Yahiko pressed his lips together tightly, and spoke slowly, "If what you said is true, Hanzō's goal is to seize Taki's tailed beast... then if he really succeeds..."
"The other great nations will inevitably launch war against Ame once again!" Konan picked up where Yahiko left off.
Jiraiya shook off the look of nostalgia that had surfaced while recalling the past. He planted his hands on his knees, suddenly stood up, and his expression turned serious.
"Yahiko! Konan!"
"If this matter isn't handled properly, it could very well spark the Fourth Great Ninja War. Looks like we'll have to temporarily set aside our mission of searching for Nagato. I'm sorry."
Though there was a trace of helplessness in his voice, there was far more resolve.
Yahiko responded immediately, "Please don't apologize, Jiraiya-sensei. Konan, Nagato, and I created Akatsuki with the intention of contributing our strength to peace in this world."
Konan nodded in agreement. "That's right. If Nagato knew that we gave up the chance to prevent the seeds of war just because we were searching for him, he certainly wouldn't be happy."
Looking at the two former students before him, Jiraiya felt deeply gratified.
He recalled the days of teaching them in the Land of Rain, when they were still only orphans, but already had seeds of longing for peace planted in their hearts.
Now, that longing had grown into a mighty force.
As long as this yearning for peace can spread from a few to many, a world without war will surely come to pass, he thought silently to himself.
He took a deep breath and declared loudly: "Alright! Jiraiya Squad, gear up and move out! Destination, Taki!"
"Um, sensei, I have a question." Yahiko suddenly spoke up hesitantly in a low voice.
"What is it?" Jiraiya looked at him.
"The three of us... can we really defeat Hanzō?" Yahiko finally voiced the worry in his heart.
Although it might sound disrespectful, he remembered well that Jiraiya and the others had only earned the title of the "Legendary Sannin" after losing to Hanzō back then.
Jiraiya froze for a moment, then broke into a confident smile.
"Yahiko, remember this; battles between shinobi aren't just contests of strength, but also of wits. We may not surpass him in raw power, but we have our own advantages."
Konan tilted her head, puzzled, "We? What advantages?"
"Hehehe, of course..."
As he spoke, Jiraiya pulled a scroll out from behind him, held it up high, and announced proudly:
"Ta-da! This is the strongest summoning scroll in the shinobi world!"
Yahiko and Konan instantly had question marks over their heads.
Jiraiya carefully tucked the scroll away again, and said, "You must have heard of the the Leaf's Gale right?"
Though phrased as a question, his tone was certain. After all, who among the ninjas who had lived through the Third Great Ninja War wouldn't know that name?
"You mean the hero who settled three battlefields single-handedly? You actually know him!" Konan's eyes widened in astonishment.
Seeing this, Jiraiya sighed helplessly. "Hey now, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about your dear teacher? I'm one of the Sannin, I'm that kid's senpai, you know."
"But still, since you are his senpai, at least try to act like one, okay? For starters, maybe stop going to those... indecent places."
"Konan, now you're wrong there." Jiraiya retorted. "Those girls are all hardworking, just trying to make a living. I won't allow you to talk about them like that."
As their conversation veered further off track, Yahiko quickly tried to mediate.
"Alright, you two, let's stop this for now. What matters most right now is Taki."
Not wanting to dwell on the matter, he changed the subject, pointing to the scroll Jiraiya had just displayed.
"Sensei, do you mean that with this scroll, we can contact him?"
"Something like that."
Hearing his confirmation, Yahiko felt reassured. No wonder Jiraiya was so confident, he had a powerful ally on his side.
"Then shouldn't we contact him now? That way we can depart at the same time and meet up directly in Taki, which would save us time."
Normally, Yahiko's suggestion would be quite reasonable. But prodigies are often beyond the reach of common sense.
Jiraiya, after all, knew that with the tailed beast chakra inside Ryouma, he could instantly reach their location if needed. But there was no need to explain that to them. So he just laughed it off and said, "You don't need to worry about that. Besides, have a little faith in me, will you? Everyone has their moment of glory, and I am much stronger now than I ever was back in the Land of Rain."
"Yes, we believe in you."
Yahiko's eyes were full of admiration for his mentor.
---
In the Land of Waterfalls, before the great waterfall of Taki, Konan stood before the magnificent falls, looking troubled.
"So this is Taki? Could it be hidden away with some kind of jutsu?"
Jiraiya smiled faintly and explained, "It's not a jutsu. Taki is a village concealed within the waterfall itself. You need to pass through a special passage to enter."
With that, Jiraiya quickly bit his finger, formed hand seals, and slapped his palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a puff of smoke, a small toad wearing a safety helmet appeared before the three of them.
"Yo, long time no see, Jiraiya."
"It really has been a while."
"So, you've summoned me to scout out an entrance again, haven't you?"
"Exactly. I need your help." Jiraiya pointed toward the waterfall. "There should be a passage behind it leading inside. Please find it for us."
"Got it, leave it to me!"
The toad answered confidently, then hopped and splashed its way toward the waterfall.
