After arriving at the Mist village, Anya had fallen into a comfortable paradise, causing her to forget something extremely important. It wasn't until Sasori reminded her that she finally recalled.
Why was Orochimaru unwilling to let Sasori come over? His goal was to keep Sasori away so that Anya could remain quietly in the Mist village for a while, thus missing out on certain events?
What could possibly be happening during this time? There weren't many things significant enough to concern Orochimaru. At present, the most urgent matter was undoubtedly Sasuke's body. Therefore, there would definitely be a battle between the two brothers soon, which would also be the perfect opportunity for Orochimaru to seize Sasuke's body.
"What's wrong?" Sasori became nervous as well.
Anya didn't bother to explain much, urgently saying, "Go find Itachi and bring him here to see me. If he refuses, force him to come. Don't hold back."
Sasori understood, "Is this because of Sasuke's appearance? But how could he possibly defeat Itachi?"
Anya sighed, saying, "Ah, you don't understand. In this fight, Itachi is destined to lose."
Sasori trusted Anya's judgment and nodded firmly, "Alright, don't worry, I'll definitely bring him back in one piece."
After saying that, Sasori immediately turned and left.
Once you've unlocked the Mangekyō, it becomes obvious how ridiculous it is to think a Three-Comma Sharingan could ever beat it. The gap between the two is absurdly large. Not to mention the additional skills the Mangekyō comes with, even the Susanoo itself is a qualitative leap. However, considering they're separated by an ocean, things return to normal.
With his current strength, having mastered the Ryuchi Cave Sage Art, defeating the Six Paths of Pain would pose no real difficulty for Sasori. Bringing back Itachi wouldn't pose any real difficulty either. Anya's heart was slightly eased. She had already promised Miss Mikoto confidently. If these two brothers truly ended up fighting to the death, she wouldn't know how to face them afterward.
This was the perfect opportunity to use the "Moon in the Well" to seal Itachi's Mangekyō, adjust his health, and return a healthy son to Miss Mikoto. Anya had already arranged everything for the future.
As for bringing back Sasuke, Anya thought about it and decided to give up. This boy is consumed by hatred, and even Mikoto might not be able to calm his wrath. Forcibly bringing him back would only backfire. Moreover, it would be hard to explain to Orochimaru. If he ever truly got angry, the Tailed Beast plan would be ruined.
After leaving the Mist village, Sasori quickly received a message from the Zero Organization: Sasuke, in search of Itachi's whereabouts, had been hunting down members of the Akatsuki Organization. Eventually, he encountered Deidara, and the two immediately clashed. In this battle, Sasuke emerged victorious, while Deidara went missing and was presumed dead.
"Attribute advantage?" Sasori wasn't really worried about Deidara. Since Anya had given him that scroll, as long as he wasn't an idiot, he should be able to survive. This would actually be a good opportunity for him to leave the Akatsuki and head to Iwagakure to acquire the Five-Tails' Container.
Still, this Sasuke is growing rather quickly. After all, Deidara definitely wouldn't have held back. It was time to go find Itachi.
With one order from Sasori, the vast intelligence network of the Zero Organization immediately sprang into action. Within less than a day, the whereabouts of both Itachi and Kisame became clear.
Meanwhile, in a tavern in Konoha, Tsunade and Jiraiya were conversing.
Jiraiya asked, "Hasn't he returned yet?"
Tsunade shook her head, "No."
"You two should've reconciled by now, right?"
Tsunade hesitated slightly, her expression softening.
Jiraiya chuckled after seeing Tsunade's expression. "Seems like it. Good then. Let me tell you some news—I've tracked down the Akatsuki leader's hiding place."
"What? Really?" Tsunade exclaimed in shock. "Tell me all the details quickly!"
Jiraiya waved his hand lazily. "Relax, no need to be so hasty."
Tsunade frowned angrily. "It's not like you're writing the next chapter of your novel—how can you stay so calm?"
Jiraiya grinned. "Getting anxious isn't good, especially when placing a big bet. Come on, hasn't it been a while since we last sat together and had a drink like this? How about one cup first?"
Tsunade protested, "I'm the Hokage! How could I drink at this time of day? What would the ninja on missions outside think?"
When the waitress brought the alcohol, Tsunade couldn't resist temptation and finished one whole bottle.
Jiraiya muttered helplessly, "What you just said and what you're doing now don't match at all."
Tsunade snapped, "Enough nonsense! Talk—what exactly did you find out?"
"Well, what I found was Sanshouo Hanzo's area. There's a high possibility that the Akatsuki Organization's leader is located there."
Tsunade recalled her previous visit to Sanshouo Hanzo's area during the Second Battle and murmured, "Ah… that place—it's a very closed village surrounded by Earth, Wind, and Fire nations. Historically, it has always served as a battlefield among these three nations. It's hard to govern internally, and refugees keep increasing."
Jiraiya turned serious. "To confirm the accuracy of this intelligence report, I plan to infiltrate for investigation and then confirm the battle preparations afterward."
Without hesitation, Tsunade replied, "No way. You going alone is too dangerous."
"I'm one of the Konoha Sannin. You should know what that means."
After hesitating briefly, Tsunade said, "Also, do you still remember Anya's recent warning? We already knew about the Akatsuki organization from him. He said he would reveal everything eventually, but the timing wasn't right yet. He has his own agenda. I feel like there's more to it than that..."
"Tsunade," Jiraiya rarely became angry as he interrupted, "you actually know more about Anya than I do. In his heart, there's never been anything called the Will of Fire. He has always been someone who sticks to his own will, only truly valuing himself and those close to him. I'm absolutely certain—unless something happens to those he cares about, even if the entire Konoha were destroyed, he wouldn't give a damn."
Tsunade lowered her head silently.
A long moment later, she sighed bitterly, "So that's why... originally, the person destined to become Hokage should have been you. The Third believed the next Hokage should be you too..."
"I was never cut out to be Hokage anyway—I'm better suited for a life of freedom."
After finishing dinner, Tsunade—rarely one for too much drink—threw up outside the tavern.
They sat on chairs just outside Konoha's Main Gate as the sun painted the western sky with its golden glow.
Jiraiya said, "It's getting late. I must depart now."
"About the Akatsuki—whoever can command those guys must be insanely powerful. Why are you intentionally throwing yourself into enemy territory like this?"
Tsunade looked grim as she said, "Come back alive. Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, is already dead. If you die too..."
Jiraiya chuckled and replied, "Would you cry for me? I'd be delighted. How about we make a bet then—bet on my death. After all, you always lose whenever you gamble."
Tsunade grew serious and said, "If anything happens, contact me immediately through the toad summoning. I'll come right away."
"That won't work," Jiraiya replied. "You can't leave the village. Everything revolves around you here. No one else in the village deserves to become Hokage more than you do. Oh, let me give you some advice," he said, adjusting the Scroll on his back.
"What kind?"
"If one day you must choose between the village and Anya… follow your heart." With that, Jiraiya shouldered his Scroll, waved with a carefree smile, and said, "I'm off."
Tsunade gazed at Jiraiya's retreating figure, filled with sorrow and unease. She couldn't shake the feeling something terrible was about to happen.
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