The three traveled unimpeded through the Land of Rain.
After breaching the Land of Rain's defenses, almost no one paid attention to their presence; to outsiders, the three were just passersby.
Of course, this was provided they didn't get involved in any troublesome incidents.
If they encountered Amegakure Ninja, they still had to actively avoid them.
However, Amegakure Ninja operating within the Land of Rain usually interacted with local forces, not because a battle had broken out somewhere.
At their current speed, they would be able to leave the Land of Rain and enter the Land of Grass in about one more day.
However, before leaving the Land of Rain, as they passed a lake, the three were drawn by sudden activity on the water in the distance.
It seemed someone was fighting.
Even Sasori and Yubi could clearly sense the fluctuation of Chakra.
"Hmm?"
"Someone is sparring..."
The three had varying expressions.
Arai, in particular, looked serious.
Because the energy intensity of this Chakra... was not something an ordinary Ninja could unleash.
Even without witnessing it firsthand, they could imagine how astonishing the form and power of the Ninjutsu must be.
Soon after, they appeared in the jungle along the shore, looking out at the lake surface churning with rolling white steam.
It was water vapor evaporated by high temperatures... There weren't as many people as they imagined; only two were fighting.
To the left was a man with long white hair, wearing wooden clogs, and dressed strangely... Standing opposite him in the lake water was a graceful girl with very resolute eyes.
She looked about the same age as Yubi and Sasori.
"Fire Release, huh..."
Arai stared at the signs of battle on the lake, guessing.
At this moment, it was still raining; since they entered the Land of Rain, they had barely seen a clear sky... Even without rain, the sky was always gloomy.
Given such a large area of steam, one could imagine how powerful the Fire Release Ninjutsu had to be to cause this phenomenon.
However, all three could tell that the man and the girl were not truly fighting to kill, but merely sparring.
To put it more plainly, the man was using actual combat to guide the other person's training.
It was similar to when Arai advised Yubi.
But the scale of the scene was much greater.
At this moment, the girl was breathing heavily and stepping on the water splashes, ready to launch a new round of offense against the white-haired man. As she charged toward her opponent, she began forming hand signs, and pieces of folded paper rotated around her like projectiles, shooting towards the man.
But they did not hit the target.
Her peculiar Ninjutsu couldn't help but feel novel.
Just as Sasori and Arai were still observing, Yubi's expression changed.
When he saw the white-haired man's back, a sense of familiarity inexplicably arose in his heart. In the entire Ninja World, there was only one person with that distinct appearance and clothing—it was too obvious!
Furthermore, the girl in the lake also possessed a unique Ninjutsu that manipulated paper... This allowed Yubi to recognize their identities the moment he saw them.
One of the Konohas Three Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya.
And Konan, the future elder of the Akatsuki Organization!
"It's them!"
Yubi's breath hitched.
Although they rarely encountered trouble while traveling through the Land of Rain.
But to avoid certain situations, Arai had chosen a relatively secretive and remote route... far from towns or main roads.
But he never expected that, by a strange coincidence, they would run into these two plot characters.
"Judging by the power of her Ninjutsu and her hand sign speed... her current level isn't high. She probably hasn't been training with Jiraiya for very long."
"It should be the second year... By next year, the 42nd year of the Hokage Era, the three of them will formally conclude their three years of study and training under Jiraiya."
Yubi subconsciously recalled the plot.
"That back view... looks a bit familiar."
Arai, standing on the tree trunk, frowned.
He seemed to be contemplating the person's identity.
Jiraiya's appearance was simply too striking... Furthermore, Sunagakure and Konoha were old rivals with deep grudges, and to a certain extent, they were all familiar with the key figures within each other's Villages, let alone the 'Konohas Three Legendary Sannin' who had become famous because of this Ninja World War.
Leaving aside the 'title' received from Hanzou, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru... any one of these three, judged solely on their achievements during this Ninja World War, was incredibly dazzling.
