A special thank you to my patrons:
—Jacob Mooe, kevin Williams, Archer, Acedia, kurtis newman, Little Sand, sediaz.
ad 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
The situation deteriorated catastrophically in an instant.
Neither Fukasaku nor Shima had been able to react in time to stop the Deva Path. By the time they regained their senses, the Deva Path had already driven another black chakra rod deep into Jiraiya's abdomen.
"Jiraiya-boy!"
Fukasaku cried out in horror. He moved to launch a desperate counterattack, but was immediately blasted away by another devastating Almighty Push from the Deva Path.
In that single moment, Fukasaku, Shima, and Jiraiya were all sent hurtling into the depths of the lake. Blood rapidly diffused through the water, spreading in all directions across the lake's surface.
"Could he have actually died just like that?" Konan asked.
"I cannot be certain," the Deva Path replied, shaking his head.
An ordinary person would only need to receive a single fatal blow to perish. But Jiraiya was, after all, Jiraiya. Even after sustaining such grievous injuries, until they laid eyes upon his corpse, the Deva Path maintained a measure of caution.
Just as he was rapidly approaching the surface of the lake, a colossal whirlpool suddenly erupted at the exact spot where Jiraiya had fallen into the water. The entire surface of the lake became distorted and deformed.
Konan immediately heightened her vigilance, and the Deva Path likewise slowed his approach.
At that very moment, a water dragon burst forth from the depths, soaring upwards like a waterspout, as though it intended to suction every last drop of water out of the deep lake.
The water dragon reared up to a staggering height of thirty or forty meters. It loomed menacingly over the Deva Path, as if scrutinizing him, before plunging downward in a ferocious charge.
"Look out!" Konan shouted.
The Deva Path watched the roaring water dragon bear down upon him and calmly extended his palm.
The Almighty Push collided violently with the water dragon. The resulting explosion roared like a deafening thunderclap directly overhead, reverberating throughout the entirety of the Hidden Rain Village.
Konan, who was dangerously close to the point of impact, felt her ears ring painfully. She lost her hearing for a brief spell, able only to see nearly half the lake's water come crashing back down nearly simultaneously.
Beyond the cascading water, her field of vision held nothing else.
The water gradually settled back into the lake basin, taking a long while to return to a state of calm. But soon, the area was once again shrouded in dense, impenetrable fog.
"It seems... they're gone," Konan observed.
"There must be other intruders who have infiltrated the Hidden Rain Village," Pain stated.
"I'll notify the other shinobi immediately and have them hunt down the invaders." Konan turned to leave, but Pain stopped her with a gesture.
"No. In weather conditions like these, even if we devoted all our resources to the search, we wouldn't necessarily be able to find them. Moreover, you have no way of knowing whether this fog itself is some ploy orchestrated by the enemy. Rather than chasing after fugitives, we should focus our attention on the Seven-Tails and the Nine-Tails. As long as they remain secure, letting a few minor shinobi slip away is of no real consequence. Conversely, if something were to happen to the tailed beasts, then even if we slaughtered every last enemy, it would be utterly pointless."
Konan gazed at the dense fog, so thick she could not see her own hand in front of her face, and had to concede that Pain was absolutely correct.
Jiraiya had been impaled by two black rods in quick succession and would, in all probability, die. As for those who had rescued him, they were no different from sewer rats.
If they fled, they fled. It did not truly matter.
With that thought settling in, Konan asked, "What do we do next?"
"Now that both the Seven-Tails and the Nine-Tails are sealed within the Amber Purifying Pot, it means our operational flexibility is now guaranteed. Therefore, the Akatsuki will immediately depart from the Hidden Rain Village. We cannot allow the war to be fought here... The Hidden Rain Village does not deserve that," Pain declared.
Konan nodded.
Just as Pain had said, this village had already endured far too many wars in its history. It could not be subjected to yet another one.
"In that case, where is our target?"
"The Hidden Mist Village," Pain stated. "We must prepare for the worst-case scenario. If Madara is unable to obtain the Six-Tails' chakra through other means, we must be ready to force Asachi Midorima out of hiding."
