A few days earlier, somewhere in the Land of Rice Fields.
Jiraiya was quietly making his way through this small, obscure country, accompanied by Konan and Yahiko.
Their goal was clear, find Nagato.
Ever since the war had completely ended, he had taken the initiative to temporarily leave Konoha to search for information about Nagato's whereabouts.
The very first thing he'd done was head to the Land of Rain to confirm Konan and Yahiko's safety.
After all, during that confrontation in the Land of Grass with that Rinnegan clone impersonating Nagato, the way the opponent had mentioned Konan and Yahiko had left him deeply unsettled.
Fortunately, not long after entering the Land of Rain, he was able to gather intel about Yahiko and Konan in a village.
Turned out they'd founded a charitable organization called Akatsuki ages ago, bearing a lofty dream of achieving peace in the shinobi world. The discovery had filled him with great relief.
After reaching out to them personally and learning how Nagato had been abducted, the three quickly came to an agreement. The Jiraiya squad was temporarily assembled, with only one goal, bring back their missing member.
Unfortunately, after setting out from the Land of Rain and heading east, traversing multiple countries and visiting countless villages and towns, they were still unable to find any valuable information about Nagato.
On this particular day, they arrived at a somewhat prosperous town in the Land of Rice Fields.
Konan and Jiraiya had already gone out to gather intelligence, while Yahiko, as usual, used a summoning technique to maintain regular contact with their Akatsuki comrades back in Ame.
But this time, the result of the communication left him utterly shocked.
For some reason, Hanzō had been deceived by a missing-nin from Taki, and was preparing to help him cause trouble.
Seeing this message written on the slip of paper, Yahiko even doubted his own eyes.
When did Hanzō become so kind-hearted?
Wait, that wasn't right. he hurriedly shook his head, forcing away the strange thoughts. This was no time for jokes.
If Hanzō was helping a missing-nin like this, it definitely meant he had some serious ulterior motive. It might even escalate into a localized war between the Lands of Rain and Waterfalls.
"I've got to tell Jiraiya-sensei right away and figure out what we should do."
Muttering to himself, he immediately stood up to head into town and search for Jiraiya and Konan.
---
Meanwhile, in another part of town, Jiraiya and Konan were busy investigating information about Nagato.
Walking ahead, Konan carefully observed her surroundings and whispered, "Looks like there's nothing useful in this area. Let's check the west side next."
However, several seconds passed with no reply.
Puzzled, she turned her head, only to witness an utterly ridiculous sight.
Jiraiya was leaning forward dramatically, eyes sparkling like a kid in a candy store, staring intently at a voluptuous blonde woman in a revealing outfit on the street corner.
A bad feeling instantly welled up in her chest. He wasn't about to...
"Hey, Konan, we've been walking for so long, we should take a break. That tavern over there looks perfect."
Even as he spoke, Jiraiya had already started walking toward it, as if drawn by an invisible force he had absolutely no intention of resisting.
"I knew it."
Konan rubbed her forehead helplessly. She'd already encountered this situation countless times while traveling with him.
She'd once tried to correct Jiraiya's bad habits, but clearly, her efforts hadn't just had little effect, they'd been completely pointless.
Sure enough, before she could refuse, he was already being beckoned inside by that blonde woman's finger curl, heading straight into the tavern.
Konan had no choice but to follow him into the rather questionable establishment.
Inside, the atmosphere was lively and rowdy. The moment Jiraiya stepped through the door, it was as if he'd entered his personal paradise.
Like a regular patron, he picked a booth, ordered sake, and began chatting enthusiastically with the woman.
"Could you please take this more seriously? We still have an important mission," Konan said, sitting beside him and trying to remind him of their purpose.
"Ah, missions are important, of course, but a little relaxation is necessary too," Jiraiya said this while pouring a drink for the blonde with exaggerated gallantry, like some kind of discount Romeo.
Konan sighed. She knew that once he got into this state, there was no pulling him back to focus on the task at hand.
She planned to sit across from him patiently until he was done with his nonsense, but things didn't go as she wished.
Apparently thinking Konan was too uptight, Jiraiya slipped his arm around the blonde's waist and whispered something into her ear that made the woman giggle.
After receiving a reply, Jiraiya beamed at Konan across the table.
"Konan, you really should learn how to relax sometimes. Don't always put so much pressure on yourself."
Konan shot him a glare. "If you could go back to being the steady, reliable teacher you were when you trained us, I'm sure I'd be a lot more relaxed."
Hearing the nostalgia in her voice, Jiraiya suddenly felt a bit guilty. After all, back then he hadn't exactly been any less of a lecher. He'd just been better at hiding it from his students.
"Ahem..."
He cleared his throat, trying to cover his embarrassment.
Then, a sly smile, he suggested, "This place also has male hosts who pour drinks, you know. All completely legitimate service. Want to give it a try? Don't worry, your tab goes on me."
---
Moments later, Konan, now draped in a black cloak, hurried briskly down the street.
"Honestly, he is just too disappointing."
Going into that kind of place right in front of her was bad enough, but recommending their services to his own female student? The man was scum of the highest order.
She had made up her mind: at least while they were in the Land of Rice Fields, she would not travel alone with Jiraiya anymore. He could chase his own damn skirts.
"Konan!"
Just then, Yahiko, who had been searching for them, spotted her on the street. He called out and quickly approached.
"Hey, I figured you two would be searching around here. By the way, where's Jiraiya-sensei? Did you split up?" Yahiko asked.
Konan let out a cold laugh that could've frozen water.
"Uh... sounds like he did something inappropriate again..."
Yahiko could feel the dangerous aura radiating off her. Knowing Jiraiya's personality, it didn't take much effort to guess what had happened.
