing we have those ANBU backing us up—otherwise, this mission would've been a nightmare."
"Yeah, no doubt," both Kakashi and Kitagawa Gen nodded in agreement.
With ANBU support, things would be much easier—especially in a massive place like the Land of Earth, which bordered three smaller countries.
Without proper intel and backup, there was no way the three of them could manage a full investigation on their own.
"Well then, since we've got some downtime, we might as well rest."
Jiraiya finished packing up, whistling casually as he strolled off.
"The great Jiraiya shall now explore the area and gather intel—purely for reconnaissance, of course."
"Jiraiya-sama, I'll come with you!"
Gen blinked eagerly and tried to follow, but he hadn't made it far before Kakashi grabbed him by the collar.
"Get back here. What do you think you're doing?"
"I—I was going to place some Flying Thunder God markers… you know, to make it easier to get back later, Kakashi-sensei."
"You already placed them. I saw it myself. And don't think I don't know what you're really thinking."
Kakashi facepalmed. At that moment, he finally understood what Hiruzen must have felt back when his own team nearly flunked out and ended up beating the crap out of each other instead.
Such a tragic failure of shinobi education!
Kakashi had no intention of letting his own student "go astray." Still, as he glanced at the book tucked into his pouch, he figured… the timing wasn't quite right for a serious intervention just yet.
"Come with me. Didn't you say you wanted to be a jōnin? How do you expect to do that if your fundamentals are still shaky? Time to hit the books."
"C'mon, we're technically on a mission! Even downtime should be for rest, shouldn't it?"
"Use every spare moment. You've got a lot to learn."
"Oh come on! You're reading Make-Out Paradise, and you want me to read The Three Ninja Precepts? That's just cruel!"
"Gen, I'm your sensei."
"You'll regret this!"
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