Deep within Amegakure, inside a secret base hidden in the core area of a massive drainage pipe system.
The place was damp and dark, illuminated only by a few dim yellow lights that cast flickering reflections on the twisted metal walls and the water puddles on the floor.
In the center of the spacious hall, the body of Yahiko, transformed into the Deva Path Pain, stood with the Rinnegan in its eyes emitting cold, purple ripples. It stared expressionlessly at Orochimaru, who had just officially joined the organization.
Konan stood quietly to the side.
"From today, you are [Three] of the Akatsuki." Pain's cold voice echoed in the cavernous underground space. He extended a hand, offering a ring engraved with the character for [Three] to Orochimaru.
Due to Menma's interference, Orochimaru's joining of the Akatsuki was much later than in the original timeline. Thus, the code name [Void], which might have belonged to him, had already been bestowed upon another member by Nagato.
Orochimaru reached out with his pale, stitched hand and took the ring, a symbol of identity and bondage. His golden serpentine eyes gleamed with an inscrutable light.
He put it on his finger, feeling its cool touch.
"Regarding your partner," Pain continued in his monotone, "You will form a team with [Jewel], Sasori of the Red Sand."
"Sasori of the Red Sand?" Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed slightly, showing a flicker of interest. "That genius puppeteer from Sunagakure? Heh. To think he disappeared over a decade ago, even the Third Kazekage's disappearance is related to him... Tsk tsk. He actually joined Akatsuki too."
'This was indeed unexpected intelligence. The talents gathered by the Akatsuki were even more diverse than he had imagined. Even someone like Sasori had been found and recruited.'
Konan added from the side, "Sasori is currently on a mission outside. Once he returns, you can formally meet."
Just then, in a certain secret room elsewhere, Nagato, who was remotely controlling Pain through the Chakra Reception Rods, his true body hidden in shadow, suddenly opened his eyes wide!
Through the [Rain Tiger at Will Technique] covering all of Amegakure, he clearly sensed a familiar and powerful Chakra.
'This Chakra... It's Jiraiya-sensei?!' Nagato's heart shook violently.
'After more than a decade, why would Jiraiya-sensei suddenly appear in Amegakure?'
'Was it because of the news of Orochimaru joining?'
But he dismissed the thought as soon as it arose.
Orochimaru had just joined, so the news couldn't have leaked so quickly.
He immediately issued an order through Pain: "Zetsu."
The ground writhed, and Zetsu's bizarre, half-black, half-white body emerged from the floor.
"Any orders, Leader?" The white half asked with a cheeky grin.
Pain's Rinnegan stared coldly at Zetsu. "Jiraiya has infiltrated Amegakure. Go, monitor his every move, report at all times."
"Jiraiya? That Pervy Sage?" The white half exclaimed exaggeratedly.
"Shut up, idiot," The black half interrupted hoarsely, then said respectfully to Pain, "Understood."
Immediately, Zetsu quickly sank into the ground and disappeared.
"Jiraiya-sensei... is here?" Konan showed a surprised expression upon hearing the news, instinctively glancing at Orochimaru beside her.
Orochimaru, arms crossed, let out a meaningful light laugh: "Hehe... This has nothing to do with me. If I recall correctly, that guy Jiraiya should be here for the three of you, right?"
Jiraiya's appearance stirred many past memories in Orochimaru.
His gaze swept over Pain and Konan, carrying a hint of amusement. "Over twenty years ago, during the Second Great Ninja War, after we 'Sannin' fought Hanzo, Jiraiya specifically stayed behind for three kids from the Land of Rain. So... it was you."
He paused, a trace of confusion flashing in his serpentine eyes as he looked at Pain. "However, I remember that child back then who possessed these legendary eyes was a red-haired boy named... Nagato? Why now..."
Orochimaru keenly noticed that although this 'Pain' before him had the Rinnegan, his aura and the feel of his Chakra were different from his memory of Nagato.
"That is none of your concern, Orochimaru," The Deva Path coldly interrupted him, the Rinnegan turning towards Konan.
Pain's voice remained cold, carrying a sense of finality that severed the past. "The past is irrelevant. The path we have chosen now is fundamentally different from what Jiraiya-sensei believes in."
"Konan, wait for Zetsu's report for now. If Jiraiya-sensei's target isn't us, if he's just passing through or investigating information on Hanzo, then let him be. But if... he is targeting the Akatsuki..."
A flash of cold killing intent passed through Pain's Rinnegan. "...You go and persuade him to leave first. If he insists on investigating to the end, interfering with our plans, then don't blame me for disregarding our past teacher-student bond."
