Chapter 501: Topic Terminator

"Why are you laughing? I didn't ask you to come to the Land of Rain," Jiraiya grumbled, noticing Orochimaru's faint smirk.

He felt slighted—after all, he had been winking at Shinki endlessly before finally being invited to join the mission. Yet Orochimaru, who had said nothing, was smiling?

How could he be laughing without even being called to join? Wasn't that just shameless?

"…"

Orochimaru's smile froze for a moment. He considered replying with something sarcastic, but after a brief pause, he decided Jiraiya wasn't worth the effort.

Which of your eyes saw that I'm going to the Land of Rain?

Orochimaru turned on his heel, walking away without a word.

The best way to handle Jiraiya was to ignore him completely. No arguments, no bickering—just pure silence.

"You bastard, Orochimaru! Don't you walk away! Feeling guilty, huh?" Jiraiya shouted, chasing after him.

Tsunade, already at her limit, clenched her fists in frustration. Black lines seemed to appear on her forehead as she gritted her teeth.

"Jiraiya is such an idiot," she muttered. She felt the urge to knock him out and end the chaos.

Mitokadu Homura shook his head with a sigh.

Most people matured as they grew older, but Jiraiya? He was still as childish as ever, especially when it came to Orochimaru.

Shinki chuckled quietly at the scene. Watching Jiraiya act like a fool always made things amusing.

"I'm heading out. We leave for the Land of Rain tomorrow morning," Shinki said, standing to leave.

"Go ahead," Tsunade replied, waving him off with a knowing glance. Her expression reassured him—she would handle things in the village while he dealt with Uchiha Madara.

After Shinki left, Tsunade turned her gaze to Mitokadu Homura, whose disbelief was still evident on his face.

"Senior, you still can't accept that Uchiha Madara is alive?" she asked.

"It's not that I don't accept it; it's that I can't believe it," Mitokadu Homura said, smiling bitterly. He removed his glasses and carefully wiped them with a silk handkerchief.

"For years, we believed Uchiha Madara died at the Battle of the Valley of the End. Now we know it was all a conspiracy.

"It seems I've truly grown old," he said with a sigh.

While the Kage were plotting against Uchiha Madara, the man himself remained oblivious, still resting in his underground base.

Time had taken its toll on him. Despite the support of the Gedo Mazo, his body continued to weaken. The injuries from his past battles were unrelenting, and his old age amplified the pain.

For someone as proud as Madara, such frailty was a bitter pill to swallow. But he was no ordinary man—he endured the agony, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike.

An ordinary person would have long succumbed to despair, screaming in pain. But Madara was not ordinary.

The next day.

Under the cover of night, the group departed Konoha, heading toward the Land of Rain.

To avoid drawing attention, they traveled light. Onoki, the Third Raikage, the Third Kazekage, and Yagura left their guards behind in Konoha.

"Tsuchikage, it's up to you," the Third Raikage said as the group halted some distance from Konoha.

"Understood," Onoki replied simply.

He floated into the air and used his Earth Release: Flight Technique to carry the group into the sky, heading toward the Land of Rain.

Although both Shinki and the Third Kazekage could fly, why expend their own chakra when Onoki could carry them all?

"No wonder you're so agile for an old guy. Flying really is an advantage," the Third Raikage remarked, gazing at the ground below.

Onoki's brow twitched, and his body wobbled slightly.

If you can't say something nice, just shut up.

What's with calling me "old" and "agile" in the same sentence? You can't fly yourself, and you're complaining about me?

"Hmph!" Onoki snorted, choosing to ignore the Raikage's jab.

The Third Kazekage, noticing the tension, stepped in to ease the mood.

"Tsuchikage's flight ability is indeed impressive. It's much faster and more efficient than using Magnet Release," he said.

While Magnet Release could also enable flight, its high chakra consumption, slower speed, and altitude limitations made it less practical. Onoki's technique had none of those drawbacks.

Hearing the praise, Onoki's mood improved significantly. He glanced at the Third Raikage with a smug look that seemed to say, Learn some manners.

Curious, Onoki turned to Shinki.

"Shinki, I recall you're quite adept at flying as well. Why don't you demonstrate it for us?"

"It's not like we're flying to the moon. No need to show off," Shinki replied nonchalantly.

"…"

Silence fell over the group.

Flying to the moon? The ability to fly was already extraordinary—did he really need to raise the bar so high?

Shinki's remark killed the conversation, and the group continued their journey in silence. Of course, Onoki did all the heavy lifting, while the others simply enjoyed the ride.

Among them, Jiraiya remained unusually quiet.

Normally the loudest, he was deep in thought. The upcoming visit to the Land of Rain weighed heavily on him.

He was about to reunite with his former students—Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko. The thought of taking the Rinnegan from Nagato filled him with dread.

Would Nagato survive without the Rinnegan?

Would Madara retaliate against him?

What about Konan and Yahiko? Would they get caught in the crossfire?

The questions swirled in Jiraiya's mind, leaving him visibly troubled.

Shinki, too, contemplated Nagato's fate. If Nagato died, Madara or Black Zetsu could resurrect him using the Impure World Reincarnation technique, creating even greater problems.

A living Nagato might lack full control over the Rinnegan's power, but a resurrected Nagato would have no such constraints.

If possible, Shinki hoped to save Nagato's life. But if that wasn't feasible, he could only lament Nagato's misfortune as a pawn in Madara's schemes.

The Land of Rain.

Flying was indeed fast. With Onoki giving it his all, they arrived in no time.

"Where is Nagato?" the group asked, turning to Shinki as they touched down.