Tobi

Omoi shouted, "Here, there are clues left by Lady Yugito!"

Jiraiya and Uzumaki Hane exchanged a glance, then quickly walked up to the three of them.

Omoi pointed to a hidden coded message on the ground and said, "This should be a clue left by Lady Yugito. If we follow the clue, we should be able to find her."

Jiraiya and Uzumaki Hane checked the code. Jiraiya said, "Alright, let's set off immediately. We must rescue the Two-Tails Jinchūriki before they retrieve the Tailed Beast."

Then, the group followed the coded message left by the Two-Tails Jinchūriki.

The group remained silent as they made their way quickly through the woods. When it was already dark, Jiraiya stopped them and urged them to rest.

The group found an open space, started a fire, and cooked. After finishing their meal, they rested under a tree, knowing they would continue their journey the next day.

In the still of the night, the moon hung high in the sky, casting countless rays of moonlight, as if the entire Konoha were shrouded in a thin veil.

In Naruto's house, Naruto lay on the bed, fast asleep, muttering in his sleep.

Suddenly, Naruto frowned, his expression changing as if he were trapped in a nightmare. Naruto screamed and woke up, looking at the familiar ceiling before him. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize that his clothes were soaked with sweat.

Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow, lay down on the bed, tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

The next day, Naruto got up early, sporting dark circles under his eyes, and arrived at the training ground. Naruto looked around and realized that Kakashi and Yamato hadn't arrived yet, so Naruto had to start training on his own.

Naruto spent a long time in arduous training. At this time, Kakashi and Yamato appeared, followed by Sakura and Sai.

Naruto immediately complained, "Kakashi-sensei, why are you all so late today?"

Kakashi said, "Naruto, we have a mission."

Naruto immediately said, "Hey, how can you do this? My training isn't over yet!" Ever since he last saw Sasuke's progress has made Naruto anxious. Naruto was overjoyed by Sasuke's rapid progress during this period and wished he could spend 24 hours a day training so he could bring Sasuke back as soon as possible. Naturally, Naruto was very unwilling to suddenly stop training and go on some mission.

Kakashi said, "Alright, stop complaining. Let's go to the Lord Hokage now."

Naruto reluctantly said, "Alright, Kakashi-sensei."

Then, the group left the training ground and headed to the Hokage's office.

On the other side, Jiraiya, Uzumaki Hane, Samui, Omoi, Karui got up early in the morning and continued to follow the coded message.

Time flies like an arrow, and another day has passed in the blink of an eye. The group still hasn't found the Two-Tails Jinchūriki. Samui, Omoi, and Karui are very anxious, as each passing day means the Two-Tails Jinchūriki is in greater danger. Fortunately, the coded message hasn't been broken, which allows the three to barely suppress their anxiety.

After resting for a while, the group immediately set off.

In the blink of an eye, dawn broke, and the group continued their journey. Suddenly, dozens of Kunai flew towards them from ahead. The group instantly became alert and dodged the Kunai in different directions. The Kunai struck tree trunks one by one, each with a burning Explosive Tag attached to it.

Jiraiya warned, "Everyone be careful!" At the same time, his body transformed into a series of afterimages and disappeared from the spot. The others were just as quick, dodging away immediately.

Boom, boom, Explosive Tag exploded one after another, and Kakkō shot into the sky, while smoke and dust carrying tree fragments swept outwards.

At this moment, about twenty meters ahead of the explosion, a figure stood there. The group regrouped to prevent being picked off one by one.

Everyone looked at the enemy, who was dressed in a red cloud-patterned black robe and wore a spiral mask with only one eye on his face. It was Tobi.

Tobi said with a grin, "You can't go through here."

Jiraiya stepped forward and asked, "Who are you? Where is the Two-Tails Jinchūriki?"

Tobi said, "The Matatabi should be captured soon, right? Now I have to stop you for a while. Honestly, such an important task is being carried out by a junior like me."

Jiraiya said, "It seems the Two-Tails Jinchūriki is not far off. If you step aside now, we can let you go."

Tobi said with a grin, "That won't do. Besides, you're wrong here. It's not 'you,' it's 'us.'"

Jiraiya hearing this, Jiraiya felt a strong sense of crisis instantly. This was an intuition he had developed during the war years, and it had never been wrong. He immediately became alert.

As expected, the four people around Jiraiya— Uzumaki Hane, Samui, Omoi, and Karui— revealed dangerous smiles, each holding a Kunai. Almost simultaneously, they viciously stabbed at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya watched the four approach, secretly surprised. "When did they all look exactly the same, even their auras are identical, and I didn't even notice?" Despite his surprise, Jiraiya remained calm, forming hand Hand Seals, "Needle Jizo," and his hair instantly stretched into needle-like shapes, enveloping him.

Clang clang clang! Four Kunai pierced his hair, Jiraiya was unharmed. He then formed a hand seal, "Wild Lion's Mane Technique," and his hair instantly extended, wrapping around the fake Uzumaki in front of him and slicing it to pieces.

Jiraiya 'Chakra surged, and he was about to continue his attack when suddenly, three Rock Fist shot out from the dust, instantly slamming into the imposters Samui, Omoi, and Karui, sending them flying.

Only then did the smoke and dust dissipate, Jiraiya to see the situation below. Four strange, white-clad humans lay on the ground. Samui, Omoi, and Karui all bore minor wounds, indicating they had been entangled earlier. The four strange humans had holes pierced through their chests, with burn marks visible, clearly indicating they had been killed by Uzumaki Hane.

Uzumaki Hane and the others leaped onto the tree trunk and stood beside Jiraiya. All five of them looked at Tobi across from them.