In early July of Konoha 54, as Konoha and Kumogakure signed a ceasefire agreement, the Anbu once again sent back intelligence that a similar enemy had appeared in Amegakure.
For more than two years, the Konoha Ninja did not give up searching for the enemy who attacked the village. Apart from dealing with the war, the Anbu and Root were mostly focused on finding the enemy.
Surprisingly, unlike other ninja villages, Amegakure was almost completely unprepared for Konoha, behaving much like Sunagakure.
Even when the Anbu Ninja infiltrated the village, their leader, the Angel, showed no objection. When questioned by Konoha High Command, the girl directly expressed her longing for peace. " The Amegakure ninjas will not participate in the war; we just want to live better lives."
Just as the angel described, within two years, the village's drainage system was upgraded, and the streets and commercial areas were renovated.
Instead of Amegakure participating in the war, many Genin) took part in infrastructure construction missions.
Amegakure also changed the atmosphere of the Land of Rain. Even the daimyo became more honest and upright. After the village's budget was increased, more and more refugees returned to their hometowns and settled down again in just over two years.
Although Konoha disliked seeing this change, it couldn't spare the troops to sanction Small Nations during the war.
What made Konoha's Anbu even more distressed was that, despite having some intelligence, they couldn't find the culprit.
The boy named Nagato seems to be truly dead; the attack on Konoha by the Rinnegan user seems like a dream.
Several suggestions to use force to "persuade" Amegakure were rejected due to the tense situation at the front, and the old advisors were worried that they would anger the enemy and cause the village to be attacked again.
Only now, as the Fourth Shinobi World War is drawing to a close, has Konoha changed its previous strategy and begun to show its true colors to Small Nations!
With the number of people infiltrating to gather intelligence doubled, Konoha's Anbu finally found a clue. Orochimaru did not immediately give instructions, but Jiraiya, took the lead in action.
Nagato wanted to handle Jiraiya's situation personally.
Leaving the village without permission to contact the enemy is against the rules, but Jiraiya did it anyway, hoping to change the Child of Prophecy as long as there was a glimmer of hope.
According to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, the Child of Prophecy may also bring destruction to the world, Nagato seems to have walked down this path, for which Jiraiya somewhat guilty.
Outside Amegakure, a green Toad suddenly appeared on the water's surface. As Jiraiya stretched out his arm, he emerged from the Toad's mouth.
"After returning to Konoha, give this scroll to Tsunade."
"Even though I'm reporting this now, I think she'll understand. Be careful on the road."
"Gurgle!"
The green Toad croaked once, then immediately plunged into the water. As a messenger frog, its job was to deliver messages, and it had no desire to fight alongside Jiraiya.
"I didn't expect the weather to be so nice today; Amegakure has undergone such a huge change."
Wearing a red robe over a black inner garment, Jiraiya looked up into the distance, sighed, and then sped away. Amegakure was currently open to the public, and to show its stance, its outer defenses were minimal.
Jiraiya made his way smoothly to an izakaya (Japanese pub), where he quickly met with Konoha's intelligence agents. After receiving the latest information, he began to drink alone.
"The person has disappeared again?..."
Konoha's Intelligence Department didn't get much useful information from the puppet. Jiraiya and agreed with Orochimaru's theory about the puppet.
However, finding the main body remains extremely difficult, and the control distance has yet to be determined.
Jiraiya believed that the puppet and the original body wouldn't be too far apart. After confirming the disappearance, his first thought was that Nagato was nearby, which presented him with a very good opportunity.
Inside the vase on the bar, a paper flower silently began to spin, the purple flower pointing towards Jiraiya.
Inside the towering metal tower in the center of the village, Konan wore a complex expression and murmured, "It's Jiraiya- sensei. I didn't expect him to notice me so soon after I finished charging."
The petite female puppet with long orange hair quickly walked towards the room door. As a core puppet of the Animal Path, Nagato was confident that he could control this body to deal with his former teacher.
"It seems that Jiraiya- sensei is trying to understand us after experiencing pain!"
"Don't feel embarrassed, Konan. I've said before, leave the fighting to me."
"These eyes are no longer frantically absorbing Chakra, and my physical condition is stronger than it was two years ago."
As Uzumaki Clan Nagato, he eventually overcame the burden on his eyes by using his own Chakra. In addition, Black Zetsu perfected the Six Paths Technique, which gave him the confidence to deal with any opponent.
Konan wanted to say something, but when she thought of Nagato destroying Konoha, she could only sigh; such hatred could not be erased.
Late at night, following intelligence provided by Konoha's Anbu, Jiraiya arrived at a high-rise equipment tower. Although the Anbu Ninja were unable to ascertain the contents of the tower, it was a "technological marvel" of Amegakure.
