"Come to think of it, this tree really is enormous."
Jiraiya lifted his head to gaze up at the giant tree, wondering if this underground cavern had been formed by its handiwork.
If not for the tree's roots serving as the very bones of the earth, firmly supporting the structure of the cavern, a hollow of this size would have collapsed ages ago.
Maybe it was also because of this giant tree that there were no other trees on this lake island besides it.
His three-man squad walked openly across the soft grass, immediately drawing the attention of Taki.
In an instant, several Taki ninjas clad in the traditional attire of the Land of Waterfalls darted out from the primitive-looking settlement ahead, glaring warily as they barked, "Who are you people? Stop right there! Don't come any closer!"
Seeing their tense expressions, Yahiko quickly waved his hands in a gesture of goodwill, signaling that they meant no harm.
Just as he was about to explain their purpose, Jiraiya gave a faint smile, lightly patted Yahiko on the shoulder, and said confidently, "In a situation like this, best leave it to me."
With that, he strode forward and faced the Taki ninjas.
He spread his arms wide in a stylish pose, raised his head, and proclaimed in a loud, clear voice, "I am Jiraiya, the gallant hero of Konoha!"
After introducing himself, he didn't forget about his two students. He turned slightly and gestured toward Yahiko and Konan, adding, "And these two are my prized students, Yahiko and Konan. We've come today with urgent matters to discuss with your village leader."
The Taki ninjas looked at one another in surprise.
They kept their sharp, wary gazes fixed on the intruders as they quickly whispered among themselves.
"Jiraiya? Have you heard of this man?" one asked in a doubtful tone.
"Of course I've heard of him, he's one of the Legendary Sannin, don't you know that?" another replied, though with some uncertainty.
"Sannin? This old guy? Seriously?"
Taki had always lived in isolation, self-sufficient and detached from the outside world.
Thanks to their unique geographical advantages, they had avoided direct involvement in both the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars.
While this way of life spared them from war's devastation, it also left their intelligence networks sorely lacking.
As a result, these young Taki ninjas had indeed heard of Jiraiya, but only in name. As for what he actually looked like, they had no clue.
"I've heard he's supposed to be really strong, but as for the details, I've never seen him myself," one muttered, both awed and doubtful.
"Either way, we can't let our guard down. Stall them first, and wait until the leader arrives to decide," another advised cautiously.
The group quickly reached a consensus, then turned their wary eyes back to Jiraiya's team, their vigilance undiminished.
One of them, seemingly the captain, stepped forward, a woman with glasses and long blue hair cascading to her waist. Her piercing gaze fixed on Jiraiya as she demanded, "How did you learn the way into Taki?"
Jiraiya, especially patient with women, particularly beautiful ones, chuckled smugly.
"I found this entrance with my brilliant mind."
"Impossible!"
The Taki ninja erupted in disbelief.
"And why not?" Jiraiya arched a brow. "If the ninja who founded your village could find this place, why couldn't I?"
The blue-haired kunoichi raised her hand to silence her comrades' protests. Setting aside the topic, she pressed on, "You say you're Jiraiya, correct?"
Jiraiya's eyes lit up as a confident smile tugged at his lips. "That's right. Sounds like you've heard the tales about me."
"If you mean the stories of the Sannin Jiraiya, I have indeed heard of them."
She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
"But if you mean you, this suspicious man claiming to be Jiraiya, then I can't say I know anything about you."
She paused, then pointed at his forehead.
"First of all, a famed ninja of Konoha like you not even wearing your village's forehead protector? That's rather suspicious, don't you think?"
"And another thing!" She raised her voice, pointing at Yahiko and Konan behind him.
"If you truly are from Konoha, why would you take two ninjas from Ame as your students? If you're going to put on a disguise, at least do a halfway decent job of it."
"Uh..."
Jiraiya's mouth twitched; frustratingly, she wasn't entirely wrong.
With no other choice, he quickly raised his hands, preparing to form seals.
"In that case, I'll just show you one of the trademark summons of the Sannin! That should settle things once and for all!"
The Taki ninjas immediately tensed, gripping their weapons as they entered high alert.
Sensing the escalating danger, Yahiko quickly stepped forward and stopped Jiraiya before he could summon his creature.
Raising his voice, he explained to the Taki ninjas: "Please, don't be alarmed! We've come to help you. Hanzō has been deceived by your missing-nin and is preparing to lead his forces to attack you."
Konan followed up immediately: "That's right. Even if our teacher isn't the legendary Jiraiya, at the very least Yahiko and I are from Ame, you can see that for yourselves."
The blue-haired kunoichi once again adjusted her glasses, her gaze lingering on the Ame forehead protectors on Yahiko and Konan.
With a hint of hesitation, she asked, "You mean to say Hanzō has colluded with our traitors to invade Taki, and you two have come ahead of him to warn us?"
Her skepticism was understandable. After all, the idea was far-fetched: ninjas from a hostile village, risking themselves just to issue a warning? It didn't sound very believable.
"Not? Then what are you all after?" The Taki kunoichi tilted her head, clearly puzzled as she complained.
