Land of Rain.
At this time, the Land of Rain had been reduced to a battlefield for the wars between the great nations.
Although the leader of the Land of Rain, Hanzo of the Salamander, bore the title of "Demigod," he was helpless in the face of this situation.
Even a Kage-level powerhouse appeared quite powerless in the face of wars between great nations.
Unless it was a powerhouse on the level of the "God of Shinobi" Senju Hashirama or the "Shura of the Ninja World" Uchiha Madara.
Otherwise, no one could change the course of the war single-handedly.
However, in the Land of Rain at this time, a force known as the Akatsuki was active.
Although this force was not powerful, they had attracted many people with their philosophy of peace.
Currently, they were working hard to mediate conflicts between the major ninja villages, hoping to quell this war.
Akatsuki Headquarters.
Yagyu held an umbrella, walking unhurriedly toward the Akatsuki base.
"Halt! This is the Akatsuki headquarters. Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Two Akatsuki ninjas guarding the gate stopped Yagyu, shouting sternly.
"The Akatsuki? Seems I'm in the right place. Tell your leader that an envoy from Kirigakure has come to visit."
Yagyu slowly raised his head, a faint, unreadable smile on his face, and spoke softly.
Inside the Akatsuki Headquarters.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan—the current triumvirate of the Akatsuki—were warmly hosting a white-haired, one-armed man.
This white-haired, one-armed man was none other than Jiraiya. Yagyu had altered the original plot, leading Jiraiya here.
Having lost an arm to Yagyu, Jiraiya's combat power was impaired, and his status within Konoha had declined accordingly.
Currently, he wasn't suitable for participating in intense battles, so he wasn't sent to the battlefield.
The order from Konoha's higher-ups was for him to adapt to his current one-armed state as quickly as possible and restore his combat power as much as he could.
Although the loss of an arm was a significant blow to Jiraiya, it couldn't compare to the blow dealt by Konoha's higher-ups.
After Yagyu left, the changes within Konoha left him utterly chilled by the rotting village.
Why was Akimichi Torifu able to become the Fourth Hokage? Did they really think he couldn't see through it?
Did Jiraiya in the original story really leave Konoha just to gather material for his writing?
Heartbroken, Jiraiya left Konoha and ran to the Land of Rain to find his former disciples.
He remembered the prophecy given to him by the Great Toad Sage: his disciple would become the savior who changed the ninja world.
In Jiraiya's view, the only one qualified to change the ninja world and become the savior was probably his disciple, Nagato.
The Rinnegan!
The eyes possessed by the Sage of Six Paths—his disciple Nagato possessed them too.
Jiraiya felt he should shift his focus and concentrate his energy on his disciple Nagato.
After all, he was half-crippled now and wasn't of much value to Konoha anymore.
"Leader, there's a man outside claiming to be an envoy from Kirigakure who wants to see you!"
An Akatsuki member walked in and reported to the leader, Yahiko.
"An envoy from Kirigakure?"
Yahiko looked surprised. Why would an envoy from Kirigakure come here?
Although the current Akatsuki was very active, they had no interactions with Kirigakure.
This was because Kirigakure hadn't participated in the large-scale ninja war and wasn't a main force in the conflict.
Coupled with the Akatsuki's limited strength, they hadn't been able to extend their reach to Kirigakure yet.
The main targets of the Akatsuki's mediation efforts were the Land of Rain, as well as Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure, who were fighting in the Land of Rain.
In other words, the wars they were mediating now were all related to their own country.
But this was normal; those who put others before themselves were ultimately the minority.
If they didn't save their own country first, other members of the Akatsuki wouldn't agree either.
After all, the current Akatsuki was an organization of the Land of Rain, and all its members were people of the Land of Rain.
If not for the hope that the Akatsuki's mission could save the Land of Rain, they wouldn't have joined this organization.
"Kirigakure?"
Jiraiya's expression changed slightly, but he quickly concealed it.
"Jiraiya-sensei, is something wrong?"
The perceptive Konan noticed Jiraiya's abnormality and asked with concern.
"It's nothing."
Jiraiya smiled, comforting his disciple.
"Although we didn't proactively contact Kirigakure, since they sent an envoy, let's meet him!"
Yahiko thought for a moment and said with a smile.
Jiraiya stood up and asked, "Should I leave the room?"
Yahiko shook his head, speaking righteously, "There is nothing the Akatsuki does that we need to hide from others."
Jiraiya felt very gratified, then sat down again and chuckled softly. "That works too! My current identity is just your teacher; it has nothing to do with Konoha."
Just then, a casual voice suddenly rang out, "Is that so? How surprising! In my impression, Lord Jiraiya is a man foolishly loyal to Konoha!"
Hearing this, Jiraiya's face changed drastically. He looked in shock at the young man walking in through the door.
"It's you? Kirigakure's Yagyu!"
Jiraiya cried out involuntarily, causing Yahiko and the other two to frown slightly.
Clearly, they had heard of Yagyu's name as well.
"Did you come here looking for me?"
Jiraiya stood up, his tone unfriendly.
"Because of you, Konoha has lost all face. What more do you want now?"
Jiraiya's tone was somewhat aggressive, but in reality, he was trying to divert Yagyu's attention.
Although Nagato, standing to the side, had his eyes covered by his red hair, Jiraiya was still worried that Yagyu would discover his Rinnegan.
Yagyu spoke casually, "Lost all face? Jiraiya, don't you find that statement a bit ridiculous?"
"When you Konoha ninjas arbitrarily turned the Land of Rain into a battlefield, did you ever consider the Land of Rain's face?"
"What I did to Konoha is no different from what your Konoha did to the Land of Rain."
Jiraiya's expression became somewhat awkward, while the hostility in the eyes of Yahiko and the others toward Yagyu lessened a bit.
Yahiko stepped forward, changing the subject. "Did you come here for Jiraiya-sensei?"
Yagyu chuckled lightly. "No, I come for the Rinnegan!"