Blood fountained upward briefly before the headless corpse collapsed to the ground with a wet thud.
Ryota released his grip, letting the severed head roll away into the flooded debris. He glanced at his hand with mild annoyance.
"Great. Now I need to wash my hands."
"Jiraiya boy. That was..." Fukasaku began, his small eyes wide with shock.
"Brutal," Shima finished. "And effective."
"He's strong, right?" Jiraiya asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.
"Indeed. Few his age possess such strength. Plus his fighting style. It's the first I've seen someone with a body so ... Durable. Not to mention this ..." Using his senses to probe deeper, Fukasaku's expression grew extremely solemn.
"What's going on? Why can't I sense any Chakra from him?"
"What?"
Shima was stunned, turning to probe as well. The result left her dumfounded. Ma was right.
The boy before them had no chakra signature of any sort. "Apparently, because he doesn't have any." Holding his severed arm, Jiraiya replied steadily.
"But that's impossible. It's not possible to be alive without chakra, it makes no sense."
"I know it's difficult to understand. Truth be told, even I had trouble getting my head around it. But it's not something I can easily explain in our current situation. Or ... even explain at all."
"This..." Fukasaku was interrupted.
"It's a long story. One I'll be happy to share later. For now, can we please finish up here first?"
"Hey, are you done with the medical examination?"
Listening to the discussion between Jiraiya and the toads, Ryota asked while flying off the pillar. That's right—he wasn't walking on the water's surface like a ninja would. Instead, he simply hovered a few inches above it as he moved toward the edge to wash his stained hands.
Jiraiya wasn't surprised by the casual display of flight. "Are you done showing off?"
"Hardly. If I were showing off, there'd be more explosions and unnecessary property damage. This was just—"
"Practical," a new voice interrupted.
'And Que eerie entrance Music.' Ryota thought while turning.
They turned to see another figure emerging from behind the wreckage—tall, lean, with the same orange hair and ringed eyes as the one Ryota had just killed. The Human Path moved with deliberate calm, its gaze fixed on the newcomer.
"Hmph. Here we go again." Jiraiya said, struggling to his feet despite his injuries.
"Interesting," the Human Path continued, its voice carrying that same odd echo. "You dispatched him without using any recognizable jutsu. And your form emits no chakra signature whatsoever. Most unusual."
Ryota tilted his head slightly, water still dripping from his freshly washed hands as he constantly flicked them to get it off. "And you are?"
"I am Pain," it replied simply. "The same as the one you just destroyed. We are many, yet we are one."
"That's... cryptic. Also mildly pretentious." Ryota's expression remained unchanged. "So there are more of you running around with the same face and terrible fashion sense, huh?"
"Your disrespect will not—"
"Yeah, there's a group of them," Jiraiya cut in, teeth gritted as he fought through the pain of his injuries. "Where are the rest of them? Where's the rest of your bodies, Nagato?"
The Human Path stopped mid-sentence. For a moment, the only sound was the endless patter of rain against the destroyed landscape.
"Hmm?" Pain's voice carried a note of genuine surprise. "So, you finally figured it out, Sensei?"
In response, Jiraiya managed a pained grin. "How could I not? Every single one of your bodies belongs to shinobi I've encountered before. The one he just killed, this one you're using now— you're not lying when you say you're all one. Because the reason you all share the same eyes and vision is because you're all just one person linked together. I taught you better than to underestimate your old teacher's memory, Nagato."
Pain's expression didn't change, but there was a subtle shift in posture—a recognition of exposure.
"I'm impressed you pieced it together so quickly. That body was merely one vessel among many." The Human Path's ringed eyes moved to the fallen Asura Path, then back to Ryota. "You intrigue me, stranger. I've never heard of a Shinobi from Konoha with your capabilities."
"I'm not from konoha." Ryota shrugged. "Neither am I from any of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Come to think of it' I'm not even a Shinobi."