"Of course, it's for the sake of peace in the shinobi world!" Yahiko replied firmly, "We—"
"Pffft... hahahahaha!"
Taki kunoichi suddenly burst into loud laughter, clutching her stomach. Her unrestrained laugh completely cut Yahiko off before he could finish.
"You guys aren't some comedy troupe touring the shinobi world, are you? To spout something like 'for the sake of world peace,' hahahaha."
"Uh..."
Yahiko was a little taken aback. Was what he had said really that funny?
After laughing for a while, the kunoichi realized she had lost her composure. Pressing her lips together, she took a deep breath.
"Then may I ask, this missing-nin you spoke of, what's his name?"
In this shinobi world, if there was one country with the most defectors, it was undoubtedly the Land of Water.
But when it came to missing-nin who actually managed to survive, they were usually from smaller countries, because in the great nations, most defectors couldn't escape the relentless pursuit of the big five's ANBU.
The fact that this kunoichi even asked the question at least meant she had started to take Yahiko and Konan a little more seriously.
After all, a claim so outrageous actually made it seem less like they were spies sneaking in.
"The missing-nin's name is Kazama Sōto," Yahiko answered without hesitation.
"So it really is Sōto-sama?"
The kunoichi murmured under her breath. A flicker of complex emotion flashed behind her glasses, as though she was no stranger to this name.
"I cannot yet determine whether you intruders can be trusted. But if you truly came for peace, then you must cooperate with us."
As she finished, several Taki ninjas quickly spread out, surrounding Jiraiya, Yahiko, and Konan with wary movements.
"I will report the information you brought to our leader," she continued, "and it will be for him to decide whether to meet with you. Until then, please wait patiently in the quarters we arrange for you."
With that, under the "escort" of Taki ninjas, the three were taken to a modest but clean house on the village's edge. The interior was simply furnished, but sufficient for a temporary stay.
"I hope your leader makes a decision quickly," Yahiko said at the door to the kunoichi. "Time is short, every moment wasted means greater danger."
"We will handle this as quickly as possible."
The blue-haired kunoichi nodded, then gently shut the door. Turning, she instructed the others:
"Strengthen security. No one is to approach without permission."
"Yes, Lady Aoi."
The blue-haired kunoichi, Aoi, cast one last glance at the three through the window, then turned and left.
Inside, the atmosphere was heavy.
Konan puffed out her cheeks, her expression filled with dissatisfaction.
"What's with them? This information could spark a war between two nations. Even if they don't trust us, they should immediately send someone to verify it."
Seeing this, Yahiko sighed softly and comforted her gently: "Don't be angry. We're strangers who suddenly broke into their territory, it's only natural they'd be cautious."
In this conflict-ridden shinobi world, many small nations' villages were extremely sensitive about their lands.
Especially hidden villages like Taki, which relied on unique geography to remain concealed.
To them, outsiders were always a potential threat; this instinctive wariness was deeply ingrained.
"We can't change how they see us," Yahiko went on. "All we can do is show them our sincerity. And remember, our goal isn't to earn their trust, but to stop a possible war. As long as they treat the intel seriously, our effort won't be wasted."
Konan's mood eased slightly at his words, though her worry lingered.
"I just hope they decide quickly. If Hanzō really attacks, things will get out of hand fast."
Both of them had grown up in war, and they knew too well how often a massive conflict started from a small spark.
This might only be a skirmish between two villages for now, but there was no guarantee that the great nations wouldn't meddle. And once a major power got involved, the others would follow, and the situation would spiral out of control.
"Alright, you two."
Jiraiya, seated at the square table in the center of the room, casually picked up an apple from the fruit plate Aoi had left for them. Taking a bite, he spoke with a calm tone.
"In the past, maybe. But right now, a full-scale war is very unlikely."
Yahiko and Konan exchanged puzzled glances.
"Why do you say that?" Yahiko asked.
Setting the apple down, Jiraiya explained, "Though the great nations still have friction, they're maintaining a delicate balance. None of them wants to be the one to break it. More importantly, Konoha's strength has already pulled far ahead of the others. You know the First Hokage, right? Back when he was alive, not a single country would provoke war."
He paused before continuing, "And now, Konoha has another force just as powerful, the Leaf's Gale. No nation, not even a great one, would risk angering him by starting a war."
Yahiko nodded slowly in thought. "So you mean... even if Hanzō does attack, the other great nations won't intervene because of him?"
"Exactly," Jiraiya confirmed. "Which means we can just wait here, and when Hanzō comes knocking, he'll just get himself beaten."
Konan felt some relief at Jiraiya's reasoning and sat down by the table as well.
"In that case, that's good. Honestly, with all the rumors saying the Leaf's Gale is ruthless, I thought he wouldn't care about wars between other villages. Looks like rumors really aren't trustworthy."
At her words, Jiraiya's chewing suddenly froze.
Would Ryouma really intervene to protect peace, beyond defending Konoha itself? If the great nations fought among themselves while avoiding Konoha, would he step in?
"He should step in... right?"
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