Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 169 Jiraiya's Whereabouts

The other ninja villages may not have had a death rate as high as Konoha's, which exceeded nine out of ten, but their death rates were definitely over 50%, and even the average death rate was close to 70%.

The Fourth Shinobi World War was fought on average once every ten years or so. It is said that the two previous Fourth Shinobi World Wars were even more brutal, and after the war, the combined number of ninjas from the five great ninja villages was less than 1.

In Uchiha Tou's view, this mortality rate was far worse than when he harvested leeks. Even if he harvested leeks, he would at least leave 30% of the ninjas so that the village could recover quickly. But these ninjas were here to eradicate them completely!

Upon hearing Uchiha Tou's words, Yekura's face flushed slightly, and she retorted:

"But no matter what, the Ninja World War is different from what you call... 'harvesting leeks'!"

Uchiha Touyu chuckled. In his eyes, the Ninja World War, which had been going on for so many years without any change, was really no better than harvesting leeks!

However, he didn't explain much to Ye Cang, only saying in a calm tone:

"If you think it's different, then it's different! But don't mess things up later."

Yecang bit her lip, glanced helplessly at Uchiha Touyu, and sighed:

"I understand, don't worry! I was just complaining a bit."

Nodding, Uchiha Touyu still had great confidence in his ability to control the cauldron, and then he told Yekura what had just happened in Konoha.

"Jiraiya? The Great Toad Sage? Does prophetic ability really exist in this world?"

After listening to Uchiha Tou's account, Yekura's face showed surprise, and she asked a question.

"Pure and perfect prophetic abilities certainly don't exist, but it should still be possible to see some possibility of the future in a dream."

"Moreover, this possibility should be fragmented and changeable; otherwise, the so-called prophetic ability would be meaningless."

Uchiha Touyu spoke up and shared his guess, which, in his mind, wasn't much different from the truth.

If the Great Toad Sage's prophecy were to come true 100%, Jiraiya wouldn't need to search the world for the prophesied child. According to the prophecy, the prophesied child would definitely become his disciple, so he could just wait patiently in Konoha for the prophesied child to come and become his disciple.

"Um... Touyu, do you really intend to destroy the ninja world in the future?"

After hearing Uchiha Tou's words, Yekura hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and asked a question. Before Uchiha Tou could answer, she added:

"Even if, even if Feiyu, you want to destroy time, we will always stand by your side!"

After hearing this, Uchiha Touyu immediately covered his head and shook his head:

"What are you thinking? Even if I were a great demon, I wouldn't destroy the world for no reason! Such a thing would only harm my own interests."

They were planning to pursue sustainable development, but destroying the world would be like uprooting their vegetable garden.

"The prophecy of the Great Toad Sage..."

Uchiha Touyu chuckled softly and said in a low voice:

"Ye Cang, you don't actually believe that so-called Great Toad Sage is some kind of savior, do you?!"

"It's just a toad that's lived a long time, not some living saint. Why do you think it has no selfish motives?"

"I would never do something that destroys the world, but destroying Mount Myōboku is absolutely a matter of course for me. Under such circumstances, giving me the title of a world-destroying demon is simply the most normal thing for this Great Toad Sage!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Cang suddenly realized that she had been misled by the reputation of the immortals of Mount Myōboku and had truly believed that they were otherworldly immortals who had no desires. Now she realized that they were just a group of spirit beasts.

The so-called world-destroying demon was just a label given to Uchiha Touyu because they discovered his threat.

Seeing that Yekura had come to her senses, Uchiha Touyu gave the following instructions:

"Mount Myoboku is not weak. Even if we don't count the Great Toad Sage, the combined strength of all the toads that have appeared in the ninja world is no weaker than that of a major ninja village."

"Most importantly, these toads have Mount Myoboku as their base, which means they can attack or defend as they please. Unless we find Mount Myoboku directly, it will be difficult to eradicate them completely."

Uchiha Touyu even doubted that the Flying Thunder God Technique might be able to enter Mount Myōboku. The Great Toad Sage had lived for so many years, and his entire brood of toads had hardly been discovered by the outside world. The barrier of Mount Myōboku must have been designed to be extremely perfect, and ordinary space-time ninjutsu might not be able to enter.

