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The Third Kazekage, of course, didn't respond with words. After forming the hand seal, a sea-like expanse of iron sand materialized out of thin air, shaping into countless fine needles that shot toward Jiraiya.
"Gamaken, return!" Jiraiya bellowed. Gamaken dissolved into a puff of smoke and vanished back to Mount Myoboku.
At the same time, Jiraiya rapidly formed seals, unleashing "Earth Flow Wall."
The barrage of fine needles slammed into the rising earthen wall, failing to pierce through it. But Kisame's thrown Samehada crashed heavily against the Earth Flow Wall.
After repeated impacts, the wall finally crumbled with a roar. Jiraiya leaped high into the air, but Itachi loomed from above, unleashing "Phoenix Immortal Flower Claw Red" down at him—a hail of projectiles raining from the sky toward Jiraiya.
Both Sasori and Kisame were going all out, their intent to kill Jiraiya plain as day.
Itachi was holding back, refraining from "Amaterasu" or "Susanoo," but his timing was impeccable, cutting off Jiraiya's escape route. In this state, even Midorima had to bring out some "real skill."
A vast net woven from wind chakra swiftly closed in on Jiraiya, forcing him into a corner.
"This is bad—didn't expect 'Akatsuki' to be this strong."
The Third Kazekage's "Iron Sand Drizzle" and Kisame's tossed Samehada had only set the stage; what truly pinned him down were "Phoenix Immortal Flower Claw Red" and the "Net." Moreover, these two had chakra reserves to spare, making their techniques hit harder than usual.
But as the two jutsu drew near, they interfered with each other, creating ripples in their paths and leaving a sliver of an opening—not fully sealing off his retreat.
That tiny gap was all Jiraiya needed to dodge.
The steel-reinforced wall was instantly pierced through, but Jiraiya was nowhere to be seen.
"That was close—you almost had me." Jiraiya patted at his clothes, singed by a grazing projectile that had burned a chunk away. "But you're all so powerful; you could be doing great things. Why join 'Akatsuki'? And you—you turned the Kazekage into a puppet... The Third Kazekage's disappearance was because of you, wasn't it?"
Jiraiya fixed his gaze on Sasori.
Sasori realized Jiraiya had recognized the Third Kazekage, his expression flickering briefly before settling back to normal.
He didn't believe Jiraiya could escape Amegakure under this many attackers.
Since Jiraiya was doomed to die anyway, what did it matter if he knew Sasori had killed the Third Kazekage?
"That stuff doesn't matter at all." Sasori shook his head.
"Of course it does! The Third Great Ninja War started because of the Kazekage's disappearance."
"Wrong! What war doesn't stem from greed? I was just riding the wave."
Jiraiya's brow furrowed. He knew Sasori would never see his own mistakes, so he dropped the conversation and turned his eyes to Pain.
"Judging by your eyes, you're Nagato, right? Why control the Hokage and the Mizukage?"
"Teacher, while I'd love to control the Hokage too, we're not ready to tangle with him just yet—so we haven't touched the Hokage. As for the rest... Have you ever experienced death?"
"I've never died myself, but I've sent plenty off—enemies and friends alike."
"Watching them vanish right in front of you—didn't that give you even the slightest realization?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Sigh, you really don't get me—or the meaning behind 'Akatsuki's' existence." Pain let out a long sigh. "Yahiko's death made a lot of things clear to me. He craved peace more than anyone. Our influence grew until we could stand toe-to-toe with Hanzo, but Amegakure's position is terrible—its peace or lack thereof depends on the Land of Fire, Wind, and Earth, the three great nations. So Hanzo proposed an 'initiative' to negotiate a peace proposal with the three powers. But behind the scenes, he colluded with Konoha's Anbu to kill Yahiko."
"That was the moment I realized: true peace won't come until despair itself arrives."
Jiraiya's mood sank. He'd already heard this from Karo, but hearing it straight from Pain's mouth hit different.
"What's your goal?"
Pain didn't answer. Instead, he turned to look into the distance before saying, "Teacher Jiraiya, my 'friend' has arrived. Let's end this fight quickly, shall we?"
Jiraiya scanned his surroundings. Amegakure's remnants had been caught in the crossfire, dead or dying, and facing these enemies, he had to make a choice.
Midorima, meanwhile, stared at Pain in surprise.
A friend? So, who could be coming for him?
...
Danzo followed the long snake, meeting Orochimaru in a sewer tunnel.
He pinched his nose, brow furrowed. "What do you want?"
"What's the purpose of you coming here?" Orochimaru cut straight to it.
"Byakugan." Danzo shot Orochimaru a dissatisfied glance. "If you dragged me all the way here just to ask that, it's a waste of time."
"And now? Is your target still the 'Byakugan'?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't tell me you didn't recognize the 'Rinnegan.'" Orochimaru chuckled.
"And?"
"First off, Pain's strong—even you would struggle to kill him. Second, even if you somehow managed to kill him and gouge out his eyes, I guarantee you still couldn't use the 'Rinnegan' successfully." Orochimaru laughed.
"What do you mean?" Danzo asked, taken aback.
"Because Pain's eyes aren't the 'Rinnegan' at all."
Danzo froze, staring at Orochimaru for three or four seconds before bursting into laughter. "Orochimaru, do I look like an idiot to you? His eyes aren't the Rinnegan? Then tell me—what are they?!"
"Don't... don't misunderstand me." Orochimaru spread his hands. "I never said the 'Rinnegan' isn't in Amegakure."
Danzo eyed Orochimaru, not grasping the implication.
"Pain isn't just one person. You think it's possible for every one of them to have the Rinnegan?" Orochimaru asked.
Danzo's brow creased.
The Rinnegan wasn't like the Sharingan or Byakugan—spotting even one pair was lucky. Multiple pairs? The odds were minuscule.
"So you mean..."
Orochimaru shook his head. "I don't know the reason, but I suspect this village is hiding a secret."
"If it's hidden, how'd you find out?" Danzo asked.
He always felt there was something off about Orochimaru's words.
"Because one person knows where that person is hidden."
"Who?"
"Konan." Orochimaru spread his hands again. "I'll be direct: I'm interested in the 'Rinnegan' too. I once ambushed Pain, but when his Six Paths appeared, I knew right then their 'Rinnegan' had to be fake. You see, 'Akatsuki's' earliest members left only one survivor: Konan. She likely knows the most secrets. Keep an eye on her, and sooner or later, you'll stumble onto something unexpected."
"What did you find?" Danzo asked, surprised.
"I didn't know before, but now I do." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "My little pet told me where that secret's stashed. You can transplant one eye—the other goes to me. What do you say?"
Orochimaru was confident Danzo would agree, and Danzo didn't disappoint. After a brief moment of thought, he nodded.