The inferno gradually subsided, but as the smoke cleared, the crowd looked on in shock—the enemy had vanished without a trace.
"Lord Jiraiya, they've escaped!"
"Quick, tend to the wounded!" Jiraiya ordered immediately, his voice strained.
The two Great Toad Sages on his shoulders leaped down. Once they detached, Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh of relief, a weary smile tugging at his lips. His facial features and limbs had begun to take on prominent toad-like characteristics. His fusion with the Sages had lasted far too long this time. Had the enemy chosen to dig in their heels rather than retreat, Jiraiya might have been permanently consumed by the toad transformation, losing his human consciousness entirely.
Fukasaku, the elder Toad Sage, offered a stern warning. "Little Jiraiya, Sage Mode is powerful, but you absolutely cannot maintain it for this long!"
While the two Sages helped Jiraiya absorb and balance the natural energy, the physical corruption was an inescapable side effect of overextension.
"Jiraiya," Shima Sage asked, "why were you fighting that boy Nagato? Isn't he your student? The one you called the Savior?"
Years ago, Jiraiya had boasted to the inhabitants of Mount Myoboku about his student Nagato, certain he was the Child of Prophecy. He had even written a book inspired by him—though he used the name 'Naruto,' the protagonist's image was entirely based on Nagato.
"It's... complicated," Jiraiya replied, his expression unreadable.
His prize pupil had become an enemy of the Leaf. Because of Konoha's own Danzo, Yahiko was dead, and Nagato's heart was filled with hatred. Jiraiya felt a surge of fury toward Danzo; if not for that man's obsession with hollowing out the Rain Village leadership, things never would have escalated to this point.
It seems Nagato might not be the Savior the Great Sage spoke of after all, Jiraiya thought bitterly.
"Decide your own path, Little Jiraiya. We old folks will support you regardless!" Shima said with a tired smile. "But we're heading back now. The fighting is over and I'm exhausted. I've got dinner to cook at home."
"Thank you, Ma, Pa. Sorry for the trouble," Jiraiya waved as the two Sages vanished in a puff of white smoke, returning to Mount Myoboku.
Jiraiya immediately turned his attention to the aftermath. The casualties were severe. He organized a triage for the critically injured and coordinated an orderly retreat for those with light wounds. A battle of this scale would surely draw Hanzo's attention; the "Demi-god" might already be on his way.
The tally was grim: thirty dead and over a dozen critically wounded. Most of the survivors were light on injuries but completely drained of chakra.
Their only "harvest" was Yahiko's corpse.
Jiraiya carefully sealed the body into a scroll, keeping it close to his person. He intended to hand it over to the Intelligence and Medical Bureaus for analysis the moment they hit Konoha. He felt a deep pang of regret; had that masked man not interfered, he might have captured Nagato.
If he had brought Nagato back, Jiraiya would have fought with everything he had to save him. He would have knelt before Orochimaru, sought out Tsunade, and begged his old friend Hiruko. With so many heavyweights pleading the case, surely the Hokage would have spared his student.
But Nagato had killed too many Leaf ninjas and escaped. Konoha would now brand him an S-rank international criminal. The village could never allow a pair of Rinnegan to wander the world unchecked.
Shortly after the Leaf departed, Hanzo arrived with a contingent of Rain ninjas. The battlefield was a wasteland—kilometers of scorched earth and splintered forests.
Hanzo's face was dark. He realized the Leaf's recent diplomatic envoy had been a ruse to distract him while Jiraiya moved to seize the secrets of the Rinnegan. He had been tempted by those eyes himself, but the memory of the Gedo Mazo's slaughter—where his elites and Danzo's Root were wiped out in seconds—kept his greed in check.
"The Leaf is getting far too bold," Hanzo mused. This was his territory. If the Leaf took the Rinnegan, he lost everything. He resolved to detain any Leaf spies he could find, demanding heavy ransoms. However, finding no further leads, he withdrew. Upon returning, he sent a request to Konoha: he wanted a formal alliance to hunt down the true leader of the Akatsuki—after all, they were technically Rain rogue ninjas.
