Naruto stood in front of the Hokage Tower, his mind racing:
"Should I go through the front door or just leap through the window like usual? This promotion means a lot..."
"Brat!" Naruto's head snapped up as he heard Tsunade calling from her office window. "You've been standing there for twenty minutes already. Get up here and report!"
"Well then, I guess she doesn't mind," Naruto said, leaping up to land on the windowsill of Tsunade's office.
"Hey, Granny Tsunade."
Shaking her head, smiling slightly, Tsunade replied,
"Hurry up and come inside to make your report."
"Yes, Lady Hokage." Naruto coughed lightly and started his formal report. "This was a B-rank recon mission. We entered the Land of Rice but found no sign of Orochimaru. He hasn't made any moves since I destroyed his base over a month ago. His main base still shows no activity."
"Fine," Tsunade said, waving him off. "Stay sharp and be ready for your next assignment. You'll get details in a few days."
Naruto saluted and walked out the door.
******
Naruto opened the door to his apartment and found Tamako lying on the living room floor surrounded by scattered notes.
Quietly closing the door, he tried sneaking toward his room when he suddenly froze.
"I already know you're here, Lord Uzumaki. You triggered the security seal when you came in."
Sighing, Naruto walked over to her side.
"Been busy lately?"
Tamako stood up.
"Welcome home, Naruto-sama. I've been studying Anko's seal."
"And?" Naruto asked curiously.
"I've run into some roadblocks removing the seal."
"What kind of roadblocks?"
"Orochimaru embedded part of himself into the seal, along with someone else's enzymes. Without DNA from both Orochimaru and the other person, I can't remove the seal without harming her."
"I'll find Orochimaru's and this mystery person's DNA then."
******
(Two Hours Later)
Naruto entered Tsunade's office.
A moment later Jiraiya leaped through the window with a grin.
"Princess Tsunade! You left the window open for me this time! I knew you missed me!"
Tsunade sighed.
"Just tell these two troublemakers what it is you want."
"With Ero-Sennin?" Naruto shrugged. "Sounds like a plan. What's our mission this time?"
Jiraiya's face turned extremely serious.
"I've located Akatsuki's base. The man's name is Pain. The entire village worships him like a god."
Naruto smirked sarcastically.
"Sounds like just another self-proclaimed S-class lunatic."
Standing up, Jiraiya ruffled Naruto's hair.
"Then let's get moving. Don't worry—we'll come back with something huge this time."
Tsunade turned around.
"Just...be careful."
Naruto grinned.
"Don't worry, Granny—I'm not dying anytime soon."
Tsunade nodded at both of them.
"Be careful. Make sure you both make it back safely this time."
With that, the two of them left the office through the window as usual.
As Tsunade watched the two of them heading toward the village exit, a sense of foreboding crept over her.
"Make sure you come back alive."
******
Tamako entered the Hokage Tower with her usual calm smile.
Carrying a stack of documents in her arms, she walked into Tsunade's office.
"Good day, Miss Shizune. May I come in?"
"You may," Shizune replied. "Please, come in."
Tamako bowed to Shizune and stepped inside Tsunade's office.
Seeing her, Tsunade looked up and smiled.
"Hello, Tamako. How are you today? Do you need something?"
After bowing, Tamako placed the documents she brought on the desk.
"I'm doing well, Hokage-sama. I came here today to prepare a surprise for Naruto-sama."
Tsunade asked curiously, "A surprise? What kind?"
She glanced at the documents on the table.
"I guess you came straight from the bank this morning."
"Yes," Tamako said. "Thanks to Lord Naruto's frequent high-level missions, the bounty for capturing Sasori of the Red Sand, plus my salary from teaching at the Academy, we've had some spare money. So, I suggested moving him out of that dorm and into a proper home. I've been working on it for over a year now."
Looking at the documents, Tsunade understood what Tamako meant.
"Did you find a place?"
Tamako nodded.
"Yes. Would you be able to take a look at the property later today, Hokage-sama?"
Tsunade smiled warmly.
"Of course. I'm sure he'll love it."
******
## Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village) ##
Naruto sat aboard a passenger ship, joined by the man steering it and five other passengers.
"I hate rain. I hate rain. I hate rain. I hate—"
******
Inside the tallest tower of Amegakure, eyes that rippled like water gazed through the darkness.
"Konan," Pain's voice echoed. "There are intruders around the western district. If one of them is who I think it is, you know what to do."
Konan stepped onto the outer ledge and stepped into the rain.
"Yes, Lord Pain."
With those words, a pair of paper wings unfolded from her back. She leapt into the air and began to fly.
After she disappeared from sight, Pain closed his eyes.
"There's another one too? And their chakra feels strangely familiar. Welcome back to Amegakure, Teacher... Thank you for delivering the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
## With Naruto ##
Amegakure was a highly industrialized village, even more advanced than Konoha.
Elevators were everywhere, and transport cables ran nonstop, while neon lights flickered across buildings.
He noticed most ninja didn't use traditional kunai or shuriken, but instead carried umbrellas capable of releasing concealed needles—a unique design.
Moreover, many wore oxygen tanks and masks for underwater breathing.
The village itself was massive. Buildings were narrow and towering; skyscrapers were common here.
They decided to split up—Naruto would go through the main gate, while Jiraiya claimed he had his own secret entrance.
"I saw an angel today."
"I still can't believe someone actually beat Hanzo. I mean, he was a god!"
Naruto heard a man nearby say as he temporarily took shelter under an awning in the rain.
Naruto started walking around the village pretending to be an innocent-looking tourist, mulling things over while eavesdropping on nearby conversations.
All the villagers were talking about their 'god' and his 'angels.'
They believed that someone named Pain had protected the village and hailed him as a god.
When Naruto got bored of wandering around, he spotted a cozy tavern with lights spilling out front and drink prices displayed outside.
Suddenly, the building shrunk and morphed into a tiny toad.
"Nice touch, Ero-Sennin," Naruto remarked.
Jiraiya appeared beside Naruto, grinning widely. He held out a scroll:
"Here, your gear."
Naruto quickly grabbed the scroll:
"Without these, I felt completely exposed."
******
##Several Hours Later##
Jiraiya returned from interrogating prisoners.
He told Naruto everything he learned—how this Pain character had killed Hanzo during a fight and wiped out everyone loyal to him.
"So what did you do with the prisoner?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya wiped rainwater from his face:
"That's all he knew about Pain—maybe Konoha can squeeze more out of him."
Naruto nodded. Jiraiya wasn't an interrogation specialist—sending the prisoner to the pros was the smarter move.
"What's next then, Ero-Sennin? What do you need me to do?"
Jiraiya pointed toward a high-rise building:
"I need you scouting spots where useful intel could be stashed. Keep me updated."
They exchanged a glance. Naruto gave Jiraiya a salute and vanished in a blur of the [Body Flicker Technique].
"Good luck, brat."
Then he set off to dig up clues of his own.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>