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

  It had been three days siheir return from Kumogakure.

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

  Konan asked, "Aren't you worried he'll just leave and never e back?"

  Naruto replied, "He won't. That man’s thirst for truth surpasses everything else. By staying with me, he get closer to the truth he seeks."

  Konan followed up, "How's the food? Are you satisfied?"

  Naruto nodded. "It's pretty good."

  Konan smiled. "I specifically selected the best chefs from the vilge. If there's anything you don't like, just tell me. I recruit someone from outside the vilge."

  "That’s too much trouble, Sister Konan," Naruto said.

  Konan replied, "It's no trouble. Amegakure still has some savings to spare."

  Tap.

  At the end of the tuhe vast o stretched out before them.

  Naruto gazed at the sea, his expression wistful. "Pervy Sage... this is where he met his end, isn’t it?"

  Konan’s eyes betrayed a hint of guilt. "To be ho, Jiraiya-sensei once lost an arm. That severed arm was ter disposed of by Akatsuki’s White Zetsu."

  Naruto nodded. "Yeah, they used Zetsu to dispose of the bodies of allies or eo prevent any information leaks."

  Konan lowered her gaze. "This o is vast. Searg for him here would be..."

  The deep-sea pressure is an absolute danger zone for ninjas.

  Even someoh an iructible body like the Third Raikage could withstand the pressure but wouldn’t be able to solve the breathing problem.

  Of course, for a ninja who swim like a shark and breathe freely uer, it’s a different story.

  Naruto turo Kisame. "Kisame, I’ll have to trouble you."

  "Leave it to me!"

  Kisame stepped forward and fused with his giant sword, Samehada, transf into a half-man, half-shark form!

  Marine creatures have liquid in every cell of their bodies that matches the external pressure, preventing them from being crushed by the immeer pressure.

  Additionally, marine creatures breathe using gills. Water flows in through the mouth and out through the gill slits, where gas exge occurs.

  Naruto asked with , "Kisame, I’ve heard that deep-sea fish and shallow-sea fish have different pressure tolerances. Deep-sea fish explode when brought to shallow waters, and shallow-sea fish are crushed by deep-sea pressure. your form adapt to the deep sea?"

  Kisame replied fidently, "No problem. After fusing with Samehada, I regute the pressure inside my cells to adapt to the o’s depth. I also use the Thousand Feeding Sharks teique to expand the search area. But sidering the size of the o, it’s still a bit limited."

  Naruto said sincerely, "Then I’m ting on you, Kisame."

  Whoosh!

  Kisame dove into the sea, disappearing in an instant. His graceful movements were awe-inspiring.

  Naruto sat down and waited quietly.

  Night fell.

  The sea rippled as Kisame leapt out of the water!

  Naruto’s spirits lifted, and he jumped onto the surface of the sea.

  Kisame reverted to his normal form and pced a skeletoangled in seaweed before them.

  Naruto examihe skeleton carefully.

  It was clear that both arms were intact, which didn’t match Jiraiya’s characteristics.

  Konan ented, "It’s probably just someone who died at sea. In the past, Hanzo’s remnants often infiltrated here, and their bodies were simply thrown into the o."

  Naruto said quietly, "Yeah, maybe."

  In truth, Konan couldn’t bring herself to say it—most bodies that fall into the o end up as food for fish. Jiraiya’s fate was likely no different.

  But Naruto had solid evidence.

  Iure, Amado, a stist from Kara, created a e of Jiraiya. He had explicitly stated that it was made using specialized equipment to retrieve Jiraiya’s body from the o!

  "Hah." Kisame took a deep breath. "I’ll go bad search again."

  Naruto quickly stopped him. "Kisame, let’s call it a day. In the o, you ’t replenish your chakra. Rest up first. This isn’t something that be aplished in a single day."

  He had already prepared for the long haul.

  Kisame went to rest.

  Naruto walked through the night rain, lost in thought.

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

  Naruto smiled faintly. "It’s okay. That’s all in the past. Actually, I was just thinking—if we had summoning creatures like Pain, we could cut the work in half."

  Konan asked, "You mean the ones from the Animal Path?"

  Naruto covered his left eye slightly. "Yeah. Amphibious, versatile, and incredibly powerful. Their numbers also seem unlimited. If I could summon crabs or something, it might speed up the search."

  Konan said thoughtfully, "If it’s the Animal Path’s ability, I might be able to help you."

  Tap.

  Naruto stopped in his tracks.

  Konan tinued, "The Animal Path’s summoning creatures all e from the Realm of Samsara. It’s a trad that only those with the Rinnegan reach."

  This was the first time Naruto had learhis secret!

  After all, even Sasuke ter didn’t unlock the Animal Path’s abilities!

  Naruto’s eyes lit up. "How do I get there?"

  Konan shook her head. "It ’t be accessed iionally. Rinnegan users have a certain ce of entering it in their dreams. Nagato only triggered it after summoning the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path for the first time."

  Naruto’s gaze turned somber. "I’ve tried summoning the statue, but there’s a huge barrier. I suspect Akatsuki has done something to it—like Obito sealing the statue into his eye."

  Konan said, "But if it’s you, you might not o summoatue."

  Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why’s that?"

  Konan expined, "Because you’ve already mastered the Deva Path’s abilities. Nagato only gradually mastered them after summoning the statue and sacrifig chakra. The fact that you’ve done so without summoning the statue suggests your talent with the Rinnegan surpasses Nagato’s. You might already meet the ditions ter the Realm of Samsara."

  Naruto frowned. "But it ’t be accessed iionally, right?"

  Konan nodded. "Yes, it’s entirely up to ce. It could happen tonight, a month from now, a year, or even longer."

  Naruto sighed. "But I ’t wait that long."

  Ever since seeing the o, Naruto had been haunted by thoughts of Jiraiya lying in the cold depths. He could or sleep peacefully.

  But out of sideration for Konan’s feelings, he didn’t voice this.

  Konan looked downcast. Even without Naruto saying it, she knew why he was so anxious.

  At that moment, a determined look appeared in Naruto’s eyes. "I might have a way."

  Konan was surprised. "What way?"

  Naruto formed a hand seal in front of his chest. "When I was training in the past, I used this method to speed up progress. But I’ve ried having thousands of shadow es dream at the same time."

  "*Shadow e Jutsu!*"

  Poof! Poof! Poof!

  Under Konan’s astonished gaze, white smoke filled the air as thousands of shadow es appeared in the rain!

  Cp!

  Naruto cpped his hands together and decred loudly, "Whatever this Realm of Samsara is, tonight we’re going to crash it! Let’s go, everyone!"

  The es erupted in a cacophony of cheers.

  "Yeah!!"

  "No problem!!"

  "Leave it to me!!!"

  "I’m going to catch that bubble-blowing giant crab!!"

  Konan watched the se with a plex expression, her emotions swirling. "This child... truly unbelievable."