"I see. Then what brings you to interfere in matters that don't concern you?"
"Jiraiya called in a favor." Ryota's tone was matter-of-fact. "Simple as that."
"A favor?" Pain's voice carried genuine curiosity. "You traveled this far, risked confronting unknown enemies, all to repay a debt?"
"Pretty much. Though calling you 'unknown' is generous—you're not exactly subtle with the matching outfits and identical eyes."
The Human Path studied him for a long moment. Behind those ringed eyes, Nagato was rapidly reassessing the situation. One of his bodies had been destroyed with laughable ease—no jutsu, no visible effort, just raw physical capability that defied conventional understanding.
The six Paths bodies all shared the same vision. He had seen the whole process.
'His body is impervious to damage that would kill even the Raikage without defensive jutsu. And this strange physical state... If he wasn't generating body heat, I'd think I was looking at an animated corpse. A puppet perhaps? No—even puppets require a chakra core to function. A Kekkei Genkai perhaps?'
"I see. Well, it matters not." He said aloud. "It seems getting rid of you won't be simple, Sensei."
"Haha! What can I say? I'm an influential guy. But enough about me—call out the rest of your bodies and let's finish this."
Pain remained unresponsive. The constant rain soaking his clothes as they billowed with the wind.
"I'm afraid that won't be happening."
"Oh yeah? And why's that?"
The Human Path opened its mouth to respond, but someone else beat him to it.
"Because the rest of the Six aren't here anymore, Jiraiya." Ryota's voice was flat, his gaze focused on something in the distance.
"Huh?"
Jiraiya was stunned, turning to look at Ryota, whose attention seemed fixed elsewhere.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Shima demanded.
In response, Ryota simply pointed toward the horizon. "I can see the other four in matching robes moving east at high speed. You said they share vision, right? That means this Nagato can see everything through this body's eyes. Despite that, they don't look like they're turning back."
Ryota's expression remained neutral as he continued. "Since they're not returning to finish you off, I'll assume you're no longer their priority. Either that, or they have more pressing concerns than dealing with a one-armed sage and his backup. Either way, congratulations Jiraiya—you've become obsolete."
"..."
"I'll say, Jiraiya boy. I can see what you meant when you said he was annoying," Fukasaku muttered.
"Indeed, Ma. I can agree with you on that," Shima added.
Seeing Jiraiya's darkening expression, Ryota raised his hands slightly. "What? I'm not wrong."
"Your dynamic is... amusing," Pain interjected, though his tone suggested otherwise. "But your claim about seeing my other bodies raises questions. You speak of sight, not sensing—implying your vision can perceive targets at distances only achievable by the Hyuga clan's Byakugan. Yet you clearly don't possess their distinctive eyes."
"Konoha's Hyuga clan?" Ryota's eyebrows furrowed, as if h just heard something annoying. "Trust me, if I had to deal with their family drama, I'd learn from Itachi and massacre the whole clan before I probably lose what little motivation I have left."
Pain paused, processing this response. Then, unexpectedly, he began to turn away.
"Lady luck smiles upon you today Sensei. This confrontation will have to wait till next time. I have more pressing matters to attend to than reminiscing with my former teacher."
Hearing this, Jiraiya was stunned at first before realizing .... That Ryota was right.
"Wait!" Jiraiya shouted, however, Pain wasn't stopping. "Enjoy the mercy of god Teacher. Next time, you won't be so lucky."
"Over my dead body am I letting you leave here Nagato!" He said as his hand condensed a rasengan as he moved forward.
"Giant Rasen ...."
Before he could take more than two steps, a firm grip latched onto the back of his collar, yanking him backward with enough force to make him stumble.
"Hey! What are you—"
"Shut up, old man." Ryota's grip remained firm on Jiraiya's collar. "Are you so desperate to donate your remaining limbs to charity?"
