Chapter 11
Killing a Salamander
Chapter 11 Killing a Salamander
The first mission was executed perfectly.
Uehara Naraku's extreme arrogance was exactly what Pain wanted.
Akatsuki's revenge will be honorable and aboveboard; he will use godlike power to destroy Hanzo's rule and will in a fair and square manner.
As mortal enemies of Hanzo the Salamander, Konan and Pain both knew the ninja demigod well. His cautious and suspicious nature meant he would surely gather all his trusted confidants to protect him.
No matter how you look at it, Hanzo of the Salamander could never have imagined that after Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha in the Sengoku period, someone could destroy a ninja village single-handedly.
It's been raining continuously.
Konan and Uehara Naraku took shelter from the rain in a cave.
In front of the two was a fire with two grilled fish on it, since neither of them knew how to use fire-style ninjutsu to cook quickly.
Xiao Nan stirred the grill rack and carefully tidied the fire, saying softly, "It will probably take a while longer..."
"It's okay, I'm not that hungry yet."
Uehara Naraku didn't seem to mind, simply watching her focused expression, and asked in a low voice, "Ms. Konan, do you really like grilled fish?"
"..."
The woman fell silent.
After a long silence, Konan nodded and said, "Back when Yahiko, Nagato, and I were training under Jiraiya, the war between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind was still ongoing, and food was scarce. We often ate grilled fish to fill our stomachs..."
"Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha?"
Seeing her keen interest in bringing up the past, Uehara Naraku initiated the conversation: "He was a very famous ninja; I've heard of him before..."
In fact, I've heard more than just his name.
Even his life story was well-known to Uehara Naraku, though he was more interested in Jiraiya's famous works.
Unfortunately, most bookstore owners in the ninja world are quite honest and resolutely refuse to sell the book "Icha Icha Paradise" to a twelve-year-old boy, even though they don't actually have any in stock.
However, the bookstore owners didn't mind promoting another book, "The Story of Jiraiya's Strong Will and Perseverance".
As is widely known, this is a slow-selling book.
Out of curiosity, Uehara Naraku also bought the book.
After reading a few pages, Uehara Naraku realized that the book was actually a motivational piece for the ninja world, intended to comfort those who had experienced the pain of war.
Unfortunately, ninjas don't like inspirational quotes.
Compared to "The Strong-Willed Ninja Chronicles," "Make-Out Paradise," with its more colorful themes, is actually more popular among those ninjas who live on the edge of danger.
This great literary figure embarked on an irreversible path of intimacy.
Of course, compared to the "Make-Out Series," Jiraiya's reputation is far superior: one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, the Toad Sage from Mount Myōboku, the disciple of the Third Hokage, the teacher of the Fourth Hokage, and so on...
That white-haired old man has had a huge impact on the ninja world.
"Jiraiya-sensei is indeed very famous."
Konan took a grilled fish and handed it to Uehara Naraku, saying softly, "He is not as arrogant and cruel as Orochimaru. We went to find him and became his disciples because we heard about his deeds."
"And then?"
"later…"
Konan frowned, recalling the past, and said in a low voice, "We spent three years together afterward, and every day was very interesting until Jiraiya-sensei left."
"It seems Teacher Xiao Nan really misses those days!"
After Uehara Naraku finished speaking, he lowered his head and took a bite of the grilled fish.
Xiao Nan said with unusual seriousness, "Because it is indeed worth remembering."
If she could, Konan would rather Nagato not have such great power, and she would rather there be no Akatsuki organization, so she could continue living her ordinary life.
"If I have the chance, I'd like to meet that Jiraiya-sama."
Uehara Naraku chuckled and added, "Hopefully he won't be as difficult to get along with as Orochimaru in the organization."
That white-haired hero is worth seeing.
Moreover, many of his side quests involve Jiraiya.
Although it is difficult to find Jiraiya now, in a few years, he will appear in Konoha Village during the Chunin Exams.
If you go to Konoha, you're sure to be able to complete a lot of missions!
"Yeah, stay away from Orochimaru from now on. He's not a good person."
Konan patted Uehara on the shoulder, looked him straight in the eyes, and earnestly instructed him: "You must never trust anyone other than me and Payne."
"..."
Uehara Naraku blinked, silently complaining to himself, then nodded at Konan and said, "Yes, I understand, teacher."
"Okay, after you finish eating, get some rest."
Xiao Nan ruffled his hair and whispered, "Tomorrow we're going to attack another stronghold, and we might run into a few troublesome guys."
Uehara Naraku was slightly surprised. Given the combat strength of these Rain Village ninjas he encountered, what could be so troublesome about them?
Even with several Jonin, how could they possibly defeat Konan?
Uehara's thinking was too one-sided.
Amegakure has always been among the top small ninja villages in the ninja world, second only to the five great nations. At its strongest, it even dared to declare war on the surrounding great nations. Although it was eventually defeated and humiliated, its strength is still not to be underestimated.
The second Amegakure stronghold that Konan and Uehara Naraku were about to attack was located deep in the mountains, a terrain that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, there were many ninjas there, and their vigilance was much higher than that of ordinary ninja strongholds.
As Uehara Naraku and Konan climbed the mountain, they stared at the desolate mountain with puzzled expressions: "Sensei, what's the point of them building a ninja base here?"
"Because there's a salamander here."
Xiao Nan raised her finger, and a paper butterfly fluttered down onto her fingertip, transforming back into a blank sheet of paper and merging into her body.
"Salamander?"
Uehara Naraku looked up in surprise, scanning the unremarkable, desolate mountain: "Isn't that Hanzo's summoning beast?"
As a ninja beast that dwells deep in the mountains of the Land of Rain, the Salamander, with its powerful physique and deadly poison, has become a nightmare on the battlefield.
The salamander is a ninja beast that does not belong to the three great holy lands of the ninja world, but is able to rival them in strength. Many ninjas have died from the salamander's deadly poison, and the three legendary ninjas of Konoha were once suppressed by it and Hanzo.
"That's right."
Konan nodded, took out a scroll, and whispered, "The venom of the salamander is very potent. During the Second Shinobi World War, if a ninja didn't have a gas mask, they wouldn't have had a chance to survive on the battlefield..."
"The sealing technique is broken!"
After saying that, Konan took out two ugly-looking gas masks from the sealing scroll and handed them to Uehara Naraku: "Put these on. Neither of us are medical ninjas, so we have to make sure we don't get hurt."
"…good."
Uehara Naraku accepted it with a strange expression.
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(End of this chapter)