It was nothing new, Jiraiya's true nature had just slipped out again. As a man, he could understand the appeal, and normally he would have tried to smooth things over, say a few good words for their teacher, and help Konan calm down. Then they'd wait for Jiraiya to finish his "research" and regroup later.
But this time, the situation was different. He had no choice but to interrupt Jiraiya's fun.
Sorry, he apologized silently in his heart. Then he relayed all the intelligence he'd just received from their Akatsuki comrades in Ame to Konan.
"Something like this actually happened? How could Hanzō be deceived so easily?" Konan said in disbelief.
Clearly, the contents of the intelligence had shocked her just as much.
Yahiko patted her lightly on the shoulder and said seriously, "Either way, this is a serious matter. We need to find Jiraiya-sensei first and hear what he thinks about all this."
Konan nodded. Although she still felt pissed about Jiraiya's earlier behavior, she knew this wasn't the time to dwell on such things.
"Alright, let's go find him," Konan said decisively.
This was too important to let personal feelings get in the way. She immediately set aside the incident of Jiraiya trying to pimp her out to male escorts, and swiftly led Yahiko back to that shady tavern.
---
Meanwhile, Jiraiya was sitting at the counter, holding a sake cup in his hand.
In his arms, on both sides, leaned two scantily clad hostesses, gazing up at him.
"Jiraiya-sama, the stories you tell are simply wonderful. I want to hear more about your travels across the shinobi world," the blonde woman on his left said coyly, running her fingers along his arm.
"Yes, yes. You must have experienced so many thrilling adventures," the black-haired woman on his right added playfully.
"You two really leave me no choice."
Jiraiya shook his head with a smile that was way too pleased with itself, taking a sip of sake.
"I have been betrayed three times in my life. The first was when... hmm? Konan? Why are you back? And Yahiko too."
His eyes widened slightly. Had Yahiko come to settle accounts with him for arranging that male escort service for Konan?
But Yahiko didn't know what Jiraiya was secretly worrying about. Instead, he looked at him seriously and said, "We have a situation."
Jiraiya's demeanor shifted in an instant.
"My apologies, lovely ladies. It seems I won't have the chance to tell you the tale of the Reverse Summoning Hidden Tears today."
At his words, the blonde girl chuckled behind her hand. "Oh, that's fine. As long as you pay up, Jiraiya-sama. Ah, I mean, as long as you remember me and come back, of course."
Her slip was so obvious even Jiraiya caught it, but he just laughed it off and tossed some bills on the counter before following his students out.
---
Inside a room at the inn, Jiraiya, Konan, and Yahiko sat around a square table. On the table lay the intelligence just delivered from Ame.
"What do you think?" Yahiko asked urgently.
Jiraiya didn't answer right away. He narrowed his eyes slightly, thought for a moment, then countered with a question.
"You should know Hanzō fairly well. What do you think his dream was?"
"Huh?" Yahiko hadn't expected Jiraiya to ask that. He froze, then thought carefully, trying to remember everything he knew about the legendary ninja.
"Hanzō wished for the Land of Rain to be at peace forever, no longer a battlefield for the great nations."
That was Yahiko's answer.
"Exactly," Jiraiya affirmed, nodding slowly.
"He truly did pursue that once. But he failed. Ame was simply too weak. He couldn't change the fate of the Land of Rain by himself."
He paused, his gaze distant, as if watching memories play out before his eyes.
"Hanzō's failure wasn't due to lack of ability, but because the nation itself lacked the strength to sustain his ideals. The infrastructure, the resources, the political backing, none of it was there."
"Caught between the great powers, the Land of Rain was always tossed about like a leaf in a storm. Hanzō's efforts, in the end, were like trying to bail out a sinking ship with a cup."
Yahiko listened quietly, feeling a bit of sympathy for Hanzō's situation. He'd never really thought about it from that perspective before.
Konan frowned. "But what does that have to do with him attacking Taki? Even if he defeats another small nation, what benefit would that actually bring him?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "You're too young to know his past. Back during the Second Great Ninja War... At that time, Hanzō believed his strength was unmatched in the shinobi world. He actually declared war on almost every neighboring country, including the three great nations of Fire, Wind, and Earth. All at once."
"At first, nobody in the shinobi world took him seriously. They thought it was just bluster from some warlord having a midlife crisis. But when he single-handedly led his forces to defeat the Land of Iron, everything changed. People started paying attention real quick."
Yahiko and Konan listened intently. The atmosphere in the room seemed to carry them back to those days in the Land of Rain, when they'd huddled together as orphans while Jiraiya told them stories to distract from the cold and hunger.
Back then, the three of them had looked toward the future with hope and longing. Life had been hard as hell, but their companionship made it bearable.
Yet now, Nagato's absence was like a missing tooth, constantly noticeable, constantly painful.
Jiraiya's deep voice continued, pulling them back to the present.
"The Land of Iron's defeat fueled Hanzō's ambition even more. He turned his sights on the Land of Waterfalls next. Though it was small, Taki had something only the great nations possessed."
At this, Yahiko and Konan blurted out together: "A tailed beast?!"
"Exactly." Jiraiya nodded, looking impressed they'd figured it out. "Back then, Ame, with Hanzō's strength backing it, already had a clear advantage over the smaller villages. Naturally, he wanted status to match his power. And the tailed beasts, known as natural disasters and symbols of national strength, became his target."
"By that point, the great nations finally realized the danger. They weren't about to let some upstart minor nation start collecting tailed beasts. They dispatched their ninja forces and stopped Hanzō's plan to invade Taki before it could really get rolling."
Jiraiya sighed.
"But that's all ancient history now. I just didn't expect that even after growing so old, that stubborn bastard Hanzō would still covet Taki's tailed beast. Honestly, why can't he just retire peacefully like my old teacher and spend his days writing bad poetry or something?"