Chapter 360: Intelligence Bomb — Jiraiya Appears Midway
At the very moment Uchiha Ci was fighting on the second defensive line,
On the other side—
At the Tenshukaku,
Four figures shot straight up from the collapsed cliffside next to the fortress, soaring six hundred meters to land on the flat summit of the stone pillar.
Leading the charge was Yahiko, striding forward with a massive sword slung across his back. Close behind him were Konan, Nagato, and bringing up the rear, Oyashiro En.
At that moment,
As they drew nearer to the fortress that loomed like a citadel, Yahiko frowned.
"Strange… why isn't this place guarded at all?"
It was far too quiet, unsettlingly so.
"According to Sasori's intel, the envoys from the Five Great Nations have already gathered here for the summit. Among them are powerful figures like Master Jiraiya. We still can't be sure where they stand, or whether they'll act to protect the feudal lords and move against us."
Konan's brow furrowed as she reminded the group,
"Besides, we just ran into Orochimaru, the Raikage's son, and his partner. Who knows how many other powerhouses are hiding in this place?"
"So everyone, stay sharp."
While breaking through the second line of Cloud's defenses and launching an assault on the chakra cannon installation, the eight members of Akatsuki unexpectedly captured Hyūga Shota—
A main family member of the Hyūga Clan.
At that moment, Orochimaru had suddenly appeared and demanded one of Shota's Byakugan. The remaining eye was temporarily entrusted to Sasori, who had exceptional anatomical skills and could transplant it in battle if necessary. He would decide who would receive the eye at the critical moment.
"Understood," Nagato nodded.
At that moment, his expression suddenly sharpened. Through his summoned beast's shared vision, he spotted something—
"I've located the intel unit provided by Sasori's mole—it's in the third room on the right inside the fortress."
The others immediately narrowed their eyes in response.
Yahiko took a deep breath and spoke,
"Then let's confirm the plan one last time."
"Using the Human Path and the Blood Dragon Eye, we'll prioritize intel gathering and interrogate until we find the feudal lord's location."
"Once we locate the feudal lord, we can be certain of one thing—"
"The Third Raikage will definitely be by his side."
"So, as discussed: the three of us will hold off the Third Raikage to create an opening. Oyashiro En, you strike at the Lightning Daimyō and decapitate him. Once the mission is done, retreat immediately and rendezvous with the other four."
"At the same time, Nagato, be ready to receive signals from Zero-Ring's Illusion Clone Technique."
"Since Uchiha Ci has been confirmed on the northern front, he'll definitely join this battle. Pass the intel we gather to him!"
"Got it!" Nagato nodded without hesitation.
They skipped over further discussion about how to handle the Raikage—the three of them had long developed wordless coordination.
The entire strategy revolved around the synergy of two powerful ocular Bloodline Limits:
The Human Path, Animal Path, Illusion Clone Technique, Blood Dragon Eye's genjutsu hypnosis, and finally, the Heaven and Asura Paths for direct confrontation.
Before long, the four advanced.
In the distance, the grand gates of the Tenshukaku came into view—
But right then—
"Wait!"
A sudden voice rang out, as a frog abruptly leapt from a crevice between the stones at their feet!
Its mouth opened wider and wider—
From it, a blood-soaked, white-haired figure tumbled out and landed heavily before them.
Startled by the sudden turn of events, Oyashiro En instinctively activated his Blood Dragon Eye and raised a hand to strike—
But upon recognizing the figure, Nagato swiftly grabbed his wrist.
At the same time, Yahiko cried out in shock—
"Master Jiraiya?!"
"Cough... Yahiko...?"
Lying on the ground, Jiraiya gasped for breath, hacking up blood. His vision blurred until he could finally make out the three before him—
The very disciples he had taken in during his time in the Land of Rain.
He immediately raised a hand to block their advance and spoke gravely:
"Yahiko, Nagato, Konan…"
"Don't go any further. The Lightning Daimyō isn't inside!"
"What!?" Yahiko asked in disbelief.
"Believe me. I came here to help Uchiha Ci. While the A-B combo of Cloud were away, I infiltrated their intel division and interrogated them—"
"The Lightning Daimyō is still in the Hidden Cloud Village. And there's more."
Jiraiya struggled to his feet, made a hand sign, and from within the stomach of Myōboku's Gama, pulled out another unconscious figure—
A high-ranking jōnin from Iwagakure, one of their envoys at the summit, named Higashishibito.
"Cough... This guy was also trying to sneak into Cloud's intel unit. I caught him and knocked him out. Using verbal tricks, I managed to pry more Iwa intel from him."
"Iwagakure seems to be probing the Third Raikage's location."
"Putting all the information together, I reached one conclusion—"
"This entire fortress, the summit itself, it's all a trap orchestrated by the Raikage to lure Uchiha Ci and kill him."
"A cage!"
"But now… a bigger cage, one targeting the Third Raikage, is forming outside!"
Jiraiya's words made Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato exchange uncertain glances—
"The Daimyō isn't here, Iwa's involvement, the Raikage's location… and now an even bigger cage?"
While they had been charging through Cloud's defenses, Jiraiya had used the chaos they created and his identity as a Konoha envoy to infiltrate ahead of them. In the very heart of Cloud's stronghold, he had extracted a trove of shocking intel.
Should they say… as expected of Master Jiraiya?
Yahiko quickly gathered himself and, together with Konan, helped lift Jiraiya up.
At this point, the three had yet to experience Hanzo and Danzō's betrayal. They still held deep respect for their master—far from the future when they would raise arms against him. Though Jiraiya's words left them somewhat doubtful, there was no time to argue.
Yahiko gave Nagato a quick look.
Nagato immediately stepped forward, placed his hand on the unconscious Iwa ninja's forehead—
A bright blue chakra flared from his palm, and as he pulled, something resembling a soul was drawn out.
This was the Human Path of the Rinnegan, which could extract souls and read memories.
Yahiko's eyes fell on the wounds covering Jiraiya, especially the deep, lightning-like gash across his chest that had nearly pierced his heart.
"Master Jiraiya… your wounds…"
Jiraiya shook his head. Seeing that he had earned his students' trust, he exhaled heavily and pulled a uniquely-shaped kunai from his ninja pouch, pressing it into Yahiko's hand.
"Huff… I'll be fine. Yahiko, get this to Uchiha Ci."
Yahiko stared at the kunai in confusion. Before he could respond—
Jiraiya, as if sensing something, forced himself upright and looked back over his shoulder.
Determination flashed in his eyes.
He raised a hand and stepped forward.
"Now go! I'll buy you time to escape!"
"Escape?" Konan stared at him in shock.