After nearly a week of nonstop travel, Hyūga Satoru and his group finally entered the maritime region of the Land of Rain.
This was a small country wedged between great powers. In the distance, a city filled with towering buildings rose into view—that was the heart of the Land of Rain.
The Land of Rain experienced rainfall year-round. Both Jiraiya and Orochimaru had been here before, so such gloomy weather didn't surprise them. What truly caught them off guard, however, was the seemingly prosperous city of skyscrapers in the distance.
Compared to the Land of Rain of the past, the present-day nation had clearly undergone tremendous development. Back then, most buildings were single-story houses, and due to constant warfare, the cities were filled with dilapidated structures—unsafe buildings as far as the eye could see.
Large numbers of people had died in wars, causing the domestic economy to plummet. The cities were bleak and lifeless.
But more than ten years had passed, and the Land of Rain before them was now completely different from the broken country Jiraiya and Orochimaru once knew.
Even without entering the city, with their sensory abilities alone, Jiraiya and Orochimaru could already perceive the vigorous vitality emanating from within.
"The Land of Rain has really changed a lot."
"Hanzō of the Salamander ruled this country extremely well."
Looking at the distant city, Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh with emotion. His impression of the Land of Rain was still stuck in the era of Hanzō's rule.
Orochimaru, wrapped in a rain cloak, slightly lifted his head upon hearing this. His gaze toward the city carried a few more traces of vigilance.
A snake's sixth sense told him that there was something unusual within that city… something dangerous.
For Shisui, Kakashi, and the others, this was their first time in the Land of Rain. Seeing buildings far taller than those in Konoha, they were all stunned and shocked.
They had traveled to many places across the shinobi world and seen countless cultures and customs, but a place as "developed" as the Land of Rain was something they had never encountered before. For a moment, they found it hard to believe that such a small nation, trapped between great powers, could develop to this extent.
However, upon hearing Jiraiya mention Hanzō of the Salamander, looks of realization appeared on their faces.
The demigod Hanzō of the Salamander… a ninja whose name resounded even more loudly than that of the Three Sannin.
Even Konoha ninja were thoroughly familiar with that name.
While Jiraiya and the others were talking, Hyūga Satoru said nothing. Instead, he extended his hand and silently sensed the rain that enveloped the entire Land of Rain, carefully feeling the chakra contained within it. He then used his sensory techniques to search the city for Nagato's presence.
The Byakugan had its limits. Within his field of vision, there was no sign of Nagato.
Since he had already decided to infiltrate the Land of Rain together with Jiraiya and the others, Satoru naturally went all out in searching for Nagato's whereabouts, hoping to resolve everything in one decisive move.
If he could sever Obito's right-hand man, then even exposing all of his own strength would be an acceptable price.
As long as the gains outweighed the cost, nothing was off-limits.
As for whether killing Nagato here would cause Naruto to lose a worthy rival and affect his future growth…
That wasn't Satoru's top concern right now.
He believed that even without Nagato as a "stepping stone," Naruto would still grow into a powerful ninja…
Or rather, Satoru believed that Asura's reincarnation would never be someone "ordinary."
Just as Satoru was carefully sensing and searching for Nagato, the sharp-minded Orochimaru noticed his unusual behavior. Without a sound, he came to Satoru's side and suddenly asked:
"Hey, brat, what are you doing?"
Though he still called him "brat," in Orochimaru's heart, he had long since regarded Hyūga Satoru as a powerful ninja on par with himself.
Orochimaru had a keen eye and a clear understanding of the power of his forbidden technique, Impure World Reincarnation.
The fact that Satoru could hold out for so long under the combined assault of the First and Second Hokage was proof enough of his strength.
Moreover, with the Byakugan, even if Satoru lacked experience in investigations, he was bound to notice things others couldn't.
Orochimaru already had a guess about Satoru's actions.
"Mm… there's something wrong with this rain. The rainwater is mixed with someone's chakra."
Since Orochimaru was willing to play the straight man, Satoru naturally shared the information he had.
As for how Satoru knew something like this—his Byakugan wasn't just for show. Why wouldn't he know?