Hearing this, Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips, the excitement in his eyes intensifying.
'Interesting... A drama of mentor and student turning against each other? How delightful.'
He felt even more that joining the Akatsuki was the right decision. Not only did it hold the Rinnegan he coveted, but he could also witness such splendid drama.
…
Meanwhile, in the room Menma had rented.
He was fully focused on maintaining the Mind's Eye of Kagura, meticulously sensing the movements inside the [Regenerative Medicine] building across the street.
Suddenly, he detected an anomaly in the Chakra Fluctuations within Amado's office.
Amado seemed to be talking to someone, but in his Sensory Perception, aside from Amado's stable and calm Chakra, there was actually nothing else there!
'What's going on?' Menma was startled.
'Even my Mind's Eye of Kagura can't sense the other party? Is it some extremely advanced concealment technique, or...'
A name instantly surfaced in his mind… Jigen!
Or rather, Otsutsuki Isshiki!
Only an existence of this level could completely block Chakra Perception!
Deep underground, in the soundproof office of Regenerative Medicine.
Amado adjusted the orange glasses on the bridge of his nose, looking at the uninvited 'visitor' before him.
This was a tall young man wearing a white haori and black hakama pants. A Roman numeral [IV] was tattooed below his left eye, and he wore conspicuous red neck and wrist guards.
On his head, he had a strange short tuft of hair and a ponytail.
His demeanor was elegant, his speech polite, full of gentlemanly demeanor.
This was Jigen, the vessel possessed by Otsutsuki Isshiki.
"My apologies for disturbing you again, Amado-san. The supplies you requested have been delivered," Jigen's tone was gentle and polite, full of gentlemanly demeanor. "It seems you've encountered another bottleneck."
Amado's face was calm, but internally he maintained the highest level of vigilance towards this mysterious man.
Jigen had provided him with immense support in research funding and equipment. His knowledge was terrifyingly profound, especially in areas related to the essence of life. And... based on a scientist's intuition, Amado always felt that this 'person' before him was somewhat off, as if he were some kind of... more dangerous existence wearing human skin.
"Experimental failure is the norm, Jigen-san," Amado lit a cigarette, his tone flat. "Science advances through repeated failures."
Jigen smiled elegantly, his gaze sweeping over the red data on the nearby instrument screen that hadn't been completely cleared yet, indicating the termination of the clone's life reaction. "But creating life... this touches upon the realm of [Yin-Yang Release]. Given your current understanding of the nature of Chakra, especially life energy, even with the assistance of these precision instruments, you still have a long way to go to successfully create stable cloned life."
Amado was silent for a moment.
Jigen had mentioned the concept of [Yin-Yang Release] more than once.
"Then... does one truly need to become an existence like the legendary Sage of Six Paths to create life out of nothing?" He couldn't help but ask, though it was more of a lament filled with frustration.
Jigen shook his head. He was like a patient mentor, guiding step by step. "It doesn't have to be that extreme. The Sage of Six Paths' technique is creation from nothing. If you're only using existing cells for cloning and cultivation, which in essence is the replication and reshaping of life forms, you only need a preliminary understanding and application of Yin-Yang Release power to significantly increase the success rate."
Although that woman Kaguya had betrayed him, turning him into a weakened state, he had to admit that the two sons born to Kaguya after consuming the God Tree's fruit indeed possessed strength surpassing that of ordinary Otsutsuki Clan's members, especially that guy called Hagoromo.
Moreover, this planet, after producing one Chakra Fruit, hadn't completely dried up and even showed promise of growing another God Tree.
Such a planet was truly rare in the universe. Isshiki also looked forward to this planet bringing him more surprises.
Amado, facing Jigen, didn't speak, just silently noted down this information.
Although he was wary of Jigen, the ideas and knowledge the other provided were indeed what he urgently needed now.
Jigen glanced at the clock on the wall and said politely, "It's getting late, I should take my leave. I look forward to good news next time."
He maintained his elegant manners, his heart as calm as an ancient well.
A thousand years of patience had taught him ultimate patience.
Amado was an extremely talented individual, but he wasn't in a hurry.
Just as Jigen was about to leave, suddenly, a muffled explosion sound faintly came from the ground above!
The sound wasn't loud, but it was particularly clear in the relatively quiet underground space.
Jigen's steps halted momentarily.
Amado frowned slightly but didn't panic.
He merely commented flatly, "The Land of Rain never seems to be short of conflict."