If the enemy is a clone, Jiraiya felt he could gather more useful information here; those outrageous weapons might even have originated from here.
Jiraiya, hidden among the shadows of the Amegakure, infiltrated the tower, intending to take the opportunity to move to a corner and thoroughly inspect each room, but his body instinctively sensed something was amiss.
"Bang..."
Upon seeing the wooden stake bound by the modified lizard tongue, the girl from the Animal Path remained silent, clasped her hands together, and immediately summoned the Giant Multi-Headed Dog.
Jiraiya watched the "tongue" that was tracking him, and left the tower before the ferocious dog could retaliate. Just as he was about to strike back, a huge crab suddenly appeared on the outer metal wall with a loud bang.
"Damn it! Is this the summoning beast Orochimaru mentioned?!"
Just as Jiraiya was about to unleash his Fire Release, he looked at the massive amount of Utakata spewed out by the giant crab in front of him, and could only curse under his breath as he jumped onto the metal pipe above.
Just as Jiraiya realized the giant lizard had vanished, another loud explosion came from overhead. A giant bird swooped down, and seeing its sharp, enormous beak, Jiraiya exclaimed in surprise, "Summoning so many summoning beasts at once!"
"Boom!"
Upon spotting its target, the giant bird immediately took flight, dropping yellow "bird egg bombs" in the process. The resulting violent explosions awoke all the ninjas in Amegakure.
As Jiraiya ran, Jiraiya felt the ground tremble. The giant bull had already charged to his side, and the large dog above him was leaping and closing in rapidly. The enemy was clearly trying to force him into an open area.
" The Needle Jizo!"
Jiraiya's white hair shot out rapidly, instantly wrapping around the giant crab. Seeing that the summoning beast was successfully pulled into white smoke, he immediately accelerated his escape again.
The giant birds in the sky kept "laying eggs," and the explosions forced Jiraiya to flee in a sorry state. When he discovered that the dog had split itself to surround him, he realized that the enemy had been prepared all along.
What bothered Jiraiya was that no matter where he ran, these summoning beasts could quickly track him down.
"These are the weapons mentioned in the intelligence report. How come there are so many?"
As Jiraiya approached the lake and entered an open area, Jiraiya noticed the attack from above. Turning his head, he saw Kakkō continuously shooting out from the giant bird.
Small tracking missiles can turn on their own and "jump up and down" in buildings. After Jiraiya escapes the bombardment, a huge amount of Utakata appears from above.
The intense attacks left Jiraiya unable to break free. He was somewhat disheveled when he rushed out of the buildings, but he felt safe after leaping onto the lake.
"Roar!"
The big dog roared on the shore, and only then did the giant bird lower its altitude. The Animal Path put its two hands back in place, stood on the giant bird's head, and looked down at its former teacher.
" Nagato! Is that you? Why did you attack Konoha?"
"Don't you understand that this will only breed more hatred?"
"I've always believed you were the Child of Prophecy would bring hope to the Shinobi World, so why choose the path of destruction?"
Knowing they could evacuate at any moment, an agitated Jiraiya began shouting questions. The Animal Path girl remained silent for a long while before finally responding in a cold voice, "Stop trying to steal information! This is the last time."
"When we meet again, I will kill you."
"Look at the changes in this country. Without Konoha's interference, everything is getting better."
Seeing Nagato's agitation, Jiraiya finally softened. This teacher had not participated in the plot to murder him back then, and still looked innocent.
Jiraiya watched the summoning beast vanish, his emotions growing even more complex. Before the giant bird could fly away, he shouted again, "Stop! Nagato! Stop creating more hatred!"
"If you are willing to use your own strength to create peace, I am willing to vouch for you."
" The Child of Prophecy should change the world. Since you have such power, you should shoulder more responsibility and not go further down the wrong path..."
The Animal Path girl on the giant bird remained expressionless, while Nagato, who was controlling the puppet, burst into laughter in the underground chamber, his face quickly turning into one of madness.
Indeed, only through experiencing pain can one truly understand another!
"Have you ever thought about what Amegakure has suffered in all these years of war?"
"This country has found a path to salvation; stop interfering with Amegakure's development."
" Jiraiya- sensei, if you hadn't felt pain, would you still have said those words to me? People can't understand each other; I was just doing the right thing."
"Let's leave this place. Neither of us should have appeared in the Land of Rain."
With a final farewell, the Animal Path girl commanded the giant bird to take flight. Her abundant Chakra allowed her to continue summoning clones; if she summoned a few more, she could easily kill her former teacher.
