Naruto：Immortality and the Eight Inner Gates[Double agent]

The orange-haired boy's expression was one of extreme caution.

It was clear that he was eyeing the food in Jiraiya and Tsunade's hands with great desire, yet he tried hard to mask the wariness in his gaze.

The moment he opened his mouth, Jiraiya's face turned slightly complicated.

Picking up some food and holding it in his palm, Jiraiya spoke gently.

"Here."

The orange-haired boy froze for a moment, looking at Jiraiya in disbelief.

"I said, here." Jiraiya extended the food-laden hand a little further.

Perhaps it was Jiraiya's unwavering gesture that softened their guard, or perhaps hunger had simply become unbearable.

The orange-haired boy suddenly turned around and called out to someone behind him.

At his shout, two small heads—one purple-haired and one red-haired—peeked out from behind a rock pillar in the cave.

The two exchanged a glance before their faces lit up with the innocent smiles unique to children. They ran over to Jiraiya at full speed.

In the blink of an eye, the two kids grabbed the food from Jiraiya's hands and even swiped the food on Tsunade's lap for good measure.

Nearby, Rinjin stood beside Orochimaru, squinting his eyes as a subtle smirk appeared on his lips.

Madara Uchiha, you really have some nerve!

Knowing full well that I'm here, and yet…

As Rinjin debated whether to change his plans, the orange-haired boy turned and walked up to him, extending a small hand.

"Hey, mister, got any food?"

Rinjin blinked in surprise.

Well, well, this kid's got some nerve.

Muttering silently to himself, Rinjin reached over and grabbed hold of Choza Akimichi, who was trying to sneak away, and opened his backpack.

The next moment, three synchronized gulps echoed through the cave.

Choza's backpack was stuffed to the brim with potato chips, meat pies, and an assortment of odd canned goods.

Ignoring Choza's frantic head-shaking, Rinjin casually pulled out a can. He weighed it in his hand, a sly grin spreading across his face as he looked at the orange-haired boy.

"Kid, what's your name?"

The boy glanced at Rinjin's fox-like smile and instinctively shrank back, as if ready to flee. But his eyes lingered on the enticing can in Rinjin's hand. Swallowing hard, he mustered up his courage and replied defiantly:

"Yahiko!"

As expected!

I thought this little orange-haired brat looked familiar. So it really is the first leader of the Akatsuki dream team!

While muttering to himself, Rinjin's half-closed eyes subtly scanned the purple-haired girl chatting with Jiraiya and the red-haired boy with bangs covering his eyes.

So, these two must be Konan, the future "rich lady," and Nagato, the "rice buyer," huh?

Glancing at Jiraiya, who was warmly engaging with Nagato, Rinjin felt a wave of exasperation.

He had assumed that following Jiraiya and his group would deter Madara from placing Nagato right under his nose.

But to his surprise, Madara had dared to put Nagato in plain sight.

What is this? A challenge?

When did that guy get so bold?

What Rinjin didn't know was that, hidden in the shadows, Madara had already prepared a whole arsenal of pawns equipped with the Edo Tensei technique, ready to extract Rinjin's soul and beat it to a pulp.

And what Madara didn't know was that the Grim Reaper's tongue had already grown grass once before.

Unable to make sense of it, Rinjin decided not to bother anymore.

After all, the Hokage lineage had a consistent track record of killing their masters:

Orochimaru killed Hiruzen Sarutobi;

Nagato killed Jiraiya;

Obito Uchiha went even further, indirectly causing the deaths of both Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki;

And Sasuke Uchiha? He tried more than once to kill Kakashi Hatake.

You have to admit, this lineage really takes filial piety to the next level. Truly laughable.

Lost in these random thoughts, Rinjin's hands didn't idle. He handed the can to Yahiko, then reached back into the backpack for another.

"One more question—where are you guys from?"

Holding the heavy can, Yahiko tilted his head back and looked at Rinjin with eager eyes.

"The Land of Rain. We're from the Land of Rain."

Hearing this, Rinjin couldn't help but chuckle.

The Land of Rain? The whole place is water—are you guys mermaids?

Shaking his head at the thought, Rinjin smiled mischievously and hid the can behind his back.

"Kids who lie don't get food!"

"I'm not lying! I really am from the Land of Rain!"

Yahiko immediately shouted, his eyes full of stubborn sincerity.

Seeing this, Rinjin suddenly reached out and, to Jiraiya's visible alarm, grabbed Yahiko's ear and twisted it twice.

"Listen here, you little brat. That whole swampy area in the south is the Land of Rain. Do you live underwater or something?"

"No… stop… ow, ow, ow! Let go, you old geezer! My ear's gonna fall off!"

"Spill the truth!" Rinjin barked, feigning ferocity.

Nearby, the soft-hearted Jiraiya covered his face in shame, silently berating himself.

Stop twisting his ear! You've already turned the poor kid's ear into a set of dumbo ears!

You're a grown man in your twenties, bullying a little kid—is that really appropriate?

No wonder Fugaku Uchiha likes to snatch candy from kids. He probably learned it from you!

This is so embarrassing. I wish I could pretend not to know him!

Behind Yahiko, Konan and Nagato stared at Rinjin in horror, instinctively covering their own ears.

Scary! This weird uncle is terrifying!

By now, Yahiko had completely lost the little-adult demeanor he had at the start. Clutching his reddened ear, he wailed with tears in his eyes.

"Uncle! Uncle! I'm not lying! I really am from the Land of Rain!

Let go! My ear's gonna fall off!

You big bully! Let go, and I'll fight you one-on-one!"

Hearing this, Rinjin chuckled and let go.

Kids should act like kids. What's with all the serious faces?

In front of him, Yahiko clutched his now-matching red ears and quickly backed away like a frightened puppy. Tears welled up in his eyes as he glared at Rinjin, flames of defiance burning within them.

"You jerk! You ambushed me! That's not fair!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Rinjin's figure vanished.

A second later, a pig-like scream echoed through the cave.

Behind Yahiko, Rinjin reappeared with a mischievous grin, his iron-clamp fingers grabbing Yahiko's other ear.

If you're going to mess with kids, you've got to start early!

Otherwise, who knows if you'll even be able to take them on later?

Especially when the kid in question is the future leader of an illegal organization. You've got to strike while the iron's hot and leave them with a lifelong memory.

Leader of the Akatsuki? Deva Path? Nagato's spiritual pillar?

Well, guess what? I've pulled your ears—both of them!

After a long bout of chaos, Rinjin finally let go of Yahiko's now-perfectly symmetrical dumbo ears. Satisfied, he clapped his hands.

"Alright, kid. I'm leaving now. These snacks are yours."

Without a care for Choza's teary, pleading puppy-dog eyes, Rinjin tossed the backpack to Yahiko.

"Pack up. We're heading out!"

After calling out to Shikaku Nara and the others, Rinjin waved goodbye to Jiraiya's group and left the cave without a second thought.

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~ 

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