Starting as a working person from Naruto

Chapter 269 Akihara Kagura's Conspiracy, Orochimaru's Speculation

The battle is getting fiercer!

Jiraiya felt he was in grave danger!

The Six Paths of Pain completely blocked all his routes!

Every counterattack or breakout attempt by Jiraiya was easily neutralized by the Six Paths of Pain. The shared vision of the Six Paths of Pain left them with no blind spots. Jiraiya even found it extremely difficult to deal with just one of the Pains. Death was approaching him step by step!

"ha…"

Jiraiya kicked Shura Path, and Shura Path's sharp blade cut a long gash in his leg, causing blood to spurt out immediately!

"Phew... Am I going to die here?"

Jiraiya was panting heavily, his gaze constantly shifting between Pain and the Six Paths of Pain.

However, these six puppets were like emotionless killing machines, coldly and mercilessly watching him, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment!

Ninjutsu will be absorbed by the Preta Path, taijutsu will be blocked by the Asura Path and the Deva Path, and even if you manage to break through the encirclement, you will be pulled back by the Deva Path using the gravitational pull of the Universal Pull!

Bang!

The Asura Path stretched out his arms!

One after another, cannonballs shot towards Jiraiya!

Jiraiya leaped onto the rock wall, but was ultimately injured by a cannonball. His body was blasted away, and he managed to half-squat on the ground to support himself.

"That's enough..."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. He had to consider the fact that this reckless action would lead to his death. Before he died, he had to find a way to pass on some important information!

Whether it's information about Pain and Nagato, or the collusion between Akihara Kagura and the Akatsuki, it all needs to be communicated to the people of Konoha.

but…

To whom can I entrust it?

This location also prevents the giant toads from appearing; if the smaller toads did appear, they might be killed by Pain...

What should I do?!

How can we get the intelligence out?

"No...this won't do..."

"We have to find a way, there must be one..."

Jiraiya's brain started spinning rapidly, and his mind went blank as a figure appeared in his mind.

That was the last disciple he ever took in, Naruto Uzumaki.

The Great Toad Sage once said that he would take in a chosen one who would guide the change of the ninja world, not Minato Namikaze who sacrificed himself for Konoha, nor Yahiko who was murdered, nor Nagato, Konan, or Kagura Akihara…

The only one left...

That's Naruto Uzumaki.

That stubborn and obstinate child…

It will surely change the fate of the ninja world, just as the Great Toad Sage predicted.

Jiraiya suddenly felt a sense of relief. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if he died here. In fact, there was no need to pass on any more information.

The Hokage of all generations have been resurrected using the Impure World Reincarnation technique. It's said that Minato has been teaching Naruto, and he's probably already taught Naruto how to train in Sage Mode or something...

and…

If all the Hokage were in Konoha...

The combined power of the four Hokage might not be insufficient to defeat Akihara Kagura.

Akihara Kagura was merely an experimental subject of Wood Release; she shouldn't be a match for the First Hokage. Actually, it seems there's no need for me to overthink or do anything more…

Since he had already identified the chosen one before his death, he only needed to believe the Great Toad Sage's prophecy and quietly accept his fate of dying...

Speaking of death…

Jiraiya thought of his former best friend. He had heard of Orochimaru's death long ago, but he had never felt anything like this before: "Speaking of which, what was it like when Orochimaru died? I never thought I would follow in his footsteps so soon..."

"Goodbye, Jiraiya-sensei!"

Pain, ignoring Jiraiya's dying words, suddenly raised the black rod in his hand, and the other Pains simultaneously extended their own black rods!

The six Pain members leaped up, raising their black rods to pierce Jiraiya's body. Jiraiya would have no chance of surviving such an attack!

"Be careful!"

Xiao Nan gave a low shout and suddenly looked up!

"Hiss..."

A small white snake suddenly appeared on the cliff!

The little white snake instantly grew larger, transforming into a giant white python. It charged straight down the rock wall, opened its blood-red maw, and swallowed Jiraiya's body whole!

The moment the long snake swallowed Jiraiya, it transformed into countless tiny white snakes that scattered and fled, infiltrating every corner of the Akatsuki base under the watchful eyes of a group of Pain members!

Obvious.

The snake's purpose was to save people.

"!!!"

All six of Payne's attacks missed simultaneously!

Pain's expression suddenly changed, and all six Pains sprang into action, quickly chasing after the little white snakes that had fled from the Akatsuki base!

"What exactly is going on?"

Nagato clenched his teeth, watching the fleeing white snakes with unease: "Jiraiya-sensei's summoning animal is a toad, so why is a snake coming to save him...?"

"Could it be Orochimaru..."

Konan immediately thought of the unfriendly Orochimaru.

"Then why did he come to save Jiraiya-sensei?"

After posing the question, Nagato couldn't come up with an answer himself, but he urged urgently, "Now is not the time to discuss these things. We must find out Jiraiya-sensei's location as soon as possible. We absolutely cannot let him escape!"

If Jiraiya manages to escape...

Akihara Kagura's true identity will definitely be exposed!

