Starting as the mastermind behind Naruto

Chapter 269 There's No Escape

Rain Village is prone to torrential rain all year round.

The village has a vast network of drainage pipes, ensuring that it will never be flooded. There are so many pipes that even ordinary rain ninjas would have a hard time remembering where each one leads.

However, to prevent enemies from infiltrating Amegakure through the drainage pipes, these pipes were eventually classified into several main drainage tunnels, most of which were occupied by Amegakure ninja.

Except for one of the passages.

Because this passage connects the tower where Nagato lived on one side and the lake near the Akatsuki base on the other, it was Nagato and Pain's secret route.

Unfortunately, Jiraiya chose the route that led him away from Amegakure.

Pain of the Deva Path led a group of Pain members in close pursuit through the passage, while Pain of the Asura Path activated his radar, which could track chakra, and closely followed Jiraiya's position!

Pain, the Deva Path, pursued Jiraiya while pondering the current situation.

Jiraiya has no intention of engaging in direct combat now; he definitely just wants to send back the information he obtained from Amegakure.

If Jiraiya escapes, it will be very troublesome, and it might hinder Akatsuki's plan to capture Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

In particular, it could potentially expose Uehara Naraku's true identity.

Fortunately, Jiraiya is currently severely injured, likely with internal organs damaged. Under Pain's reconnaissance, Jiraiya's chakra reaction speed is getting slower and slower.

We'll catch up soon.

Even if Jiraiya used some trick to escape Amegakure, he would find himself in a large lake after escaping.

And that lake.

It was the place where the other members of Akatsuki usually liked to train.

at the same time.

Uehara Naraku, also using his Fate ability to probe the locations of Pain and Jiraiya, couldn't help but frown: "Something feels off. Is Jiraiya trying to escape from Amegakure to Akatsuki's base?"

Something is definitely not right.

Inside the underground tunnel.

Jiraiya's speed varied, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.

The speed of the group of Pain, led by Pain, was extremely constant.

Only occasionally, when the Asura Path is about to launch a missile, Jiraiya seems to sense it and will speed up and escape despite his injuries!

"This is really troublesome... Jiraiya-sensei!"

Pain frowned and said in a low voice, "But running away like this, disregarding your strength, will not allow you to escape Pain's pursuit... and your luck is really bad; you chose the wrong direction to escape!"

Once Jiraiya thought he had escaped Amegakure, he had no idea that he was actually getting close to another enemy stronghold.

Just as Uehara Naraku and Pain were speculating about Jiraiya, Jiraiya's face was covered in paint, and he was clasping his hands together, quietly counting numbers.

"five…"

"Four…"

"three…"

"two…"

"one…"

"Summoning Jutsu! Sage Mode Activated!"

A powerful aura suddenly erupted from Jiraiya's body, his toad paint on his face turned a deep red, and two small toads suddenly appeared on his shoulders!

The next moment, Jiraiya took off his boots without hesitation, his legs and hands turned into frog-like webbed feet, and he continued to run away in the distance!

In that instant, Jiraiya's speed increased significantly!

"Hey, Jiraiya, what's going on here?"

"There's no time to explain!"

Jiraiya, on all fours, fled swiftly through the underground passage. He said in a low voice, "Fukasaku, Shima, one of you sense the path ahead, and the other senses the pursuers behind. Let's get out of here first!"

Even in Sage Mode, you must never turn back to fight.

Jiraiya knew very well that Uehara Naraku in Amegakure had the ability to steal other people's techniques and had once broken through his Sage Mode. Therefore, Sage Mode was not used for fighting, but only for escaping more easily!

"Ah...okay, okay!"

Fukasaku and Shima nodded hastily.

Fukasaku, the sage, even had some energy left. He opened his mouth and used water-style ninjutsu to stop Pain's pursuit from behind, which would at least delay their pace.

Even if it were just the Preta Path of Pain jumping out to help absorb ninjutsu, it would force all six paths of Pain to stop for a period of time.

This gap is the distance that Jiraiya gradually widened!

Shima, the sage in charge of observing the road and sensing the surrounding chakra, became noticeably excited when he saw a light ahead, exclaiming, "Wait! We're almost at the exit of this tunnel!"

Fukasaku looked at Jiraiya beside him speechlessly and said, "I never imagined that someone would use Sage Mode to escape!"

Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku is always used for combat.

Sage Chakra can greatly amplify the power of ninjutsu, and it has always been a trump card when facing powerful enemies. I never expected that Jiraiya would use it to escape today.

"Hahaha..."

Jiraiya's face broke into a hearty smile as he said, "After all, I gathered a lot of information in Amegakure this time, and that information is more important than my pride!"

"Rain Village?"

Fukasaku the Sage looked up in surprise and said, "Huh? Amegakure? Isn't that the village where that brat Uehara Naraku lives?"

Master Shima, somewhat surprised, said, "Isn't that the brat who broke our Sage Mode last time?"

"That's right!"

Jiraiya nodded, his expression unusually grim. "Let's leave here first. That brat's relationship with us isn't exactly distant!"

Sage Mode's movement speed is indeed very fast.

Pain frowned, realizing that the distance between them and Jiraiya seemed to have increased: "He activated Sage Mode, just to escape Amegakure? Even with Bansho Ten'in, the distance isn't enough..."

After saying that, Pain continued, "That seems normal, since his goal is to steal information, not to kill us. However, that makes it very difficult to catch him..."

