Early morning.
Tsunade woke with a throbbing hangover headache. Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, stinging her eyes.
She sat up, rubbing her temples, and saw Shizune already fully dressed, standing by the bed with a worried look, holding a letter.
"Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama... he left this letter. He's already gone." Shizune handed over the letter.
Tsunade took it and skimmed it quickly. The letter didn't say much, just reiterated the danger of the Land of Stars and the necessity of the investigation, and told them to take care.
She crumpled the letter casually and tossed it aside.
"I know," She said, her voice hoarse, throwing off the covers and getting out of bed. "Shizune, pack our things. We're leaving too."
Shizune was stunned. "Leaving? Tsunade-sama, where are we going?"
"The Land of Stars." Tsunade walked to the table, picked up the half-finished gourd from last night, and took a swig, trying to suppress the headache.
"The Land of Stars?!" Shizune nearly jumped in shock. "But... Tsunade-sama! According to Jiraiya-sama, that Asura and his Star Ninjas are very dangerous! Why would we go there?"
Tsunade walked to the washbasin, splashing cold water on her face to clear her head. "No reason, really. Just heard some gamblers who travel all over chatting in the casino, saying the Land of Stars is filthy rich and incredibly prosperous these days. If it's that prosperous, the casinos must be huge. Might run into some new games, maybe my luck will turn."
She flicked the water off her hands, her tone casual.
Shizune held Tonton and looked at her helplessly. "Tsunade-sama... Do you even believe that reason yourself?"
Tsunade glared at Shizune through the mirror, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Enough talk! Hurry up and pack! One more word and I'll use your allowance for the month as gambling money too!"
Shizune immediately shut her mouth and resignedly began packing their bags.
She knew very well that once Tsunade made up her mind, especially when it involved gambling or alcohol, almost no one could change it.
And deep down, she also understood that Tsunade's decision to go to the Land of Stars wasn't just for gambling.
Tsunade didn't look at Shizune, just gazed out the window at the gradually bustling street, her voice lowering slightly. "Some things... you have to see with your own eyes."
She remembered Jiraiya mentioning the Uzumaki Clan last night.
'Grandma Mito's clansmen...'
If there really were survivors living in the Land of Stars, she couldn't just ignore it.
After all, she carried one-quarter Uzumaki blood herself.
Moreover, the drastic changes in Konoha, the defection of the Uchiha and Hyuga, filled her with doubts and an indescribable sense of pull.
…
The rain in Amegakure seemed endless.
Cold raindrops beat against the towering iron towers and crisscrossing pipes, creating a monotonous, oppressive hum, shrouding the entire village in a gray mist.
People hurried through the streets, most wrapped in dark raincoats, heads bowed as if trying to merge completely with the gloomy backdrop.
On the third floor of a dilapidated building near the village center, Menma stood behind a slightly ajar window, his gaze piercing through the rain, fixed on a rather modern-looking building across the street.
The glass curtain wall of that building was blurred by the rain. A metal sign at the entrance read [Regenerative Medical Technology Company]. Occasionally, people in white coats or suits entered and exited, standing out starkly against the surrounding decay.
His Mind's Eye of Kagura perception extended like invisible tendrils, meticulously scanning the building.
Its internal structure, personnel distribution, Chakra Fluctuations...
Everything slowly took shape in his perception.
Deep underground, he detected several abnormally weak Chakra Signatures, lacking the vitality of natural life, as if artificially cultivated, quite similar to the failed clones from Orochimaru's experiments in his memory.
Amidst these chaotic fluctuations, one Chakra Signature stood out as particularly calm and condensed, operating with the stable precision of a fine instrument, carrying an almost coldly rational aura.
"Amado..." Menma murmured to himself, almost certain this Chakra belonged to one of his targets.
The thought waves of this genius scientist were like a deep, still pond, difficult to fathom.
However, what concerned him more was that he didn't sense any Chakra that might belong to Jigen, or rather, the Otsutsuki.
'He's hiding well...' Menma frowned slightly. Among the people he had met, only the soul of Hamura contained Chakra closest to the Otsutsuki Clan, so he was searching based on that direction.
