After the three separated, they immediately set to work. Cats have their ways, and mice have theirs; this kind of stealth mission really tests individual abilities.
Of course, having intelligence support is the most important thing.
Orochimaru had previously revealed some of the Rinnegan's abilities, but only the shared vision ability of the Six Paths of Pain's Rinnegan.
Orochimaru didn't provide much other information about Pain; it wouldn't make sense for him to reveal it all at once.
"What annoying rain!"
Although he possessed the Hydrification Technique, he did not intend to be exposed to rain for an extended period, as Orochimaru had specifically reminded him before he set off to avoid contact with rain as much as possible.
Although he didn't know why, he was told to do it anyway, and he was also told that the people in the village were very xenophobic and that he should not show his face!
We followed the pipe to a cluster of houses on the edge of the village.
After observing the pipe opening for a long time, a suitable target was finally found.
A ninja wearing Hagoromo slowly pushed open the door of his house and walked in, and then the lights in the house were turned on.
"You're the one, little bro! You can only blame your bad luck!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already re-entered the pipe, and soon he entered the target's house through the pipe...
Unlike Hozuki Mangetsu, who had extra information about Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Darui, while equally cautious, were not as overly cautious as their counterparts.
Jiraiya did not change his appearance; he simply put on his Hagoromo and walked into the market.
As he looked around, he quickly spotted his target: an elderly woman who ran a breakfast shop.
"Hello, I'd like an order of steamed buns!"
The old lady wasn't wary at all and quickly handed him a steamed bun.
"Give!"
"Hmm! Thank you! Your village seems quite harmonious..."
The two quickly struck up a conversation. The other person could tell from his unfamiliar face and tone that he was from out of town.
Jiraiya remained calm, claiming to be a wandering novelist, and then began to inquire about the Amegakure (Amegakure) intentionally or unintentionally.
At first, the old lady was quite enthusiastic, but her expression changed after the name Hanzō of the Salamander was mentioned.
Not only that, the pedestrians behind him also stopped in their tracks upon hearing this, glaring at Jiraiya with hostility.
"Uh... excuse me, I have to go now!"
Realizing the situation was not right, Jiraiya quickly fled, his doubts growing even stronger.
Meanwhile, Pain, who was dealing with something in the room, stopped what he was doing and called Konan over.
"Strangers have infiltrated the village. I wasn't sure before, but now I'm certain! And their Chakra is very strong!"
Upon hearing this, Konan frowned. She didn't doubt Pain's words, but who could have infiltrated their hideout?
While they were wondering, a Paper Crane appeared before Konan, revealing the information passed to her by the ninja below.
"Strangers did indeed sneak in, over on East Street!"
"Use that technique!"
At this moment, Jiraiya had no idea that his whereabouts had already been exposed. He was currently reflecting on his previous actions by the roadside.
"Where exactly did things go wrong? Could it be Hanzō of the Salamander...?"
He quickly analyzed the main information that had caused the crowd's reaction. The name was so terrifying that it made people tremble with fear. How should he proceed with his work?
Thinking of this Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh, but the next moment his face lit up.
"How could I forget what I'm best at!"
Because he suddenly discovered that there was a brothel nearby, which was exactly what he needed.
Unlike his side, which was full of bumps and bruises, Hozuki Mangetsu and Darui, who always believed in strength, were much more straightforward and brutal in their actions.
Hozuki Mangetsu directly tied up a ninja and, after subjecting him to severe torture, obtained some information.
He then repeated the process, kidnapping several more lone ninjas, and by then he had a general understanding of the current situation in Amegakure.
They also learned Pain's location, which, coincidentally, was in the tallest building in the center of the village!
After transforming into the appearance of a local ninja, Hozuki Mangetsu headed towards the central tower.
Darui's approach was similar to his, because he came from a high-altitude region with a relatively dry climate, and he was not used to the constant Amegakure.
So he hasn't entered the rain yet, and has instead inadvertently avoided Pain's senses.
After performing electrotherapy on a ninja, Darui also gathered the information he needed and headed towards his destination.
Jiraiya, who emerged from the nightclub, did not show any joy at having gathered information; instead, his face was solemn.
"I didn't expect that even though I was so careful, I still got exposed. It seems I need to make other plans!"
Soon, he summoned a Toad in a slightly remote part of Amegakure, Toad instantly transformed into a tavern.
He planned to use this as a trap to see if he could lure the ninjas from Amegakure over.
This method is really good; two ninjas quickly came to patronize the establishment. If he had used this method from the beginning, he might have saved himself a lot of trouble.
What happened next was not much different from the Original Work. Jiraiya quickly learned the information he wanted from the two ninjas.
Then they would use a ninja as bait to see if they could lure out the Pain that people were talking about.
"It's confirmed! It's Jiraiya!"
Amidst the thousands of paper cranes, Konan quickly identified the visitor.
Upon hearing this name, Pain's mechanical face remained unchanged, though Konan noticed that Pain's response was noticeably delayed.
"Go and meet him first. If you can do it, then kill him! After all, he and we are no longer on the same side!"
As time goes by, everything changes. The only thing in this world that cannot be looked at directly, besides the sun, is the human heart.
Konan's heart skipped a beat at the resolute words, but she didn't say anything, agreed, and left.
Pain gazed silently at the night view of the Amegakure, now clear after the rain, and no one could guess what he was thinking at that moment.
Konan, having received the order, easily found Jiraiya. When Jiraiya saw the person who had come, he was not surprised.
"So many years have passed, and I never imagined that your Ninjutsu would become so skillful, and that you'd grown into a beautiful young woman! I thought you had all fallen on hard times long ago!"
Jiraiya dusted Jiraiya and looked at Konan with a complicated expression, his eyes filled with reminiscence, longing, and, most of all, disappointment.
Unable to bear her gaze, Konan slowly floated into the air.
"The teacher hasn't changed much; he's still just as reckless!"
At this point, Konan still hoped that Jiraiya would back down, and she did not want to commit the act of killing her master unless absolutely necessary.
However, Jiraiya seemed unable to discern the truth in the words and showed no sign of backing down.
Seeing the paper wings on Konan's back, she instead scoffed:
"What's the point of you looking like this? Does it make you an angel?"