Konoha.
Hokage Office.
"Sarutobi Sensei, it's been a long time."
Jiraiya smiled at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hmm, you've been wandering outside for a long time this time. Do you want to return to Konoha?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
A few days ago, Jiraiya said he would return to Konoha in a few days because there were some things he wanted to understand.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had a bit of a headache with him wandering outside all these years.
Jiraiya, as a crucial combat force of Konoha, did not play a role in the Third Shinobi World War. If he weren't his disciple and he didn't know his temperament, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have wanted to arrest him as a rogue Ninja and bring him back to Konoha.
So, he hoped that Jiraiya, upon his return this time, would no longer wander outside.
"Sensei, I wasn't wandering. I was searching for the Child of Prophecy who would change the fate of the Ninja World's wars.
Only by finding him can the Ninja World avoid war."
Jiraiya scratched his head and smiled earnestly.
This reason was indeed a bit absurd.
"Is that so? I know you also published a series of books called Make-Out Paradise in the Land of Fire." Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
Jiraiya: "Ahaha, Sensei reads my works too? That's great!"
"Let's stop the small talk. I know your nature; you can't stay still.
What exactly brings you back this time?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi went straight to the point.
Hearing this, Jiraiya's playful smile faded, and he became serious.
"The Great Toad Sage predicted that there's a variable in the Child of Prophecy's trajectory.
I don't know yet if the person in my mind is truly the Child of Prophecy.
However, since the Great Toad Sage's prophecy has a variable,
something must have happened somewhere in the Ninja World,
So I need Sarutobi Sensei's help."
Jiraiya's purpose for returning this time was the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.
Although the Great Toad Sage said it wouldn't affect his search for the Child of Prophecy and would even help the Child of Prophecy, he was still uneasy.
Even if he ignored it, he couldn't remain completely ignorant.
And as the Hokage of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi had the most extensive intelligence network.
"Hmph, still fixated on the Child of Prophecy? You didn't even return for the Third Shinobi World War.
Don't you know how severe Konoha's losses were?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi snorted coldly.
His children had grown up and become independent.
Tsunade was, Orochimaru was, and Jiraiya was too.
"Forget it, let's not talk about that. The most abnormal thing in recent years is the appearance of a leader with the Rinnegan in the Hidden Rain Village.
He calls himself a god.
According to the historical records of the Land of Fire, the Rinnegan is the eye of the Six Paths Sage, who founded Ninshu in legend.
Other than that, there's probably an underground Akatsuki Organisation that has appeared in the surrounding smaller countries,
causing the missions issued by Konoha outside to gradually decrease.
You've been wandering outside for so many years; you should know something about it, right?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
In recent years, apart from the Nine-Tailed incident, Minato's death, and the Uchiha clan's annihilation, he hadn't felt any other abnormalities.
And Jiraiya knew all of these.
"Rinnegan?"
Jiraiya thought of those three children, one of whom had the Rinnegan.
Is he the leader of the Hidden Rain Village now?
Could he truly be the Child of Prophecy predicted by the Great Toad Sage?
The Great Toad Sage had said that every era in the Ninja World would see the emergence of a Child of Prophecy who would revolutionise the Ninja World. The First Hokage, who founded Konoha, was one of them.
And a person with the Rinnegan could indeed be the Child of Prophecy.
Perhaps he really could change destiny.
No, maybe not.
He couldn't just designate someone as the Child of Prophecy based on a pair of eyes; he still had to keep searching.
"That's right, this is intelligence from Konoha Jonin Satoru.
A few years ago, there was an unusual movement within the Hidden Rain Village.
I dispatched Anbu several times to infiltrate, but they all failed.
It wasn't until I sent the current Analysis Team leader, Satoru, that we gathered some intelligence on the Hidden Rain Village,
and he even fought the current leader of the Hidden Rain Village, who possesses the Rinnegan,
that man who calls himself a god."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
"The Akatsuki Organisation in the neighbouring small countries was also something he sensed beforehand,
and coupled with the gradual decrease in missions from small countries in recent years, Konoha finally took notice."
Satoru's reliability made Hiruzen Sarutobi very lenient with him.
Whether it was for rest, taking leave to be with his children, or applying for Ninjutsu, everything was given the green light.
Except when he boasted about how easy it was to raise children.
"Satoru?"
Jiraiya remembered the guy from earlier. Having that level of Genjutsu certainly made infiltration convenient.
But he didn't expect that the guy who disrupted his material collection actually could fight someone with the Rinnegan.
Could that guy with the Rinnegan be Nagato?
"Hmm, to be precise, he only set a trap and escaped.
The power of those eyes is indeed very strong."
Hiruzen Sarutobi recounted the details of Satoru's mission and the enemies encountered by the other members of his team.
Jiraiya was an important source of intelligence for Konoha, and he needed to know these things.
Moreover, Jiraiya was trustworthy.
Normally, he wouldn't disclose such matters.
"Then it seems Konoha has another exceptionally talented individual!"
Jiraiya recalled Nagato's appearance when he was learning Ninjutsu back then; that kind of talent was comparable to his Sensei Sarutobi's powerful Ninjutsu talent.
No matter what Ninjutsu he was taught, he could quickly grasp and master it.
Could the variable mentioned by the Great Toad Sage be Satoru?
Then he shook his head again. How could that be?
Satoru grew up in Konoha since childhood, and his growth trajectory was traceable.
It couldn't be the variable.
What exactly could it be?
And what was the purpose of the Akatsuki Organisation wandering through various countries?
Could it be the variable mentioned by the Great Toad Sage?
Orochimaru had already left the Akatsuki Organisation, so maybe there really was a variable after all.
…
Analysis Team.
"The world-renowned wealthy man Gato and another company engaged in mutual racketeering,
suffering heavy losses, but he still regained control of the Wave Country port."
Satoru looked at the intelligence in his hand.
A few years ago, after Gato took over the Hogoromo Clan, he expanded aggressively, and his shipping company took control of the Wave Country port.
As the aggrieved party, it was the interests of a company under the nobility of the Land of Hot Water.
Then they had another fight a few days ago.
"Immortal people, cults…"
The data showed that among the Ninja hired by the Land of Hot Water, there were immortals who could only be dealt with using sealing Ninjutsu.
The Ninja hired by Gato's side suffered heavy losses due to unknown intelligence.
Ultimately, by sacrificing many personnel, they managed to gather intelligence on the Land of Hot Water's side and then dealt with them specifically.
And this also caused Gato heavy losses.
The Land of Hot Water also temporarily ceased its actions due to excessive losses.
"The cult where Hidan is located!"
The Ninja forces in the Land of Hot Water, especially the cults, had very little intelligence.
Even Konoha didn't have much information in this regard.
It seems that Gato being easily cut down by Zabuza later was probably related to this series of events.
And Hidan might have emerged from the cult during this period.