There were no walls around Amegakure.
Jiraiya crouched in a low-lying area about two li from the village border. Ahead of him was the outlet of a murky underground river, water pouring out from beneath a rock wall and flowing into a shallow bank.
A thick curtain of rain hung over the shallows. The sound of raindrops striking the water was like a drumskin being struck without pause, steady and unchanging.
He pulled his outer robe tight, leaving no visible outline of ninja tools at his waist that might reveal his identity.
He crouched at the edge of the shallows without rushing into the rain.
He observed for nearly a quarter of an hour, confirming that no traps or sensory barriers were mixed into the rain. Then he pulled a scroll from his robes and spread it open, formed hand seals with both hands, and pressed them onto the surface.
Smoke rose amid the rain, then was dispersed by the falling water as it descended, leaving no trace behind.
When the smoke cleared, a small gourd-shaped toad lay at the edge of the shallows. The folds of its shell and its mossy spots nearly blended into the rocks along the riverbank.
He raised a hand and patted the toad's shell. The toad opened its mouth, and he crawled inside without hesitation. The mechanism that sealed its mouth shut from within completely blocked his view, but he had already linked his senses with the toad's. He could still see the way through its eyes.
The toad slowly slid along the bottom of the shallows. After submerging in the river, it dove downstream with the current of the underground river.
The walls of the passage grew narrower on both sides, and the light dimmed further and further. Eventually, only the faint chakra