But Jigen, having lurked for a thousand years, his concealment ability must be beyond imagination. Perhaps he wasn't in the Land of Rain at the moment, or perhaps he was using some extremely special method to completely block his presence.
Just then, a soft but hesitant knock interrupted his thoughts.
Knock knock knock!
Menma's perception instantly retracted, focusing outside the door.
It was Ajisai.
She was holding a waterproof oil-paper package, standing alone in the corridor, her heartbeat slightly fast, filled with nervousness and a trace of inexplicable expectation.
Her Chakra was like a blade of grass struggling to grow in the rain.
Menma was somewhat surprised.
After the ramen shop yesterday, this kind-hearted yet stubborn young Kunoichi had finally revealed the name of this [Regenerative Medicine] company.
It was the largest company in the Land of Rain and the only one possibly involved in high-end biotechnology, with many collaborations with the Ninja under Hanzo's command in Amegakure.
After obtaining the information, Menma had rented this temporary base opposite and prepared to leave a shadow clone for long-term surveillance.
He hadn't troubled Ajisai at the time and let her go directly.
He hadn't expected her to seek him out on her own initiative today.
Menma walked over and opened the door.
Ajisai stood outside, the rain dampening her purple short hair, a few strands sticking to her smooth temples. Her distinctive training clothes were also slightly wet, making her figure appear even more slender.
Seeing Menma, she instinctively shrank her shoulders but still raised the oil-paper package in her hand. Her voice was somewhat timid but she tried to maintain composure. "That... about the ramen yesterday, thank you for treating me. This is... a return gift. I bought it from my favorite shop."
Menma leaned against the doorframe, one hand on his hip, a hint of playful smile on his face. "Oh? Just a return gift? Not sent by someone to monitor this suspicious character?"
Ajisai's cheeks flushed slightly, whether from anger or embarrassment. She puffed out her small chest, trying to make her voice sound more forceful. "J-Just monitoring you! To prevent you from doing bad things to the village!"
Menma chuckled softly and shook his head. "With you? A mere Genin? If a real fight broke out, you probably wouldn't even have the qualification to stand on the battlefield, kid."
His tone held a bit of teasing, but also stated a cruel fact.
Ajisai's eyes dimmed for a moment, but immediately ignited with stubborn fire. She clenched her fists. "Even... even so! I'll do my best to stop you!"
Gurgle-
Just then, a clear rumbling sound suddenly emanated from Menma's stomach, particularly loud in the quiet corridor.
Instantly, the slightly tense confrontational atmosphere vanished without a trace.
Ajisai was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but let out a 'pfft' laugh, quickly covering her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents.
Menma's expression also stiffened uncharacteristically, and he rubbed his nose somewhat awkwardly.
'This body's craving for good food always came at such inopportune times.'
He sighed and stepped aside. "Forget it... Since it's come to this, let's eat first."
Ajisai, as if pardoned, quickly slipped into the room.
The room was sparse, with only a table and two old chairs.
The two sat opposite each other, opening the still-steaming oil-paper package. The two bowls of ramen inside emitted a rich aroma, immediately dispelling the gloom of the rainy day.
Menma picked up his chopsticks and started eating heartily without ceremony.
Ajisai ate her noodles in small bites, sneaking glances at the mysterious boy across from her.
He ate with focus, even with a kind of pure enjoyment, completely different from the powerful, seemingly all-controlling aura he occasionally exuded.
She found it hard to categorize him as a 'bad person', yet everything he did was clearly dangerous and unknown.
This contradiction confused her greatly. She could only try to convince herself that she was here to monitor him and prevent him from endangering the village!
"You... why are you so determined to find that person named Amado?" Ajisai finally couldn't resist asking quietly.
Menma didn't look up. "Do you need a reason to find someone? Maybe he owes me money?"
He was making it up off the top of his head.
Ajisai clearly didn't believe him, muttering, "Liar..."
Menma smiled but didn't explain.
Some truths were better left unknown for a girl living at the bottom of Amegakure society, with a heart still so pure.
…
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Amegakure, in a river turned turbid and swift by the rain.
Splash-
A small, palm-sized, entirely green toad surfaced from the water, its mouth opening in a way that defied normal anatomy.
Next, an adult man's hand reached out from within, gripping the toad's jaw.
