Shinigami in the Ninja World

The countries possessing tailed beasts reacted differently upon learning about the "Akatsuki" organization.

Cloud Village, having learned a lesson from Naruto, immediately confined Yugito Nii and Killer B within the village and mobilized personnel to search for the cat.

The Two-Tails had only been glimpsed briefly by the ninjas during this period.

Now, it suddenly doesn't mind the word "small" that much; being small in stature isn't so bad.

At least it's free and inconspicuous.

Sand Village made no special arrangements. Being relatively far from Rain Village and with the current Jinchūriki of the One-Tail, Gaara, being the Kazekage, the village's security measures were already at their highest level.

What surprised Naruto was Rock Village.

A village with little interaction with him didn't dismiss this information.

The Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, even sent a ninja specifically to express gratitude and provided some information related to the "Akatsuki."

Jiraiya arrived after the Rock Village ninja had left.

"Sorry, Naruto, I'm late." He followed the shadow clone to the temporary residence, but as soon as he pushed the door open, he halted both his steps and words.

The blonde boy, draped in a white haori, was holding a scalpel, poised over a headless corpse.

It gave Jiraiya an almost eerie sense of déjà vu.

If the "blonde" were replaced with "black hair," that sense would have been even more pronounced.

"Naruto, are you…," Jiraiya's tone deepened, "have you reached this point?"

Though "human experimentation" sounds like something quite "evil," which village hasn't conducted such research in secret?

Whether it's medical ninjutsu or other techniques, progress requires such "sacrifices."

Jiraiya wasn't about to completely deny this fact.

But it was hard to feel any affection for such things.

He was even more worried that Naruto might stray down a "dark path."

Now that Naruto was incredibly powerful, practically a living "God of Ninja," no one could restrain him.

And he seemed to have little attachment to this world, besides "Karin," and the deceased "Minato" and "Kushina," there was nothing else that mattered to him.

Orochimaru had once been like this.

Isolated, unconcerned with relationships, and when his research hit a dead end, he couldn't resist reaching out to the people in the village.

Naruto turned around and smiled at him. "This is the corpse of Hidan from the Akatsuki."

Jiraiya's expression eased a bit.

"He has an immortal body; even if we turn him into a Jinchūriki and release the seal, it won't cause his death," Naruto continued. "He's a material that can be reused."

Jiraiya was shocked. "An immortal body?"

Naruto nodded but didn't talk much about his research, instead changing the subject. "What brings you here, Jiraiya-sensei?"

"Does Konoha want to intervene in this matter?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "No."

"You mentioned the Rinnegan before, still in Rain Village."

"It reminded me of some past events."

Naruto put down the instruments, washed his hands clean on the side, and invited him to sit down.

Jiraiya looked nostalgic. "During the Second Ninja World War, Konoha had a conflict with Rain Village."

"In that war, I gained the title of one of the 'Sannin.'"

"Although the world calls us by this title."

"And we've gradually accepted it too."

"But from the beginning, this title was actually a kind of disgrace to us."

Naruto listened quietly.

Jiraiya realized something and scratched his head. "As I get older, I tend to dwell on the past."

"Let me get back to the main point."

"After that war, three children found the three of us, wanting to be our disciples and learn ninjutsu."

"Out of a sense of compensation for this war-torn country, I took them in."

"One of those children..."

"He should be a descendant of the Uzumaki clan. His name was 'Nagato.' I saw with my own eyes as he awakened the 'Rinnegan.'"

Naruto was startled and frowned. "A descendant of the Uzumaki clan?"

"Yes, like Kushina and Karin, he had red hair," Jiraiya replied. "His chakra and life force were stronger than a normal person's."

The Nine-Tails had mentioned before that the "Rinnegan" was the dōjutsu of the Sage of Six Paths, and the Uzumaki clan were descendants of the Sage, so awakening the "Rinnegan" wasn't impossible.

However...

"The leader of the Akatsuki is this Nagato person," Naruto said softly, thoughtfully, "Then what about Uchiha Madara?"

Jiraiya was stumped, his expression puzzled.

Right...

If the leader of the Akatsuki is Nagato, then what about Uchiha Madara?

"Could it be that Uchiha Madara is just a member of the Akatsuki, subordinate to the Rinnegan?" Karin suggested, poking her head in, "And not as we previously thought, that the Akatsuki is Madara's organization."

Jiraiya, deep in thought, shook his head: "Uchiha Madara wouldn't even acknowledge the First Hokage, let alone Nagato."

"That child is not a qualified leader."

"Among the three children back then, perhaps another would have been more suitable."

