White Zetsu chuckled.
"Speaking of which, Lord Nagato is a fellow disciple of the Yellow Flash, both were pupils of one of the Sannin, Jiraiya."
Black Zetsu also spoke up.
"Putting aside Teacher Jiraiya's matters, we can't let our guard down with Konoha. Of course, those three individuals are the same. Do we have any information on them?"
Nagato turned to Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu understood exactly who Nagato meant by "those three individuals."
"Not yet. It's truly strange; we've searched almost every corner of the Ninja Realm and still cannot find their whereabouts. It's as if they've vanished without a trace."
White Zetsu laughed nonchalantly, "What's so strange about that? Master Madara suffered quite a bit from them in the past. Their ability to hide themselves is indeed top-notch. But next, Konoha should have the bandwidth to deal with those three, right?"
Black Zetsu nodded in agreement.
"No, now is not the time to deal with those three."
Nagato expressed a different viewpoint, surprising Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.
Nagato's gaze fell on the candle burning halfway on the candlestick, and he spoke as he stared at the flame, "Compared to those three individuals, Konoha is the real threat. I need to reclaim the sovereignty of the Land of Rain. First, I must make Konoha or the Land of Fire fall into chaos to have a chance, and only then deal with those three."
"But..."
Nagato stood up from his chair, interrupting Black Zetsu's words:
"No buts. The power of Konoha... and the Land of Fire is too strong. The stronger the Land of Fire becomes, the more we must rely on them for survival. Konoha and the Land of Fire are our number one enemies. The most crucial point is that Konoha is out in the open, making them easier to target. Finding those three individuals, who knows how long that may take."
Seeing Nagato's mind was made up, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu could only agree.
What Nagato said was indeed true; the power of the Land of Fire and Konoha was overwhelming.
Especially now, with the position of Hokage held by the renowned Yellow Flash in the Ninja Realm, Konoha is only going to become stronger. If we don't target them now, it'll be even harder to tackle them later.
"By the way, White Zetsu at the border of the Land of Rain obtained some interesting news."
White Zetsu recalled something.
"What news?"
"Hatake Kakashi, the student of the Yellow Flash, recently infiltrated the Land of Rain, seemingly intent on investigating Kanzo."
"Kanzo?"
Nagato frowned.
He was thoroughly bitter towards the new leader who usurped Hanzou's power and now commanded the Hidden Rain.
Moreover, the present Hanzou had long turned into a compliant puppet of Konoha, throwing his weight around the Hidden Rain, eliminating dissent.
If it weren't for the fear of Konoha's power, he would have acted against them already.
Nagato felt increasingly that his decision was right.
If Konoha isn't thrown into chaos, the situation in the Land of Rain and the Hidden Rain will only worsen.
"Exactly. Kanzo and Danzo are engaging in population trafficking, and it seems there has been a slight mishap. If the Yellow Flash obtains evidence of their crimes... heh, Konoha would become rather interesting, and we'd see how Danzo handles the fallout."
White Zetsu laughed gleefully.
"Don't celebrate too soon. The Yellow Flash just assumed the Hokage position, and may not pose a threat to Danzo yet. However, it indeed presents a good opportunity, so let's utilize it a little."
A sharp gleam appeared in Nagato's eyes.
◎
Leading three Anbu subordinates, Kakashi took merely a day and night to travel from Konoha to the border of the Land of Rain. Before officially entering the territory, Kakashi's Anbu squad rested for half a day, recuperating their strength and Chakra before proceeding into the Land of Rain.
The Land of Rain, removed from war for two years, hadn't immediately found peace; rather, it was more chaotic than during wartime.
Bandits and rogue ninjas ran rampant across the land, with bodies exposed in the wild daily.
Entering this Country, encountering battles at any time was an ordinary affair.
Even for a Jonin like Kakashi, full preparation was necessary.
The squad consisted of three subordinates — one Special Jonin and two Chunin. Though competent, if they were to confront truly formidable ninja, their impact might be negligible.
After all, it was a newly formed Anbu squad, lacking medical or perception ninjas, making their composition rather meager.
Kakashi held to a mindset of doing his utmost for this mission.
Based on Minato's intelligence, between the borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, population trafficking was frequently occurring criminally.
The number of individuals involved counted in the hundreds.
What's hidden behind this trafficking, Kakashi could only speculate.
In any case, uncovering the truth was Kakashi's primary task.
An eventual confrontation with powerful ninja seemed inevitable.
It's impossible to control such massive trafficking without powerful ninja in the shadows.
As Kakashi was traveling through the Land of Rain, he suddenly sensed something, gesturing for the three behind him to stop.
The three followed Kakashi's directive, joining him in observing the figure ahead blocking their path in the rain, with a look of surprise.
"Lord Jiraiya, why have you come?"
The rain-soaked figure on the narrow path ahead was tall, with long white hair reaching down to his waist — none other than Jiraiya, one of the Sannin.
Kakashi and his squad were astonished by Jiraiya's arrival.
"Don't worry, Kakashi. I'm here at Minato's request to join you in executing this investigation task."
"You're joining us for the task?"
Kakashi spoke with suspicion and a touch of caution.
"Indeed, Minato felt there was some risk associated with the task you are executing, and entrusting it solely to you might lead to unforeseen circumstances. Hence, shortly after your departure, he asked me to come assist."
Jiraiya explained.
As he spoke, he produced the handwritten order from Minato for Kakashi and his squad to confirm.
Only then did Kakashi's squad believe that Jiraiya had come at Minato's request, and was to assist in completing the mission.
"It'll be an honor, Lord Jiraiya. With you accompanying us, the mission's chance of success significantly improves."
Kakashi let out a quiet breath of relief.
Given the unknown forces behind this situation, having Jiraiya's support would vastly improve circumstances, ensuring safety was likely not an issue.
The thought of the Rinnegan user somewhere monitoring the Land of Rain was terrifying in itself.
"Let's hope so. My presence in the Land of Rain isn't solely due to Minato's request."
Jiraiya responded.
"Do you have other agenda, Lord Jiraiya?"
"Yes, it's some old unresolved issues."
Jiraiya gazed at the bleak, rainy surroundings, his eyes turning somber.
Nagato, where are you now? Are you still alive, or have you already...
Jiraiya dared not pursue the thought further.
No matter what, he must find Nagato and the others, alive or a corpse.
Hopefully, it's not the worst-case scenario.
But Jiraiya knew, Nagato and the others were likely already in dire straits, having perished in the war that transpired in the Land of Rain two years ago.
So, was the Child of Prophecy Minato after all? Jiraiya mused internally.