Just as the shinobi world was still digesting the shocking revelation that Uchiha Kiyo had killed Uchiha Itachi, the leader of one of the most dangerous organizations in existence—Akatsuki—was already moving. Their next target: Konohagakure.
Few knew what was truly unfolding in the shadows. At a secret Akatsuki gathering, Pain coldly declared that capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was his responsibility. Orochimaru relayed this information, and with his knowledge of Akatsuki and past events, Uchiha Kiyo deduced that Nagato had begun advancing on Konoha.
However, the exact timing was unknown. Uchiha Kiyo understood the need to be ready at any moment.
If his predictions were correct, this confrontation would be Nagato's final stand, and it would ignite the battle over the Rinnegan.
While transplanting others' eyes—especially ones manipulated by Madara—didn't appeal to him, Uchiha Kiyo was still intrigued by the chance to study them firsthand.
Knowing that his injured left eye wouldn't heal anytime soon, Kiyo wasted no time and set course for Konoha.
"How long has it been since I last stepped foot in the village?" Kiyo murmured. "Over half a month already."
There should still be a buffer of time before Pain attacked. After all, in the original timeline, Naruto hadn't even begun Sage training when Konoha was assaulted.
"Wait a second... Didn't Naruto train in Sage Mode before Pain attacked?" Kiyo paused, sensing something was off.
His presence was shifting the timeline.
"Not only did Pain accelerate his movements, but Jiraiya... didn't die yet either."
Kiyo hadn't yet grasped the full scope of the changes his actions had caused.
The Immortal Organization had completely disrupted Akatsuki's pace. Their operations to collect the tailed beasts had been pushed forward, and Nagato had chosen to strike Konoha earlier than planned.
But it wasn't just Akatsuki affected. Konoha had felt the weight of Uchiha Kiyo's actions more than anyone.
His spoilers had left the village on constant alert. Jiraiya had canceled his infiltration of Amegakure out of caution. That single deviation had preserved his life.
Naruto, after returning from Sunagakure, had been sent directly to Mount Myōboku by Jiraiya. Partially to protect him, partially to accelerate his Sage training—something now deemed urgent.
Uchiha Kiyo had accelerated the chain of events significantly.
Uchiha Itachi's death had come earlier than in the original sequence. Kiyo had extracted and killed him ahead of time, shifting the dominoes of fate.
"So... I haven't caused a full collapse yet, right?" Kiyo muttered.
He found it ironic. During the Second Shinobi World War, he had desperately tried to change history and save Nawaki Senju. Despite his efforts, he had failed. Now, without even intending it, he had dramatically reshaped the timeline.
"The Fourth Great Ninja War won't be triggered early... will it?"
It seemed unlikely—but then again, if Naruto's growth was accelerated, the other factions might be reacting too.
What if pushing events forward removed the buffer time the original timeline had? Could they end up losing this time?
Kiyo's power still hadn't reached Six Paths level. Facing Madara, Obito, or Kaguya with that kind of power gap would be suicide.
"Okay, no more interference for now," Kiyo told himself. "I'll keep my head down and finish this matter first."
Upon entering the outskirts of Konoha, Kiyo's sensory abilities instantly told him Naruto was not in the village.
"Hm? Naruto's gone?" Kiyo narrowed his eyes but moved on.
He ventured into the Forest of Death, seeking out Uchiha Hui.
Though he had left Konoha previously, he had stationed a clone in the village for information gathering. But surprisingly, the intel coming from within was far less useful than what he could gather from the outside.
"Time to make another clone," he decided.
Kiyo still had one White Zetsu body left. The first had been consumed in the effort to rescue Gaara. Now was the perfect time to utilize the second.
With this, he would lead two powerful clones—his signature in multi-layered battlefield domination.
The true apex of clone techniques: group warfare.
After an hour, the White Zetsu clone was complete.
"You'll be called True," Kiyo mused aloud.
He avoided using the Uchiha name intentionally. The Immortal Organization couldn't afford to look like a Uchiha-founded group. Even if two members carried the name, branding the entire organization that way would paint a target on their backs.
