After hearing Jiraiya's explanation, Nagato gave a slight nod. Things really had become much more convenient this way.
"By the way, Nagato, how did you know that person was in our Hidden Leaf Village?" Jiraiya asked.
Nagato smiled faintly and said softly,
"Because one of our companions infiltrated the Hidden Leaf Village earlier and gathered information after some investigation."
Jiraiya immediately recalled the Uchiha brothers, Itachi and Sasuke, who had snuck into the village not long ago.
"You mean Uchiha Itachi?" Jiraiya asked with a frown.
"That's right. But because of an unexpected incident at the time, he had no choice but to leave the Hidden Leaf Village early. Afterward, we came to rescue Kisame," Nagato explained slowly.
Jiraiya's eyes lit up. "So Uchiha Itachi walks the same path as you?"
"That's right. Our ideals align. We want to bring true peace to the ninja world."
Just as Nagato and Jiraiya were having a very pleasant conversation, noisy shouts suddenly came from outside.
"There's an intruder!"
"Hurry and notify the Hokage-sama!"
Nagato glanced outside, then bid farewell to Jiraiya.
"Sensei, it looks like I can't stay any longer. I need to leave."
Jiraiya smiled in relief and nodded slightly.
"Yeah. I'm glad we had this talk. Goodbye."
Nagato then rose into the air. After smiling slightly at Jiraiya, he smashed through the ceiling and fled into the distance.
Watching him leave from below, Jiraiya's mouth twitched slightly as he muttered, "Couldn't you just leave through the hole Konan made earlier? Did you really have to smash another hole yourself?"
Afterward, Jiraiya chuckled helplessly and slowly turned around, only to see the Hidden Leaf Village ninja rushing over.
"Jiraiya-sama!"
"Jiraiya-sama, did you see anyone suspicious just now?"
Jiraiya slowly shook his head and said with a serious expression,
"I was one step too late. By the time I arrived, no one was here anymore. Fortunately, none of our people died."
Hearing this, everyone lowered their heads. At that moment, one of the Hidden Leaf Village ninja pointed at the ceiling.
"Look! The enemy must have escaped through there. Let's notify the others and pursue them. We might still catch up!"
Jiraiya waved his hand.
"No need. Even though nobody died this time, the injured still need to be taken to the Hidden Leaf Village Hospital. I think the enemy's goal was simply to rescue the prisoner held here."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Then we'll do as Jiraiya-sama says. But Jiraiya-sama, what about Hokage-sama…"
Jiraiya smiled slightly. "I'll explain things to Tsunade. You all go take care of things first."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiraiya disappeared in a flash.
The others exchanged glances, nodded, then carried their unconscious comrades and hurried toward the Hidden Leaf Village Hospital.
...
Meanwhile, after flying for some time, Nagato discovered Konan and Hoshigaki Kisame in a forest outside the Hidden Leaf Village.
Nagato slowly descended and landed on the ground.
The moment she saw him, Konan quickly stepped forward.
"Nagato, are you alright?"
Nagato nodded slightly.
"Yeah. I just chatted with Jiraiya-sensei for a while."
Konan nodded, then shifted her gaze toward Hoshigaki Kisame.
He still hadn't woken up and remained unconscious.
"We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's find a quiet place first," Nagato said.
Konan agreed without objection. After reaching a consensus, the two carried Hoshigaki Kisame away from the Hidden Leaf Village.
After traveling for about an hour, Nagato looked around before speaking softly.
"Yeah, this place will do, Konan."
After setting Hoshigaki Kisame down, Nagato calmly said,
"Now we just wait for him to wake up, then we'll contact Itachi."
...
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Rain Village.
Uchiha Obito leaned silently against a pillar, gazing at the night sky without saying a word.
Suddenly, a Venus flytrap emerged from the ground. As it slowly opened, Zetsu's figure appeared beside Uchiha Obito.
"Any findings?" Uchiha Obito asked without even turning around.
"Yeah. The Raikage invited the other four Kage and is preparing to hold a Five Kage Summit," Zetsu said in a gloomy tone.
Hearing this, Uchiha Obito frowned slightly.
"A Five Kage Summit? Where?"
"The Land of Iron. What do you plan to do next?" Zetsu asked slowly.
"A bunch of clowns. Even gathered together, they won't truly discuss anything meaningful," Uchiha Obito said indifferently.
"But if the Five Great Nations join forces, won't that interfere with our plan to capture the tailed beasts?"
"At the moment, we're still missing the One-Tails, Nine-Tails, and Eight-Tails," Zetsu said after a moment of thought.
Uchiha Obito slowly shook his head.
"The Five Great Nations can never truly unite. They're all scheming against one another, so there's no need to worry about the capture plans for the One-Tails and Nine-Tails being affected. The real problem is the Eight-Tails."
Zetsu spoke sinisterly. "Because of Uchiha Itachi?"
Uchiha Obito fell silent.
"Oh right, and what about Nagato's side? What are your plans there?" Zetsu reminded him while staring at Uchiha Obito.
Uchiha Obito's gaze sharpened.
"I've prepared a few backup plans. During this time, go investigate Uchiha Sasuke's whereabouts."
"Uchiha Sasuke… Itachi's younger brother, huh?" Zetsu nodded before sinking back underground.
After Zetsu left, Uchiha Obito slowly stood up.
"It's about time I went to see him."
...
Time passed quietly, and it was already deep into the night.
Nagato sat on a tree stump, occasionally tossing firewood into the campfire, while Konan rested against a tree nearby.
At that moment, Hoshigaki Kisame's eyelids twitched slightly before slowly opening.
"Where is this…" Hoshigaki Kisame muttered softly while looking around.
Hearing him wake up, Nagato slowly stood and walked over.
"You're awake, Kisame."
"You are…" Hoshigaki Kisame stared at the man before him in confusion. Then he noticed the Rinnegan, and after glancing at Konan resting nearby, he froze slightly.
"Wait a moment. I'll contact Itachi. He told me to reach him after rescuing you," Nagato said softly.
"Itachi?" Hoshigaki Kisame murmured before quietly waiting.
Nagato then transmitted a thought wave to Uchiha Itachi.
About three minutes later, Nagato nodded slightly and connected the three of them together, starting a video conference.
"Kisame, sorry about last time. You ended up getting captured because of me. If you had left the Hidden Sand Village with me back then, none of this would've happened," Uchiha Itachi said softly.
Hearing this, Hoshigaki Kisame calmly shook his head.
"It was my own mistake. I underestimated the enemy. It has nothing to do with you."
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