At the border of the Land of Fire, night had just begun to fall. The light in the forest shifted from gray-blue to dark purple, like a bottle of watered-down ink had been spilled.
Jiraiya stood on a horizontal branch of an old camphor tree, his gaze passing through gaps in the leaves as he watched a white speck vanish into the distant sky. The bird flew high and fast, its wings barely moving, yet it showed no sign of descending.
"They've left." Jiraiya jumped down from the tree, his boots landing softly. "They're not coming down. They're flying straight northeast."
Yunju leaned against a tree trunk, holding a broken branch as he drew something on the ground. Hearing Jiraiya, he tossed the branch aside and stood up.
"They descended before flying off and stopped around that spot." He pointed ahead. "About two or three hundred meters away. They stayed there for a while—they were probably having their final discussion."
Jiraiya glanced in that direction. "Let's take a look."
The two passed through the woods and arrived at the area Yunju had indicated.
There were still fresh footprints on the ground. After seeing them, Yunju straightened up without saying much and merely nodded to Jiraiya.
"They should have finished discussing things... so their next destination is most likely..."
"A hideout. That's what I thought too," Jiraiya finished.
Jiraiya stood there for a while, then tightened his forehead protector and headed in the general direction. "Let's cross over first and see."
They no longer discussed which way to go, because there was no longer a clear answer.
That night, several projections lit up simultaneously on the top floor of Amegakure's tower.
Pain's projection stood at the very top, with Konan behind and to his side. Both outlines were stable and distinct,