Hearing this, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and the others all changed expressions. Shisui and Kakashi hurriedly activated their Sharingan, carefully observing the rain as Satoru described.
Once they deliberately checked, the two of them easily discovered strands of chakra mixed within the raindrops.
Without Satoru's reminder, they would never have thought to use the Sharingan to examine the rain itself!
"It's really there!"
"This rain is actually some kind of extremely advanced sensory ninjutsu!"
Kakashi let out a low cry of surprise, shaking his hand as he stared in disbelief.
A weather technique with such an enormous range… this completely exceeded Kakashi's understanding of what a ninja was capable of.
"Satoru… are you saying… have we already been discovered by the enemy?"
Jiraiya had never encountered such a technique before and asked with some uncertainty.
Their understanding of the Land of Rain wasn't nearly as deep as they had imagined.
"Whether we've been discovered…"
"Mm… who knows?"
"But we should prepare as if we already have."
"Don't split up."
Originally, Jiraiya had planned to divide everyone into groups after entering the Land of Rain to expand their search range.
But now, that plan was clearly no longer viable.
If their actions were already under enemy surveillance, they had to stay together and maximize their team's combat strength.
After all, they were on someone else's turf. They had to avoid being picked off one by one.
"A sensory technique on this scale… who could it be?"
"Could it be Hanzō of the Salamander?"
Looking up at the gloomy sky, Jiraiya muttered to himself.
In his mind, the only person in the Land of Rain capable of such a feat was Hanzō of the Salamander.
After all, he was the legendary demigod who had once defeated the Three Sannin of Konoha.
Knowing the answer, Satoru didn't respond. He simply handed out his Flying Thunder God kunai to the members of the team.
This time, Orochimaru hadn't brought any subordinates along. In his view, even if his two subordinates came, they wouldn't be much help and might even become a burden.
Rather than dragging them along, it was better to leave them in the laboratory to continue those unfinished experiments that required close monitoring.
After observing the city from outside for a long time, Satoru still couldn't find any trace of Nagato.
Realizing that they might already have been discovered, Jiraiya and the others were no longer as relaxed as before.
"Let's go. Whether we've been noticed or not, we still have to enter the city and investigate."
"First, we'll capture a few Rain ninja alive and do a quick interrogation to gather intelligence."
With his extensive experience in intelligence gathering, Jiraiya made the call immediately.
No one voiced any objections. Instead, Orochimaru silently raised a hand to stop Jiraiya and said in a deep voice:
"You're still the same as back then—rash and impulsive, with no improvement at all."
"Charging straight in is still too dangerous. Let's… test the waters first."
As he spoke, Orochimaru formed hand seals. A coffin slowly rose up from the surface of the sea, standing upright before them.
When the lid opened, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, appeared before everyone.
Orochimaru maintained a one-handed seal and slowly crouched down. At the same time, the lifeless eyes of Senju Tobirama suddenly flashed with a spark of intelligence.
"Hehehehe…"
Orochimaru let out a series of eerie chuckles, seemingly pleased with the successful execution of his technique.
Ignoring the shocked, disgusted, and curious looks from those around him, he directly controlled Tobirama to dash toward the distant city. In the blink of an eye, Tobirama disappeared from their sight.
"A technique that manipulates the dead… you really have a twisted sense of humor, Orochimaru."
Jiraiya showed clear disdain for this forbidden technique of his former friend.
"So convenient!"
Satoru, on the other hand, didn't care at all about whether the technique was "good" or "evil." Only its practicality mattered to him. Seeing Orochimaru send Tobirama in to scout, he couldn't help but praise it.
Compared to Jiraiya's reckless infiltration in the future, Orochimaru's approach to gathering intelligence was far more cautious. No wonder this guy managed to survive all the way to Boruto as an "incombustible object."
…
Inside a certain iron tower within the city.
Hidden in darkness, Nagato suddenly sensed something and snapped his eyes open.
By the window, Uchiha Obito was sitting askew on the window frame, watching the rain outside. Unconsciously, his thoughts drifted to Rin.
Even after all these years, Obito still often thought of Rin. The tide of longing surged again and again, strengthening his ocular power each time.
