The Land of Grass, the frontier tent.
As Hagoromo and Uchiha Fugaku entered the tent, Jiraiya, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Although the mission was assigned by Hiruzen Sarutobi, the information that followed almost caused Jiraiya's mood to fluctuate.
News from Iwagakure's spies indicates that a bodyguard suspected to be the Third Tsuchikage has been missing for the past few days.
Moreover, his deployments had been detected by Iwagakure during the past few days of frontline operations.
This made him begin to suspect that there might be Iwagakure spies on the Konoha front lines.
"What's wrong?"
When Hagoromo entered, he saw Jiraiya's worried expression and assumed something was wrong.
Looking around, I didn't see anything strange.
"Come, come, sit down first."
Jiraiya quickly stood up and spoke, addressing Fugaku who had come in with him.
"Chief Fugaku, you must be tired from your journey. I heard you encountered some people from Iwagakure on the way?"
Hagoromo sat down to the side; she had been working non-stop for the past few days.
Without any hesitation, he picked up the fruit that was placed to the side and took a big bite.
Fugaku shook his head and chuckled when he saw Hagoromo's appearance, Jiraiya Fugaku talked about his encounter with Iwagakure.
Although I had received the information in advance, I was still quite impressed after hearing Fugaku's explanation in person.
Jiraiya's face was also frosty as he gritted his teeth and said, "The Land of Waterfalls is two-faced."
"Well done!"
No wonder Jiraiya so angry; this incident rendered Konoha's logistical efforts utterly Zeroing.
The only solution now is for the Akimichi Clan to establish new transportation routes.
"Senior brother, has the news of spies in the village been relayed back?"
Hagoromo asked from the side, "It's the fastest way to get this kind of information back, only through Jiraiya."
"Yes, I sent it out the moment I received the message."
Jiraiya composed Jiraiya and nodded.
"Not long after, the village replied with a secret message. Shikaku only realized what was happening after Fugaku and the others had left the village."
"The entire village is now under martial law, and I've heard they've already arrested several people."
Hagoromo Yi leaned on the table, asking lazily, "Who is it?"
"Heh, some parasites."
Jiraiya speaking, a slightly mocking expression appeared on his face.
Fugaku was taken aback at first, then thoughtfully sat down next to Hagoromo.
Okay.
Upon hearing Jiraiya's words, Hagoromo knew without a doubt who it was and said nothing more.
"Oh, right, since you're all here, let me confirm this."
Jiraiya then remembered something and quickly took a scroll from the main table and unfolded it.
"These are the tactics I've recently used to utilize the terrain and the layout of the Iwagakure. Sometimes I'm discovered as soon as I'm on the way, and sometimes the Iwagakure stronghold has already been lying in wait."
Upon hearing this, Hagoromo and Fugaku exchanged glances, Jiraiya said the same thing.
The meaning is clear: he suspects there are Iwagakure spies on the front lines!
"Lord Jiraiya, are you sure?"
Fugaku asked with a serious expression, after all, if that were really the case.
From then on, Konoha's every move was directly exposed to the enemy.
"To be honest, I'm not sure."
Jiraiya sat down with a helpless expression and rubbed his temples.
"The front lines have been thoroughly investigated covertly, and almost nothing has been found, but every deployment has indeed been detected."
With her eyes lowered, Hagoromo seemed to have thought of something Jiraiya.
"Senior brother, has this ever happened before?"
"Forehead?"
"Before?"
Jiraiya was taken aback by the question at first, then his face gradually became serious.
"No."
"We've almost never encountered anything like this. If Ōnoki were here, there would be no need for this kind of stealthy raid and logistical operation."
"He could easily use this situation to gradually dismantle my offensive."
"Then, in the final battle, they should eliminate us in an instant."
Jiraiya looked at Hagoromo, who was standing to the side, deep in thought, and asked, "Hagoromo, do you have some guesses?"
"Um--"
"Actually, I did have this idea, but I wasn't sure before. But now that you've mentioned it, I'm more confident."
Hagoromo nodded, then reached out and pressed her hand directly onto the ground inside the tent.
A transparent, perceptible barrier instantly unfolded.
"This is?"
"The Netherworld Formless Realm?"
A hint of surprise appeared on Jiraiya's face, after all, this was the Sealing Jutsu technique of his disciple, Minato Namikaze.
"Ah, not bad."
Hagoromo mumbled a vague reply, then said seriously.
"Jiraiya- senpai, have you ever considered that every command you issue could be heard by a special sensory ninja?"
"Then, according to your plan, send it back to Iwagakure?"
"Impossible!"
Jiraiya shook his head immediately, thinking that it would be a shame if Iwagakure had such a freakishly powerful sensory ninja.
They were already well-known throughout the Shinobi World, or rather, they could easily infiltrate other ninja villages to steal information.
Given Ōnoki's style, he would have already used this ability to throw the entire Shinobi World into chaos.
Most importantly, if such a person really exists...
How did he manage to evade his own senses? It's not Jiraiya he boasts about.
Looking across the Shinobi World, while he may not be considered exceptionally strong, he is still a prominent figure.
"No, Lord Jiraiya, what Hagoromo said might actually be true."
Fugaku was standing to the side, remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"Um?"
Jiraiya turned his head in disbelief. Even Fugaku said that?
"Brother Jiraiya, there's something you don't know since you left the village."
"When I was escorting the Four-Tails Jinchūriki back to the village, members of an organization blocked my way."
"Moreover, this organization is likely composed of missing-nin from a ninja village; for one thing, there's a missing-nin from Takigakure among them."
"He has five hearts inside him. Can you imagine that until you meet him?"
Hagoromo tapped her fingers lightly on the table and spoke slowly.
Even Jiraiya couldn't help but show surprise as he listened to Hagoromo's account.
"A human with five hearts? No—you should say he's a monster."
"They really are monsters. It's said that both of them have Kage Level strength?"
Fugaku, standing to the side, looked curiously at Hagoromo, the person he had fought. He had only overheard it when he was discussing it with the Third Hokage.
"Yes, you could say that, and their strength is considerable."
Hagoromo nodded, holding up one finger, and said, "The other one of these two is a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the Kirigakure, known as the Tailless Tailed Beast."
"This person's Chakra reserves are almost comparable to those of Tailed Beast, and crucially, he possesses a Water Release Ninjutsu. Furthermore, the Samehada on his hand is a perfect complement to his existence."
"And I only dealt with this person when I left the village."
"Before this, he had feigned death and hid Samehada for about a month."