Naruto, Konan, and Kisame walked through the dark tunnel.

It had been three days since their return from the mission in the Hidden Cloud Village.

Orochimaru had gone out to retrieve usable experimental equipment from his old facilities.

Konan asked, “Aren’t you afraid he’ll just leave?”

Naruto replied, “He won’t. That man’s thirst for truth surpasses everything. By staying with me, he can get closer to it.”

Konan asked again, “Are you satisfied with the food?”

Naruto nodded, “It’s good.”

Konan said, “I specially selected the best chefs from the village. If there’s anything you don’t like, let me know, and I can recruit from outside.”

Naruto replied, “That would be too extravagant, Konan-nee.”

Konan smiled, “The Hidden Rain Village can afford this much.”

At the end of the tunnel, the vast ocean stretched out before them.

Naruto gazed at the sea and said wistfully, “Pervy Sage… this is where you met your end, isn’t it?”

Konan’s eyes showed a hint of guilt. “To be honest, Jiraiya-sensei lost an arm. That arm was later disposed of by Zetsu from the Akatsuki.”

Naruto nodded, “Yes, they use Zetsu to dispose of the bodies of comrades or enemies to prevent any information from leaking.”

Konan lowered her gaze, “This sea is vast. Searching it will be difficult…”

The deep sea pressure is a forbidden zone for ninjas. Even the invincible body of the Third Raikage couldn’t withstand the pressure, let alone solve the breathing problem. Of course, ninjas who can swim like sharks and breathe freely are a different story.

Naruto said, “Kisame, I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me!”

Kisame stepped forward and fused with his sword, Samehada, transforming into a half-man, half-shark form.

Marine creatures have fluids in their cells that match the external pressure, preventing them from being crushed by the immense water pressure. Additionally, they can breathe through gills, allowing water to flow in through the mouth and out through the gill slits, exchanging gases in the process.

Naruto asked with concern, “Kisame, I’ve heard that deep-sea fish and shallow-sea fish can’t survive in each other’s environments due to pressure differences. Can you adapt to the deep sea in this form?”

Kisame replied, “No problem. After merging with Samehada, I can adjust my cellular ‘internal pressure’ to adapt to the ocean’s depth. I can also use ‘Thousand Feeding Sharks’ to expand the search range, but compared to the entire ocean, it’s still a bit limited…”

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Naruto said, “Then I’m really counting on you, Kisame…”

With a swift motion, Kisame dove into the sea and disappeared, his agile form leaving everyone in awe.

Naruto sat quietly, waiting.

As night fell, the sea surface rippled, and Kisame emerged!

Naruto’s spirits lifted as he landed on the water.

Kisame reverted to his normal form and laid down a skeleton entangled in seaweed.

Naruto examined the skeleton. It had both arms intact, clearly not Jiraiya’s.

Konan said, “It must be someone who died at sea. In the past, Hanzo’s remnants often infiltrated here, and their bodies were thrown into the sea…”

Naruto said somberly, “Ah, perhaps.”

In truth, Konan didn’t want to say that bodies falling into the sea usually became food for fish. Jiraiya likely suffered the same fate…

But Naruto had solid evidence. In the future, Amado, a scientist from the Kara organization, created a clone of Jiraiya. He clearly stated that he used special equipment to retrieve Jiraiya’s body from the sea!

Kisame took a deep breath, “I’ll go back and search again.”

Naruto quickly stopped him, “Kisame, let’s call it a day. You can’t replenish chakra in the sea. Rest and recharge. This isn’t a task that can be completed quickly!”

He was prepared for a long-term mission.

Kisame went to rest.

Naruto walked through the night rain, deep in thought.

Konan sighed, “I’m sorry. If it weren’t for us, Jiraiya-sensei wouldn’t have died.”

Naruto smiled faintly, “It’s okay. It’s all in the past. Actually, I was thinking, if we had Pain’s summoning beasts, it would be much more efficient.”

Konan asked, “You mean… the ones from the Animal Path?”

Naruto covered his left eye, “Yes, those that can operate on land, sea, and air, with incredible combat power and seemingly unlimited numbers. If I could summon those crabs, it might speed things up…”

Konan said, “If it’s the Animal Path’s ability, I might be able to help.”

Naruto stopped in his tracks.

Konan explained, “The Animal Path’s summoning beasts all come from the ‘Realm of Reincarnation,’ a contract land only accessible to Rinnegan users…”

This secret was new to Naruto! Even Sasuke never unlocked the Animal Path’s abilities!

Naruto’s spirits lifted, “How can I get there?”

Konan shook her head, “It can’t be activated voluntarily. Rinnegan users have a chance to enter it in their dreams. Nagato only triggered it after summoning the Gedo Statue for the first time.”

Naruto’s eyes darkened, “I’ve tried summoning the Gedo Statue, but there’s a huge barrier. I suspect the Akatsuki did something to it, like Obito absorbing it into his eye…”

Konan said, “But if it’s you, maybe you don’t need to summon the Gedo Statue.”

Naruto asked, “Oh? Why is that?”

Konan explained, “Because you’ve already mastered the Deva Path’s abilities, which Nagato only gradually mastered after sacrificing chakra to summon the Gedo Statue. Your talent with the Rinnegan surpasses Nagato’s. You might already meet the conditions to trigger the Realm of Reincarnation.”

Naruto said, “But it’s not something I can activate at will, right?”

Konan nodded, “Yes, it’s up to fate. It could be tonight, a month from now, a year, or even longer.”

Naruto said, “But I can’t wait that long…”

After seeing the sea, Naruto constantly thought about Jiraiya resting in the cold depths, unable to eat or sleep in peace…

But he didn’t voice this, considering Konan’s feelings.

Konan’s expression darkened. Even if Naruto didn’t say it, she knew why he was so eager.

At that moment, Naruto’s eyes showed a determined resolve, “I might have a way…”

Konan was surprised, “What way?”

Naruto formed a hand seal, “When I was training, I used this method to increase my proficiency, but I’ve never tried it with thousands of shadow clones dreaming together…”

—Ninja Art: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!!

In a burst of white smoke, thousands of shadow clones appeared in the rain!

Naruto clapped his hands together and shouted, “Whatever this Realm of Reincarnation is, tonight we’re going to crash it!”

The clones echoed his shout.

“Yeah!!”

“No problem!!”

“Leave it to me!!!”

“I’m going to catch that bubble-blowing crab!!”

Konan watched this scene with mixed emotions, thinking, “This child is truly unbelievable…”