Following a cloud of white smoke, Jiraiya's silhouette suddenly appeared and descended onto Hokage Rock.
"This... this..."
Jiraiya's expression changed instantly when he saw the devastated state of Konoha Village.
"Pain..."
"No, Nagato?!"
Jiraiya clenched his fists tightly.
"Damn it! He was willing to go this far just to capture Naruto and launch a direct attack on the village?!"
"Nagato, you've really fallen this far..."
Jiraiya immediately sensed the strongest presence among the invading enemies.
It was none other than Pain's Deva Path.
Without wasting another second, Jiraiya flew rapidly downward and rushed toward Pain's Deva Path and Kakashi Hatake, who were still locked in a fierce battle.
"Is Jiraiya here?"
Tsunade was using the secret technique of Shikkotsu Forest—Katsuyu: Great Healing—to protect the entire village with all her strength.
Because she was maintaining such a large-scale healing technique, it was difficult for her to fight personally.
However, when she saw Jiraiya's silhouette, her tense nerves finally relaxed slightly.
"I trust you..."
"Jiraiya..."
At the same time, Jiraiya descended from the sky and instantly appeared in front of Kakashi, directly within the Deva Path's field of vision.
But the moment Jiraiya saw the Deva Path, his eyes widened in astonishment.
"You... you're not Nagato!"
"You're Yahiko!"
"But why do you have the Rinnegan?!"
"What exactly is going on?!"
The Deva Path looked at his former teacher.
His expression remained as indifferent as ever.
"I see. So this is Master Jiraiya..."
"Long time no see."
---
Ryuchi Cave
"Hmm?"
Jiraiya's sudden disappearance surprised both Kabuto Yakushi and Jugo.
"What's going on?"
Jugo frowned.
Kabuto quickly calmed himself, but a faint trace of worry appeared on his face.
"This is the Reverse Summoning Jutsu..."
"I'm afraid something has happened in Konoha Village."
Sasuke, who had been training nearby, seemed to sense something as well.
He suddenly stopped and walked toward the entrance of the cave.
"What happened?"
"Where is the master?"
Kabuto was about to answer but hesitated, unsure whether he should tell Sasuke the truth.
Sasuke noticed their confused expressions and suddenly developed a bad feeling.
"Tell me!"
He involuntarily clenched his fists.
Kabuto sighed.
"It's... the Reverse Summoning Jutsu. That's what happened."
Sasuke's heart seemed to leap into his throat.
"Did something happen in Konoha Village?"
Kabuto silently nodded.
"Is it the Akatsuki Organization?"
"Will Uchiha Itachi be among them too?!"
Kabuto gave a sarcastic smile.
"I don't know. We'll only find out after we return to Konoha Village. But without the Reverse Summoning Jutsu, getting back will take too long. We probably won't arrive in time."
Sasuke gritted his teeth, anxiety and worry filling his heart.
"No. There's someone who knows."
With that, Sasuke immediately began running deeper into Ryuchi Cave.
Kabuto and Jugo looked at each other before quickly following him.
The White Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave could hear everything.
Nothing, no matter how big or small, that happened in the shinobi world could escape his ears.
Sasuke was going to ask him what had happened.
The White Snake Sage already knew about Sasuke's future.
He lazily lay on a massive stone bed, watching Sasuke approach while gasping for breath.
"So, has your training been completed?"
Sasuke's voice was deep and urgent.
"Tell me exactly what happened!"
The White Snake Sage laughed mockingly.
"What a rude young man..."
"If you were anyone else, I would have swallowed you by now."
"However, since I've seen that your training has been progressing well, I'll tell you."
Sasuke immediately became extremely tense.
The White Snake Sage didn't seem concerned about his reaction and slowly spoke.
"Your guess is correct."
"The leader of the Akatsuki Organization, Pain, has invaded Konoha Village. His targets are Uzumaki Naruto and, of course, Fu, the Jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails."
"Hokage Tsunade summoned Jiraiya back to the village to fight Pain."
"As for the Uchiha Itachi you're so concerned about..."
"He is currently in the Hidden Mist Village with his partner, Kisame Hoshigaki. They are attempting to capture the Three-Tails Jinchuriki."
Sasuke's heart nearly jumped out of his chest.
"Uchiha Itachi is in the Hidden Mist Village?!"
He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms, drawing blood.
"Uchiha Itachi..."
"I will definitely kill you!"
Sasuke suddenly turned around and prepared to leave, intending to seek revenge against Itachi.
The White Snake Sage spoke coldly.
"Sasuke, your Sage Mode training isn't complete yet. If you abandon your training halfway, it will cost you even more time and effort in the future."
"Besides, with your incomplete Ryuchi Cave Senjutsu, do you really think you can kill Uchiha Itachi?"
Jugo also tried to persuade him.
"Besides, it takes a long time to travel from Ryuchi Cave to the Hidden Mist Village. By the time you arrive, Uchiha Itachi will probably have already left."
But Sasuke could no longer think about such things.
His Sharingan was already burning with hatred.
"Uchiha Itachi rarely reveals himself."
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"I have to kill him!"
A cold chakra suddenly erupted from Sasuke's body.
It was a terrifying aura of malice created by the combination of Ryuchi Cave's Senjutsu and the ocular power of his Sharingan.
The White Snake Sage's pupils narrowed slightly.
He thought to himself:
"It seems that the Senjutsu training in Ryuchi Cave has greatly affected his mind, making him increasingly extreme and violent."
"But..."
"That hatred is also the reason his training speed has increased so dramatically."
"Right now, I'm quite curious to see who is stronger between him and Uchiha Itachi."
The White Snake Sage chuckled.
"Sasuke, I know a way to get you to the Hidden Mist Village quickly."
Sasuke stopped and slightly turned his head.
His blood-red eyes reflected a cold light.
"How?!"
The White Snake Sage smiled faintly.
"You have already formed a summoning contract with Ryuchi Cave. Naturally, you can also be summoned through the Reverse Summoning Jutsu, just like Jiraiya."
"And, of course, I have subordinates in the Hidden Mist Village as well."
Sasuke was stunned.
But the next moment, a surge of excitement filled his heart.
"Then what are we waiting for?!"
The White Snake Sage extended his forked tongue and let out a sinister hiss.
"Very well. Since you're this impatient, I'll help you."
He immediately used a secret technique of Ryuchi Cave to inform his subordinates.
Then—
Pop!
With a soft sound, Sasuke instantly disappeared from where he had been standing.
Jugo and Kabuto looked at each other.
"What do we do now?"
Kabuto smiled sarcastically.
"We came here with Sasuke. Now that both Sasuke and Jiraiya have left, there's naturally no reason for us to stay here either."
"Let's go."
"Where?"
"Obviously, Konoha Village. Where else would we go?"
"...You're right."
---
Meanwhile, in Shikkotsu Forest
"Hmm?"
The Slug Sage, who had been observing Hinata's training, subtly changed her expression.
Hinata's sensory abilities were already extremely powerful.
After undergoing Senjutsu training, they had reached an even higher level.
The Slug Sage immediately sensed that something was wrong.
She quickly opened her eyes and asked:
"What's wrong, Slug Sage?"
The Slug Sage's expression became serious.
"Tsunade has summoned my clones."
"And she has done so on an unprecedented scale..."
________________________________________
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