This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 157 Nagato is not dead (Happy New Year)

Ryuji glanced at Orochimaru, who was standing in the distance.

He shrugged, indicating that it had nothing to do with him.

However, despite this attitude, since he has come here, if an irreconcilable conflict were to arise, he would surely choose to stand on the side of Tsunade and Jiraiya!

Withdrawing his gaze, Ryuji looked back at Tsunade and Jiraiya.

This woman, who was usually extremely assertive but was now shamelessly making Jiraiya bow to her at a 90-degree angle to apologize, couldn't help but sigh.

"Since you've already adopted this attitude, it would seem petty of me to be so fussy."

"Thank you very much."

Tsunade bowed to Ryuji again, then stood up with a big smile on her face, showing no trace of her previous anger.

This incredibly fast change of expression made the members of the Sand Village delegation feel like they had been tricked.

So all that expression he had just made was an act for us!

Tsunade seemed to realize that she had changed her expression too quickly. She grabbed Jiraiya's head, who was about to get up, and pressed it down again. "You haven't thanked Lady Ayagi for her generosity yet. Hurry up and thank her."

"No, please... sob sob..."

Jiraiya wanted to say "Impossible," but he only managed to utter two words before Tsunade's monstrous strength gripped the major arteries on both sides of his neck, forcing him to swallow the rest of his words.

But Jiraiya refused to bow down to Ryuji no matter what, struggling desperately, which made Tsunade anxious.

"What's wrong with you?!"

"If I accidentally inhale it, it won't cause a headache."

The voice was muffled and incomprehensible to outsiders, but how could Tsunade, who had fought alongside her for many years, not understand it?

She was anxious and clenched her fists, ready to make a threat, but then she heard Long Er's voice.

"Since I'm not going to pursue this further, I don't care about your attitude. If it's not sincere, then an apology is fine."

The two of them stopped moving.

Jiraiya seized the opportunity to break free from Tsunade's grasp, snorted coldly, and turned away unhappily.

Tsunade wanted to get angry, but thinking of Ryuji behind her, she stiffly turned around, smiled sheepishly, and bowed again in apology: "I'm so sorry."

"I don't want to say it a second time. Since I'm not going to pursue this anymore, I don't care about your attitude. But..." Ryuji turned to look at Jiraiya, who had his back turned, and chuckled softly, "Jiraiya, life's encounters are very subtle. You hate me to death right now, but in a moment you'll be so grateful to me that you'll burst into tears."

"Are you kidding me? I..."

Jiraiya suddenly turned around, instinctively about to start cursing, but was met with Tsunade's murderous gaze.

In the end, he swallowed the rest of his words and turned back angrily.

Ryuji didn't seem to mind, ignoring Tsunade's continued apologetic glances, and chuckled softly, "Nagato isn't dead!"

"..."

After a brief silence, Jiraiya abruptly turned around, staring at Ryuji in disbelief. "What did you say?!"

"I said Nagato isn't dead."

Jiraiya glanced at him, then looked back at Ryuji and asked, "What did you say?"

"The leader isn't dead!"

Worried that Jiraiya still wouldn't believe it, he spoke out solemnly, word by word.

But Jiraiya, still looking incredulous, pressed on, "What did you just say!?"

Ryuji frowned slightly and said unhappily, "Nagato is dead."

"You just said Nagato isn't dead!"

The different answer confirmed to Jiraiya that what he had heard before was not a hallucination, and he cheered and jumped up with joy like a child.

Those around were speechless.

Tsunade's shamelessness had already shocked them, and now Jiraiya is acting like a child. So, what about the last one...?

Everyone subconsciously looked at Orochimaru standing in the distance, his clothes fluttering, his face as cold as frost, standing proudly.

Yes, this is the legendary style of the Three Ninja!

"Not only is Nagato not dead, but I didn't kill Konan either."

Ryuji's words brought Jiraiya back to his senses from his excitement.

He strode up to Long Er and looked him up and down.

This behavior was very rude, and both Silver and Red, who were standing nearby, couldn't help but frown, wanting to teach Jiraiya a lesson.

Seeing that things were not going well, Tsunade was about to shout at them again.

But then Jiraiya spoke up.

He asked with a serious expression, "Can you tell me exactly what happened?"

Ryuji gagged slightly and said, "As Nagato's master, you must know about the extraordinary power he possesses!"

Jiraiya's pupils contracted slightly, but seeing that Ryuji didn't say it directly, he knew that Ryuji also didn't want more people to know. So he and Ryuji became the riddle tellers.

"That's right. It was because I discovered Nagato's extraordinary power that I stayed in the Land of Rain to teach them ninjutsu."

"That explains it." Ryuji nodded and said, "At that time, the troops I led encountered Konan and Nagato's squad and a battle ensued. I discovered Nagato's special power beforehand and was worried that its unleashing would cause great losses to the troops, so I captured his comrade and forced him to commit suicide."

