Crack, crack?
Jiraiya conducted a quick search as well. After confirming that he could find none of Orochimaru's little white snakes, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whew, finally dealt with that."
Rather than grieving over his companion's death, Jiraiya wiped his forehead and grumbled.
When it came to Orochimaru, Jiraiya had long since run out of things to say.
If there had been any chance of bringing him back, Jiraiya would not have rushed over the moment he learned the news. He had come purely to save Hiruzen Sarutobi, but he had failed to save him, too. That hurt.
"Ah, old man..."
Jiraiya lowered his head and muttered under his breath.
"Stop sighing. Shimura Danzō disappeared the same way!"
The Toad Couple beside him suddenly spoke up.
Jiraiya visibly shuddered at those words.
He looked over. Sure enough, Tsunade was now standing there alone.
Apart from her, a glance around revealed only Uchiha Itachi.
"What happened?"
This time, Jiraiya was not quite so surprised. The same thing had just happened before, so he merely asked whether there were any clues.
"Well, he tried to launch a sneak attack, but disappeared halfway through gathering his power. It didn't look like a secret technique that teleported him away. It was more like someone simply erased him."
Hearing his question, Tsunade turned and quickly explained her earlier reasoning.
"That's all we have to go on for now. It's most likely something to do with the terrain, or..."
The second possibility was the important one. She left it unsaid, but only someone mysterious could do something this mysterious, and the only such person they knew of was Luo Mang.
"Oh?"
Jiraiya nodded at her words.
That was probably the only possible explanation.
Watching from the shadows, Luo Mang was a little surprised. *Were