Unfortunately, he took the wrong path.

Pain slowly extended his palm, channeling chakra into his ring, and softly said, "All members at the base, immediately proceed to the Nameless Lake outside the organization's base to search for and kill one person!"

This sentence can be reflected to any Akatsuki member holding the ring through the chakra within the ring and Nagato's Rinnegan.

The next second, the Akatsuki's channel fell silent.

Pain frowned instinctively. What the hell? Why isn't any of these members responding?

Pain's tone immediately turned icy, and he said in a deep voice, "What are you doing? Didn't anyone hear my orders?"

No, that's not it!

Deidara's voice sounded somewhat puzzled, even a little surprised: "It seems like everyone except the three of you was at Weiming Lake this morning!"

Pain (Tendo): "..."

Is that such a coincidence?

Why are these people gathering at Weiming Lake with nothing better to do?

The Akatsuki members are really not idle.

In the early hours of the morning, Hozuki Mangetsu and Hozuki Suigetsu got into another argument and challenged each other to another duel on Weiming Lake. How could anyone else miss out on such a good opportunity?

On Weiming Lake.

The two giant water beings were still tearing at each other.

Kisame Hoshigaki swung his Samehada sword, leaping into the air and cleaving the Hozuki brothers, who were locked in combat, in two with a single strike. He chuckled and said, "Alright, stop fighting. Our leader has sent a mission to surround and trap the enemy in this area!"

Sasori looked towards Amegakure with some surprise: "Someone who could warrant Pain's personal instructions must be no ordinary person, right?"

"No matter who he is, he's dead today."

Sasuke Uchiha raised an eyebrow, a red glint flashing in his eyes, and said coldly, "If it's a powerful opponent, then it'll be perfect for me to test my new technique!"

"The enemy will certainly be satisfactory."

Kabuto pushed up his glasses, two strange lights flashing in his pupils. The chakra within him was excited as if it had sensed the prey it wanted.

This feeling... is truly unprecedented!

Inside the underground tunnel.

Jiraiya in Sage Mode is still desperately running away.

Fukasaku occasionally intervened to cause trouble for the Six Paths of Pain who were pursuing them, but a slight look of surprise appeared on his face: "Jiraiya, it seems there's only one enemy left chasing us? Should we finish him off?"

"Um?"

As Jiraiya fled, he shook his head and said, "No, the most important thing now is to send the intelligence back. We've obtained a lot of information this time, and it's quite astonishing. I have a bad feeling about this..."

Master Shima couldn't help but laugh, pointing to the light at the entrance of the passage ahead, and said, "Alright, little Jiraiya, don't worry, we're about to escape..."

As Shima Sage spoke, his voice suddenly became somewhat shrill: "Jiraiya, stop! There might be danger ahead. I think I sense a nauseating odor, and several other very powerful clusters of chakra!"

"What?"

Jiraiya suddenly grabbed the rock wall at the entrance of the passage and stopped abruptly, gathering his chakra to sense the location of the entrance.

One after another, illusory figures appeared in Jiraiya's Sage Mode vision. These were all super perceptions obtained through natural energy feedback while in Sage Mode.

"No wonder there's only one enemy left chasing us..."

Senjin Fukasaku also sensed the danger at the entrance of the passage and said in a deep voice, "So the enemy had already set up an ambush at the entrance of this exit passage."

"We have to break out of there!"

Jiraiya gritted his teeth, his expression becoming more solemn, and said earnestly, "If I die here, before I die, I will release the two sages from their summoning and send them back to Mount Myōboku. Please help me bring the information back to Konoha!"

Uehara Naraku is the future leader of Akatsuki. The current leader is merely a puppet; the one who truly controls Akatsuki is Nagato, who possesses the Rinnegan!

"Jiraiya!"

Fukasaku looked at Jiraiya with a shocked expression. Both Jiraiya's pessimistic attitude and the information he brought were quite astonishing.

Because Fukasaku had also heard of Uehara Naraku and Nagato, and knew what it meant that they were the leaders of the Akatsuki organization!

A cataclysmic change is about to occur throughout the ninja world!

After a moment of hesitation, Fukasaku the Hermit suddenly shook his head and said, "If it really comes to the last moment, then let the child's mother go back!"

After saying that, Fukasaku suddenly turned to Shima and said, "Hey, did you hear that? Make sure to send the information back to Konoha!"

"Shut up, old man!"

After interrupting Fukasaku, Shima forced a smile and said, "We haven't even fought yet! How can we give up our lives so easily! Little Jiraiya..."

"Hahaha...that's right."

Jiraiya chuckled and nodded, his face breaking into a hearty smile again: "I am the renowned White-Haired Toad Sage Jiraiya of Mount Myōboku! How could I be inferior to that brat Naruto!"

After saying that, he stomped his feet on the rock wall and leaped out of the tunnel, landing on the lake outside!

The next moment, Jiraiya slowly raised his head, surveying the enemies waiting for him outside the cave entrance. His smile deepened: "Hahahaha... Looks like quite a few enemies are waiting for me!"

There are quite a lot.

On the lake stood a dozen or so Akatsuki members dressed in black robes draped in auspicious cloud patterns.

Pain quickly caught up, and Naraku Uehara and Konan also flew here from Amegakure.

This lineup.

It involuntarily evokes a sense of despair, as if there is no way to escape.

One more chapter to go, almost there, but I forgot again!

There's only one sentence left, and I just can't seem to get it right!

(End of this chapter)