The Land of Rain
At this time, the Land of Rain had become a battlefield among the great powers.
Although Hanzo of the Salamander, the leader of the Rain Village, bore the title of "Demigod," he was powerless in this situation.
Even a Kage-level shinobi was no match for the full-scale war between major nations—unless they were someone like the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, or the War Demon, Uchiha Madara.
No one else could shift the tide of war on their own.
However, during this period, a group known as the Akatsuki had become active within the Land of Rain.
Though not powerful in terms of military might, the organization had gained a growing number of followers through its vision of peace.
Now, they were devoting themselves to mediating conflicts between the major shinobi villages, hoping to quell the war.
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Akatsuki Headquarters
Zenkichi walked slowly toward the Akatsuki base, holding an umbrella as the rain continued to fall.
"Halt! This is the Akatsuki's territory. Who are you? What business do you have here?"
Two guards at the entrance stepped forward, their expressions serious.
"The Akatsuki? Then I'm in the right place. Tell your leader that the envoy from Kirigakure has arrived."
Zenkichi raised his head slightly, a calm half-smile on his face.
---
Inside the Akatsuki headquarters, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan—the three leaders—were currently hosting a white-haired, one-armed man.
This man was none other than Jiraiya. In this timeline, Zenkichi had altered the events, causing Jiraiya to come here himself.
Jiraiya had lost his arm in a confrontation with Zenkichi. With that loss, his combat power—and more importantly, his standing in Konoha—had declined sharply.
He was no longer considered fit for the battlefield. The higher-ups in Konoha had instructed him to adapt to his new limitations and recover as much strength as possible.
Though losing an arm was a major blow, it wasn't as painful as the betrayal he felt from Konoha's leadership.
After Zenkichi's departure, the decisions made in Konoha left him bitterly disappointed.
How could someone like Akimichi Torifu become the Fourth Hokage? Did they really think he couldn't see what was going on?
Did Jiraiya truly leave Konoha in the original timeline just to gather writing material?
Disillusioned and heartbroken, he left Konoha and came to the Land of Rain to visit his former students.
He still remembered the prophecy from the Great Toad Sage—that one of his students would change the world.
The Rinnegan!
Jiraiya knew he wasn't of much use to Konoha anymore. If anything, his real value now lay in focusing on Nagato.
The Rinnegan, the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, now belonged to Nagato.
In Jiraiya's eyes, his student was perhaps the only person who could truly become the savior of the shinobi world.
---
"Leader, someone claiming to be an envoy from Kirigakure is outside and requesting an audience."
A member of the Akatsuki entered and reported the news to Yahiko.
"An envoy from Kirigakure?"
Yahiko looked puzzled. Why would Kirigakure send someone here?
Though the Akatsuki were growing in influence, they had no dealings with the Hidden Mist. There was no relationship between the two.
Kirigakure hadn't even participated significantly in the current war; they weren't one of the major forces involved.
Due to limited resources, the Akatsuki hadn't made any effort to contact the Mist Village either.
Their focus had been on mediating the conflicts involving their own country—the Land of Rain—as well as Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure.
In short, they were only involving themselves in wars that directly affected their homeland.
And rightly so—after all, it was the people of the Land of Rain who made up the Akatsuki. If their own homeland wasn't being prioritized, no one would have joined the cause.
"The Hidden Mist?"
Jiraiya's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly masked it.
"Jiraiya-sensei, is something wrong?"
Konan, always attentive, noticed the change in him and asked with concern.
"It's nothing."
Jiraiya offered a small smile to reassure her.
"Even though we didn't initiate contact with Kirigakure, since they've sent someone, we should at least hear them out."
Yahiko considered the situation and smiled faintly.
Jiraiya rose to his feet. "Shall I step out?"
Yahiko shook his head. "There's nothing shameful about what we do here."
Jiraiya gave a pleased nod, then sat back down with a grin. "Good. I'm here as your former teacher—not as a representative of Konoha."
Just then, a voice echoed through the room:
"Oh? Is that so? That's surprising. From what I recall, Jiraiya-sensei was always quite loyal to Konoha."
Jiraiya's face paled. His eyes turned to the doorway—and his expression darkened as he recognized the figure entering the room.
"You... Kirigakure Zenkichi!"
Jiraiya shouted, prompting Yahiko and the others to frown slightly. Clearly, they'd heard of the man before.
"Did you come here for me?"
Jiraiya stood up, his tone unfriendly.
"Because of you, Konoha's reputation has been dragged through the mud. What more do you want?"
Despite the aggressive tone, Jiraiya was really trying to distract Zenkichi. He was worried the young man might notice Nagato's eyes—even though they were hidden behind his red hair.
Zenkichi shrugged. "Reputation? That's rich coming from you, Jiraiya."
"You Konoha turned the Land of Rain into your battleground. Did you ever stop to consider how that made the people here feel?"
"What I did to Konoha is no worse than what your village has done to the Land of Rain."
Jiraiya's expression turned awkward. The hostility in Yahiko and the others' eyes noticeably lessened.
Yahiko stepped forward, changing the subject. "Are you here for Jiraiya-sensei?"
Zenkichi chuckled. "No. I came for the Rinnegan."
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