Land of Rain.
Like a gray phantom, Jiraiya darted at high speed between the buildings of Amegakure.
His heart felt stifled to the extreme.
Amegakure had changed.
The rundown yet lived-in houses of his memories had been replaced by cold steel towers.
There was no crying here, nor was there any laughter.
The entire village was like a massive machine devoid of emotion.
High in the air.
Countless white sheets of paper gathered amid the rain.
They were not soaked by the rain. Instead, they formed the graceful figure of a woman.
Konan looked coldly down at Jiraiya below.
Pale purple eyeshadow framed her lifeless face.
Jiraiya stopped.
He raised his head, his gaze complicated.
"Konan."
Jiraiya's voice was somewhat hoarse.
He tried to find the gentle girl who loved folding paper in that icy face.
Konan remained unmoved.
She merely looked down upon her former teacher.
"What are you here for?"
Konan's voice was colder than the rain.
"Where is Nagato?"
Jiraiya did not take offense at her attitude.
"Is Yahiko well?"
At the mention of Yahiko's name.
Konan's pupils suddenly contracted.
That deeply buried, painful memory surged into her mind once more.
She forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart and turned around expressionlessly.
"Follow me."
"Nagato is waiting for you."
After saying that.
Konan turned into a sky full of paper and flew toward the tallest steel tower.
Jiraiya followed closely behind.
He keenly noticed the fluctuation in Konan's emotions.
Something had happened to Yahiko.
The thought flashed through Jiraiya's mind, making his heart sink further and further.
He could only hope the situation had not become too terrible.
As he stepped into the tallest steel tower.
The light instantly dimmed.
A dull sound of liquid flowing came from the pipes in the walls.
Jiraiya followed behind