He sighed, looking somewhat dejected: "Besides, Nagato was a very gentle person. After killing a ninja who attacked him to save his comrades, he would feel so guilty that he couldn't sleep for an entire night."

"Akatsuki is an evil and ruthless organization."

"The aspirations of those three children were for peace. I don't believe they founded this organization."

Naruto turned his head, looking outside: "Time can easily change some things."

"And it's unclear what role Uchiha Madara played in all this."

Jiraiya didn't respond.

After a long pause, he clenched his fist: "That's why I'm here this time—to infiltrate the Land of Rain and find out what's really going on."

Naruto shook his head: "I don't agree with you going."

"Thanks for your concern." Jiraiya felt a warmth in his heart. "But if it really is Nagato and the others…"

"As their teacher, I have an unshirkable responsibility."

Naruto stood up: "This has nothing to do with a teacher's duty."

"It's that you won't be able to infiltrate."

Jiraiya grinned: "Naruto, don't underestimate me. Although you're stronger than me now, I am still one of the 'Sannin,' and gathering intelligence is a required skill for a ninja."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Naruto pointed to the distance: "Do you see that rain?"

"The weather in the Land of Rain is just like that," Jiraiya nodded, "It rains almost all the time throughout the year, which is why the country got its name."

Naruto spoke softly: "That's not ordinary rain."

"It's a technique."

Jiraiya was taken aback.

"Each raindrop carries chakra," Naruto continued. "As long as you touch the rain, the person who cast the technique will sense it."

"As for whether it has any other effects..."

"I'm not sure, but what do you think, Jiraiya-sensei?"

Jiraiya's expression darkened: "So that rain is a technique?"

The first rule of intelligence gathering is not to let the enemy detect your presence.

If your movements are known to the enemy, you'd be a sitting duck.

"Just wait here," Naruto shook his head. "They won't hold out much longer against me."

Jiraiya nodded.

Naruto suddenly turned his head, looking in a specific direction.

A shadow clone relayed a sensory message: two chakras were making tentative movements at the border of the Land of Rain.

Inside the Land of Rain.

Two men wearing black cloaks with red clouds were moving through the rain.

One had blonde hair tied in a high ponytail.

The other was hunched over, with five spikes of hair on his head, resembling a turtle.

"This is so annoying!" The one with the high ponytail complained exaggeratedly. "The weather in the Land of Rain is absolutely awful."

"The clay becomes all mushy!"

The other spoke calmly: "Compared to such trivial matters, you should focus more on the task at hand."

"If it were that Uzumaki Naruto coming himself, that would be one thing," the high ponytail sneered. "But it's just a shadow clone. Is it really worth being so cautious?"

"How much power can a shadow clone have?"

"Is it necessary for both of us to act together?"

"I could blow them all up on my own."

"Oh really?" The hunched man responded, "Deidara, then I won't intervene later."

The high ponytail clenched his fist and shouted excitedly: "Watch me, Sasori-san!"

At the border.

A shadow clone flashed and blocked their path.

So fast!

The two men's pupils dilated.

"Are you Uzumaki Naruto?" Deidara grinned, raising one hand. "Do you really think you can stop us with just a shadow clone? Isn't that a bit too naive?"

As he spoke, his other hand lowered.

Concealed by the rain, tiny white substances began to fall.

The shadow clone said nothing, just waved its hand.

"Bakudō #4. Hainawa (這縄, Crawling Rope."

A golden rope shot out, capturing the white substances—tiny clay spiders, even smaller than fingernails.

"Impressive awareness," the high ponytail clicked his tongue, forming a seal with one hand.

There was a loud explosion as the clay detonated.

The "shadow clone" technique from Konoha is a famous jutsu.

It can create clones nearly identical to the original.

It can even fool Byakugan and Sharingan.

Of course, such a powerful technique has a downside—it has almost no "resilience." As long as you hit it once, the clone will disperse.

This is why Deidara hadn't taken the shadow clone seriously from the start.

But…

He quickly realized just how different Naruto's shadow clones were from others.

He also realized why the leader was so cautious.

Naruto's shadow clone could fly! And its speed was far superior to theirs.

Its sensory abilities were also excellent.

No matter what technique they used, they couldn't catch up to it.

Instead, they were constantly controlled by it, forced to keep their distance, as an endless barrage of techniques rained down on them.

Although the clone's chakra was only a fraction of the original's, not enough to cause significant damage, the relentless attacks, like a storm, left Deidara in a dire situation.

~~~

Author ask for a leave the other day, I have a backup chapter, and just posted today, here you go! He posted 2 Chapters, but I'm gonna have it as a backup.

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