Konan's brows lifted slightly. "When do we depart?"
"At dawn," Pain replied.
...
The dense fog blanketed the entire Hidden Rain Village, obscuring it completely.
The visibility was so severely compromised that even Kurotsuchi nearly collided directly into Mangetsu.
Just as her face was about to slam into Mangetsu's foot, she hurriedly jerked her upper body backward, narrowly avoiding the impact.
Jiraiya was draped across Mangetsu's back. The sudden jolt did not significantly affect the carrier, but for the critically wounded Jiraiya, it was a brutal shock to his system.
The two Great Toad Sages, Shima and Fukasaku, followed closely behind Mangetsu and Kurotsuchi. Upon confirming that Tsunade had also followed them out, the expressions on the two venerable sages' faces softened considerably.
Tsunade's medical prowess was not only unparalleled in the shinobi world but was also a rare sight even among the Three Great Sage Regions—particularly Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave.
The dense fog served as both a protective veil and a hindrance to their escape.
Mangetsu, however, pushed their retreat speed to its very limit. Kurotsuchi, Shima, and Fukasaku stayed tightly on his heels, ensuring they did not lose their way.
Finally, the group arrived at a narrow alleyway approximately two hundred meters from the village's outer wall. There, they found Tsunade waiting, her hands clasped anxiously over her chest as she paced back and forth in visible distress.
When she saw two shadowy figures suddenly leap down from the rooftop, Tsunade nearly jumped out of her skin. But she quickly forced herself to remain composed. The moment her eyes landed on Mangetsu, she demanded, "How is Jiraiya?!"
"His injuries are severe. But this is no place to talk. We need to get out of here first. We'll formulate a full plan once we're beyond the village," Mangetsu replied, his own urgency palpable.
He had no way of knowing how much longer his Hidden Mist Jutsu could hold.
Tsunade nodded curtly.
There was not even time to argue.
Kurotsuchi carefully transferred the unconscious Jiraiya from her back into Mangetsu's arms and said, "Everyone, gather close around me. I'm going to get us out of here."
Tsunade, who had just rolled up her sleeves, fully prepared to use her monstrous strength to demolish a section of the Hidden Rain Village's wall, paused upon hearing Kurotsuchi's words. She lowered her sleeves and moved to Mangetsu's side. Her gaze fell upon Jiraiya, whose breathing was so faint it was barely perceptible, and her heart clenched painfully. She was just about to warn Kurotsuchi to be careful when she felt the earth beneath her feet suddenly bulge upwards and rapidly extend forward.
Under the cover of the impossibly thick fog, the patrolling guards could barely detect that an Earth Release technique was being employed.
By the time the guards on the wall looked up and faintly glimpsed a massive earthen bridge, nearly two meters wide, arching over their heads, the bridge had already carried Tsunade and the others clear over the outer wall and deposited them safely on the ground outside the Hidden Rain Village.
The moment everyone landed securely, Kurotsuchi released her jutsu. The earthen bridge instantly crumbled and disintegrated.
A squad of Hidden Rain shinobi had just thrown open the village gates, preparing to pursue Tsunade's group. But before they could even step foot outside, the ground before them heaved upwards, forming a solid earthen wall that slammed the gates shut once more.
Under the dual cover of night and the clinging fog, the three escapees pushed forward for another two kilometers before Mangetsu finally, carefully, laid Jiraiya down.
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya's face, which had already drained entirely of color, and knew she had to act without a moment's delay. She first employed her Chakra Scalpel to meticulously remove the damaged and necrotic tissue, then immediately followed up with the Mystical Palm Technique to begin healing his grievous wounds.
Only once she had confirmed that Jiraiya was out of immediate mortal danger did the tension that had been gripping Tsunade's heart finally loosen. She demanded, "What exactly happened back there?"
Kurotsuchi and Mangetsu both shook their heads. Fukasaku, however, let out a long, weary sigh. "The Akatsuki possesses the Amber Purifying Pot. They've sealed the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki inside it. We must bring this to a swift conclusion. Otherwise, the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki will likely die within that pot."
Tsunade's brow furrowed deeply. She said nothing further.