"Whoosh, patter..."
Amid the pounding rain, Jiraiya arrived at the tent where Sakumo was staying.
Seeing Jiraiya arrive, the two Konoha Ninjas on guard greeted him respectfully.
"Captain Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya waved a hand and said gravely,
"You two can leave. I have something to discuss with Sakumo."
The two ninjas hesitated slightly, but at his words, they respectfully withdrew.
Soaked from head to toe, Jiraiya entered the tent and saw Sakumo, his face pale and his whole body radiating a dejected air.
His gaze first fell on Sakumo's empty sleeve, and his expression darkened slightly.
At the sound, Sakumo turned his head a little. His eyes, however, seemed strangely at odds with his dejected air. They were deep and bright, gleaming with clarity.
Clearly, Jiraiya was taken aback by this, too. After a brief pause, he said gravely,
"Sakumo... It's been a long time..."
At his words, Sakumo's expression remained unchanged. His voice was hoarse as he replied,
"It has... Jiraiya..."
"It's just the two of us here... There's no need for that... As it happens, I have some things I need to ask you, too."
Jiraiya frowned slightly, puzzled by Sakumo's words, unable to understand what he meant.
He slowly walked over and sat down in front of him, facing Sakumo squarely as he said gravely,
"Sakumo, I want to know... why did you choose to infiltrate Sunagakure?"
"Because of your decision, Konoha suffered terrible losses. Tokino and... Sosuke also died on the soil of Sunagakure."
Jiraiya spoke solemnly, meeting Sakumo's gaze with a serious look.
At his words, Sakumo frowned slightly, confused as to why he would say such a thing.
He hesitated, wondering whether to reveal the classified S-rank mission. In the end, he said hoarsely,
"Don't you... know anything about this? As one of the Sannin...