Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Jiraiya scratched his head and asked with a smile, "What brings you here?"

Orochimaru withdrew his gaze and said casually, "The old man told me to tell you that you've been out there long enough. It's time to get back to work."

"What kind of work?"

"Investigate the rogue ninja." Orochimaru pulled a scroll from his robes: "Shisei Aburame, you should remember him. That brat from the Aburame clan who defected three years ago. Recent intelligence suggests he might be hiding in the Land of Waterfalls."

Jiraiya took the scroll, flipped through it casually, and then stuffed it into his pocket.

"Okay, I'll go when I have time."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow: "Go when you have time?"

"I still have students to teach," Jiraiya said, holding his head in his hands. "Can't we wait a little longer? Let someone else do it, like you."

Orochimaru's smile faded: "I naturally have other important matters to attend to. Besides, as the head of the intelligence department, this should be your responsibility."

Orochimaru actually already knew Aburame Shisei's whereabouts, but for some reason, he didn't tell anyone.

He was even somewhat eager to see how other Konoha ninjas would fare against Shisei Aburame, especially his unreliable fellow disciple, Jiraiya.

I wonder what he looked like when he fled in such a sorry state; that's really exciting.

He turned to leave, then suddenly stopped: "By the way, has anything unusual happened in the Land of Rain lately? Do you know anything about Hanzo the Salamander's movements?"

Jiraiya remained silent for a moment, then took out another scroll from his pocket and tossed it to him.

"They're all inside. This wretched country, even though the war is over, is full of orphans, refugees, and wandering samurai. Hanzo the Salamander has gone into hiding, and nobody knows where he went. Besides, the nobles and samurai factions in the Land of Rain are fighting for power; it's a complete mess."

As he spoke, Jiraiya felt a pang of emotion, realizing that the great disaster that had befallen the Land of Rain was largely related to their own Konoha.

But even he could only take in ordinary villagers at most; he felt a deep sense of powerlessness with any more.

Just then, he looked at Nagato Uzumaki, his eyes revealing hope and relief.

However, this situation should end soon. Once the chosen one appears, he will build bridges between people, enabling them to understand and communicate with each other. At that time, they will forgive each other and there will be no hatred.

In the future, the world will usher in lasting peace.

However, when looking at Nagato Uzumaki, his gaze would occasionally drift away to the orange-haired boy beside him.

For some reason, during this time we spent together, Yahiko truly seemed to be the chosen one in terms of language. Not only did he completely inherit my will, but he also possessed a natural affinity and a commanding presence.

Sometimes he even thought that there might be more than one Child of Destiny, and that he might be teaching a twin Child of Destiny.

Just then, Orochimaru snatched the scroll from his hand, glanced at it, and said, "Thank you."

Orochimaru turned and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the forest.

The three children stood there, stunned, having heard the conversation between the two men clearly.

Konan stepped forward first and asked softly, "Jiraiya-sensei, are you leaving?"

Jiraiya turned around and saw the faint unease in the eyes of the three children, and his heart softened.

"I'm just going out to run some errands, I'll be right back."

He walked over, squatted down, ruffled Konan's hair, and then looked at Yahiko and Nagato.

"Before I leave, I will leave you with enough money and food. I've also prepared some weapons for you to use in case of danger. Practice hard, and I'll check on you when I return."

Yahiko nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, Jiraiya-sensei, I'll protect them both!"

Xiao Nan nodded as well.

Only Nagato kept her head down, lost in thought.

Jiraiya looked at them, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

He considered having them form a contract with Mount Myōboku, making them true successors of the Toad Sage. But in the end, he hesitated.

They are still too young, and it may not be a good thing for them to be exposed to those things too early.

"Let's talk about it when I get back."

Jiraiya muttered to himself, turned around and went into the house to start packing his things.

Not long after Jiraiya left, a giant pitcher plant rose from the ground and then silently disappeared back underground.

Soon after, they arrived at an underground palace.

In the vast space, a ten-tailed statue stood silently. In front of the statue, an old man with white hair sat cross-legged, looking withered and emaciated.

A pitcher plant-like half-human emerged from the ground.

"Lord Madara, Jiraiya has left."

"leave?"

"Yes. I heard that Konoha assigned him a mission to track down a rogue ninja. Sir, do you think we should find another teacher for those three children? Jiraiya has left, and we don't know when he will return."

Ban remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"No need. Only Jiraiya believed in the old toad's prophecy, so only he would diligently teach those three pieces."

He looked up at Zetsu: "Find a way to guide Jiraiya so that he can complete his mission sooner and come back sooner."

"Yes, sir."

Jue nodded and slowly sank into the ground.

-

a few days later.

Based on the information provided by Orochimaru, Jiraiya tracked them all the way to the border of the Land of Waterfall.

He quickly gathered clues from nearby cities and villages. Although no one claimed to have seen a ninja controlling insects, he still found some scattered insect corpses along the way—the most common and simple parasitic insects.

In the end, all the clues pointed to Takigakure in the Land of Waterfalls, and it was the first time he had ever known that Takigakure had undergone tremendous changes compared to a few years ago.

"Oh dear, the changes in Takigakure are so obvious, there's something wrong with it no matter how you look at it. Why hasn't anyone noticed such a simple thing? What are the other intelligence agents in Konoha doing? They're always making me, their chief, risk my life for them!"

In the nearest city tavern to Takigakure Village.

Jiraiya sipped his special sake while making sarcastic remarks about the information he had gathered.

He always felt that Konoha's reconnaissance technology needed improvement, and that finding a mere rogue ninja from the Aburame clan would be no problem at all.

He was even a little surprised; it was unexpectedly simple.

"It really is here."

He stood on a distant hillside, gazing thoughtfully through binoculars at the faint outline of the village in the distance.

He was certain that the giant snake had been here, after all, the problem here was too obvious.

"Then why did he call me here? What is that stinky snake up to?" Jiraiya shook his head and turned to leave.

Instead of rushing into Takigakure, he decided to return to the agreed-upon location and meet Orochimaru.

He's not stupid. Even Orochimaru might have suffered losses, so how could he be so foolish as to recklessly infiltrate the area himself? Besides, he's just the head of intelligence!