Chapter 27: New Mission
At the border of the River Country, within a turbulent river.
A patch of green emerged from the river water, and a frog about half a meter in size poked its head out of the river. Its protruding eyes observed the surroundings, a glint of intelligence within them.
After confirming there was no danger nearby, the frog opened its wide mouth, and a hand reached out from within.
Jiraiya crawled out of the frog's mouth, standing on the water's surface. Blood seeped through the fabric on his chest; the intense battle earlier had reopened the sword wound on his chest.
"So these are the members of the Akatsuki. Can't underestimate them."
Jiraiya had been investigating the Akatsuki all over the world, and today, he had clashed with its members. The outcome was not optimistic. A lack of intelligence had put him at a disadvantage from the very first exchange.
"It's a pity I couldn't capture a prisoner, but I did obtain valuable information. I need to get this intel back to Konoha as soon as possible."
He formed hand seals, and white smoke rose as a toad was summoned by Jiraiya.
This toad had a peculiar appearance: its body was slender, its head a deep yellow, and aside from its upper torso, its lower half was a scroll over a meter long.
"Jiraiya."
Toad Kichi crossed his arms. The scroll on his body recorded important information, including the key to unlocking the Nine-Tails' seal.
Toad Kichi knew that Jiraiya wouldn't summon him without a good reason.
"Toad Kichi, help me send a message to Tsunade."
Jiraiya summarized the intelligence on Su Xiao's trio and devised a strategy to counter them.
After a long while, Toad Kichi nodded.
"Got it. You're this badly injured because of those three?"
"Yes. If I'm not mistaken, these three are just members of the Akatsuki, not the leader. If members have this kind of strength, the leader will only be more troublesome. I've already gathered some intel. The Akatsuki often appears near the Rain Village. I plan to recover first, then return to Konoha to see Tsunade before heading straight to the Rain Village."
Jiraiya had long considered infiltrating the Rain Village, but a sense of foreboding had always held him back.
"You're going to infiltrate the Rain Village alone? It's cut off from the outside world. All we know is that it rains year-round and there's internal strife. There's very little other intel."
"Yeah, I'll go later. A ninja village being this isolated is abnormal. I suspect that's the Akatsuki's main base. It's just a suspicion, though. I'll need to investigate further to confirm."
"Alright, I'll be off then. I'll deliver the intel for you."
"Thanks."
Bang. White smoke rose, and Toad Kichi vanished.
Jiraiya walked up to the riverbank. According to his memory, there was a village nearby suitable for him to recover in.
...
Rain Country, inside a sealed cave. An oil lamp flickered within, and around it stood several silhouettes.
"That's how it went. The Daimyo of the River Country was assassinated, and Jiraiya was driven back. The Legendary Sannin aren't all that impressive."
Deidara's silhouette yawned. It was the middle of the night, and he had been sleeping before Pain contacted him.
"Jiraiya."
The Deva Path muttered, his emotions showing little fluctuation.
"Has your position been exposed?"
Konan's silhouette turned to Su Xiao. This matter made Su Xiao somewhat suspicious; he had just joined the team of Sasori and Deidara when Jiraiya appeared.
"Yeah, exposed. The Sannin Jiraiya was likely passing by by chance. He didn't act when we intercepted the target but appeared later in a sneak attack. The ambush spot was chosen hastily, and he wasn't very familiar with our intel."
Sasori understood Konan's implication and said a few fair words for Su Xiao. During the battle earlier, Su Xiao's actions had been clear for all to see; no spy would act like that.
"Jiraiya is investigating us." Su Xiao suddenly spoke.
"Hm?"
Both the Deva Path and Konan looked at Su Xiao.
"How do you know?"
"He recognized our attire."
Su Xiao remembered a line Jiraiya had said earlier.
"Any proof?"
The Deva Path naturally wouldn't take Su Xiao's word for it.
"When Jiraiya first saw us, he muttered a sentence under his breath: 'Black cloud-patterned red coat, no mistake, this is an Akatsuki member.' Although he spoke very quietly, I was close to him at the time and could barely hear it."
Su Xiao wasn't making this up. Jiraiya had indeed muttered that before the battle began.
The Deva Path looked at Sasori and Deidara. Both shook their heads. Sasori thought for a moment and said, "We were far from Jiraiya. Only Bai Ye got close to him and wounded him."
Su Xiao had only recently joined the Akatsuki, so being under suspicion was normal.
"There might be an enemy spy among us, but that's unlikely."
Su Xiao's words slightly surprised Konan. She had briefly suspected Su Xiao of being Jiraiya's informant but quickly dismissed the thought.
"What do you mean?"
The Deva Path looked at Su Xiao, signaling him to continue.
"First, Sasori and Deidara had been waiting there for two days. If Jiraiya had known that intel in advance, he wouldn't have waited until I arrived to hastily choose an ambush spot.
Of course, I could also be Jiraiya's informant. That suspicion can't be ruled out. You can investigate or doubt me as you see fit, since I've only been in the Akatsuki for a few days."
Su Xiao fell silent. The Deva Path looked at Konan. If this matter was indeed leaked by a member of the Akatsuki, the two of them already had a suspect in mind.
Itachi. Yes, Uchiha Itachi. From the day Itachi joined the Akatsuki, Nagato had suspected he might be a Konoha spy. But Itachi had value, and there was an agreement between them. Itachi would never dare cross the line.
From the fact that Nagato went to challenge Konoha alone after Itachi's death, it was clear that Itachi had been holding Nagato back, indirectly protecting Konoha.
The Deva Path pondered for a moment, feeling that this matter didn't seem like intel leaked by Itachi.
So, it seemed the three of them had indeed encountered Jiraiya by chance during their mission. As for Su Xiao, Nagato had never suspected him from the start. Even the simplest-minded spy wouldn't do something like this right after joining the Akatsuki.
Was it really just bad luck? Perhaps. After all, the three-man team had a chieftain among them, and Sasori and Deidara were always catching strays.
"This matter ends here. I'll handle the follow-up. You have other missions. Konan."
Su Xiao, Sasori, and Deidara looked at Konan.
"We've recently received a rather dangerous commission. The civil war in the Water Country needs to be prolonged. Some people don't want the Water Country to stop its internal conflict so soon, so..."
After hearing Konan's description of the mission, a smile appeared on Su Xiao's face.
"This mission is good. Can we kill the Mizukage?"
Su Xiao hadn't expected to return to the Water Country so soon, and this time, he was responsible for reigniting the civil war.
"If you can kill him, that's fine. Just don't delay the mission. That's all."
The Deva Path's silhouette disappeared, followed by Konan's.
"So busy. I'm going back to sleep."
Deidara vanished as well, and Su Xiao and Sasori disappeared together.
Within the River Country, a shelter formed by a massive rock. Two people were leaning against the rock to rest, and not far away, another figure stood guard.
The one on watch was Sasori, who had volunteered. Sasori could no longer be considered human; he didn't need sleep or food.
"When do we set off?"
Deidara yawned and tossed a few pieces of firewood into the campfire. It was cold in the River Country at night.
"Tomorrow morning, I guess. I've lost too much blood."
Su Xiao lazily leaned against a large boulder, as if struck by a bout of laziness.
"Alright."
Sasori's voice came from not far away. Since the Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets had been destroyed, Sasori was now in his true form, that of a handsome red-haired young man.
Su Xiao glanced at Deidara, then at Sasori. With looks like theirs, they could easily be an idol group.