Back in Konoha, the wounded were rushed to the hospital. Hiruzen Sarutobi, having his own ANBU network, arrived at the Hokage Building before Minato even had the chance to summon him.
Minato was already waiting for Jiraiya.
"I'm sorry, Minato. The mission was a failure," Jiraiya said, scratching his head awkwardly. He recounted the details, noting that while they made no tactical errors, they hadn't accounted for the masked man—the same one who invaded the village previously. Jiraiya suspected it might be his former pupil, Obito.
Minato's expression darkened. He had sent a massive force to ensure success, yet the power of the Rinnegan and the masked man's cooperation had proved too much.
"Hand Yahiko's body to Intelligence and Med-Research," Minato commanded.
Jiraiya nodded. "I don't think we'll find the next encounter any easier."
Minato turned to Hiruko. "Hiruko-kun, what are your thoughts?"
Hiruko leaned back. "Continue the search. Now that we have data on the Rinnegan, we can form specialized elite squads. If necessary, I'll handle it myself. Also... I'll be participating in the research on Yahiko's body."
The room went silent. When Hiruko spoke of handling an target personally, no one doubted the outcome. Scientific ninjas excelled at creating hard counters for specific targets.
"Lord Hokage, please... give me one more chance," Jiraiya pleaded. "I promise I'll bring Nagato back next time." He knew that if Hiruko went, Nagato was a dead man—or worse, a permanent resident of a cultivation vat.
"Minato and I will go together!" Jiraiya added, looking at his student with imploring eyes.
Minato hesitated but eventually nodded.
Hiruzen stepped in. "Fine. Minato and Jiraiya will handle the capture. Hiruko, you have critical research projects that require your attention."
Hiruko shrugged. "As you wish. But if you fail again, I'm taking over."
The Hiruko in the office was merely a Wood Clone; his true body was deep in the lab. The division of labor was now clear: Hiruko handled internal modernization, diplomatic commerce, and the Merchant Guild, while Minato ran the administration.
Konoha was flourishing. Beyond the theme park, projects for railways and new residential planning were moving forward. Nobles and merchant kings were clamoring for residency, though Hiruko hadn't approved them yet. He didn't want the village's prosperity to trigger a "siphoning effect" that displaced the local shinobi families.
The people of Konoha were hopeful. They wanted their children in the new Academy and the Ninja Factories. While Minato was praised as the Great Hokage who rebuilt the post-war Leaf, the high-level council knew the prosperity was built on Hiruko's vision.
In the Rain Country, Obito spoke sternly to Nagato. "You were too impulsive today." He glanced at Konan. "What if another hundred Leaf ninjas arrived? Zetsu is at his limit; you would have been trapped. That is unacceptable."
"Yeah, I'm toasted," Zetsu grumbled, rubbing his hairless head. "Being bald is really annoying."
Nagato ignored Zetsu. "Konan... I'm sorry. I lost Yahiko's body."
Konan's eyes softened with grief, but she placed a hand on his shoulder. "As long as you're back, it's okay. But we can't stay here. You saw their strength today—hundreds of them. They'll come back with more. We have to leave."
Obito stood to leave. "I've said my piece. The choice is yours. But how many times can you repel a village of that caliber? If you decide to move, find Zetsu." He vanished into a swirl of space. He needed Zetsu to dig deeper into Konoha; the village was getting far too strong, and he needed a way to weaken them.
After Obito left, Nagato and Konan agreed: they had to leave the Land of Rain. Though it was the cradle of Yahiko's dream, Nagato swore he would return once he mastered the Rinnegan.
He would return as "Kami" (God). He would avenge Yahiko and reclaim everything.
The fallout of the battle had a strange effect on the world. Konoha's reputation was actually declining due to the civilian casualties and the economic "Millet War." The world's anger was reaching a boiling point. Konoha ninjas were safe within their walls, but the diplomatic pressure was mounting.
Yet, this blow to their reputation had one unexpected benefit for the Leaf...
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