Konoha: Unable to learn ninjutsu, they had to develop their own.

That's not a big problem.

Naruto did not actually enter the Frog Transformation state; it was just that his Sage Chakra dissipated.

Jiraiya punched him in the head.

like……

……

After a long time, some characteristics of Sage Chakra appeared on Naruto's body, but they quickly disappeared.

Chiba really wanted to say...

The difference is that this Rasengan is composed of Sage Chakra.

He stretched out his hand.

Naruto truthfully stated, "But the extraction seems to be much more difficult than before."

however.

Jiraiya relaxed a little.

If Naruto were given a cursed seal similar to his or Hashirama Senju's, it would allow him to fully extract Sage Chakra and Sage Mode.

and.

He could have become stronger; there was no need for him to take the path of the cursed seal.

Naruto immediately felt the difference.

Previous natural energy...

Basically, you only need to think about how to extract Sage Chakra; you don't need to think about how to obtain more natural energy.

but now.

The natural energy around him all needed to be gathered and absorbed by Naruto himself, which greatly increased the difficulty.

In just one minute, Fukasaku had already made two moves; otherwise, Naruto would have entered his frog transformation state and turned into a stone frog.

Jiraiya and Chiba went down to the lower level, away from this place.

"Chiba, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, Naruto would have needed a lot more time just to synthesize Sage Chakra. Now you've shortened the time considerably."

Time may not be money, but in this situation where war may be imminent...

Time may be equivalent to life.

Many people's lives.

Jiraiya glanced back, then said in silence, "Actually, I've gathered some information recently, but I don't know if it's true or not."

"What information?"

"The Akatsuki's headquarters may be in Amegakure."

Jiraiya said in a low voice, "The purpose of forming an organization is twofold: firstly, as you said, to hunt down members of Akatsuki; and secondly, to see if we can draw out people from the deeper layers of Akatsuki."

Currently, there are three groups of Akatsuki members who are relatively active outside.

I won't go into Itachi and Kisame.

Hidan was captured by Konoha, and Kakuzu seems to have gained a new team member. Jiraiya has already found out about this on the black market, but he doesn't know the name of the other member.

Another pair is Sasori and Deidara.

In addition, the Akatsuki organization also has a strange creature that is good at infiltration and intelligence gathering, as well as an Uchiha clan member who is suspected to be a descendant of Madara.

but.

Based on the intelligence gathered earlier, the Akatsuki organization has a total of nine members.

What about another one?

This was Jiraiya's concern.

"You suspect the last one is in Amegakure?"

"Yes, Amegakure's actions have been a bit strange lately. You might not be able to sense it in Konoha, but I've been gathering intelligence with Naruto outside, and we can sense the difference through feedback from the smaller ninja villages."

Jiraiya said solemnly.

sometimes……

The reaction of the small ninja village reveals a lot of information.

In particular, the internal policy changes of a small ninja village like Amegakure, which is a dominant force.

Chiba understands—

Jiraiya may have been able to deduce that Amegakure was the Akatsuki's headquarters by gathering this intelligence and considering various factors.

His guess was correct.

Amegakure was indeed one of its strongholds. After Jiraiya entered, he encountered Nagato, who was killed by Pain there, and his body sank into the sea.

And now.

“I was worried about Naruto before and hoped to train him. Now that you have your help, Naruto will definitely be able to master Sage Mode, so I want to go to Amegakure to take a look.”

Jiraiya said solemnly.

Chiba shook his head: "Let's not talk about that for now, let's analyze the intelligence first."

"Hmm, shall we go back to the village together?"

"it is good."

Chiba nodded.

Neither he nor Jiraiya could stay on Mount Myōboku indefinitely.

Previously, Jiraiya might not have felt comfortable leaving Naruto alone here.

He was worried that Naruto would lose his composure and want to leave Mount Myōboku too soon.

Watch now.

Absolutely unnecessary!

Sasuke is a real weapon of mass destruction. Hearing that Sasuke was in trouble and that the opponent's strength was beyond his current ability to fight, the kid immediately became more determined and hardworking.

……

Return to Konoha.

Chiba and Jiraiya went to the Hokage Building.

When Tsunade saw the two approaching together, she instinctively glanced back, but then thought of something else—

If Naruto were here too, he'd definitely be making a fuss about what he wanted to do right now.

She regained her composure.

"Why are you here together?"

"Jiraiya-senpai has some information, but it's just speculation at the moment, so let's brainstorm together."

"Brainstorming?"

Tsunade thought for a moment and quickly understood what she meant.

It means the three of them get together and discuss countermeasures, right?

That's feasible.

The fact that Jiraiya and Chiba arrived together means that Naruto's situation is basically settled and he doesn't need anyone to look after him anymore; it's just a matter of time.

and.

With the Jinchūriki on Mount Myōboku, they can focus on their work without worrying about external interference.

Tsunade activated the isolation barrier in the office, then pointed to the seats, indicating that the two of them should sit down.

"Jiraiya, what information do you have?"

"Based on my findings..."

Jiraiya recounted the conclusions he had drawn from his observations of the outside world, combined with his reflections over the past two days.

Tsunade listened and nodded repeatedly.

Jiraiya's analysis makes sense.

Based on this calculation, even if Amegakure is not the main base, it is still possible to obtain certain information through Amegakure.

and.

It's impossible for the Akatsuki organization to have only nine members and not need any assistance or resources; they must have received other forms of help.

The area around Iwagakure and Amegakure is the most likely location.

She thought for a moment and looked at Chiba.

Do you have any objections?

"No, I agree with what Jiraiya-senpai said, and I also think Amegakure is very likely, but I don't agree with you going there to investigate now or in the future."

Chiba said, "In fact, I, like you, also have doubts about Amegakure."

"Oh?"

Jiraiya was somewhat surprised. "Where did you know that?"

"In this Chunin Exam, all the other smaller ninja villages only sent one elite team, but Amegakure sent some mediocre teams instead."

Chiba chuckled lightly, "From what I understand, although Hanzo hasn't been managing external affairs much since that year, he still cares quite a bit about the ninjas of the village."

Aside from the Third Hokage's generation, the people who understood Hanzo best were none other than the legendary Sannin who fought against him, namely...

The current Tsunade and Jiraiya.

They exchanged a glance and then nodded: "He doesn't value his subordinates very much, but he won't casually throw away their lives either. If it were him, it would indeed be the same as other small villages."

"They won't even send anyone."

Tsunade added.