Conflict and armed clashes within the Land of Rain, especially Amegakure, never ceased. Explosions weren't rare.
Soon, the communicator in Amado's lab rang, transmitting the slightly tense voice of the guard outside: "Amado-sama! An unknown explosion occurred in the eastern district! Hanzo-sama's Anbu have been dispatched! Please rest assured, company security has been raised to the highest level!"
Amado switched on the communicator and replied calmly, "Understood. Maintain vigilance."
After turning off the communicator, he looked at Jigen.
Jigen's face still wore that elegant and composed gentlemanly expression. "It seems Amegakure is still unstable. Then, I won't disturb you further, Amado-san. Please take care."
After saying this, he nodded slightly, turned, and walked away composedly from the office, his figure quickly disappearing down the corridor.
From beginning to end, Jigen behaved like a cooperating partner who happened to be visiting and was interrupted by an unexpected incident.
Amado looked at the closed door for a long time without speaking.
He picked up the photo of his daughter, Akebi, from when she was alive, and gently stroked the frame with his fingertip.
The frustration brought by failure surged over him again like a tide, but he took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, and turned his gaze back to the complex experimental data.
After Jigen left, the abnormal feeling of 'nothingness' in Amado's office in Menma's Mind's Eye of Kagura also disappeared.
'It was him after all... Jigen.' Menma became even more certain.
'He was just here, and he has the ability to completely evade my perception! This ability isn't concealment, but a higher-level perception blocking, stemming from the Otsutsuki Clan's bloodline suppression, right?... Truly terrifying. It seems that keeping a close watch on Amado is a clear lead to finding him.'
The explosion sound from the eastern district in the distance, and the dispatch of Amegakure's Anbu, also led Menma to guess that the mysterious infiltrating Ninja might have been discovered by Amegakure's Ninjas.
Menma retracted his Mind's Eye of Kagura.
Jigen's appearance made him realize that it wasn't a simple concealment ability on Jigen's part, and it was likely an ability to block Chakra Perception. Simply monitoring from a distance would probably be difficult to achieve a breakthrough.
'I must find a way to plant a Flying Thunder God mark on him...' Menma contemplated internally.
'Can Hikari's [Yachihoko] penetrate his blocking?' Thinking of the Mangekyo Sharingan's Dojutsu containing Space-Time power and the Flying Thunder God Technique, he began to formulate a plan.
If successful, Jigen's greatest reliance, which is hiding in a different dimension, would become useless.
Thinking of Jigen's different dimension, Menma couldn't help but think about the second Ten-Tails hidden by Isshiki in that dimension and the remains of the so-called [God of Otsutsuki Clan], Otsutsuki Shibai.
Although the second Ten-Tails was just a 'sapling' that hadn't devoured an Otsutsuki sacrifice or absorbed planetary energy to grow into a God Tree, the amount of Chakra it contained was still enough to shake the Ninja World.
In the original Boruto story, before his big battle with Naruto and Sasuke, Jigen specifically came to absorb the Ten-Tails' Chakra, enabling him to unlock the second stage of the [Kama] and suppress Nine-Tails Sage Mode Naruto and Rinnegan Sasure in one fell swoop.
'The second stage of Kama... probably has power at the peak of Super Kage-level, but still somewhat short of true Six Paths-level. Moreover, Jigen's body doesn't seem to be able to withstand that power for long, it's an overdraft-type burst.' Menma calmly analyzed the potential opponent's strength.
'Compared to Kaguya, who had power but immature combat awareness, Isshiki, who has lurked in the Ninja World for a thousand years, obviously has much more sophisticated combat experience and strategy. The core abilities of his [Daikokuten] and [Sukunahikona] are troublesome, but for someone like me who knows the information, they aren't unsolvable.'
'The most troublesome thing is if he sees the situation turning unfavorable and directly hides in his different dimension.'
'Also, those androids created by Amado possess the abilities of Otsutsuki Shibai, meaning Isshiki holds Shibai's remains. Clearly, when Kaguya ambushed Isshiki back then, she also intended to seize Shibai's remains, but he managed to escape.'
"Over there... it seems like the fighting is getting worse!" Just as Menma was immersed in strategic deduction, Ajisai's nervous exclamation came from beside him.
She was leaning by the window, looking worriedly towards the eastern district.
In the curtain of rain, a thick, black smoke mixed with flames billowed up. Even from a considerable distance, the sounds of commotion could faintly be heard.
Ajisai turned around, her face filled with anxiety. "I have to go check it out!"
As a Ninja of Amegakure, maintaining the village's order was almost instinctive.