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Do you really think you're in any condition to fight?" Ryota's voice carried that same flat indifference. "You're one arm short, bleeding from multiple wounds, and barely standing upright. If he summons the other four, you'll be deader than your writing career. My favor was to help you survive, and I've done that. So if you want to give away heads, do so fully aware that I'm not participating."
"..". The Sannin paused, eyes wide at those words.
"He's right, Jiraiya boy," Fukasaku croaked from his shoulder. "You've done enough. Any more and you'll be joining your parents in the afterlife."
"The information you've gathered is more valuable than your corpse," Shima added bluntly. "Don't waste it for the sake of your pride."
Jiraiya struggled against Ryota's grip for a moment before the reality of his situation hit him. His breathing was labored, his vision slightly blurred from blood loss, and his remaining arm trembled with exhaustion.
"Damn it," he muttered, watching Pain's figure disappear before going up in a cloud of smoke. Nagato had summoned it back. "You're right. But I can't just let him—"
"You can and you will," Ryota interrupted, finally releasing his collar. "Unless you want me to knock you unconscious and carry you out of here like a sack of rice."
Pain had vanished completely now, leaving only the sound of rain and the lingering scent of ozone from their brief battle.
"Jiraiya boy," Fukasaku said seriously. "We need to get this information back to the village immediately. The Hokage needs to know about the Rinnegan, about Nagato, about everything."
"You're right." Jiraiya straightened as much as he could manage. "Ma, Pa—I need you to return to Mount Myoboku and then to Konoha. Tell Tsunade everything we learned. Pain's true identity, the shared vision, the multiple bodies—all of it."
"What about you?" Shima asked.
"I..." Jiraiya paused, looking at his injuries. "I'll find somewhere to patch up and—"
"And what? Chase after them in your condition?" Ryota interjected. "I've seen corpses with better mobility."
"Jiraiya boy, deactivate Sage Mode before you collapse," Fukasaku warned. "The toll on your body in this state..."
Jiraiya nodded, releasing his connection to natural energy. The moment Sage Mode ended, the full weight of his injuries crashed down on him like a tidal wave. His knees buckled, and he barely managed to keep from falling face-first into the flooded ground.
"Jiraiya ...". Both toads called out in alarm.
"I'm... fine," he gasped, taking an unsteady step forward. "Just need to..."
He took another step, swayed dangerously, and pitched forward toward the water.
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he hit the ground hard.
"Define 'fine,'" Ryota said dryly, walking over to the collapsed sage. "Cause now i'm wondering what not fine looks like."
Following which, he bent down to hoist the considerably larger man over his shoulder with casual ease. "Come on, you oversized pervert. Let's get you somewhere you can bleed out in comfort."
"I don't... need..." Jiraiya mumbled weakly.
"Right. And I don't need to explain basic physics to grown adults, but here we are." Ryota adjusted his grip and began walking away from the battlefield. "Toad sages right?—you heard the man. Get that information where it belongs. My favor's still in effect for the rest of the day so I'll make sure he lives."
The two toads exchanged glances before nodding reluctantly.
"Take care of him," Fukasaku said seriously. Following which, both toads performed the reverse summoning technique and disappeared into clouds of smoke.
Ryota watched them leave.
Then, he turned his gaze elsewhere, towards a certain wall and set his sights there.
Seconds passed.
"Ughhh! Hey, what are you doing?" Seeing him motionless, Jiraiya asked. "Nothing much. Saw a weird plant, that's all."
Responding, Ryota shrugged before turning to walk away.
Eventually disappearing into the distance.
A minute after their departure, the wall Ryota had been looking at morphed. Following which, a pitcher plant creature with a half white, half black humanoid emerged from the wall.
"Did he ... See us?" The white half asked.
".."
The other half didn't answer. Observing the direction Ryota and Jiraiya departed towards, eyes extremely narrowed. Following which, it shrunk back into the wall, disappearing.
"Hey. Why did we come out if we're just gonna go back in?"
"Shut Up!"
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