Investigation, Testing the Waters

Land of Valleys

Behind the medical equipment factory complex.

Jiraiya crawled out of the ground.

He rubbed his head.

"Ugh..."

What kind of person put metal plates beneath their courtyard?

Jiraiya had slammed his head straight into one while using Earth Release to tunnel through.

He circled the perimeter twice and spotted several cameras along the way.

If not for his keen observation skills, he would have been discovered long ago.

Jiraiya looked up at the electric fence atop the wall, unsurprised.

It looked like he could only get through from here.

Jiraiya observed it from below, then flicked his hair. It instantly grew longer, hooked onto a metal pole, and pulled him up.

His hands and feet moved swiftly, barely pausing.

In an instant, he leaped into the factory complex.

But the moment he landed, several invisible beams swept across his body.

Jiraiya was extremely perceptive. He knew almost instantly that he had been exposed.

He snorted. "This technology really is remarkable."

Luckily, the one who had come this time was a Shadow Clone.

He swiftly got moving. The upper level was where ordinary workers did their jobs, with no real secrets to be found.

But Jiraiya set his sights on the open ground ahead.

He had already discovered that the ground beneath it was hollow.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

A string of explosive tags tied to kunai flew over.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of massive explosions rang out.

Panic broke out.

"Run!"

"Fire!"

Great flames erupted, sending many workers fleeing outside in alarm.

Jiraiya jumped directly into the hole ahead.

Lights soon came on nearby.

Jiraiya looked ahead, and his face quickly turned livid.

Before him stood rows upon rows of Cultivation Tanks. There were people inside the tanks, though they were not necessarily whole people.

Many contained