Inside one of Yugakure’s hot springs—
Shikatoki leaned against a rock and let out a deeply satisfied sigh.
“Ahhh…
this is the life!”
No wonder Yugakure was so popular.
With natural hot springs like these, how could it not be?
Shikatoki emptied his mind and simply enjoyed the peace.
“Pervert!”
“There’s a pervert!
Catch him!”
A huge commotion suddenly erupted from the women’s bath.
Shikatoki opened his eyes.
The next instant— a white-haired figure dropped from the sky and crashed straight into Shikatoki’s private bath, sending water splashing everywhere.
“Bro, sorry!
Let me hide here for a bit!”
“Jiraiya?”
Shikatoki stared at him in confusion.
Hearing his name, Jiraiya immediately turned around.
“Shikatoki Nara?!”
The two stared at each other.
“You brat!”
Recognising him, Jiraiya naturally moved over and sat beside Shikatoki.
“Where the hell have you been these past few years?”
“Do you have any idea how desperately Tsunade has been looking for you?”
“Something went wrong during my training, so I ended up in seclusion.”
Shikatoki gave a vague explanation.
“Why is Big Sis Tsunade looking for me?”
“Why do you think?”
Jiraiya laughed.
“Everyone thought you were only going away for a few months.”
“Then an entire year passed without a single message.”
“Some people even thought you were dead!”
“You’d better let Tsunade know you’re alive.”
Shikatoki rolled his eyes.
“It’s fine.
I’ll be going back before long anyway.”
“Fair enough.”
Jiraiya studied him closely.
“You do look a lot stronger.”
“But there’s something weird about you.”
“You’re sitting right in front of me, yet I can barely sense your presence.”
Shikatoki knew that was because of natural energy.
Once he completely entered his permanent Sage Mode— he would essentially become one with nature.
At that point, detecting him would become even more difficult.
“I’ve reached a state of perfect inner harmony.
I’ve returned to simplicity and become one with nature.”
Jiraiya stared blankly.
“What the hell does that mean?”
Then his expression suddenly became ingratiating.
“Can you teach your big bro?”
“With an ability like that, I’d never get caught gathering material again.”
Shikatoki’s face darkened.
“Peeping is peeping!”
“Stop calling it ‘gathering material’!”
“What do you mean, peeping?!”
Jiraiya shot to his feet.
“That’s slander!”
“Have you even read this great Sage’s Icha Icha Paradise?”
“That’s an epic masterpiece!”
Shikatoki stared at him.
“You’re asking a kid to read porn?”
“Uh…”
Jiraiya sat back down.
“Fair point.”
“At your age, you still don’t understand the beauty of women.”
Shikatoki suddenly noticed something.
“Wait.”
“You’ve already started writing novels?”
“No.”
Jiraiya shook his head.
“I’ve only been thinking about it.”
“For my first novel, I want to write something inspirational.”
“I’ve even thought of the title.”
He puffed out his chest proudly.
“The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi: Jiraiya the Gallant!”
“What do you think?”
“Better than your future porn novels.”
“Hey, brat!”
“Don’t put down one masterpiece just to praise another!”
The two continued chatting for a while before finally climbing out, getting dressed, and leaving the hot spring.
Jiraiya casually hooked an arm around Shikatoki’s shoulders.
“Come on, tell me.”
“What are you doing in Yugakure?”
“I’m looking for a cult.”
Shikatoki glanced at him.
“Heard anything about one?”
“A cult?”
Jiraiya rubbed his chin and frowned slightly.
“I think I’ve heard something.”
“Somewhere near the side of Yugakure facing the Land of Water, there’s apparently some kind of religious group.”
Shikatoki’s eyes lit up.
That information had come at exactly the right time.
“What about you?”
Shikatoki looked at Jiraiya.
“Did you come all the way to Yugakure just to spy on the women’s bath?”
“I’ll say this one more time.”
Jiraiya immediately denied it.
“And I also brought my three new disciples here to relax.”
“Three disciples?”
Shikatoki’s mind immediately began racing.
