For every 30 POWER STONES there will be an extra chapter!
24 Power stones to go!
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Facts are made up of scattered, fragmented information, and this information becomes intelligence.
After Jiraiya left the village, he began traveling through various countries. Though he seemed to have no specific goal, he was secretly gathering information about the Akatsuki. Thanks to the Akatsuki's distinctive uniforms, they acted like road signs guiding his way. Not long after leaving the village, while wandering in the Land of Fire, he found a young man wearing the black cloak with red clouds, with half of his right ear missing.
From that moment, Jiraiya began to quietly follow the man. After observing him for some time, Jiraiya realized the man was simply taking bounty missions from the black market. He didn't meet with anyone else, let alone lead Jiraiya to the Akatsuki's base. Other than forming a clear understanding of the man's abilities, Jiraiya had gained nothing of value.
However, Jiraiya knew that this man would eventually meet up with other members of the Akatsuki, so he waited patiently for the right moment.
After about a month, that opportunity finally arrived.
In the northern part of the Land of Fire, in a needle forest.
The sun was setting, and the long needle-like leaves from the trees were slowly drifting down, landing on the already thick layer of needles on the ground.
The young man, carrying a bulging bag, walked deeper into the forest, the sound of his footsteps crunching on the needle-covered ground.
Jiraiya, using all four limbs like a gecko, clung to a tree trunk, maintaining some distance between himself and the young man. The ground was covered in needles, and walking on them easily made noise, so to reduce the chances of being detected, he followed from the trees, carefully staying far enough away.
The young man walked deep into the forest until he stopped in front of a tree with strange markings carved into it. Jiraiya stopped moving as well.
Hiding in the shadows, Jiraiya peered out, watching his target, who had now closed his eyes, seemingly resting.
"Finally, the moment I've been waiting for," Jiraiya thought to himself. After discovering the Akatsuki's trail and following this man for a month, he was finally about to gain some useful information.
About twenty minutes later, night fell, and the dark, silent needle forest was suddenly disturbed by a creaking sound from afar, gradually drawing closer.
The young man beneath the tree reacted, looking in the direction of the sound.
Jiraiya's senses sharpened as he also turned to look toward the source of the noise, thinking the person meeting the young man had finally arrived.
From deep within the forest, as the sound grew louder, a figure slowly emerged. In the dim light, a pair of eerie, green eyes became visible—it was Kakuzu.
Kakuzu approached the man with the missing ear, who looked at him with great respect before handing him the bag he had been carrying.
"Lord Kakuzu, this is the month's mission earnings."
Kakuzu took the bag, weighed it in his hands, and a glint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He nodded approvingly and said, "Well done."
The bag contained the bounty money the young man had earned over the past month.
Hearing Kakuzu's praise, the young man's face lit up with excitement, as if he had been waiting the whole month for that one compliment.
"A month from now, same routine," Kakuzu said as he turned to leave after receiving the money, clearly not intending to linger.
"Yes, sir!" The young man watched Kakuzu's back with reverence.
From his hiding spot, Jiraiya furrowed his brows slightly. After following this man for a month, he knew the young man had been taking bounty missions the entire time, and the bag most likely contained his earnings for the month. But now, he was handing it over to another member of the Akatsuki.
The light was dim, so Jiraiya could only make out Kakuzu's clothing and his pair of glowing green eyes. He couldn't hear their conversation, and from a distance, all he saw was the two of them exchanging a few words before Kakuzu took the bag and left.
"Should I follow that man?" Jiraiya hesitated, knowing that tracking Kakuzu recklessly could lead to problems if he was detected.
"Better to capture this one and interrogate him."
After some thought, Jiraiya abandoned the idea of following Kakuzu and decided to focus on capturing the man with the missing ear instead.
From the brief interaction between Kakuzu and the young man, Jiraiya couldn't hear anything and couldn't see Kakuzu's face in the darkness. But one thing was clear: the Akatsuki seemed to be accumulating wealth. As for their purpose, Jiraiya didn't know. It was possible that this was just a mercenary group looking to make money.
But why would Ye Zi join such an organization?
This question made Jiraiya doubt the idea that Akatsuki was just a simple money-gathering group.
Jiraiya didn't hesitate long before deciding to capture the young man for interrogation.
After Kakuzu left, the young man headed off in a different direction.
Jiraiya followed.
For an hour, they walked, one behind the other, until they exited the needle forest.
It was a dark night, the kind where no moonlight shone through.
"Toad Binding Technique!"
Jiraiya suddenly appeared in front of the young man, and as the man reacted, Jiraiya slapped his hands onto the ground. A soft, reddish material appeared out of nowhere, spreading around and enclosing them both.
"!"
The young man, looking at the wriggling walls around him, panicked slightly, gripping his kunai tightly and staring at Jiraiya, who stood fifty meters away.
"You're one of the Three Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya!"
Upon recognizing Jiraiya's face, the panic in the young man's expression deepened.
"Didn't think I'd be so well-known," Jiraiya said with a self-satisfied smile, clearly pleased that the man had recognized him right away.
Having identified Jiraiya, the young man quickly scanned his surroundings, looking for an escape route. It was ridiculous to think he could fight one of the Legendary Sannin alone.
"Don't waste your energy. This is the stomach of the Rock Lodging Great Toad. Unless I release you, you won't be getting out," Jiraiya said with a smile, seeing the man's attempts to escape.
The man was startled but still skeptical.
"Wind Release: Blade of Wind!"
He formed hand seals and spat out a large wind blade that slashed into the fleshy walls. It left a large gash, but the wound wasn't deep, and within a second, it healed completely.
"What…?" The man was stunned, his most powerful and penetrating wind jutsu proving ineffective.
"Didn't I just tell you?" Jiraiya shrugged, then brought his hands together, causing his white hair to grow wildly and extend toward the stunned young man like a snake, wrapping tightly around him.
The long hair coiled around the man's entire body, leaving only his eyes and nose exposed. Jiraiya lifted the man into the air, bound tightly by the hair.
"Well, now it's time for questions," Jiraiya said.
Hearing this, the young man immediately understood—Jiraiya had targeted him to get information about the organization. Realizing this, his eyes filled with resolve, and he tried to bite his tongue to kill himself, but Jiraiya's hair slipped into his mouth, preventing the attempt.
Seeing the man's intent to commit suicide, Jiraiya noticed the determination in his eyes. Realizing the man would rather die than reveal information, he thought, This could be troublesome. I'm not skilled in genjutsu. If torture won't work...
Scratching the back of his head, Jiraiya muttered, "Looks like I have no choice."
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Currently on Chapter 270 - The Bloom of the Final Flower