Amegakure

With Jiraiya joining them, Uchiha Shūichi's team could finally figure out how to enter Amegakure and gather intelligence.

On the outskirts of Amegakure, Hyuga Homura watched the steady drizzle and furrowed his brow. He spoke in a low voice.

"My lord, this rain is filled with Chakra. I fear it's some kind of special ninjutsu."

The group immediately stopped. Even Jiraiya didn't charge straight through. Without knowing what the technique did, no one wanted to get caught in the rain.

Uchiha Shūichi knew the Rain Tiger Dependent Claws Technique was purely a sensory ninjutsu, but the other Konoha shinobi didn't.

In the eyes of the Konoha shinobi, there could be something wrong with the rainwater—something that might suddenly activate when they faced an enemy and leave them at their mercy.

"In that case, we'll go underground!"

"The underground drainage system in Amegakure is extremely extensive. We can sneak in through the pipes, then I'll use the frogs of Mount Myōboku to help us gather intelligence!"

Because of the weather, the Land of Rain's underground drainage system was considered the best in the Shinobi World. Frogs were also everywhere, so the toads of Mount Myōboku wouldn't stand out at all in this country.

But the same weather meant that the drainage system was almost never dry. The steady rainwater gathered until it was deep enough to reach a person's waist. Without the ability to walk on water, getting around down there would have been nearly impossible.

"Where are we now, Homura?"

After making several turns through the drainage pipes, Uchiha Shūichi looked back at Hyuga Homura and asked.

Homura had his Byakugan active. He looked up at the ground above them. The drainage pipes were about five meters underground, and even with the Byakugan, seeing through that much earth was a strain.

"We're almost at the central tower. There are several powerful Chakra signatures there. They're probably shinobi from the Akatsuki Organization!"

At this point, the Akatsuki Organization hadn't assembled all its members, but it still had plenty of powerful shinobi.

Deidara and Uchiha Itachi definitely hadn't joined the Akatsuki Organization yet, and Hidan probably hadn't either. It was hard to say whether Kisame Hoshigaki had joined, but Orochimaru, Sasori of the Red Sands, and Kakuzu were likely already members.

Still, under normal circumstances, they wouldn't all be staying in Amegakure. The Akatsuki Organization usually used the Astral Projection Technique to communicate; its members didn't need to gather in one place.

In fact, if all of them really were staying in Amegakure, Nagato would have reason to worry. None of the Akatsuki Organization's members were easy to handle. If one of them discovered his real body, they would undoubtedly start plotting something.

Ultimately, Nagato Uzumaki's real body was his greatest weakness. His legs were broken, and he was emaciated, with almost no ability to fight hand-to-hand. Even an ordinary Genin could kill him with a single Kunai if they got close enough.

Most shinobi looked down on taijutsu, but in reality, it was a required part of every shinobi's training. Some shinobi didn't train in genjutsu, and some didn't train in ninjutsu, but there had never been a shinobi who didn't train in taijutsu.

Once a shinobi lost the ability to fight hand-to-hand, they could hardly go onto the battlefield unless they had some special way to compensate.

Sasori of the Red Sands and Nagato Uzumaki had used the Puppet Technique to make up for their lack of taijutsu, but even so, their real bodies remained an almost fatal weakness.

Nagato certainly wouldn't let people like Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sands come to Amegakure. But Konan, Uchiha Obito, and Black Zetsu all basically treated Amegakure as their base of operations.

Kakuzu, who managed the organization's money, would also surely return to Amegakure from time to time. No organization would let its financial manager stay away for too long.

The only question was whether Nagato's real body might also be in the tower. He couldn't control the Six Paths of Pain from too far away.

"Let's go beneath the tower, then enter it directly from underground. That way, we won't get rained on. I expect the Akatsuki Organization's members are all there."

Uchiha Shūichi spoke decisively. Jiraiya simply nodded, and the group soon reached the base of the tower. Then they used Earth Style Ninjutsu to rise up through the ground.

"Wait—what are those?!"

Just then, Hyuga Homura cried out. Strange white creatures emerged from the earth and tried to grab all the Konoha shinobi.

Uchiha Shūichi had sensed the white creatures—White Zetsu—long ago. But they weren't very strong, and he had no good way to explain how he possessed such powerful Sensory Ability, so he hadn't warned the others.

The White Zetsu weren't much of a threat. Uchiha Shūichi subdued them with ease, and the other Konoha shinobi didn't take long to deal with them either. Even Yūhi Kurenai knocked two down in a single, casual move.

"These things are strange. They aren't very strong, but they're incredibly good at hiding their presence. The Byakugan couldn't detect them at all!"

"My Sensory Ability couldn't detect them either. Their Mental Power is so weak that they're almost like trees."

Both Hyuga Homura and Yamanaka Fū looked grave. Homura, in particular, seemed almost panicked.

The Byakugan was known for its precision. For so many beings to appear that could evade it was almost like the sky falling for the entire Hyuga Clan.

"Well, it looks like we've uncovered some important intelligence. Amegakure seems to have quite a few creatures with strange concealment abilities. At the very least, they're terrifyingly good at gathering information."

Uchiha Shūichi spoke calmly, but Hyuga Homura was already bristling with rage. His voice came out almost as a growl.

"These Amegakure bastards have been secretly creating these terrifying monsters. We have to wipe them out this time!"

"That's enough. Calm down, Homura!"

Jiraiya slapped Hyuga Homura on the shoulder, making him realize he'd lost his composure. The Byakugan user took a deep breath and only managed to calm down a moment later.

"Sorry, Jiraiya. I was shaken and got carried away."

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

"I understand, Jiraiya!"

Hyuga Homura nodded, then suddenly changed expression and looked up.

"Our movements seem to have alerted them!"