In the rain-soaked forest, the torrential rain obscured all noise, with only the sound of the downpour echoing in the ears, accompanied by the chilling cold brought by the rain.
Jiraiya's solitary figure raced along the mud-covered road.
To gather information more quickly, he had split from Kakashi's Anbu unit, and during the mission, they contacted each other at agreed locations every two hours to exchange information.
However, after spending over a day in the Land of Rain, Jiraiya hadn't noticed anything unusual.
According to the information provided by Minato, at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire, there was a large human trafficking organization taking advantage of the post-war chaos in the Land of Rain to conduct illegal human trade.
One clue vaguely pointed towards the Hidden Rain Village.
After a day of fruitless searching, Jiraiya considered inquiring with the new leader of the Hidden Rain Village, Kanzo.
If someone from the Hidden Rain Village was involved, then Kanzo, as the current leader of the Hidden Rain, would likely know something about it.
Or perhaps Kanzo himself was secretly controlling everything.
Regarding Kanzo, Jiraiya wasn't very informed, so all of the above were merely his assumptions and couldn't be regarded as evidence; everything needed careful verification.
Moreover, he wasn't going to the Hidden Rain solely for the task assigned by Minato; he also wanted to search for traces of Nagato and the others.
Jiraiya harbored deep concern for the safety of his three disciples who were currently missing.
As their teacher, he must personally confirm whether Nagato and the others were alive or dead.
As he was approaching the forest's edge, an inexplicable chill made Jiraiya abruptly halt his steps.
Jiraiya squinted slightly, no longer proceeding with a fast run, instead quietly approaching on foot.
Silently arriving behind a large tree, raindrops dribbled down his hair and cheeks, using the leaves and weeds to conceal his body, he peeked towards an open area not far away.
He saw five figures in black hooded cloaks standing in the rain, with thirteen bodies fallen at their feet.
These fallen bodies were ninjas, nine dressed in Hidden Rain Ninja uniforms with Hidden Rain Village headbands, while the other four wore Konoha Anbu uniforms and eerie masks with intense colors.
They were Root Ninjas! Jiraiya instantly widened his eyes slightly.
Although Konoha Root and Anbu ninjas wore similar uniforms, their masks differed greatly.
Anbu masks were limited to animal designs with softer and lighter colors, while Root Ninja masks were stern and rich in color, not limited to animal designs.
Although Jiraiya didn't often interact with Root members, as one of the few Jonin involved in important meetings in Konoha, he naturally had his own way of identifying Root Ninjas.
Why were Root Ninjas appearing here? And who killed the Root Ninjas? Jiraiya was filled with questions.
Even though he disapproved of Root activities, these Root Ninjas were still part of Konoha.
Being killed here stirred anger in Jiraiya.
But knowing that anger was pointless at this moment, each of the five mysterious figures in black hooded cloaks possessed powerful auras, at least at Jonin level; now wasn't the time to act rashly.
Jiraiya trusted his judgment and instincts about the situation.
If a fight erupted, he definitely couldn't subdue them all immediately.
He needed to wait for the enemy to relax before launching a surprise attack to capture them all in one move.
"Ah, those Root guys are as troublesome as ever. But fortunately, they're taken down."
In the clearing, one of the five mysterious figures in black hooded cloaks remarked.
Another one crouched down, picking up a sealed scroll from the muddy ground.
The scroll was of excellent quality; even after being soaked in the mud, it remained spotless and very clean, indicating that whatever was recorded inside was of great importance.
"Destroy the bodies, don't leave any evidence."
"Yes."
Piling the dozen bodies together, one person sealed with their hands, and soon spewed scorching flames from the mouth, burning the bodies on the spot, leaving no trace.
"Let's go. With this, the mission is perfectly executed."
Spoke the one holding the scroll, preparing to leave.
The others had no objections either.
Seeing the five finish cleaning the battlefield and preparing to withdraw, Jiraiya knew he couldn't delay any longer.
Now was when they were most relaxed, and it was unclear if there were others backing them; if they regrouped with others, things would become even more complicated.
Without hesitation, Jiraiya's body flashed forward like lightning, clenching his fist, striking from behind one of the figures.
There wasn't the sensation of hitting flesh.
His fist pierced through the back, and the attacked person suddenly transformed into scorching flames, Jiraiya's expression changed, and a burning pain instantly spread across his arm.
It's a trap!
The other four surrounded him, mercilessly swinging their Kunai towards Jiraiya.
Chakra surged rapidly within Jiraiya, freeing his arm from the flames, as he awkwardly dodged backward.
Thud!
He dodged three Kunai, but the last one cut open his chest, causing blood to spurt outward.