Obito remembered clearly—on the day Rin was killed by Kakashi, it had been raining just like this.
The only difference was that Rin had died in the Hidden Mist Village, not in the Land of Rain.
Inside the room, Nagato began coughing repeatedly. Konan, who had been warily watching Uchiha Obito, turned her head at the sound, concern filling her eyes.
"Nagato? Are you alright?"
Ever since Yahiko's death and Nagato's summoning of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, his body had grown weaker and weaker. Controlling the Six Paths of Pain required immense chakra. While the black receivers embedded in his body helped conduct chakra more effectively, those severe injuries constantly drained his life force.
Nagato was an Uzumaki. Under normal circumstances, someone his age should have been at the peak of physical vitality. Yet now, he was gaunt and skeletal.
His coughing wasn't from illness, but from physical weakness.
"There are intruders."
After coughing for a while, Nagato finally caught his breath and spoke in a low voice.
His words froze Konan in place. Even Uchiha Obito, who had been reminiscing by the window, stiffened. A flicker of surprise and gravity flashed through the eye exposed beneath his mask.
"Intruders?!"
"I'll deal with them."
After a brief moment of shock, Konan immediately volunteered. She had handled situations like this many times before.
Ever since they killed Hanzō of the Salamander and seized control of the Land of Rain, they had completely sealed off the country. Over the years, many "foreigners" had secretly entered the Land of Rain—every single one of them had been killed.
But before Konan could rise, Nagato stopped her.
"No, Konan. Stay here."
"Pain is already on the way to intercept them. These intruders… are very strong."
Nagato's Rain Tiger at Will Technique blanketed the entire Hidden Rain Village. Through it, he could not only sense the exact number of intruders, but also the strength of their chakra.
Compared to the chakra signatures of previous intruders, the chakra of these newcomers was terrifying. One of them, in particular, shone within his sensory field like a blazing sun—its chakra even stronger than his own.
While powerful chakra didn't necessarily mean a powerful ninja, truly powerful ninja usually possessed formidable chakra reserves.
From these intruders, Nagato smelled something extraordinary and didn't want Konan taking the risk.
"Oh?"
"Powerful intruders?"
As Nagato and Konan spoke, Uchiha Obito suddenly interjected with interest.
Without waiting for further explanation, his body slowly sank into the ground and vanished without a trace.
Nagato and Konan were clearly used to "Uchiha Madara's" comings and goings. After exchanging a glance, Konan asked worriedly:
"What is he going to do?"
They never fully trusted Uchiha Madara. Since Yahiko's death, the only person they truly trusted in this world was each other.
"Hmph…"
"He's probably just probing the power of the Six Paths of Pain."
Nagato snorted and closed his eyes, focusing his mind.
Their relationship with "Uchiha Madara" was one of mutual exploitation and cooperation. Obito was wary of them, and they were just as wary of him.
Both sides had some understanding of each other's abilities—though not a complete one.
Uchiha Obito wasn't interested in the intruders themselves at all. What intrigued him was the Six Paths of Pain that were about to take action.
…
"Splash—"
The reanimated Senju Tobirama, summoned through Impure World Reincarnation, was racing across the sea. Just as he was about to enter the city of the Hidden Rain Village, a massive shadow suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping him.
Looking up, Tobirama saw a gigantic green bird flying overhead. At the same time, countless "bird eggs" dropped from the creature, plummeting toward him.
Moments later, the eggs hit.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!!
Explosions erupted across the sea's surface, flames and shockwaves instantly swallowing Senju Tobirama.
Atop the giant bird, the Animal Path controlled by Nagato didn't even bother to look at the result. Instead, it urged the summoned beast onward, flying toward the distant sea.
After a long while, the sea surface returned to calm.
The mangled body of Senju Tobirama floated on the water, the reanimated flesh slowly regenerating.
"That was fast."
"Hehehe… that person just now—was that Akatsuki's leader?"
Tobirama gazed in the direction the Animal Path had departed, murmuring softly.
But the voice was low and hoarse—
It was unmistakably Orochimaru's voice.
...
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