As time passed, the bar grew more and more crowded. The real action didn't start until the dead of night.
Jiraiya had long since lost count of how many fruits he'd eaten or how many glasses of cheap but pricey booze he'd downed. Still, the target mentioned in his intel hadn't shown up yet.
"Looks like today's gonna be another bust."
Jiraiya squinted slightly, deciding to stick around just a little longer before heading back. Once you hit a certain age, you just can't keep up with the young crowd anymore.
Beside him were two girls who were totally wasted but stuck to him like glue.
"Huh?"
Just as Jiraiya raised his cup for what was supposed to be his final drink, he spotted a tall, wiry guy who looked just like a monkey.
That man was one of Akatsuki's liaison agents stationed in River Country, exactly as described in Jiraiya's report.
He silently watched the skinny, monkey-like figure come down from the second floor, weave through the crowd without drawing attention, and head toward the back exit.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, chugged the rest of his drink, and then casually pushed aside the two completely smashed girls clinging to him. He stood up, pretending to be drunk.
The restroom was right near the back door. As Jiraiya staggered toward the bathroom, his gaze stayed locked on that tall, lanky figure moving toward the rear exit.
Lots of folks who'd had too much hit the bathroom to puke or chill for a bit. In a place like this, it was nothing unusual—nobody paid him any mind.
Swish! Just as he reached the restroom, Jiraiya suddenly veered sideways, slipped out the back door in an instant, and followed closely behind the monkey-looking guy who'd left earlier.
...
This skinny monkey was called Tsugure. Originally from Amegakure Village, he was one of the earliest recruits to Akatsuki. Back when he joined, the organization was still led by Yahiko.
After going through years of chaos and change, just as he once hoped, the group finally overthrew Hanzo's outdated leadership and ushered in a new era.
Later on, he was secretly deployed overseas, becoming one of Akatsuki's hidden operatives embedded within River Country.
There were many like him scattered across the ninja world.
Originally, they acted as middlemen handling mercenary missions, connecting clients with the organization. But lately, Akatsuki had moved beyond just being mercenaries, so their roles had changed again.
Becoming mercenaries had always been about raising funds for the organization's growth. Now that phase was nearly complete, and combined with the growing peace trend across the shinobi world, maintaining a mercenary front no longer made sense.
Tsugure passed through the back exit into a pitch-black alley. Showing no fear at all, he first scanned his surroundings carefully before continuing forward.
In River Country alone, there weren't just one or two—but four such liaison agents just like him.
Tonight happened to be their monthly meeting—their chance to exchange reports and summarize their findings.
After this meetup, each of them would submit individual reports to the upper ranks, though those reports mainly focused on evaluating one another.
It was how the organization kept track of all its field agents—and so far, it had proven quite effective.
Jiraiya crouched low and edged toward the doorway, watching Tsugure's shadow gradually vanish into the darkness. A flicker of thought crossed his eyes, but he didn't act immediately. "You let your line out farther to reel in a bigger fish—that's what his seniors always said."
The spy didn't look like he was just wandering around, so Jiraiya decided to hang back and see if something bigger would show up.
Before long, Tsugure arrived outside a modest civilian house on the outskirts of the city. This area was part of the slums—especially on the outskirts of Musashi Castle.
After circling the place a few times to make sure no one was tailing him, Tsugure gently pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside.
A single dim lamp lit the interior. In the center of the room stood a square table, around which three shadowy figures were already seated, all shrouded in darkness.
Tsugure wore a loose robe with the hood pulled over his head. A half-face mask covered most of his face, making it nearly impossible to make out his features under these dim conditions.
The other three were similarly dressed—clearly a method they all used to conceal their identities.
Without uttering a word, Tsugure walked to the empty side of the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"You're late today!" The man sitting across from Tsugure spoke up the moment he settled.
His tone wasn't scolding—it sounded more like concern.
All four people seated here came from Amegakure, united for the prosperity of the Akatsuki. Though none of them knew each other completely, they had their guesses about where each came from in River Country—they deliberately avoided confirming anything to prevent unnecessary trouble.
"Had some things going on today; got held up," Tsugure replied, pressing lightly on the mask covering his face.
What followed was a completely normal work report session. Recently, there hadn't been any abnormalities, so everything wrapped up quickly.
"Tomorrow, someone from the Organization will come to collect this quarter's funds. The meeting point is the samurai pavilion just outside the city walls."
The same man across from Tsugure spoke again—he was the highest-ranking among the four, hence the most informed.
"This time is unusual. Weren't the funds usually transported back by assigned couriers?"
Tsugure knit both brows in confusion as he asked.
"The one managing the Organization's finances happens to be in River Country right now, so he decided to personally retrieve this round of funds."
"Oh, I get it." Tsugure nodded slightly. He'd heard rumors about this powerful individual who managed the Organization's finances. Although Tsugure himself had been around longer, this man's strength was formidable, and his love for money surpassed that of ordinary men.
If this person happened to be nearby, it wasn't surprising that he'd choose to collect the funds himself.
Tsugure glanced around and saw the others quietly nodding as well. They must've come to the same conclusion.
"Then that's all for today," the man opposite Tsugure announced, signaling the meeting's end.
Bang! As Tsugure began to rise, the wooden door suddenly swung open. All four figures stiffened instantly—every hair stood on end.
It was a plain civilian house, but protective barrier seals had been set up around it to prevent intrusions.
Yet right now, someone had walked in without triggering the barrier's detection.
This sent chills down all four of their spines. They immediately rose to their feet, preparing for battle.
Clack! The sharp clatter of wooden sandals echoed like hammerbeats against Tsugure and the others' chests.
Soon, a tall, muscular figure with white hair appeared at the doorway.
[Gamauchi Shibari no Jutsu – Toad Mouth Bind]
Jiraiya pushed open the door and saw the four people inside. A satisfied smirk spread across his face as he exuded his full Sage presence. Then he muttered a phrase and unleashed a ninjutsu technique.
This move summoned the Iwase Toad's stomach lining from Mount Myoboku, which could both defend and trap enemies.
From past experience, Jiraiya had used this very technique to ensnare Itachi and Kisame, though Itachi had broken free using [Amaterasu] before leaving.
As the jutsu was unleashed, the entire room instantly transformed into fleshy walls. With the membranes writhing, the four individuals' feet became stuck within the stomach lining.
"This is..." Tsugure's horror showed clearly—even his mask couldn't hide the raw emotion flooding his face.
"Alright then, now we can have a nice chat!"
Jiraiya remained composed as he slowly stepped forward toward the four enemies whose feet had already been trapped by the stomach walls.
His towering, muscular frame cast an overwhelming presence, making the four men instinctively swallow hard.
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