Before her words fully faded, she had already nimbly flipped out of the window. Her purple figure leaped across the wet rooftops a few times and quickly sped towards the direction of the explosion.
Menma shook his head slightly, 'This girl's kindness and simplicity were really...'
He deployed the Mind's Eye of Kagura again, precisely targeting the core area of the explosion.
Chaotic Chakra Fluctuations, panicked crowds, and the rapidly arriving Anbu with the uniquely cold aura characteristic of Hanzo's forces.
However, at the edge of his perception, the location of the explosion seemed to deviate somewhat from the direction of the mysterious infiltrator?
A trace of doubt surfaced in Menma's mind. He quickly formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
A faint puff of white smoke appeared, and a young man identical to Menma's current disguise appeared in the corner of the room.
This was Menma's contingency measure. This shadow clone would remain here long-term to monitor the movements of [Regenerative Medicine].
As long as they kept a close watch on Amado, Jigen would have to show up eventually.
"Leave this place to me, original!" The shadow clone said in a low voice, then walked to the window and used the Mind's Eye of Kagura to firmly lock onto the building across the street.
Menma casually grabbed a worn gray raincoat nearby, threw it over himself, pulled down the hood, and his figure melted into the pattering rain, silently following Ajisai.
The rain grew heavier, washing away the filth on the streets and further blurring visibility.
But this rain was blocked a few centimeters above Menma's head as if by an invisible umbrella… not a single drop wet his raincoat.
Menma trailed far behind Ajisai, watching her agilely navigate narrow alleys and low rooftops, her familiarity with the terrain far exceeding that of an outsider.
Soon, the two of them approached the incident location one after the other.
The explosion seemed to have originated from a street-side shop, which was now in complete disarray. Charred wood and broken bricks were scattered everywhere. Several Amegakure's Anbu were cordoning off the scene, setting up barrier lines and dispersing the onlookers.
Menma's gaze swept over the scene and soon landed on a still-intact izakaya across the street.
On the second floor of the izakaya, an open window revealed a particularly conspicuous figure leaning against the window sill.
That person had wild, untamed white hair and wore a red short coat. Even through the rain, one could see him with arms around several scantily clad hostesses, chatting and laughing, holding a sake cup, just like someone enjoying himself in a pleasure quarter.
'Jiraiya...' The corner of Menma's mouth twitched slightly.
'So it was this guy.'
As expected, no matter where he went, he never forgot to 'gather material' and enjoy himself.
'Judging by his leisurely demeanor, the explosion clearly had nothing to do with him.'
Just then, several Amegakure's Ninjas, bound hand and foot, covered in wounds, were dragged out by the Anbu and escorted under guard to the center of the street.
An Anbu Captain coldly read out their 'crimes': conspiracy to rebel, attacking the security forces under Hanzo's governance.
Immediately, blades flashed. A few short, sharp screams were drowned out by the rain. Blood instantly stained the wet ground, only to be quickly diluted and washed away by the rainwater.
The surrounding citizens showed fear, lowering their heads and quickly leaving, not daring to look further.
This was Amegakure, the normal state under Hanzo's iron-fisted, brutal rule.
Ajisai stood at the mouth of an alley not far away, witnessing this bloody scene. Her face was pale, and she bit her lower lip tightly.
She seemed to want to step forward but ultimately held back, just silently watching the Anbu clean up the scene.
Menma's attention, however, wasn't fully focused on this obvious 'side show'.
His Mind's Eye of Kagura caught two more concealed Chakra Fluctuations rapidly approaching.
One was cold, elusive, carrying a plant-like fishy smell, spreading quietly like underground mold, Zetsu.
The other chakra was even more familiar, sharp and light, like countless fluttering paper sheets… Konan.
Zetsu's Chakra was hidden underground at a street corner, clearly on a monitoring mission.
And Konan was gliding directly from above, landing as lightly as a paper butterfly on the roof of that izakaya. Her gaze pierced through the rain, falling gravely upon the white-haired figure on the second floor who was still blissfully unaware, drinking and making merry.
'He's the target...' Menma understood inwardly.
'For some reason, Jiraiya had noticed the Akatsuki many years earlier than expected and had even infiltrated to investigate.'
'And Nagato had also discovered Jiraiya's infiltration. Konan was probably sent here to 'persuade him to leave'.'
He quietly took a few steps back, completely concealing himself in the shadow behind a building, like a true bystander, waiting to see how this impending reunion between mentor and student would unfold.
The rain poured down. It seemed there was a good show to watch next.