After Uchiha Itachi and Orochimaru left, only one of the three Pains remained: the one bearing Yahiko's likeness. He patrolled the village as always, just as Akatsuki had done years ago.
But no one knew that in a dim room, Nagato sat with his head bowed, as though all his strength had been drained away. He kept muttering something under his breath, too softly for anyone to make out.
Saro, who had been standing nearby with a bowl in her hands, moved closer. She heard the tremor in Nagato's faint voice. "I almost killed my teacher. Yahiko, I almost killed our teacher!"
The room was so dark that Saro could see nothing, but she clearly heard a drop strike the floor.
In Amegakure, that would normally have been an unremarkable sound. Yet although the sky outside was still gloomy, not a single drop of rain was falling.
Saro did not want to think about where the sound had come from. Nagato clearly was not going to eat anymore, so she took the bowl and left. She did not want to stay there a moment longer.
Nagato showed no reaction to Saro's departure. He simply kept his head bowed and muttered to himself.
Uchiha Itachi went with Orochimaru to his laboratory. Once Orochimaru was sure no one was nearby, he said bitterly, "That lecher really knows how to pick his moments. He nearly ruined everything!"
Itachi felt a measure of relief too. Against someone else, his skill with genjutsu might have given him options, but against those eyes, he doubted it would have much effect. Jiraiya's timely escape was truly something to celebrate.
Meanwhile, after escaping the bounds of Amegakure, Jiraiya released the Toad Mouth Binding Technique. He looked back at the village with a grave expression and murmured, "Looks like