The reason Arai didn't immediately recall who he was... was because he hadn't expected Jiraiya to be in the Land of Rain.
"Jiraiya."
Sasori, standing nearby, said the name.
At this moment, Sasori's eyes were already wrong... and he released killing intent.
His hatred for Konoha... was not insignificant.
And just before Sasori revealed the identity of the opponent, Jiraiya, having dodged Konan's Ninjutsu attack on the lake, had already put away his fighting stance, standing still in the water, turning his head slightly, and glancing out of the corner of his eye toward the spot where the three were hiding on the shore.
Clearly, he had noticed the three approaching a long time ago.
Upon hearing the name Jiraiya, Yubi could clearly sense Arai's entire body instantly tense up.
Even his breathing slowed by half a beat.
Whoosh.
With almost no hesitation, he instinctively grabbed Yubi and Sasori with both hands and swiftly retreated, like a startled cat.
It was as if he used all his strength.
That's right... the name alone was enough to scare Arai away.
He had no choice but to run... Although Sunagakure and Konoha had largely ceased fighting and extinguished the flames of war, they were still adversaries. Jiraiya might still attack them, even if he didn't realize they were Sunagakure Ninja... Such a monster, famous throughout the entire Ninja World, was not someone to casually provoke.
Arai understood this very well.
None of the people who achieved such feats on the battlefield were simple.
Moreover, he was accompanied by the 'future' of the Village... He dared not take risks.
Even if it meant being scared away by a single glance from the opponent, looking somewhat pathetic.
Swish, swish, swish... Arai, carrying Yubi and Sasori, moved incredibly fast, darting wildly through the forest without looking back even once. Even after putting some distance between them, he didn't intend to put the two brats down, nor did his speed decrease in the slightest... "Teacher..."
On the other side, on the lake, Konan saw Jiraiya suddenly stop, seeming to have noticed something, and asked hesitantly, "What is it?"
"Three people... are they Amegakure Ninja..."
Jiraiya thought to himself.
If he was discovered by Amegakure Ninja, there would still be some trouble.
He was mainly afraid of involving Konan and the other two.
Fortunately, this wasn't their hiding place, or 'home'... it was just a training ground.
Hearing Konan's voice, Jiraiya immediately dropped his serious expression, scratched his head, and laughed loudly, "It's nothing... Haha, I got a little distracted. I was just thinking about what we should eat tonight..."
"..."
Konan smiled slightly, wisely choosing not to question him.
Although she felt that Teacher Jiraiya... was sometimes baffling and very strange.
But that didn't stop her from liking this Teacher... he was very kind.
He was her family.
Jiraiya said, "Let's continue..."
"Mhm."
Konan... Arai ran for almost a quarter of an hour before finally putting Sasori and Yubi down, ensuring that Jiraiya had not pursued them.
"Let's go, we're changing routes."
Arai swallowed his saliva.
Clearly, he was feeling some lingering fear.
Jiraiya had detected them, but he hadn't made a move.
That was a blessing.
"Why is he in the Land of Rain?"
The three set off again, and Sasori suddenly asked the question.
While Sasori hated Konoha, he also understood that the three of them alone... simply couldn't handle Jiraiya.
"I don't know... Among the current Konohas Three Legendary Sannin, aside from Orochimaru, he and Tsunade have withdrawn from the main battlefield and rarely show themselves."
Arai was also a bit confused. "Also... who is that girl? She looks like Jiraiya's disciple... She should be from the Land of Rain, not Konoha."
"This intelligence must be sent back to the Village. Even if we can't use it, giving Iwagakure or Kumogakure a hint, or simply letting Hanzou know about this... would be enough."
Although the major Ninja Villages constantly fought among themselves, there was an underlying tacit understanding: none of them wanted Konoha to prosper.
"The butterfly effect, huh... Sasori and Konan met early."
Yubi, meanwhile, was thinking about something else.
He muttered inwardly.
Konan was the one who approached Sasori and extended the invitation for him to join the Akatsuki Organization...