Within a week, everyone responsible for capturing the Tailed Beasts had returned. Some had suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized, while others had come back unharmed and at ease.
Jiraiya was one of the unlucky ones who had been seriously injured. Because of his lecherous nature, he had exposed his identity during the operation and had nearly been cornered inside Kumogakure by the Raikage.
Fugaku Uchiha had successfully escaped, but because Fugaku Uchiha had made his move, Jiraiya had decided to fish in troubled waters and seize the Two-Tails as well.
The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki liked to move around outside Kumogakure, so Fugaku Uchiha had not needed to enter the village itself.
Jiraiya, however, had no such luxury. He had needed to infiltrate Kumogakure. When the Raikage went after Fugaku Uchiha, Jiraiya had happened to be discovered and could only force his way into battle.
But inside Kumogakure, the Cloud Ninja were too formidable in combat. Using the terrain to their advantage, they had successfully stalled Jiraiya and the others.
Without the two Sage immortals, Fukasaku and Shima, from Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya had been unable to enter Sage Mode on his own, which had weakened his strength considerably.
And when the enraged Raikage learned that his home had once again been robbed by people from the Immortal Empire, the resulting fury had landed squarely on Jiraiya. He had been beaten to a pulp.
If Jiraiya had not been exceptionally resilient, retreating as he fought, and if the Immortal Empire's border forces had not arrived in time to provide support, he would never have escaped.
Otherwise, Jiraiya would most likely have died at the Raikage's hands.
After losing two Jinchūriki in succession, the Raikage did not even dare announce it publicly. He kept his mouth tighter than anyone else. Wouldn't saying it