Naruto: What Kind of Starter Pack is 13 Years Late?

"Konan, you're back?"

In Amegakure, Pain sat atop a tall tower in the rain, overlooking the entire village. After a moment, he suddenly spoke.

Behind him, a woman with blue hair, wearing a black robe with red clouds, walked over.

"Yes, I'm back, but I also encountered some things." Konan nodded.

Recalling everything that had just happened, she said softly, "Someone has been there and left a bouquet of flowers as an offering. If I'm not mistaken, the only one who could do that is him."

"Jiraiya-sensei…"

Even though Konan spoke vaguely, Pain instantly understood, and his voice held a hint of nostalgia for the past.

"I didn't expect him to still remember us, but it's a pity this isn't the past anymore. His beliefs probably don't align with ours now."

"I know, and I regret it too." Konan nodded.

She had already understood these things. Jiraiya would not approve of their current state.

Konan said, "I'm just curious now why he came to the Land of Rain. If I hadn't gone there, we wouldn't even have known he was here. Was he coming to Amegakure?"

Pain shook his head and said, "Probably not. I didn't detect any strangers."

The existence of the Rainmaker Jutsu gave him great confidence, but that's what made it tricky.

"Perhaps, Iwagakure's movements were detected by them. They want to enter the Land of Earth through the Land of Rain."

"Why not go through the Land of Grass or Land of Waterfalls? Wouldn't that be closer?" Konan spoke subconsciously, but she quickly stopped, and her words made Pain fall silent.

Perhaps, taking the long way around was to pay respects to them…

"We can't go back to the past, Konan." After a while, Pain finally shook his head.

He said, "Send a notification, tell the others to come as soon as possible."

Konan asked, "Wouldn't that cause too much commotion and attract Ōnoki's attention?"

Pain said, "Just be prepared. If there's any trouble, we can provide support. I don't want to conflict with Ōnoki."

The Akatsuki is short on money at this stage, and he also secretly uses the Akatsuki's account money to develop Amegakure.

Offending Ōnoki now is not good…

"I understand. Then I'll go prepare."

Konan thought for a moment, then nodded and turned to leave, leaving Pain alone sitting in the rain.

"Jiraiya-sensei…"

After a long while, he finally shook his head and said, "What a pity about your beliefs and persistence…"

— — —

"This damn Land of Earth is really awful."

Within the Land of Earth, three individuals dressed in black robes with red clouds were silently walking forward.

Kisame, carrying the samehada, looked at the sun in the sky and couldn't help but shake his head.

Having lived year-round in the water-rich Land of Water, coming to this relatively dry place in Iwagakure made him uncomfortable.

"At least it's better than the Land of Wind." Sasori, hidden within Hiruko, spoke in a low, hoarse voice.

"Enough of this useless talk. Is there any intel on that brat named Deidara?"

"Not yet. That pitcher plant hasn't revealed anything more." Itachi shook his head.

Indeed, they hadn't yet received information from that guy named Zetsu. He had only told them that Deidara was nearby.

Itachi said, "But this place is really not good."

"Oh? I didn't expect Itachi-kun to dislike it?" Kisame grinned, his mouth full of sharp teeth making him look like a shark.

"Speaking of which, Itachi-kun shouldn't have had the chance to participate in the Third Great Ninja War, right?"

"…"

Itachi glanced at Kisame, not bothering to answer the question.

However, Kisame was wrong. He did participate, even though he was only three or four years old at the time.

It was during the war with Iwagakure that he killed for the first time, and that incident has continued to affect him to this day.

"Alright, no more of this nonsense. Be careful this time." Sasori looked up at the sky, then spoke in a low voice.

"That Deidara is Ōnoki's disciple. Although he caused a lot of trouble, Ōnoki still acknowledges him."

"There might be some protective forces around him. If you find him, deal with him cleanly and swiftly. I don't want any trouble."

"Oh, I didn't expect the famous Sasori of the Red Sand to be so cautious. It seems some rumors really can't be trusted." Kisame raised an eyebrow, speaking with a smile.

"It's not caution, but rather not wanting to conflict with that guy Pain." Sasori glanced at Kisame out of the corner of his eye, then spoke indifferently.

"That old man Ōnoki is indeed very strong and possesses the legendary Kekkei Tota. If I could, I'd rather make him my collection."

"A puppet made from him would surely be very effective, but unfortunately, he's our client now, which is a real shame."

Making puppets costs money, and Sasori's array of hidden weapons also costs money to buy. Even the poisons he concocts require money.

The role of a Ninja Village is precisely this. It can provide you with the basic materials you need, allow you to earn a stable income through missions, and offer considerable benefits as your Ninja rank increases.

Ninja who leave their Ninja Village don't have it easy, it's not a joke…

"Tch, you talk as if you could beat Ōnoki."

Upon hearing this, Kisame couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

Was a Kekkei Tota something to joke about?

Sasori raised an eyebrow, but before he could speak, a pitcher plant suddenly emerged from the ground in front of them.

"You're here. Good, the investigation is complete." Black Zetsu glanced at the three of them and spoke in a low voice.

"Deidara is in a temple to the west. There's an Anbu squad stationed nearby, so you need to be careful."

"West? I understand."

Itachi nodded, turning indifferently to prepare to leave.

But Black Zetsu spoke again, "A friendly reminder, it's best to act a little later, so it won't attract too much attention. Also, there's something else I need to tell you."

"Hmph, just say it directly."

Sasori snorted coldly, and Kisame also looked over.

"You have a tail behind you."

Black Zetsu didn't care, he continued.

"This matter has already alarmed Pain. To avoid unforeseen circumstances and to facilitate your support if something goes wrong, he's already gathering people, but this process takes time."

"So, it's better for you to act a little later. That way, it will be more convenient for subsequent matters."

A tail?

The three looked at each other, they really hadn't noticed anyone following them.

"Who is it?"

At this moment, all three became serious, but unfortunately, Black Zetsu shook his head.

"I'm not sure, but it definitely won't be simple…."

— — —

"This place is much better than the Land of Rain."

In a border village, Takemi couldn't help but nod as he looked at the sun in the sky.