Could it be Nagato and the others?
In the original story, Jiraiya had never taken them out of the Land of Rain.
But then again— in the original timeline, Jiraiya had met them while fleeing during an ongoing war.
This time, the war had already ended by the time he found them.
And he hadn’t encountered them while desperately escaping.
So there really was no reason for him to remain permanently in the Land of Rain.
“I’ll introduce you.”
Jiraiya dragged Shikatoki to an inn.
Inside were indeed—
Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.
“Come on, come on!”
Jiraiya waved toward the three children.
“Let me introduce you to someone I know.”
“Sensei Jiraiya!”
Yahiko immediately complained.
“Where did you go?!”
“I’m starving!”
Konan and Nagato said nothing.
But their resentful expressions said exactly the same thing.
Jiraiya laughed awkwardly.
Shikatoki smiled.
“Come on.”
“I’ll treat everyone to a meal.”
“Now that’s a true brother!”
Jiraiya immediately brightened.
The five found a decent restaurant and booked a private room.
“Ahem!”
Jiraiya cleared his throat.
“Let me introduce him properly.”
“This is Shikatoki Nara.”
“You might not recognise the name, but he’s the shinobi known alongside the Yellow Flash as the—”
“Shadow Sovereign.”
Hearing that absurdly dramatic title out loud made Shikatoki want to dig a hole with his toes and crawl into it.
The three children stared at him in surprise.
“He’s so young!”
“And these three are the disciples I took in while I was in the Land of Rain.”
Jiraiya gestured toward them.
“Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.”
Shikatoki suppressed his embarrassment and smiled.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Hello, Big Bro Shikatoki!”
“Ever since this guy graduated, every mission he’s completed has ended up classified as S-rank.”
Jiraiya showed absolutely no restraint.
“He’s loaded.”
“Order whatever you want!”
Shikatoki rolled his eyes but didn’t stop him.
Jiraiya wasn’t wrong.
Shikatoki really wasn’t short on money.
His gaze then shifted toward Nagato.
The Rinnegan was incredibly obvious.
If Nagato is here, then…
Shikatoki quietly activated Sage Mode.
His sensory range immediately surged.
He focused especially on the underground.
Sure enough— not far away, he sensed a strange white creature.
As expected.
Madara really did send White Zetsu to monitor Nagato.
The meal passed pleasantly, and everyone ate their fill.
After escorting Nagato and the others back to their room, Jiraiya excitedly rubbed his hands together.
“Alright!”
“Time for my next stop!”
“Jiraiya.”
Shikatoki suddenly stopped him.
“Are you planning to take those three back to Konoha?”
Jiraiya paused.
Then shook his head.
“They want to change the Land of Rain.”
“They want to make their homeland better.”
“As their teacher, I naturally respect their decision.”
“So you’re planning to let Nagato wander around openly with those Rinnegan?”
Shikatoki’s words instantly sharpened Jiraiya’s gaze.
“You know?”
“I’ve heard a little about them.”
Silence lasted for a moment.
Then Jiraiya continued,
“Nagato was born with the Sage’s Eyes.”
“I’m worried that taking him back to Konoha would only cause others to covet them.”
“Whether those really are eyes he was born with is another question.”
Shikatoki’s expression remained calm.
“But someone is already coveting them.”
Jiraiya’s expression changed.
“What do you mean?”
Shikatoki activated Sage Mode.
The power of his soul transformed into an invisible hand and plunged deep underground.
It seized White Zetsu’s soul.
Boom!
The earth suddenly burst open.
White Zetsu was violently dragged out of the ground and slammed onto the surface.
Shikatoki spoke calmly.
“I mean you’ve been followed this entire time.”
“And you never noticed.”
Jiraiya stared at White Zetsu.
His expression became extremely ugly.
His mind raced. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Who sent this thing?”
Shikatoki didn’t answer directly.
“Who knows?”
“Just be careful.”
“I still think Konoha would be a decent option.”
He glanced toward Nagato’s room.