"So... Touya, you mean to start with Jiraiya?"

"It wasn't Jiraiya. I reckon even Jiraiya doesn't know the exact location of Mount Myōboku. He probably uses the Summoning Jutsu to get in and out every time."

Given Jiraiya's personality, he probably wouldn't actively inquire about the location of Mount Myōboku unless the toads of Mount Myōboku told him.

Although Jiraiya was doing quite well at Mount Myōboku, under normal circumstances, unless something urgent happened, the toads of Mount Myōboku wouldn't directly tell him where Mount Myōboku was located.

Firstly, most of the toads on Mount Myōboku didn't even know where Mount Myōboku was, and secondly, since they used summoning techniques to communicate, Jiraiya didn't really need to know about it.

"So, what are you going to do, Feiyu?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Cang frowned and said:

"Since that giant toad sage possesses the ability to foresee the future, he must have been on guard against you all along. I'm afraid he will be even less likely to reveal the coordinates of Mount Myōboku in the future."

"It's alright. The souls of the ninja world hold no secrets for me. As long as I eliminate some of the more important toads, I can naturally obtain the coordinates of Mount Myōboku from their souls!"

Uchiha Touyu didn't care. Even if the ordinary toads of Mount Myōboku didn't know the coordinates of Mount Myōboku, at least the two toad sages certainly did.

Jiraiya's Sage Mode requires the help of two toad sages. If you push him to the brink, he will naturally summon the two toads.

At that time, Uchiha Touya only needs to kill a toad sage and capture its soul to find the location of Mount Myōboku.

……

Uchiha Touyu had already made a plan, but to his surprise, Jiraiya had not been heard from since he left Konoha Village. Three months had passed, and he still hadn't appeared in the Land of Wind.

Uchiha Touya had no way to deal with this. He was too lazy to chase after Jiraiya, lest he alert Jiraiya and expose his relationship with Tsunade. He could only wait quietly in Sunagakure.

So where did Jiraiya go during this time?

Let's go back a few months to the Land of Rain, to the Akatsuki headquarters.

The Land of Rain is known as the Land of Weeping because it receives so much rain that it is shrouded in rain for at least 300 days out of the year.

The long-term rain has created a harsh natural environment. Every inch of the land here is wet when you step on it, as if it were a sponge that has absorbed a lot of water. The rainwater that seeps out can easily fill your shoes.

"What terrible weather... When will this drizzling rain stop?"

The tall man with a full head of white hair raised his head, looked at the dark clouds in the sky, and sighed softly.

"The weather in the Land of Rain has always been like this, which is the most important reason why the country's development is limited... Back then, Lord Hanzo saw this and, in addition, did not want to become a buffer zone for wars between major powers, which is why he declared war on several countries at the same time."

"Teacher, although I do not agree with Lord Hanzo's actions, I still acknowledge that he is a hero of our Land of Rain."

The one who spoke was a young man with orange hair. Although he was talking about a heavy topic, the young man had a light smile on his face, and his eyes seemed to be sparkling with hope.

"Ha... Hanzo, from the perspective of the Land of Rain, can indeed be called a hero."

Jiraiya, a tall, white-haired man and one of the Legendary Sannin, shrugged, as if recalling the scene of his battle with that demigod of the ninja world.

The white-haired man was Jiraiya, so the one who spoke to him and addressed him as "teacher" was naturally his disciple, Yahiko.

In fact, Yahiko was able to save his life thanks to Uchiha Tou, who took down Danzo and Uchiha Madara. The mastermind behind the entire ninja world was reduced to only half of the escaped Black Zetsu.

Without these troublemakers and behind-the-scenes manipulators stirring up trouble, Hanzo of the Salamander might still have doubts about the Akatsuki, but he wouldn't be in such a hurry to take action against the trio, which is why Yahiko has been able to survive until now.

Fortunately, Hanzo the Salamander didn't make a move, otherwise the trio would probably be doomed this time.

