The rising sun slowly ascended from the east, casting its warm rays across the land.
Deidara, bathed in the gentle sunlight, stood frozen in place, his delicate body is like a block of ice.
'Akatsuki?'
'Why is Akatsuki?!'
'Aren't you supposed to invite me into the Abyss? Hmm!'
"What's the matter?" Hyōketsu asked with a smile.
Under the sunlight, the ice crystal mask on his face sparkled, almost blinding Deidara's eyes.
"It's nothing, I just think…"
Deidara, who couldn't complete his undercover mission, forced a smile, "I just think the name Akatsuki is a bit strange, hmm."
Seeing Deidara's expression, Hyōketsu became even more convinced that he was a double-agent trying to join Abyss. He couldn't help but chuckled and said: "Hehehe, it does sound strange the first time you hear it. You'll get used to it after a few times, right?"
"Uh… yeah." Deidara felt embarrassed.
"By the way, I don't know your name yet, little brat." Hyōketsu asked.
Deidara is indeed a little brat. Despite his crazy and cruel personality, and his strong abilities, he was only twelve years old at the current time.
"My name is Deidara, Iwagakure's Missing-nin, Explosion-Release Shinobi, hmm." Deidara introduced himself briefly.
"Very good!"
Hyōketsu grinned and said, "We, Akatsuki, need talents like you. You'll definitely fit in perfectly if you join us!"
"I hope so, hmm."
Deidara could already imagine the awkward scene when he meets Konan again and wanted to escape immediately.
But thinking that Hyōketsu can also fly with his ice…
'I hate Shinobi who can fly the most!'
'That smelly old man Onoki, Konan, and this damned Ice Release Shinobi!
'Hmm!'
Then, Hyōketsu took Deidara back to Land of Hot Water's Daimyo's mansion, and not long after, White Zetsu's clone brought Hidan to find them.
"Hey, where did you go?!"
Hidan, carrying the bloody March sickle, walked over very arrogantly, and when he got close, he glanced at Deidara standing next to Hyōketsu and asked, "Who's this little brat?"
At this time, White Zetsu's clone was also observing Deidara with half of his body above the ground.
"A new member I just recruited."
Hyōketsu said, "Deidara, Iwagakure's Missing-nin. He's good at Explosion Release, and he's also the one who just attacked us."
"Huh? That's him?!"
Hidan raised the bloody March sickle and used its blade to point at Deidara's eyes provocatively. He then provoked with extreme arrogance, "Brat, weaned already?"
"Hah? Big Baldy, are you provoking me?! Hmm!" Deidara imitated Hidan's tone, and counter-provoked him!
"Deidara… I remember now!"
White Zetsu's clone suddenly spoke, "Sandaime Tsuchikage, Onoki's disciple, Iwagakure's S-Rank Missing-nin. What a coincidence!"
Not long after Deidara betrayed Iwagakure, he already has wanted bounty on the black market, so White Zetsu naturally noticed him. If White Zetsu could have pinpointed Deidara's exact location, he would have informed Pain to take care of him long ago.
"Welcome to Akatsuki, Deidara!" White Zetsu's clone smiled.
"Huh?"
Hidan was extremely dissatisfied, "Are we really letting such a brat join us? When did Akatsuki become an orphanage?"
"Hidan, you are only three years older than Deidara, also an underage brat, hehe." White Zetsu's clone thought he was being humorous, but it earned him a slash from the bloody March sickle.
Boom!
The crimson blade struck heavily the ground, sending dirt flying. Fortunately, White Zetsu's clone was fast enough to retreat into the ground in time.
At the same time, White Zetsu's clone also quickly passed the information here back to Amegakure.
...
In Amegakure, the heavy rain continued to pour relentlessly.
On the 22nd floor of the central steel tower, a White Zetsu's clone ascended with determined steps.
"Pain, Pain…"
White Zetsu clone shouted several times, but received no response.
"Where is everyone?"
White Zetsu's clone was a bit puzzled. Since the structure of Akatsuki had been set up, Pain, or more specifically Nagato, has been sitting in this tower, delegating missions to various teams.
Even if there were missions that required Nagato's personal intervention, there was no reason for him to not know.
White Zetsu's clone pondered for a moment, and decided to go up and take a look.
Carefully, he ascended to the 23rd, 24th floors, until he reached the top floor.
But unfortunately, the top floor is still empty, devoid of any human presence.
'They must have left.'
White Zetsu's clone instinctively felt that something was amiss, so he immediately turned around and began to descend, intending to relay the information to Black Zetsu and Obito.
Tap, tap, tap…
Tap, tap, tap…
The sound of rapid footsteps rang through the empty steel tower, echoing faintly.
White Zetsu's clone noticed something was wrong, and halted, but the footsteps continued, rapidly approaching him.
"Who?!"
White Zetsu's clone immediately used Sensor Ninjutsu, and his expression greatly changed, "Jiraiya?!"
Swoosh!
A tall figure with white hair abruptly darted out from the stairs below: "Yes, I am the Mount Myoboku's Sage, known as Toad Sage. Here ~ I~~ am~~~"
Snap!
Jiraiya stepped on the White Zetsu's clone with his wooden clogs!
Jiraiya crossed his arms, looking down at the ugly guy beneath him and asked: "Who are you? Why are you here? Where are Nagato and Konan?"
White Zetsu's clone is someone who is not scared of anything, so he sneered and remained silent: "Hehehe, hehehe…"
"Hey, are you a duck?" Jiraiya had a strange expression on his face.
"…"
White Zetsu's face twitched, "You bastard, even if you kill me, you won't get anything out of me!"
"Really?"
Jiraiya smiled confidently and immediately used Genjutsu.
Then…
"The mighty Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, is actually so bad at Genjutsu?" White Zetsu's clone recovered after being confused for a second, and sarcastically commented.
Jiraiya smiled awkwardly.
He was never good at Genjutsu. It might be effective against ordinary people, but against Shinobi, well…
Jiraiya exerted force under his foot, turning the White Zetsu's clone into a lump.
"Sure enough, it is not a normal human being."
Jiraiya observed the lump at his feet, then continued climbing up.
However, even on the top floor, he found no sign of Nagato, Konan, or even the Six Paths of Pain. However, he was not without gain. At the top floor, Jiraiya found a lot of traces of life, and from these traces, he found…
"Someone is paralyzed?"
Jiraiya frowned.
'Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, among the three of you, one is dead and one is crippled… what exactly have you experienced?'
Jiraiya reached the edge of the top floor, while the rain is still pouring heavily from the sky. The splashing raindrops hit the steel tower, and the scattered rain mist landed on Jiraiya's face.
He looked into the distance and seemed to be able to see his two disciples, whose location are unknown: "Nagato, Konan…"
…
Outside Konoha, at the top of a 100-meter-high hillside.
Nagato, who was sitting in a wheelchair, suddenly opened his eyes as if waking from a nap.
Although separated by thousands, even tens of thousands of kilometers, through the Rain Tiger at Will Technique, the moment raindrops touched Jiraiya, Nagato still sensed his presence instantly.
Nagato turned to look in the direction of Amegakure. In his Rinnegan, it seemed as if he could see Jiraiya's figure standing on the edge of the top floor.
"Jiraiya…"