Masashi Kishimoto has created a remarkably complex world with Naruto, so much so that it is a dream world for theorists. Despite the franchise ending years ago, fans still love exploring each and every angle of it.
One such loophole that has become a personal favorite for discussion is Jiraiya’s information network. This perverted sensei had a solid spy network who informed him about the daily musings of the Akatsuki, and one fan theory attempts to find out who the spy was.
Jiraiya’s Unexpected Informant Among the Akatsuki in Naruto
Jiraiya was surprisingly well-updated on the Akatsuki and received apt information from time to time. He also stated that he received the details from a “reliable source,” but unfortunately, the source was never revealed in Naruto, leaving fans to ponder about it by themselves.
Itachi joined the Akatsuki to spy on it from the inside, but no one knew if he was supplying information to an outsider. According to a fan theory, Jiraiya gathered information on the Akatsuki from Itachi himself. After Itachi died, Jiraiya’s source of information went dark. The theory also assumes that Jiraiya might not have known Itachi was his informant, or he was just very good at pretending that Itachi was the bad guy.
Conversely, Jiraiya’s encounter with Itachi in the first part of Naruto could have been a setup to prove Itachi’s loyalty to Kisame. Is it possible that Jiraiya knew Itachi’s true nature? Or was he in the dark about his informant? Was he so absorbed with defeating Orochimaru and then the Akatsuki that he did not care who he received information from? All of these will remain speculation till Masashi Kishimoto confirms the details of the “reliable” spy.
Why Itachi Could Have Never Been a Spy for Jiraiya
The first time Jiraiya encountered Itachi, he was close to murdering the latter. When Jiraiya and Naruto stopped at Shukuba village, Itachi and Kisame set up attractive women to flirt with Jiraiya so he would leave Naruto alone. Jiraiya was almost convinced by the act until he realized that attractive women would never be drawn to him. He thus returned to Naruto while Itachi and Kisame decided to flee the scene.
If Itachi was indeed Jiraiya’s informant then he would have never employed dangerous jutsu against the guy. If Jiraiya never knew who his spy was, he would never call them “reliable.” If Itachi indeed supplied information, he might have done it through a third party who Jiraiya trusted.
The connection between Jiraiya and Itachi has further scope for exploration but at the same time, it is a stretch to call them colleagues. There must have been a third part present between the two who is yet to be revealed.
You can read Naruto on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
