And just like that, the plan was set—Yoruha and Jiraiya's infiltration of the Hidden Rain Village was officially confirmed.
Yamanaka Inoichi still had his worries.
But Yoruha?
He was full of confidence.
Even though the Rinnegan's abilities were wide-ranging and terrifying, Yoruha understood Nagato's limitations. In his own territory, Nagato wouldn't risk using large-scale destruction techniques. The greatest danger came from shared vision and the deceptive nature of the Rinnegan's powers.
As long as he warned Jiraiya ahead of time, they should be fine.
Two days later.
Yoruha and Jiraiya crossed the border into the Land of Rain.
As its name suggested, the place was drenched in constant rainfall. The air smelled faintly of wet stone and mist. Every building was equipped with rain gutters and drainage systems. All of it funneled into a massive inland sea behind the Hidden Rain Village.
"Man... living in a place like this for long might actually drive someone insane," Yoruha muttered, watching the endless drizzle. "Sure, it's kinda relaxing at first… but nonstop? That's just depressing."
"It's why I worry Akatsuki's twisted like they are," Jiraiya replied grimly. "Imagine growing up in this kind of environment. Isolation, constant gloom… If someone with power went down a dark path here, they'd become dangerous."
The two found a small inn tucked into the edge of the town and checked in under fake names. Neither wore a forehead protector, but the moment they crossed into the Land of Rain, they'd felt it—eyes watching.
Scouts.
Trackers.
It was like stepping into a spider's web.
"This place still gives me the creeps," Jiraiya muttered as they sat in the dimly lit hotel dining room. He ordered some wine and simple dishes—they had no interest in going out in this kind of weather.
"Hey, boss," Yoruha called to the innkeeper delivering their meal. "Running a place in the Rain Country… must be hard, huh?"
The innkeeper sighed heavily.
"Yeah, you could say that. The ninja from the village watch merchants like hawks. No one feels safe doing business here. Over time, everyone started avoiding this place altogether. Even if it means taking the long road around the country, they'll do it."
He paused, then added with bitterness, "We're too small to survive without trade. We can't sustain ourselves just on local goods. But we also can't leave—not unless we want our whole family executed."
That hit hard.
No escape.
No freedom.
Just rain and silence and fear.
"Yeah," Yoruha nodded thoughtfully. "Some friends of ours told us we should go around via the southern Kawasaki region. Guess we were too green to listen."
The boss shook his head.
"If the 'angel' from the ninja village hadn't started giving us living stipends every month, we'd probably have starved by now."
Yoruha raised an eyebrow.
"'Angel'? Who's that? Some new village leader? What's their relation to Hanzo?"
The innkeeper's face immediately changed.
He stepped back, frowning. "Ah, I've said too much already. You're just passing merchants, right? Then eat, rest, and be on your way by morning. That's my advice."
Curiosity was dangerous in the Rain Country.
Civilians were treated like weeds.
Speak too freely, and you might vanish overnight.
After the boss left, Yoruha and Jiraiya sat in silence for a while, sipping hot sake.
Rain tapped gently on the windows.
"…What a miserable place," Jiraiya said at last. "It's sad, really. We won the Second Great Ninja War but failed to liberate the Rain Country. Maybe if we had, things would be better for these people."
"Oh please," Yoruha rolled his eyes. "You're not the messiah, Jiraiya. Focus on the mission."
The world was already on the brink of collapse.
Patchwork repairs wouldn't fix it.
A total reshuffling was the only solution.
"Alright then," Jiraiya said, rubbing his chin. "We've been tailed since we got here. What say we leave some shadow clones and sneak out with your Flying Thunder God? We'll grab a few of those stalkers and see what they know."
"Sounds good."
They left their clones in the inn, then slipped into a back alley.
With a flicker of chakra and a flash of light, Yoruha teleported them out using the Flying Thunder God seal.
A moment later—
They had two Rain ninja pinned to a wall.
"You sure this toad house of yours is secure?" Yoruha asked.
"Relax. It's a space-time summoning technique. From the outside, it just looks like a regular toad," Jiraiya said proudly. "Toad Sage stuff is legit, you know."
The two Rain ninja struggled.
"Who the hell are you? You dare lay hands on us? Do you know where you are?!"
"Yeah! Let us go! Or the Angel will pass judgment on you!"
Jiraiya walked over slowly, hands behind his back.
"Hmm… judging by your reaction, you two are probably just entry-level operatives. Not much use."
He pulled something from his sleeve—a feather laced with a faint trace of women's perfume.
The Rain ninja's eyes widened.
"What… what are you doing?!"
As grown men, they immediately understood what this perverted old man was planning.
"If you won't talk, I'll just have to tickle it out of you."
Jiraiya grinned wickedly.
He yanked one guy's cloak open and started viciously tickling his underarms with the feather.
Five minutes later…
"PLEASE! Stop! I'm begging you! I can't take it anymore!"
"Don't you dare break! That man is a god! You can't betray him!"
"But it's too much! I can't breathe!"
"Hold on! Stay strong!"
"Damn it! You try it! This old man's technique is brutal! I'm cracking up!"
Even Yoruha looked away, fighting the urge to cringe.
Sannin-tier interrogation, huh?
Jiraiya sure had his own methods.
And unfortunately… they worked.