At that time, the Akatsuki organization would have had to fight a tough battle to capture the Nine-Tails!

"Don't worry…"

Konan quickly reassured Nagato, saying softly, "All the stone walls in this base are my origami; I can find his location..."

Xiao Nan's hands moved rapidly!

The rock walls and ground of the Akatsuki base instantly turned into countless sheets of origami!

Some small white snakes that were swimming on the rock face were wrapped in origami and suffocated to death!

These little white snakes may have realized something was wrong. Some of them suddenly grew larger and turned into giant white pythons, crawling towards the entrance of the base!

Some origami slowly transformed into paper airplanes, which flew around the Akatsuki base. Whenever these paper airplanes encountered a giant white python, they would quickly attach themselves to the python's body and blast it in two!

Obviously...

These origami pieces are all hidden detonators.

Even so, these white pythons would sometimes transform into small white snakes and sometimes transform back into pythons, almost endlessly scrambling to escape!

When it comes to escaping for one's life...

This little white snake has never lost!

"We can't let them escape..."

Nagato's hands quickly formed hand seals, and his body slowly floated up under the influence of gravity, moving step by step towards the outside of the Akatsuki base.

Nagato stood directly at the base entrance, clasped his hands together, and abruptly looked up at the sky: "Rain Tiger Freedom Technique!"

The rain in the sky intensified.

These raindrops all contain Nagato's chakra.

Nagato will notice if even a single drop of rain falls where it shouldn't!

but…

Ultimately, this technique is somewhat superfluous.

The moment a giant white python escaped from the Akatsuki base, it immediately spat Jiraiya out of its mouth. The successor of Mount Myōboku could not stay in the snake's belly for long; if he continued to stay, his body might suffocate and be digested to death.

"Cough cough cough..."

Jiraiya coughed and gagged a little.

Nagato breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Jiraiya appear. He immediately summoned the Six Paths of Pain, intending to surround and kill Jiraiya again.

however…

Jiraiya's words brought Pain to a halt.

Orochimaru…

Jiraiya looked at the giant white python, his expression grim, and said, "You... weren't you already dead at the hands of Uchiha Sasuke?"

"It's just a show..."

The giant white serpent opened its blood-red maw once more, spitting out a long-haired man—Orochimaru, who had been lurking in the shadows all along: "If I were still alive, I would have been hunted down by the Hokage sooner or later. I only escaped by using the pretext of being killed by Uchiha Sasuke..."

"I only saved your life out of kindness..."

Orochimaru shook his head, looking at Jiraiya whose face was still grim, and chuckled, "Heh, Jiraiya, if it weren't for me, you would have been killed just now. You should at least show me some gratitude, right?"

"Oh, right..."

Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya in front of him and continued with a smile, "I just watched a very entertaining show and learned a very interesting secret. I never expected that the Hokage's assistant from Konoha was colluding with the Akatsuki..."

"..."

Jiraiya's expression was rather unpleasant.

There had never been a moment more embarrassing for Jiraiya than this.

Akihara Kagura had always been Jiraiya's pride, but unexpectedly, she was exposed for colluding with the Akatsuki organization, and Orochimaru even overheard this news...

Really...

It was a bit embarrassing and shameful.

but…

This wasn't the time to worry about saving face, and Jiraiya wasn't one to care about his reputation. He quickly said, "Orochimaru, take this message back to Tsunade for me..."

"Are you still trying to escape?!"

Pain stood before Nagato, his face cold as he stared at Jiraiya and Orochimaru: "No matter what, you will not escape from here today!"

"Actually, I already knew about Akihara Kagura's collusion with the Akatsuki organization..."

Orochimaru chuckled, but instead of looking at Pain, he kept his eyes on his old friend: "Jiraiya, do you need me to tell you something even more interesting?"

"What is it?"

Jiraiya frowned.

"Akihara Kagura..."

Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya before him, his smile growing wider: "Actually, in the beginning, he was a spy I planted in Konoha, but unfortunately, that little guy's strength grew stronger and stronger, and he escaped my control..."

"!!!"

Jiraiya's face immediately darkened, as if water were about to drip from it.

No wonder…

No wonder ten years ago...

When Akihara Kagura and I attacked the Akatsuki, Orochimaru was just watching the show from the sidelines. At that time, he was already colluding with Akihara Kagura!

His own disciple…

Just how many things are they still hiding?

Orochimaru grinned and chuckled, glancing at Jiraiya and then at Pain, saying, "Ten years ago, when Jiraiya was relentlessly pursuing me, I ordered him to leak Akatsuki's information to divert his attention, leading us back to the Akatsuki organization..."

"I know."

Pain frowned and continued impatiently, "Back then, in order to divert Jiraiya-sensei and Konoha's attention, Kagura also conspired with us to leak your whereabouts to Jiraiya-sensei..."

"..."

Orochimaru's smile immediately turned sour.

"Pfft, cough cough cough..."

Jiraiya felt he shouldn't be laughing at this moment.

Even though his disciple had been colluding with so many of Konoha's enemies, he couldn't help but laugh when he saw Orochimaru get his comeuppance.