“Judging from Nagato’s hair, he should be an Uzumaki.”
“Grandma Mito is in Konoha, and so is the rest of the Uzumaki Clan.”
“Things like this wouldn’t dare get anywhere near them.”
That wasn’t an exaggeration.
The Uzumaki possessed exceptional natural gifts.
Their sensory techniques—especially abilities like the Mind’s Eye of the Kagura—were extremely formidable.
“I’ll think about it.”
Jiraiya’s tone became serious.
Shikatoki shrugged.
“It’s only a suggestion.”
“I’m leaving.”
“See you.”
“Mm.”
The two exchanged farewells and went their separate ways.
Jiraiya had completely lost interest in going out for more “fun.”
Shikatoki, meanwhile, headed toward the location Jiraiya had mentioned.
He wanted to determine whether it really was the Cult of Jashin.
Far away— inside a hidden cavern thousands of kilometres away—
White Zetsu exclaimed in disbelief,
“Lord Madara!”
“I was discovered?!”
“Hmm?”
An elderly Madara Uchiha looked toward him.
“Who discovered you?”
“Jiraiya?”
“That man spent so long beside Nagato without noticing you.
How would he suddenly discover you now?”
“It was Shikatoki Nara.”
“Shikatoki Nara?”
Madara looked puzzled.
“Who is that?”
A pitch-black figure emerged nearby.
Black Zetsu.
“Lord Madara, Shikatoki Nara is a prodigy who emerged from the Nara Clan.”
“He uses bizarre shadow techniques and powerful fūinjutsu.”
“He became famous during the recent war and is known as the Shadow Sovereign.”
Madara looked even more confused.
“You’re telling me…”
“A child barely into his teens discovered you?”
“Yes, Lord Madara.”
White Zetsu answered based on the memories that had been transmitted back to him.
“I was hiding perfectly well underground.”
“Then some strange force suddenly grabbed me and dragged me straight out.”
White Zetsu paused.
“Also, Lord Madara…”
“Is getting pulled out of the ground supposed to feel like taking a dump?”
Madara’s face instantly darkened.
He no longer wanted to look at White Zetsu.
“Black Zetsu.”
“Investigate this brat.”
“We cannot allow him to interfere with my plan.”
“Yes.”
In truth—
Shikatoki had deliberately attracted Madara’s attention.
His real target was Black Zetsu.
That thing would stop at nothing to save its mother.
If Shikatoki could lure Black Zetsu out and find an opportunity to seal him— at least eighty percent of the shinobi world’s future problems would disappear.
By now, Shikatoki had reached the outskirts of Yugakure.
There was a small settlement there.
It was brightly illuminated despite the late hour.
A large crowd had gathered together.
Every single one wore a fanatical expression.
It really did look like the gathering of some sinister cult.
Shikatoki carefully slipped inside.
“Everyone!”
The cult leader stood at the front, speaking in an increasingly impassioned voice.
“As long as you offer sacrifices to Lord Jashin—”
“Lord Jashin will reward you!”
“You will obtain an immortal body!”
The Cult of Jashin was essentially a group of believers formed around opposition to pacifism.
They advocated killing.
Sacrifice.
Through blood-based curse rituals, their followers sought supernatural abilities.
Put simply— it was an extreme form of human experimentation devoted to creating immortality.
And naturally, its most successful product would eventually be Hidan.
As for whether Jashin actually existed…
That was harder to say.
Unlike the Shinigami, Jashin had never personally manifested.
Hidan’s immortality and curse abilities were attributed to Jashin, but it was entirely possible that they actually originated from some forbidden experimental technique or extreme indoctrination rather than a god’s blessing.
In the past—
Shikatoki would never have believed in some so-called evil god.
But one year ago— he had personally seen the Shinigami.
And if the Shinigami truly existed…
then perhaps Jashin wasn’t entirely without foundation either.
“Everything!”
The cult leader raised both arms.
“Everything for Lord Jashin!”
“For Lord Jashin!”
“For Lord Jashin!”
“For Lord Jashin!”