Other villages feared the power of the Sharingan—especially after the legacy left behind by Itachi. The Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi alone had made Uchiha synonymous with terror.
Troublesome... but not unmanageable.
The True clone was built on Wood Release. Its core strength was grounded in Mokuton.
Kiyo didn't care about perfect balance between all members. If True could match Kage-level power, that was enough. Besides, Sharingan didn't bring a massive advantage unless one possessed Mangekyō-level power.
A standard three-tomoe Sharingan added little in high-level combat.
The day after Uchiha Kiyo returned to the village, the threat materialized.
Nagato—carried by Konan—had arrived at the border of Konoha, and the Six Paths of Pain followed soon after.
Kiyo's sharp senses immediately detected the subtle chakra distortions of the Rinnegan.
However, he couldn't pinpoint Nagato or Konan directly. That likely meant they were concealing themselves with advanced sensory-blocking techniques. Nagato's secrecy in Akatsuki had always been first-rate.
Inside the Hokage office, Tsunade and Jiraiya stared up in shock as a single figure floated above the skies.
"Yahiko...?" Jiraiya's voice cracked.
Tsunade turned to him, surprised. "You know him?"
Jiraiya's face turned solemn. "He was one of my three pupils in the Hidden Rain. Yahiko... this is him."
But Pain—Yahiko's corpse reanimated through Nagato—showed no recognition.
"Shinra Tensei."
With terrifying force, Pain obliterated Konoha's protective barrier.
"Where is the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
Jiraiya stared in disbelief—not just at the destruction, but at Yahiko's eyes.
"Those are Nagato's Rinnegan! What... what happened to you, Yahiko?!"
But Nagato had steeled himself before arriving. He wouldn't let sentiment distract him.
"Where is the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
His voice was emotionless.
Tsunade stepped forward, refusing to yield Naruto's location.
In an instant, Pain appeared in front of her and unleashed another brutal wave of repulsion. Tsunade was hurled back by the overwhelming force.
"Arrogant bastard!" she shouted as she steadied herself. "Even Uchiha Kiyo at least gives reasons before attacking!"
Jiraiya grimaced. This wasn't the Yahiko he remembered. There would be no peaceful talk. It was time to stop him.
Since Jiraiya couldn't summon Fukasaku and Shima without a partner, he was forced to enter Sage Mode solo.
While Tsunade clashed with Pain to buy time, Jiraiya completed his transformation and jumped into the fray.
Buildings crumbled. The battlefield expanded from the village square into the surrounding terrain. Konoha was being torn apart.
"Tch, Jiraiya," Tsunade said between attacks.
"I know," he replied. They nodded and pushed Pain toward the Konoha training grounds to avoid further civilian casualties.
Uchiha Kiyo remained in his observational stance, his chakra senses spread wide, carefully analyzing the exchange.
In the original timeline, with the Toad Sages assisting him, Jiraiya had almost defeated three of the Six Paths. It was only due to lacking intel that he had ultimately fallen.
But even alone, Sage Mode Jiraiya was no slouch. Against just Deva Path, he could hold his own.
With Tsunade backing him, the two were overwhelming.
Kiyo had never accurately gauged Nagato's power before. The full scope of the Six Paths was hard to measure without direct observation.
Now that he saw them in action, he evaluated them as slightly above standard Kage-level—but not vastly beyond it. Not yet Super-Kage.
Combined, however, they shared vision, thought, and moved with flawless coordination. Under Nagato's control, their teamwork surpassed even Kiyo's clone synergy.
Against the two Sannin, even the famed Six Paths struggled.
Realizing the resistance, Nagato deployed the remaining five bodies. All Six Paths emerged on the battlefield.
Before Naruto's return, every Path had been revealed.
Jiraiya's presence had changed everything.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
"Shinra Tensei!"
Each technique landed with destructive precision, but the combined strength of Jiraiya and Tsunade was enough to push the battle beyond what the Six Paths could easily control.