"Akihara Kagura!"

Orochimaru gritted his teeth, his voice suddenly rising: "Akihara Kagura, come out and tell me right now, how many things have you been hiding from me...?"

"Is Kagura here too?"

Jiraiya immediately looked around uneasily.

"He told me about your intelligence gathering activities within the Akatsuki organization..."

Orochimaru scanned his surroundings, a sudden unease creeping into his heart: "Wait... where is that guy hiding? Why hasn't he shown up as planned? What is he trying to do?"

What happened?

Where is that bastard Akihara Kagura?

Didn't that bastard say he'd come too?

What exactly does that bastard want? If he wants Jiraiya to die here, why did he send me to save him? He can't possibly want both of us to die here, can he?

"What on earth is that guy thinking...?"

Orochimaru's heart sank. He remembered how Akihara Kagura had tricked him, and he had a vague feeling that he had fallen into a trap...

"Kagura isn't here."

Nagato was very confident in his Rain Tiger Free Technique.

Because the Rain Tiger Freedom Technique can detect any hiding enemy, no one can escape the rain in this area, and he has already sensed that there is no one else around.

Only Jiraiya and Orochimaru are here.

"..."

Orochimaru's arm trembled uncontrollably.

That bastard…

Have I deceived myself again?

Pain looked at Orochimaru and calmly continued, "Orochimaru, if Kagura doesn't want me to kill Jiraiya-sensei, she only needs to tell me..."

Pain's expression gradually turned cold, and a black rod began to materialize in his hand: "Or are you trying to sow discord between me and him with these words? Do you want me to let you and Jiraiya-sensei leave?"

"No need to think about it."

"No matter what, you will all die here today!"

"..."

Orochimaru was so angry that he trembled all over.

It wasn't because of Pain's words, but because I was deceived!

That bastard went all the way to the lab at the base of Root to tell me that Jiraiya might die there while scouting for Akatsuki, and then promised me he would definitely show up when I said I couldn't defeat Nagato…

just now…

What exactly is that bastard trying to do?

"Orochimaru, stop thinking about that..."

Seeing Orochimaru's apparent anger, Jiraiya repeatedly comforted his old friend. Looking at his enemy, he continued, "I must thank you for saving me. Speaking of which, Orochimaru, how long has it been since we fought side-by-side…?"

"I don't know, I'm not really interested in fighting..."

Orochimaru took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. He knew he had definitely fallen for Akihara Kagura's trick.

Anyway…

Things have already gotten to this point...

Is that bastard Akihara Kagura planning to wipe him out along with Jiraiya?

Or... wait...

Orochimaru's gaze fell on Nagato's Rinnegan, recalling Nagato's speculations about the Sage's Eye and Sage's Body, and a bad feeling crept into his heart.

Some of Nagato's words reminded him of something...

The Sage's Eye and the Sage's Body are both powers of the Sage of Six Paths.

The possessor of the Eye of the Immortal may not necessarily possess the Body of the Immortal, but the possessor of the Body of the Immortal may not necessarily be unable to obtain the Eye of the Immortal…

after all…

Replacing your eyes is just a minor surgery.

Orochimaru's heart sank lower and lower, and he couldn't help but have a guess.

That bastard…

Could it be that he and Jiraiya are weakening Nagato's power so that he will suddenly appear and reap the Sage's Eyes from Nagato? Otherwise, why would he be sent to Akatsuki to rescue Jiraiya?

That must be it!

That must be it!

When Orochimaru thought of this, his arms trembled even more violently!

Orochimaru had already foreseen his and Jiraiya's fate!

When they have exhausted Nagato's chakra, or even when they die in a great battle against Nagato and the Six Paths of Pain, that bastard Kagura Akihara will definitely show up and attack Nagato!

Nagato was still rambling on about his alliance with Akihara Kagura, but Orochimaru had no idea that Akihara Kagura would abide by any alliance...

Because Orochimaru himself was a victim of a pact!

"Hey, Orochimaru, what are you thinking about?"

Jiraiya, observing Orochimaru's unpredictable expression and glancing at the rain in the sky, smiled nostalgically: "Does it remind you of our most dangerous battle? It was also in the Land of Rain, when we faced Hanzo of the Salamander..."

"idiot…"

Orochimaru turned and cursed at Jiraiya, a clear glint of anger in his eyes: "If I had killed those three brats from the Land of Rain back then, none of this would have happened. My life might have been in danger because of you, you idiot!"

"But at that time..."

Jiraiya frowned, wanting to explain!

"Jiraiya!"

Orochimaru interrupted Jiraiya, glaring angrily at his somewhat bewildered old friend, and said, "This battle is definitely a conspiracy by one of your disciples. If the situation turns unfavorable in a moment, I'll flee immediately!"

"..."

Jiraiya fell silent. He looked at Orochimaru's furious face and slowly nodded: "Alright, I'll cover you."

Second update!

It's been a long time since the three legendary Konoha ninja fought side by side. It's a pity Tsunade can't fit in...

(End of this chapter)