Yahiko frowned suspiciously as he watched the little toad. "Is it really up to the task? Just looking at its size, I doubt it could even swim against the waterfall."
Jiraiya gave Yahiko a smile. "Don't underestimate it. That toad can find the way back to Mount Myōboku from anywhere in the shinobi world."
"Uh..."
Yahiko was speechless at his teacher's proud expression.
They sat patiently by the lake beneath the waterfall, waiting.
About an hour later, the toad, still wearing its safety helmet, hopped out of the lake onto the shore. It waved at them, signaling to follow.
"It actually came back?" Yahiko widened his eyes in surprise.
This small, unimpressive-looking toad had truly found the secret passage to Taki. Clearly, his own training wasn't complete yet, he had made the mistake of judging a toad by its appearance.
"Let's go." Jiraiya stood up, patting the dust off himself.
The three of them followed the toad, stepping onto a winding trail hidden among the dense jungle and jagged rocks.
Before long, they passed through the water curtain of the falls.
Behind the waterfall was a massive cavern, its entrance perfectly concealed by the falling water, like a natural barrier set by nature itself.
Thanks to several hidden air vents, the cave air was fresh and moist, carrying faint scents of soil and vegetation. The ceiling soared overhead, and moss and vines spread across the rock walls.
The cave wasn't very deep. After only a short distance, Konan pointed ahead. "There's no path left up ahead."
At the very end of the cave, several pools of water lay scattered. Their dark surfaces shimmered faintly under the dim light.
The toad carefully surveyed its surroundings, then fixed its gaze on one of the circular pools. It stretched out its webbed forepaw, pointing firmly at it. "This pool is the passage into Taki."
Jiraiya looked at the toad with satisfaction and nodded. "Good. Well done. Go back and rest."
The toad adjusted its slightly crooked safety helmet, croaked a few times in reply, then released the summoning technique of its own accord.
With a puff of smoke, its figure vanished on the spot, returning to Mount Myōboku.
Jiraiya turned toward the pool the toad had pointed out. Instead of diving in recklessly, he once again bit his finger, formed hand seals, and performed the Summoning Technique.
This time, what appeared was another small toad, with blue skin.
"Yo, long time no see." Jiraiya greeted it warmly.
"Oh, Jiraiya! Since the war ended, you haven't come back to Mount Myōboku for ages," the toad replied. It had unique powers: the ability to transform into various buildings, trapping any ninja who entered inside its stomach's storage space. This skill was useful not only for luring enemies but also for sneaking Jiraiya into places protected by impenetrable sensory barriers.
Jiraiya beckoned to Konan and Yahiko to come closer.
"Swallow us into your belly, then slip through this pool to the other side." he instructed in a low voice.
"I understand."
The toad nodded, suddenly enlarged itself, and opened its mouth wide, swallowing Jiraiya, Konan, and Yahiko all at once.
Immediately after, its body shrank back to normal size.
With a few gurgling croaks, it leapt into the pool and disappeared beneath the water.
The waterway wasn't long. Within just a few minutes, the toad carried Jiraiya's team in its belly to another exit.
It surfaced slowly from a vast underground lake, its wide, innocent-looking eyes flashing with caution as it carefully scanned its surroundings.
Clearly, this was a giant cavern shaped entirely by natural forces.
The underground lake was deep and crystal clear.
At the center of the lake stood a small island. Upon it lay their target, Taki.
At the heart of the island towered an immense tree, so tall its crown touched the cavern's roof. Its massive branches stretched out like arms, covering nearly every corner of the underground expanse.
Following Jiraiya's instructions, the toad swam toward a patch of thick watergrass by the shore.
Once there, it carefully released the three from its belly.
Yahiko and Konan stood firmly on the grass, savoring the long-lost sensation of solid ground. Truth be told, standing on the toad's soft stomach lining earlier hadn't exactly been comfortable.
"Thanks. You can return now."
"Goodbye, Jiraiya. Do come back to Mount Myōboku more often. The Great Toad Sage seems to have a new prophecy again," the toad replied softly.
"A new prophecy? Alright, I'll remember that."
Jiraiya was curious, but now was not the time, he had more pressing matters.
After sending off the toad, Yahiko asked, "What should we do next? Continue sneaking in?"
Konan gazed at the distant village and said softly, "That might be difficult. Other than that big tree, there's barely any cover here."
"Hey, hey, you two."
Jiraiya interrupted, shaking his head helplessly.
"We're here to help Taki. We can just walk in openly, they'll even thank us."
"But... will they really believe strangers who suddenly show up here?"
Konan's intuition told her things wouldn't be as simple as her teacher made it sound.
"Don't worry. Don't forget, I am one of the Sannin, Jiraiya the Gallant. With my reputation, Taki will definitely give me face."
Jiraiya thumped his chest proudly.
Before his words had even finished, he was already striding boldly out of the watergrass patch toward the primitive-looking village in the island's center.
Yahiko gently patted Konan's shoulder and reassured her in a low voice, "Don't worry. Even though sensei usually acts careless, in critical times he can be very reliable."
"...I hope so."
Konan sighed softly, exchanged a glance with Yahiko, and the two followed Jiraiya's lead.
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