Chapter 11: Killing a Salamander
The first mission was executed perfectly.
Uehara Naraka's extreme arrogance was exactly what Pain wanted.
Akatsuki's revenge had to be open and direct. He [Pain] would use god-like power to righteously destroy Hanzō of the Salamander's rule and will.
As the two who considered Hanzō their mortal enemy, Konan and Pain both understood the Ninja Demigod's personality well. His cautious and suspicious nature would definitely make him gather all his trusted subordinates to protect himself.
No matter how he thought about it, Hanzō would never expect that after Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara of the Warring States period, someone else could destroy a hidden village single-handedly.
The gloomy rain continued endlessly.
Konan took Uehara Naraka to shelter from the rain in a cave.
In front of them was a bonfire with two fish roasting over it, because neither of them could use Fire Release ninjutsu for quick cooking.
Konan reached out to adjust the roasting rack and carefully tended the fire, saying softly, "It'll probably be a little while longer..."
"It's okay, I'm not too hungry yet."
Uehara Naraka didn't mind, just watching her focused appearance and asking in a low voice, "Konan-sensei, do you like roast fish a lot?"
"..."
The woman fell silent.
After a long pause, Konan nodded and said, "Back then, when Yahiko, Nagato, and I were still training under Jiraiya-sensei, the war between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind hadn't ended yet. Food was scarce, so we often filled our stomachs with roast fish..."
"Jiraiya, one of Konoha's Sannin?"
Uehara Naraka saw she seemed interested in talking about the past and proactively brought up the topic, "He's a very famous ninja. I've heard his name before too..."
In fact, he'd heard more than just his name.
Uehara Naraka was even crystal clear about his life story. Of course, he was more interested in Jiraiya's famous great works.
Unfortunately, most bookstore owners in the ninja world were rather upright and firmly refused to sell the book Make-Out Paradise to a twelve-year-old boy. In reality, they didn't have it in stock either.
However, the bookstore owners didn't mind recommending another book by the same author, Jiraiya: The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja.
As everyone knew, this was an unpopular, slow-selling book.
Out of curiosity, Uehara Naraka also bought this book.
After reading a few pages, Uehara Naraka discovered it was actually a 'chicken soup' [self-help/inspirational] type of story for the ninja world. His intention was to comfort those who had experienced the pain of war.
Unfortunately, ninjas didn't like 'chicken soup for the soul'.
Compared to Gutsy Ninja, the somewhat colorful Make-Out Paradise was actually more popular among ninjas who lived on the edge.
A great literary master thus embarked on the irreversible path of the Make-Out series.
Of course, compared to the Make-Out series, Jiraiya's reputation was far greater: one of Konoha's Sannin, the Toad Sage from Mount Myōboku, disciple of the Third Hokage, teacher of the Fourth Hokage, etc...
That white-haired old man had too much influence on the ninja world.
"Jiraiya-sensei is indeed very famous."
Konan took one of the roast fish off the rack and handed it to Uehara Naraka, saying softly, "He wasn't arrogant and cruel like Orochimaru. It was precisely because we heard of his deeds that we sought him out and became his disciples."
"And then?"
"Later..."
Konan furrowed her brow, recalling bits and pieces of the past, and said in a low voice, "Later, we spent three years together. Until Jiraiya-sensei left, every day was very interesting."
"It seems Konan-sensei really misses those days!"
After saying this, Uehara Naraka lowered his head and took a bite of the roast fish.
Konan's face was exceptionally serious, "Because they truly are worth reminiscing about."
If possible, Konan would rather Nagato didn't have such immense power now, would rather Akatsuki never existed, and hoped they could have continued living those ordinary days.
"If I get the chance, I'd also like to meet that Lord Jiraiya."
Uehara Naraka chuckled lightly and added, "Hopefully, he won't be as difficult to get along with as the organization's Orochimaru."
That white-haired hero was worth meeting.
Besides, there were quite a few side quests related to Jiraiya in his list.
Although it was hard to find Jiraiya's whereabouts now, in a few years, during the joint Chunin Exams in Konoha, Jiraiya would appear in the village.
As long as he went to Konoha, he could definitely complete many quests!
"Mm, stay away from Orochimaru in the future. He's not a good person."
Konan patted Uehara's shoulder, looked directly into his eyes, and earnestly warned him, "Apart from me and Pain, you absolutely cannot trust anyone else."
"..."
Uehara Naraka blinked, inwardly making a few sarcastic comments, looked at Konan, and nodded, "Mm, I understand, Sensei."
"Alright, after you finish eating, rest early."
Konan ruffled his hair and said in a low voice, "Tomorrow, we still have to attack another outpost. We might encounter some tricky opponents."
Uehara Naraka was slightly surprised. Given the combat level of the Ame ninjas he had encountered, what could possibly be tricky?
Even if there were a few Jonin, could they defeat Konan?
Uehara's thinking was still too one-sided.
Amegakure had always ranked among the top minor hidden villages in the ninja world, second only to the Five Great Nations. At its peak, it even dared to declare war on surrounding major nations. Although it ended up getting beaten down, its strength still couldn't be underestimated.
The second Ame outpost Konan and Uehara Naraka were to attack was situated on a remote mountain ridge. The terrain made it easy to defend and hard to attack, it had numerous ninjas, and their vigilance was higher than ordinary ninja outposts.
As Uehara Naraka and Konan climbed the mountain, he looked at the desolate peak with a puzzled expression, "Sensei, what's the use of them building a ninja outpost here?"
"Because a Salamander is kept here."
Konan raised her finger. A paper butterfly fluttered down onto her fingertip, turned back into a sheet of white paper, and merged into her body.
"A Salamander?"
Uehara Naraka looked up in surprise, scanning the unremarkable mountain, "Isn't that the summoning beast of the Ame leader, Hanzō?"
As a ninja beast dwelling deep in the mountains of the Land of Rain, the Salamander, with its robust physique and potent body poison, became a nightmare on the battlefield.
The Salamander was a type of ninja beast not belonging to the Three Great Sage Regions, yet capable of rivaling them in strength. Many ninjas died from its potent poison, and even Konoha's Sannin were once suppressed by it and Hanzō.
"Correct."
Konan nodded, took out a scroll, and said in a low voice, "The Salamander's poison is very strong. During the Second Shinobi World War, if ninjas didn't have gas masks, they basically had no chance of surviving on the battlefield..."
"Sealing Technique: Release!"
After speaking, Konan took out two ugly-looking gas masks from the sealing scroll and1 handed one to Uehara Naraka, "Put it on. Neither of us is a medical ninja; we must ensure we don't get injured."
"...Okay."
Uehara Naraka accepted it with a strange look on his face.
(End of Chapter)