Jiraiya, wanted to continue fighting, but seeing his disciple about to fly away, he finally shouted, "It's my fault as your teacher for leading you astray!"
"Don't make any more mistakes, or I will kill you with my own hands."
Nagato had flown away, made no response. A large number of Amegakure had gathered here. Jiraiya pursed his lips and sank into the lake. A red Toad swallowed him, and the infiltration operation was declared a failure.
Lying inside the Toad's intestines, Jiraiya looked dejected. He could use Summoning Jutsu to fight back, but he would most likely fail in the end. "It really is a puppet! This makes things even more troublesome."
"Are five of the six people puppets? Was the one who escaped the real person?"
Jiraiya continued to ponder, and combining the intelligence from two years ago, he confirmed that Nagato had improved; the fact that these summoning beasts could coordinate their attacks and be repeatedly summoned was no simple matter.
The next day, Amegakure protested to Konoha, and Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, invaded and started a battle, disrupting the peace that had been maintained for two years.
The Daimyo of the Land of Rain also immediately communicated with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, reiterating that they had no hostile intentions while urging Konoha to "loosen the reins."
Konan had dealt with similar situations many times before. After signing some documents, she looked at the girl in front of her and said softly, "Don't worry, those devices have already been moved. The only valuable technology in the equipment tower is shipbuilding."
"Most ninjas weren't interested in these things, and after being appeased, the craftsmen all chose to stay and continue working."
Mei Terumi didn't care about the conflict. At 17, she had already shed her naivety, with fair skin and slender, charming eyes and eyebrows.
The girl continued to stroll around the room, her figure accentuated by a deep purple, low-cut, short kimono. Sitting down at the desk, Mei Terumi chuckled softly and replied simply, "That technology was hard-won from Kumogakure. With better ships, trade can continue to be stable."
"Although Konoha isn't interested in these things, if they find out and inform Kumogakure, it will definitely cause you a lot of trouble."
"The discovery of the sea outlet also poses a threat. Do you need my help to wipe out Konoha's Anbu?"
In two years, the Land of Tea became a transit point for Amegakure and Kirigakure, with both villages profiting from the Land of Fire through maritime trade.
Deep-sea nutritional supplements are very popular, and even during wartime, pills targeting the lower body were in high demand and short supply.
Nobles and daimyo also have a great fondness for this marine supplement, and its sales have now expanded to countries west of the continent, generating increasing profits.
Konan paused slightly, recalling the past two years, glanced at the increasingly alluring young woman, and finally shook her head. "Let them investigate. Most Amegakure are engaged in legitimate work now; we won't get any information from them."
"Do you have a way to break the Mizukage's Genjutsu? Nagato is being monitored, Madara Uchiha has always suspected us."
"Only by ending the internal strife in Kirigakure can it develop better; the Land of Water's market still has a lot of potential."
Mentioning the listless puppet Mizukage, Mei Terumi felt a surge of anger, but her smile grew even more alluring on the surface. She feigned confidence and replied in a low voice, "It's only a matter of time. I've already gained control of most of the village's power."
"Breaking the Genjutsu isn't difficult, but once the Mizukage wakes up, Madara Uchiha will most likely continue to control him. We're just missing a trigger."
Although Konan was curious about the internal situation of Kirigakure, she didn't ask any further questions. The two sides shared the same missions and often worked together.
Amegakure lacks strong ninjas, Kirigakure has been short of "ox-horse ninjas" for the past two years due to the Bloody Mist Policy. The two sides complement each other perfectly, which is why they can develop rapidly together.
The two continued discussing the mission until lunch break. Back in her room, Mei Terumi stood before the mirror, gesticulating wildly. Her expression twisted, and her spirit cried out, "Are you trying to abandon me?! We promised to rebuild the Land of Water together!"
"Do you have other women in Konoha? Isn't my body enough to satisfy you?"
Shu Furukawa's spirit silently recorded the "symptoms." Thanks to the killings in Kirigakure, he had accumulated a considerable amount of energy over the past two years. Hearing the girl's increasingly outrageous ramblings, he finally spoke up to remind her, "You should be thinking about how to become the Mizukage, not complaining about these pointless things."
"If I ever find that woman, I'll melt her down on the spot!"
Mei Terumi's resentful mood instantly caused her to enter Pseudo-Sage Transformation state, with black stripes appearing on her fair skin. Ignoring the complaints, Shu Furukawa continued to gather information, "Frequently using secret medicines to replenish Senjutsu Chakra will cause the spirit to further amplify the host's emotions."
"Desire can be transformed into power; aside from personality breakdown, there are no other side effects."
" Nagato is more nostalgic due to Konan's influence; we can observe and utilize him."