Because Uchiha Hiu has completely absorbed the Gedo Mazo, Nagato simply cannot summon it now, even if he wanted to. If a situation like Hanzo's ambush with the Salamander were to occur again, Nagato wouldn't be able to unleash his full power.

"By the way, Jiraiya-sensei, is there something you need from us?"

Upon hearing Yahiko's question, Jiraiya's expression stiffened slightly, and he sighed.

"Was I that obvious? Even you, Yahiko, noticed!"

Yahiko simply smiled slightly and didn't say anything more. After all, he was no longer the child he used to be, but the leader of the second largest organization in the Land of Rain.

Although he was a bit naive, the fact that he was able to develop the Akatsuki organization to its current level in the Land of Rain shows that Yahiko was just naive, but not stupid.

Yahiko was naturally filled with gratitude towards Jiraiya, but at the same time, he was also very clear that his teacher ultimately had his own stance and was not entirely on the same side as him.

The Akatsuki organization, which has always pursued peace, and the Hidden Leaf Village, which can be called the world's hegemon, still have considerable conflicts. Even though the Hidden Leaf Village has never shown any strong aggression, Yahiko is worried that the overly powerful Hidden Leaf Village will wantonly interfere with the operation of the Akatsuki organization.

Not to mention... there's also Nagato's Rinnegan!

The Rinnegan is of great importance. Even when they were young, Jiraiya had countless opportunities to take the Rinnegan but ultimately did not, and even taught the three of them ninjutsu. But that was many years ago. Who knows if Jiraiya will have any other ideas now?

Fortunately, it was Jiraiya who came. Yahiko still trusted him to some extent. If it had been a ninja from another major ninja village, he probably would have already been ready for battle.

Sensing the subtle wariness in his disciple's heart, Jiraiya was unsure whether to feel gratified or annoyed. He was gratified by his disciple's growth, but annoyed by the growing estrangement between them.

However, he quickly composed himself, remembered the Great Toad Sage's instructions, and took a deep breath:

"Indeed, I have something very important to discuss with you this time. To be precise, I have something very important to discuss with Nagato!"

Yahiko's expression changed slightly, and he couldn't help but clench his fists, but Jiraiya ignored him and continued speaking:

"But don't worry, this time, I'm not here as a Konoha ninja, and I won't interfere with your plans or the Akatsuki organization."

"In fact, I completely agree with the Akatsuki's operational guidelines!"

The Akatsuki's operational path can almost be said to be an extension of Jiraiya's ideals. During his three years of teaching, Jiraiya not only taught Nagato and the other two ninjutsu, but also instilled his values ​​in them.

Achieving peace through non-military means such as negotiation and communication was a dream deeply rooted in Jiraiya's heart. It could even be said that the Akatsuki organization was a dream that Jiraiya put into practice through his disciples.

"Sorry, teacher, I'm a little nervous."

Yahiko let out a long sigh of relief and looked at Jiraiya with a serious expression:

"But please explain things more clearly, teacher. Nagato and his eyes are arguably the greatest embodiment of the Akatsuki's ideals!"

As mentioned earlier, Yahiko is just a little naive, but not stupid. Compared to the original story, Yahiko, who had been in charge of the Akatsuki organization for several more years, has a much more comprehensive way of thinking.

In the original work, he was willing to die at Nagato's hands because he believed that Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, was more likely than him to fulfill the Akatsuki's wishes. This shows that Yahiko already understood at that time that having a sword but not using it and not having a sword to use are two completely different things.

In some ways, Yahiko now is more like a Jiraiya who has taken on responsibility!

"Yahiko, you've really become a very mature leader."

Jiraiya gave Yahiko a complicated look, then spoke:

"Even if you don't tell me, I will explain everything clearly. First, let me introduce Mount Myōboku to you..."

Yahiko wasn't Tsunade and didn't know much about the Three Sacred Lands, so Jiraiya had to start from the beginning and tell him the truth little by little.

Soon, Jiraiya recounted everything to Yahiko, including Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage, the prophetic dream, and the Uchiha clan's destruction of the world, talking until his throat was dry before finally finishing all the information.

(End of this chapter)