There was no denying it.
White Zetsu's efficiency was very high.
While Jiraiya was drinking in a tavern in a small town, he overheard a woman lamenting that her husband had disappeared, forcing her to work as a hostess at the tavern.
"You're married?"
Jiraiya was quite surprised by this.
"Yes... Yes, I am..."
The woman was startled and didn't quite understand Jiraiya's train of thought.
"Uh, no, that's not..."
Jiraiya quickly waved his hand.
Jiraiya lost interest in drinking, having gathered the important information that this woman's husband was likely taken by Orochimaru as an experiment subject.
This place...
Must be one of Orochimaru's secret bases!
With a sigh, Jiraiya paid his bill and left the tavern. That Orochimaru must have caused so much trouble, separating families!
After Jiraiya left, the waitress at the bar had a mysterious smile on her face, silently transforming into White Zetsu's form, slowly sinking underground.
Land of River.
Orochimaru's experimental base.
Jiraiya had tracked down the location of this base and quickly handled the guards watching over it, using the same means to inquire about Orochimaru's whereabouts.
"Lord Orochimaru has already left..."
The guards were not lying, as they had personally watched Orochimaru come and go.
"Again, a step too late?"
Jiraiya could only sigh.
As usual, Jiraiya first freed the captives brought in for experiments, planning to burn the base to the ground with Fire Release Ninjutsu.
However, this time...
Things were a bit different!
Orochimaru and Red Sand Sasori had just completed an assignment. Upon arriving at the base, they found Jiraiya wreaking havoc!
"Jiraiya!"
Orochimaru couldn't help but grit his teeth. Why was this guy always showing up at the wrong time, in the wrong place!
"Orochimaru!"
When Jiraiya saw Orochimaru, his expression immediately turned serious, directly revisiting old grievances: "Orochimaru, come back to Konoha with me. I must bring you back!"
"You're still as naive as ever, Jiraiya..."
Orochimaru sneered with disdain: "The fallen leaves will only rot more and more, giving off a stench that's unbearable..."
"The decaying leaves nourish the budding new leaves."
Jiraiya interrupted Orochimaru and continued, "Orochimaru, no matter what you say, this time I'm bringing you back!"
"Then let's see if you have the ability to do so..."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, like a snake targeting its prey.
Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle...
Just at that moment.
A figure crawled over to Orochimaru's side.
Hiruko, Sasori's puppet, crawled up to Orochimaru, snorting coldly: "So sooner or later, this is going to affect us. Since we've already encountered this guy, let's deal with him. I've long wanted to turn one of the Sannin of Konoha into a puppet..."
"This is..."
Jiraiya's expression gradually became serious.
Although Jiraiya couldn't recognize Sasori's puppet, he knew that anyone who dared speak to Orochimaru this way couldn't be weak.
Moreover...
They wore identical Cloud Black Robes.
Meaning they were likely members of the same organization.
"..."
Orochimaru slightly turned his head, locking his eyes onto his teammate, sneering: "If you want to turn him into a puppet, go ahead and try!"
Talking to Jiraiya himself!
What is this guy doing here?
That foolish Red Sand Sasori, really thinks he can easily take down Jiraiya?
Even Orochimaru himself wasn't confident of defeating Jiraiya. Did this Red Sand Sasori really think he could handle Jiraiya with just puppets and poison!
Click!
A soft sound came from within Red Sand Sasori.
Sasori genuinely had this thought; he always liked collecting the bodies of powerful ninja, turning them into human puppets!
Jiraiya was one of the Sannin of Konoha.
Sasori also wanted to add another valuable piece to his collection!
The Ninja World map was neither too big nor too small, and chances like this were rare. Sasori initially wanted to kill Orochimaru and turn him into a puppet, but this guy joined the Akatsuki Organization... Jiraiya of the Sannin of Konoha also deserved to become an artifact!
Hiruko's sharp blade-like tail suddenly emerged, thrusting in Jiraiya's direction, the blade on its end coated with Sasori's custom-made poison!
Jiraiya had no choice but to dodge hastily; the sharp tail struck the ground, effortlessly shattering the hard stone!
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
Hiruko opened its mouth!
One after another, senbon shot out from Hiruko's mouth!
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Jiraiya quickly erected an earth wall!
The senbon embedded into the wall!
"Hmph!"
Orochimaru leisurely laughed: "If this is all you've got, it's no match for my old teammate..."
"I know."
Sasori impatiently replied with a cold voice, slowly pulling out a scroll, which opened to reveal the number three.
Boom!
A human puppet appeared before everyone!
This was Sasori's most prized creation, made from the body of the Third Kazekage of The Hidden Sand Village, resulting in the Third Kazekage Puppet!