After the investigation squad assembled at Konoha's front gate, they set off toward the Land of Rain.
Uchiha Shisui, Hatake Kakashi, and Might Guy naturally assumed the mission was straightforward: enter the Land of Rain quickly, locate traces of Akatsuki, and begin their investigation.
Only Hyūga Satoru knew the truth: he had absolutely no intention of walking the four of them straight into Rain.
To Satoru, the Land of Rain was almost certainly Akatsuki territory by now. With only four people, slipping in undetected was nearly impossible—and even if they made it in, gathering intelligence without being devoured would be a miracle.
He kept that assessment to himself.
Instead, he subtly slowed down the march.
Part of that meant not relying on the Flying Thunder God to traverse the map in minutes. The other part was more deliberate—Satoru insisted on stopping in every major town and city they passed.
And when they stopped, they didn't rest.
They hunted for information.
Black markets. Gambling dens. Shady taverns. Exchange houses known for dirty money. Any place dark enough to loosen tongues, Satoru sent Shisui and Kakashi to listen.
After nearly a month of this, they still had nothing concrete on Akatsuki.
But they had collected a mountain of unrelated chaos.
A sample from the "intel" pile stacking up on Satoru's desk:
A local gambler nicknamed "Lord Moneybags" lost tens of millions overnight in an underground casino.
A famous author stiffed a prostitute and was banned from every brothel in the district.
A mysterious wealthy client posted an enormous bounty on the Twelve Guardian Ninja who served a certain daimyō.
All kinds of useless gossip—but Satoru sorted through every scrap.
At the very least, they were building a map of the underground world.
Paniishi Town
A "town" in name only—Paniishi was the largest logistical hub on the Land of Fire's northwestern border. Trade caravans poured in daily; merchant wagons and hired guards cluttered every street.
The local lord even funded a personal guard force.
In wartime, those guards transported military supplies and ensured rear-line security. In peacetime, they served as the town's de facto police.
That alone made Paniishi complicated.
And its underworld reflected that complexity:
exchange houses, black-market dealers, slave trades, gambling dens, extortion rings…
In a world ruled by daimyo and warlords, commoners lived far from peace.
War ruined farmland and produced refugees. Strong refugees found labor jobs; weak ones were swallowed by the world's cruelty—sold, exploited, or simply lost. Rogue ninja plundered villages, leaving survivors in even worse poverty.
Outside the hidden villages, life was brutal.
Paniishi stood at the crossroads of all that misery—and thus also at the crossroads of information. With so much traffic, Satoru and his team blended in perfectly. Even when Shisui and Kakashi disguised themselves to prowl brothels and underground markets, no one paid them special attention.
This made Paniishi the perfect temporary base.
Satoru wasn't in a hurry to leave. They'd stay and observe—and if nothing surfaced, they'd move toward the Land of Wind. Minato had already coordinated with Sunagakure so Satoru could access intel related to Sasori later.
From the start, Satoru had never intended to drag the team directly into Rain.
Still, the detour was not fruitless.
They didn't find Akatsuki…
But one strange piece of gossip did catch Satoru's attention.
At the Inn – Afternoon Sunlight
Satoru lounged at the second-floor window of their inn, bathed in warm afternoon sunlight. On the table before him lay a disorderly pile of intelligence slips.
He plucked one from the stack and placed it on the table between the four of them.
"Kakashi, Shisui," he said lazily, "anything more on this one?"
The two leaned over.
It was the report about a writer who refused to pay a prostitute.
Their confused expressions drifted toward Satoru.
"Hey—don't look at me like that," Satoru sighed. "This is serious intel."
He tapped the report with two fingers.
"I want to know if this particular freeloading writer… is Jiraiya-sama."
At once, both Kakashi and Shisui's faces shifted from confusion to genuine curiosity.
"Captain Satoru," Kakashi asked, "you're trying to find Jiraiya-sensei. But what does that have to do with Akatsuki?"
After a month on the road, Kakashi had noticed something about their captain: Satoru deliberately avoided rushing toward Rain. Now that Jiraiya was mentioned, Kakashi began connecting dots.
And with Satoru's connection to Minato…
If he wanted to locate Jiraiya, he could simply ask the Hokage or the toads of Mount Myōboku.
So why take this detour?
Shisui seemed to wonder the same.
