"Jiraiya-sensei seems to have taken on a very impressive disciple."
Nagato gasped for air, as if his body had been hollowed out.
Konan urgently said, "Nagato, we need to leave quickly."
Nagato's withered hand gripped the armrest of the wheelchair tightly. "No, I must first retrieve Yahiko's body. I cannot let it fall into anyone else's hands."
Konan bit her lip, a flicker of pain in her eyes that instantly vanished. Without further hesitation, she pushed the wheelchair with both hands, turning it towards the cave entrance.
"We'll retreat first. Once you're a bit better, we'll come back."
She no longer hesitated, decisively pushing the wheelchair.
As Konan pushed Nagato, they had just exited the cave when they saw two familiar figures.
Outside the entrance stood their former master, Jiraiya.
And their junior, Satoshi.
Jiraiya's gaze instantly fixed on the emaciated figure in the wheelchair.
It was him, Nagato.
The child he had once placed so much hope in, believing him to be the Child of Prophecy.
"Nagato, so it was truly you behind all of this."
Jiraiya's heart was filled with complex emotions. The three children from the Land of Rain, whose eyes once sparkled with hope, had now become the instigators of chaos and bloodshed in the Ninja World.
Nagato raised his head, looking at Jiraiya coldly, as if scrutinizing a stranger. "Jiraiya-sensei, do you regret not listening to Orochimaru back then and simply killing the three of us?"
Jiraiya couldn't help but recall the scene when he first met his three students.
It was during the Second Great Ninja War, when the Land of Rain had become a living hell. Corpses lay everywhere, and the people suffered immensely.
Three helpless children—Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan—huddled together in despair, only to unexpectedly encounter the youthful Sannin.
Orochimaru advocated for rooting them out to prevent future trouble.
However, Jiraiya hesitated. Ignoring Orochimaru's objections, he not only saved their lives but also stayed in the Land of Rain, spending a warm period of time with them. He taught them many skills for survival in the Ninja World.
Later, Jiraiya left, and there was no longer any contact between master and disciples.
He only occasionally heard that Akatsuki was becoming more famous, having accomplished several impressive feats.
And then later…
Akatsuki became the greatest threat to the Ninja World.
He even needed to personally deal with these three students who once harbored dreams.
Jiraiya took a deep breath. "Don't say such things. Nagato, and Konan."
Jiraiya's voice suddenly rose. "You understand the cruelty of war better than anyone! This land has shed too much blood, buried too many lives! Why do you still personally create more pain and death? Is this the peace you seek?!"
"Enough!" Nagato interrupted Jiraiya.
"Hypocritical benevolence and morality are meaningless."
"Jiraiya-sensei, we once thought of solving problems through peaceful means, but what did we gain?"
Nagato almost shouted, "We negotiated with Hanzo in good faith, but he threatened to kill Yahiko! When Yahiko died in front of me, do you know how much pain I felt?!"
Jiraiya looked sad. "Nagato…"
"That Nagato died long ago. He was forced to die by you great nations, who claim to be righteous but are actually covered in filth."
Nagato gasped for air, glaring fiercely at Jiraiya and Satoshi.
"We extracted his memories from Hanzo's corpse. It was Danzo of Konoha. He incited Hanzo. You, Konoha, are the true murderers of Yahiko."
Jiraiya was stunned.
Danzo again?
How many outrageous things had he done before he died?
Jiraiya said with difficulty, "Nagato, turn back. It's not too late."
Nagato shook his head. "I want to change this twisted world. To create an eternal realm without war, only peace."
"Just like when Yahiko was still alive."
Jiraiya's gaze fell on Nagato's legendary Rinnegan.
The Great Toad Sage's prophecy scroll seemed to slowly unfold before his eyes: the Child of Prophecy would shock the Ninja World with a great change.
He just hadn't expected that this change would come at the cost of destruction.
And as his master, Jiraiya had a responsibility to guide him onto the correct path.
Of course, from the current situation, guiding him was already impossible.
He needed to personally kill this beloved student.
His eyes slowly became resolute. "Satoshi, let me handle this."
Satoshi spread his hands. "Alright."
Konan pulled Nagato's wheelchair, quietly retreating a few steps.
Fire Release: Flame Bullet!
Nagato, meanwhile, brought his palms together. "Konan, protect yourself."
Shinra Tensei!
The flames shot by Jiraiya were dispersed, and even the ground beneath his feet suddenly collapsed in a circle, the shockwave sending debris flying.
Konan was prepared. Her body instantly transformed into countless flying paper sheets, lightly avoiding the impact. She reformed in mid-air, vigilantly blocking in front of Nagato, countless paper shuriken poised for attack.
Swish... Swish...
While Jiraiya moved evasively, Nagato raised his palm.
Bansho Ten'in!
Caught off guard, Jiraiya was pulled close to Nagato's body.
Nagato's right hand clamped onto Jiraiya's back, furiously absorbing his Chakra.
Jiraiya gasped, feeling his Chakra rapidly diminishing. He hurriedly retreated a few steps, panting heavily.
Nagato's complexion, meanwhile, improved slightly.
"He can absorb the opponent's Chakra as replenishment, huh."
The next moment, Nagato slammed his palm onto the ground.
Summoning Technique: Gedo Statue!
Boom!
The entire earth trembled.
A colossal creature appeared behind Nagato. The Gedo Statue was incredibly hideous. It had a row of eyes on its head, making it look like a simpleton.
But this was merely an illusion, it was the empty shell of Ten-Tails's power. Unfortunately, it was just an empty shell.
Satoshi and the others acted too early, not even giving Akatsuki enough time to collect enough Tailed Beasts.
However, this was Nagato's last trump card.
In the past, Nagato had used the power of the Gedo Statue to deal with many of Danzo's and Hanzo's subordinates.
Years later, Nagato once again summoned the Gedo Statue.
"Go!"
The Gedo Statue opened its mouth, letting out a hoarse roar.
The next moment, this monster lunged at Jiraiya.
Satoshi let out a sigh of relief. He still had enough Chakra, so he might as well test his newest Ninjutsu on it.
The peak Kekkei Genkai power of the Uchiha Clan erupted with a roar.
Susanoo!
A towering white giant rose from the ground, its height even surpassing the enormous Gedo Statue.
Chakra, like flowing liquid metal, condensed into majestic and heavy armor on the giant's body. The armor's surface shimmered with watery light, as if formed from the depths of the ocean.
With the arrival of Susanoo, the ground beneath its feet instantly transformed into a vast expanse of water.
The Gedo Statue's destructive attack slammed heavily into Susanoo's chest plate. The liquid armor intensely dented and flowed upon contact. The immense impact was buffered layer by layer by the seemingly soft yet infinitely resilient water, creating circles of violent ripples on the water's surface.
Susanoo steadily withstood this mountain-splitting blow. Then, its massive fist, enveloped in raging Chakra, precisely struck the Gedo Statue's hideous face.