Then, Jiraiya's tall figure emerged as if from another dimension, landing wetly on the water's surface, standing steady.
He wore his red shortcoat, his white long hair soaked by the rain.
Wiping the water from his face, Jiraiya looked up at the village before him, shrouded by massive pipes and steel towers, appearing gloomy and cold in the rain.
"Amegakure... how many years has it been." Jiraiya murmured the name, his expression complex, filled with nostalgia, heaviness, and a trace of barely perceptible pain.
His thoughts involuntarily drifted back many years, to that war-torn era, when he met three helpless war orphans in the Land of Rain.
Yahiko's idealistic eyes and orange hair, Konan's quiet gentleness folding paper flowers, Nagato's red hair and the legendary Rinnegan yet introverted nature...
Their faces appeared clearly before him.
"Yahiko..." Jiraiya muttered to himself, then sighed heavily.
He had taught them Ninjutsu, hoping they could gain the power to protect themselves, and firmly believed Yahiko could bring change.
However, the later news was heartbreaking.
The Akatsuki seemed to have deviated from its original ideals, even becoming dangerous and mysterious.
He shook his head, dismissing the distracting thoughts.
Although his primary mission was to go to the Land of Stars to gather intelligence, since he was passing through the Land of Rain, and hearing that the Akatsuki in Amegakure had recruited many S-Rank Missing-Nin, even accepting someone like Itachi who slaughtered his own clan... he wanted to ask Yahiko and the others just what had happened?
Jiraiya took a deep breath of the damp, cold air, his figure merging into the rain like a ghost, stealthily making his way towards the village interior.
His infiltration skills were superb. After changing into an ordinary raincoat, he moved through the village, avoiding several patrols of Amegakure's Ninjas, carefully sensing and memorizing the Chakra distribution and defensive vulnerabilities within the village.
The rain continued to fall incessantly, as if trying to wash away all traces of the world, yet only adding new gloom.
…
"Burp! So full!"
Inside the temporary base in Amegakure, Menma and Ajisai had finished their ramen.
The sound of rain outside seemed to have lessened slightly, but the sky remained overcast.
Menma stood up and walked to the window, looking again at the [Regenerative Medicine] company across the street.
His Mind's Eye of Kagura perception was still continuously monitoring, but so far, he hadn't detected Amado leaving or any abnormalities with the people he contacted.
Ajisai silently cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks and also walked to the window. Following Menma's gaze, she couldn't help but ask, "You... are you really going to go in there? The security there is very tight, and... I've heard there are places even Ninja from our village aren't allowed to enter."
Menma didn't turn around, just said flatly, "There are very few places in this world that I cannot go."
His tone was calm, yet carried a certain confidence.
Ajisai opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately just lowered her head.
Just then, Menma's gaze suddenly sharpened slightly.
Within the range of his Mind's Eye of Kagura perception, a powerful Chakra Signature was sneaking into Amegakure in an extremely stealthy manner and was moving in this direction.
This Chakra was unrestrained yet carried a hint of righteousness, highly distinctive.
'This level of Chakra Volume is already Kage-level...' A flicker of surprise passed through Menma's eyes.
But it was coming from outside the village, and seemed to be avoiding the Amegakure's patrols.
Menma immediately suppressed all his own Chakra Fluctuations.
Simultaneously, he said in a low voice to Ajisai behind him, "Stay in the room. Don't make a sound, and don't use Chakra."
Although Ajisai didn't understand why, seeing Menma's suddenly serious expression, she instinctively nodded, holding her breath nervously.
Menma's perception firmly locked onto this Chakra Fluctuation.
He saw this mysterious infiltrator, like an experienced assassin, skillfully using the sound of rain and the shadows of buildings to avoid all patrols, heading straight for the village center… the direction of Hanzo's tower.
His target seemed very clear, not aimlessly investigating.
'Targeting Hanzo?' Menma wondered internally. 'But this Chakra doesn't feel like the Pain controlled by Nagato either...'
Menma calculated in his mind: 'Nagato, Konan, Obito, Zetsu, Amado, Jigen, and now a mysterious Kage-level infiltrator, Hanzo... your little Amegakure is truly full of talent!'