Chapter 188
Jiraiya tossed aside the report in his hand. This was the fourth insane plan Danzo had submitted this month. Using the First Hokage's cells on death squads? Sure, not a bad concept—but Jiraiya discarded that one too, along with an impeachment letter submitted by Danzo's group of "water army" supporters.
He rubbed his temples. Danzo was a sly old fox, always with a new excuse up his sleeve. You'd never catch him around during a war or when Konoha was facing a real crisis—he vanished like vapor. But the moment peace returned, he'd crawl out from the shadows and start stirring up trouble again. Nearly every shady experiment and scandal connected to Konoha's dark side had his fingerprints on it.
"The man who tried to copy the Second Hokage but failed miserably... Any updates on the squad sent after Zixu?" Jiraiya sighed. Being Hokage had never been easy.
An ANBU, masked and kneeling before him, replied, "According to reports, a massive energy vortex appeared, and Zixu seemed to be sucked into it."
"He opened the Dragon Vein?" Jiraiya looked exhausted. None of this was good news.
He changed the topic. "Naruto's doing okay, right?" This time, only Kakashi and Sasuke were sent to infiltrate Amegakure. Because of Naruto's status as a Jinchūriki, Jiraiya had decided to keep him out of danger.
"Emotionally stable," the ANBU confirmed.
"Good."
Kakashi and Sasuke moved quickly. Sasuke was solidly built with great endurance. Kakashi, despite his low chakra reserves, had trained endlessly with Guy Sensei, so his taijutsu was no joke either. Before long, they arrived at the edge of Amegakure.
Raindrops tapped against their shoulders—it was living up to its name.
Sasuke adjusted his raincoat, visibly uncomfortable. "Kakashi-sensei, this rain isn't normal." His Sharingan activated, the three tomoe spinning as he stared at the seemingly regular raindrops.