Satoru answered calmly:
"It might have nothing to do with our mission. Right now, it's only a possibility."
He raised a brow.
"But do you know why Jiraiya left Konoha years ago?"
The story of Orochimaru's defection was buried deep within the Third Hokage's inner circle. Only a few ever heard the full truth.
Shisui had overheard fragments while guarding Kushina.
Kakashi, Minato's own student, knew more.
"He left to pursue Orochimaru… right?" Shisui said slowly.
"And you think… Orochimaru…"
He trailed off, unable to finish as possibilities flooded his mind.
"It seems unlikely," Kakashi said, though his voice lacked conviction. "You're suggesting Orochimaru joined Akatsuki?"
Satoru turned his head.
"Why wouldn't he?"
He continued plainly:
"All our intel suggests Akatsuki recruits rogue ninja from multiple villages. They operate in pairs. And every member we've identified so far is an elite-class fighter."
"Kakuzu, Sasori… both were top-tier."
"Sasori even assassinated the Third Kazekage."
He looked at them meaningfully.
"An organization like that—why wouldn't it recruit someone like Orochimaru? One of the Legendary Sannin. Brilliant. Ambitious. Dangerous."
Kakashi fell silent.
It was a frightening thought—but not impossible.
"And Jiraiya has been chasing Orochimaru for years," Satoru added.
"If we find Jiraiya, we might find Orochimaru. And if Orochimaru really is connected to Akatsuki…"
He let them fill in the rest.
"Leave it to me," Shisui said immediately. "I'll track down Jiraiya-sama."
Shisui was proactive by nature—a perfect foil to Satoru's quiet leadership. Even though Satoru often slowed their pace, the team remained cohesive thanks to Shisui's earnestness and Guy's cheer.
When Shisui returned later, his report was astonishing:
The freeloading writer was Jiraiya.
For reasons unknown, the man who'd completed more S-rank missions than most jonin ever dreamed of…
was broke.
Skipping out on a prostitute sparked gossip across the black markets.
Jiraiya's most recent trail pointed toward the Land of Hot Springs.
Outsiders assumed he was there for "research."
Satoru knew better.
The Land of Hot Springs bordered the Land of Grass—and across a narrow sea lay the Land of Water.
Years ago, Orochimaru operated a secret base near the Land of Water.
And if Satoru's memory of future events was correct, Orochimaru had likely already recruited a certain boy—Kimimaro.
Satoru stood.
"New plan," he said. "We're heading for the Land of Hot Springs."
"We can clean up some rogue-nin along the way."
Kakashi frowned. "We're two days from the Rain border. Wouldn't it make more sense to scout first, then meet Jiraiya? Orochimaru joining Akatsuki is still just a theory."
Satoru shook his head.
"The Land of Rain isn't the same as the Land of Hot Springs."
"Rain is the domain of Hanzō the Salamander. Even entering is dangerous."
"The Hot Springs are neutral, open, and safe. We confirm the Orochimaru lead first. Start with low-risk investigation."
It wasn't perfect logic—but it was logic.
And in this era, Hanzō's name still struck genuine fear. None of them knew Pain had already killed him. Even Kakashi hesitated at the thought of entering Rain unprepared.
So, after one more night in Paniishi, they turned east.
Their pace remained steady.
They gathered intel, trained, and avoided unnecessary risks.
Half a month later, they finally approached the Land of Hot Springs.
A peaceful, neutral nation.
Hot springs. Inns. Tourism.
And of course—the thriving red-light district.
Naturally, one of Jiraiya's preferred "research environments."
But this time, the Sannin wasn't researching.
He was healing.
The Hot-Spring Inn
Steam drifted lazily from the open-air bath.
Jiraiya lay half-submerged, reclining with the serenity of a man who'd achieved enlightenment through hot water. A floating tray carried sake, gently bumping his elbow as he reached for another sip.
He didn't notice additional footsteps entering the pool.
Hyūga Satoru stepped into the water, stretching once before settling into a relaxed position. His eyes drifted toward Jiraiya—
—and instantly spotted the deep, diagonal sword wound carved across the Sannin's torso.
Satoru raised a brow.
"…Now that's a nasty cut," he commented, his voice carrying over the steam.
"Looks like Lord Jiraiya took quite a beating recently."
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