Sage Mode...

Showing off Sage Mode was nothing difficult for Jiraiya.

Though he did not use it often in battle, there was no harm in using it now. After all, Sage Mode was not something one could learn simply by watching.

"Uchiha Clan brat, watch closely. This is the Sage Mode you wanted to see." Jiraiya spoke with great flair, then began gathering Sage Chakra.

"Mm." Uchiha Shunichi nodded, his Mangekyō Sharingan carefully observing the changes in Jiraiya's chakra.

After quite a while, Jiraiya still had not made any moves. He found it somewhat awkward himself, but Uchiha Shunichi watched with keen interest.

Jiraiya could successfully use Senjutsu, but gathering Sage Chakra took too long, so he needed the assistance of two Great Toad Sages during battle.

However, merely demonstrating it was naturally not so troublesome. It only took a little longer.

And this was naturally exactly what Uchiha Shunichi wanted to see.

He had already obtained the method for creating Cursed Seals from Orochimaru. Although it was only the most basic version, Uchiha Shunichi had still sensed the Natural Energy contained within it.

What he needed to know now was only how Sage Chakra was gathered. Although the Sharingan could not see the body's chakra pathways like the Byakugan could, Uchiha Shunichi could still deduce some things from the changes in chakra.

After a long while, Sage Face finally appeared on Jiraiya's face, and his body also underwent some toad-like changes.

This was Senjutsu. Such a slow activation speed would be completely unusable in battle, but with the aid of two Great Toad Sages, Jiraiya did not need to worry about Sage Chakra.

"Uchiha Clan brat, this is this Sage's Sage Mode. What do you think? Pretty amazing, right?" Having successfully entered Sage Mode, Jiraiya proudly showed off to Uchiha Shunichi.

"Mm, thank you, Lord Jiraiya. Our transaction is complete. As for information about Akatsuki..." Uchiha Shunichi quickly committed his recent discoveries to memory, then said,

"Akatsuki's leader is called Pain. But in reality, he is your disciple Nagato. Pain has six bodies, and the Deva Path is your deceased disciple Yahiko. Akatsuki's so-called angel is your other disciple, Konan..."

Jiraiya was completely stunned when he heard this.

Never mind how a child like Uchiha Shunichi knew about events from over a decade ago—the matter of his three disciples alone was enough to leave Jiraiya dumbfounded.

"Wait... wait. Where did you get this information?" Still reeling from the shock, Jiraiya hastily interrupted Uchiha Shunichi.

"Lord Jiraiya can understand it as me possessing Precognition. I already told you this. Whether you believe it is up to you. Do you still want to hear the rest?" Uchiha Shunichi was quite displeased by Jiraiya's interruption.

Jiraiya froze for a moment, then said with a bitter smile, "Sorry. Please continue."

"Akatsuki's current leader is Pain, who is secretly Nagato. The rest are rogue ninja from the major hidden villages, all extremely powerful."

"Among them is Sunagakure's rogue ninja—Sasori. His ability is Human Puppets, allowing him to turn living people into Human Puppets. At the same time, he himself has also been turned into a puppet."

"Iwagakure's rogue ninja—Deidara. His ability is Explosive Clay."

"Yugakure's rogue ninja—Hidan. He possesses an immortal body and can use an enemy's blood to curse them to death."

"Takigakure's rogue ninja—Kakuzu. His ability is Earth Grudge Fear. He possesses five hearts of different attributes, meaning he must be killed five times, or all five hearts must be destroyed."

"As for information on the others, I do not know. These are all I saw."

Uchiha Shunichi selected some intelligence he considered important and revealed it to Jiraiya.

This could be considered a gesture of goodwill. After all, leaking it after Sarutobi Hiruzen died would have seemed somewhat deliberate.

The timing was just right now, and Jiraiya was probably someone who could be trusted.

Uchiha Shunichi felt quite at ease about leaking this intelligence.

"This information is very important. Whether it is true or false, I must thank you on behalf of the village." Jiraiya spoke very seriously.

Among ninja, intelligence was extremely important. A ninja whose own information had been exposed would have their strength reduced by at least half.

Kakuzu and Hidan were the most obvious examples.

Before their intelligence was exposed, Kakuzu and Hidan had been practically invincible. But after it was exposed, even Shikamaru, who had still been a Chunin at the time, could counter them specifically.

"If Lord Jiraiya truly wishes to thank me, then please keep my Precognition ability confidential. Unlike Mount Myoboku's prophecies, my Precognition can be changed."

"More precisely, I do not see the future. I see one possibility of the future."

"Besides, there is a great deal of information I do not wish to know myself."

Seeing Jiraiya's expression, Uchiha Shunichi's thoughts shifted, and he spoke slowly.

At first, he had been prepared to expose himself. Revealing this so-called future was also a gamble.

If he won, his status would soar. If he lost, he would simply become a rogue ninja.

"I see. I understand." Jiraiya agreed solemnly.

"Then thank you, Lord Jiraiya. You do not need to hide it completely. If there are people Lord Jiraiya considers trustworthy, you may tell them as well." Uchiha Shunichi reminded him agreeably.

But this was also a reminder. Uchiha Shunichi's true intention was to strengthen his position in Konoha and carry out his laboratory plans after Sarutobi Hiruzen's death.

If Jiraiya truly kept his mouth shut, all of his efforts would have been wasted.

"Mm, don't worry! This Sage has always been very steady in his work. There definitely won't be any mishaps." Jiraiya said proudly.

Uchiha Shunichi offered no opinion on that. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he returned to his laboratory.

He had obtained some data just now and needed to record it. If possible, Uchiha Shunichi very much wanted to try this so-called Sage Chakra.

Of course, Natural Energy was even more important. It could elevate the essence of life itself and grant people true longevity.

"Pervy Sage, what were you talking about with Shunichi just now?" After Uchiha Shunichi left, Naruto asked Jiraiya curiously.

"Naruto, what do you think of that classmate of yours?" Jiraiya suddenly asked.

"Shunichi? He's very gentle, but he's rather withdrawn at the academy. Even though he always ranks first, he rarely talks to the other students. He often spaces out by himself, as though..."