Upon hearing this, everyone except Silver and Infrared frowned to varying degrees.

Although ninjas are known for their ruthless methods, their despicable and shameless tactics are still despised.

Although I wouldn't say anything to their face, I always resist such behavior and feel ashamed to associate with such people.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and many Sunagakure ninjas afterward felt that such methods were dishonorable. Orochimaru and a few others were surprised that Ryuji would say such a shameful thing in front of so many people.

Only Red and Silver remained calm and showed no concern whatsoever.

Ryuji ignored the expressions on their faces and continued, "However, just as Nagato picked up a kunai, preparing to die for his comrades, one of my men killed Konan without warning, which caused Nagato to go berserk."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked astonished.

What's going on?

Why would they suddenly sabotage a strategy when it was on the verge of success?

Is your subordinate a joke?

Orochimaru frowned and asked, "Is one of your subordinates a spy from another village?"

Upon hearing this, the others' eyes lit up and they looked over.

"No." Ryuji shook his head slightly. "The selection process for Sunagakure's elite puppeteer unit is very strict. If there are enemy spies in that unit, then the entire village of Sunagakure has already been infiltrated."

"Since the selection process is rigorous, there shouldn't be any issues with their abilities, meaning it's unlikely to be a mistake caused by nervousness or trembling hands."

Tsunade analyzed meticulously.

"That's right, there was no mistake or anything." Ryuji gave her an appreciative look, and without beating around the bush, said directly, "My subordinate was under an illusion spell and was controlled to kill Konan."

"What!?"

Seeing the shocked crowd, Ryuji explained, "Nagato stayed behind to cover our retreat, allowing our companions to escape. I sent the others to chase after Konan and the others, while Kurenai and I stayed behind to deal with Nagato. It was probably during the chase that we were caught in a genjutsu."

"But it's the Sand Village's puppet army..."

"They're all experts, right?"

Jiraiya nodded blankly as he looked at the boy who had spoken his mind ahead of time.

"That's right, the elite puppet troops are all highly skilled, but the enemy is even more skilled," Ryuji explained. "My subordinate was affected by a Sharingan genjutsu."

"That's impossible!"

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru all spoke in unison.

After they finished speaking, they looked at each other and nodded. Orochimaru stepped forward and explained, "The Uchiha clan is responsible for the village's security force and usually doesn't leave the village for missions. Even during tense times like war, only a few skilled members participate. At that time, we were carrying out a plan targeting Kumogakure, so it was impossible for us to send anyone to target Sunagakure and Amegakure."

"I didn't say the enemy was the Uchiha clan from Konoha."

They weren't Uchiha from Konoha, but from outside the village.

Ryuji did not reveal Madara's existence because he wanted to accelerate the suspicion between Konoha and the Uchiha clan.

"To be honest, that enemy was far too powerful," Ryuji continued. "Because of Konan's death, Nagato unleashed unprecedented power, far surpassing even the legendary Sannin."

Tsunade and Orochimaru frowned.

They were very dissatisfied.

But seeing that Jiraiya, who usually reacts the most, was completely silent and instead looked completely at ease, he remembered the special power that the two had mentioned earlier about Nagato and couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that Nagato really has power far exceeding that of the three Sannin?

"But even Nagato is no match for me."

After all that talk, you're just bragging that you're stronger than the three legendary ninjas, aren't you?

Upon hearing the next sentence, Tsunade raised an eyebrow, forcibly suppressing her inner resentment and the urge to rush up and fight.

"But just as I was about to kill Nagato, the enemy rescued him."

"You're saying he rescued Nagato!?"

Upon hearing this, Tsunade's displeasure vanished instantly, and she asked with a serious expression.

If that person was Nagato's friend, then he wouldn't have used illusion magic to manipulate others to kill Konan.

But if he was an enemy, he did indeed save Nagato.

After careful consideration, the group realized that Nagato possessed a unique power, and their eyes widened in surprise.

"That person is plotting against Nagato's special power!"

Jiraiya voiced what everyone was thinking, then stared intently at Ryuji, awaiting his answer.

"That's right, that's what I think too," Ryuji said. "Nagato's power after unleashing his full potential far surpasses that of the Sannin, but that person is even stronger than Nagato after his power surges."

"He was wearing a mask, so I didn't know who he was, but I could see his Sharingan with three tomoe through the holes in the mask."

"His strength was too great. Even when Hong and I fought him together, we could only barely hold our own, and he eventually escaped."

"At the time, I was very puzzled. He was so powerful that if he wanted to save people, he could have rescued everyone directly. But he didn't do that. Instead, he used the Sand Village to kill Konan in front of Nagato, as if he deliberately wanted to make her go berserk. His tone, which seemed to be controlling everything behind the scenes, made me think deeply."

(End of this chapter)