Infiltration of Amegakure

With Jiraiya joining them, Uchiha Shūichi's team could finally find a real way into Amegakure to gather intelligence.

At the outskirts of Amegakure, Hyuga Homura stared at the drizzling rain, furrowed his brow, and spoke in a low voice:

"Sir, this rain is filled with Chakra—it's likely some kind of special jutsu."

The group immediately halted. Even Jiraiya didn't recklessly charge in; no one wanted to get soaked by the rain without knowing the jutsu's effects.

Uchiha Shūichi knew that the Rain Tiger Dependent Claws Technique was purely a sensory jutsu, but the other Konoha shinobi had no way of knowing that.

In their eyes, the rain might harbor some hidden danger, ready to erupt when they faced an enemy and leave them helpless.

"In that case, let's go underground!"

"Amegakure has an extremely well-developed underground drainage system. We can sneak in through the pipes, and then I'll use Mount Myōboku's toads to help us gather intel!"

Because of the weather, the Land of Rain's drainage system was unmatched in the shinobi world, and frogs were so abundant there that Mount Myōboku's toads wouldn't draw any attention at all.

But for the same reason, the drainage pipes were never dry. The steady rain pooled there, rising to waist height. If not for a shinobi's ability to walk on water, moving through them would be a nightmare.

"Where are we now, Homura?"

After a few turns in the pipes, Uchiha Shūichi glanced at Hyuga Homura and asked.

Homura had his Byakugan active, looking upward. The pipes were about five meters deep, and even with the Byakugan's power, seeing through that much earth was a strain.

"We're almost at the central tower. There are several strong Chakra signatures up there—probably Akatsuki shinobi."

At this stage, the Akatsuki Organization hadn't gathered all its members, but it still had plenty of capable fighters.

Deidara and Uchiha Itachi definitely hadn't joined yet. Hidan probably hadn't either. Kisame Hoshigaki was uncertain. But Orochimaru, Sasori of the Red Sands, and Kakuzu should all be members by now.

Normally, though, they weren't all stationed in Amegakure. The Akatsuki usually communicated via the Astral Projection Technique, so there was no need for everyone to gather in one place.

In fact, if they all stayed in Amegakure, Nagato would start to worry. None of those members were easy to deal with—if they discovered his real body, they'd definitely have ulterior motives.

After all, Nagato Uzumaki's true form was his greatest weakness. Both legs broken, emaciated, with almost no taijutsu ability. Even an ordinary genin could kill him with a kunai if they got close enough.

Though taijutsu was often looked down on, it was a compulsory course for every shinobi. There were shinobi who didn't train in genjutsu, and some who didn't train in ninjutsu, but never one who skipped taijutsu.

Once a shinobi lost their taijutsu ability, unless they had some special way to compensate, they were practically useless on the battlefield.

Sasori of the Red Sands and Nagato Uzumaki used Puppet Technique to make up for their taijutsu shortcomings, but even so, their real bodies were still fatal weak points.

Nagato would never let guys like Orochimaru or Sasori come to Amegakure, but Konan, Uchiha Obito, and Black Zetsu basically treated it as their home base.

Also, Kakuzu, who handled finances, would often return to Amegakure. No organization would let its treasurer stay away for too long.

The question was whether Nagato's real body was in the tower too. To control the Six Paths of Pain, he couldn't be too far away.

"Let's go under the tower and enter directly from below. That way, we won't get hit by the rain. The Akatsuki members are probably all there."

Uchiha Shūichi spoke up, and Jiraiya nodded. Soon, they reached the base of the tower and used Earth Style Ninjutsu to rise up.

"Wait—what are these?!"

Suddenly, Hyuga Homura cried out in alarm. Strange white creatures emerged from the earth, trying to entangle all the Konoha shinobi.

Uchiha Shūichi had already sensed these white beings—White Zetsu—but since they were weak and he couldn't explain his strong Sensory Ability, he didn't warn the others.

The White Zetsu were indeed no threat. Uchiha Shūichi easily subdued them, and the other Konoha shinobi weren't far behind. Even Yūhi Kurenai pinned down two of them without breaking a sweat.

"These things are strange. They're not strong, but their ability to hide their presence is incredible—even the Byakugan couldn't detect them!"

"My Sensory Ability can't find them either. Their Mental Power is so faint, they're almost like trees."

Both Hyuga Homura and Yamanaka Fū looked grim. Homura, in particular, had a hint of panic in his eyes.

The Byakugan was famous for its precision. Suddenly finding so many beings that could bypass it was almost a catastrophe for the entire Hyuga Clan.

"Well, it looks like we've got an important piece of intel. Amegakure seems to have plenty of these things with bizarre stealth abilities. At least in terms of information warfare, these guys are terrifying."

Uchiha Shūichi said calmly. But Homura's veins bulged, and his voice turned hoarse:

"These bastards in Amegakure have been secretly producing such monstrous things—we have to take them out this time!"

"Enough, calm down, Homura!"

Jiraiya slapped a hand on Homura's shoulder, snapping him out of his outburst. The Byakugan user took a deep breath and steadied himself after a moment:

"Sorry, Jiraiya-sama. I was shaken and got a little impulsive."

"It's fine. I understand how you feel, but don't let that fear shake your composure."

"Understood, Jiraiya-sama!"

Homura nodded, then his expression shifted as he looked up:

"Our movements—they've noticed us!"