However, Nagato did not accept Jiraiya's apology.
He shook his head and replied, "There's no need to apologize, Jiraiya-sensei. You don't owe us anything. If anything, the three of us—Yahiko, Konan, and I—owe you. If they were here, I'm sure they'd both be happy to see you again.
But… if you insist on standing in my way, then I have no choice but to fight you."
Jiraiya and Nagato locked eyes, their gazes brimming with resolve. Both understood that the time for words had passed.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Jiraiya moved first, slamming his hand into the ground and summoning the two elder toads of Mount Myōboku—Fukasaku and Shima.
They appeared on his shoulders, one on each side. Before they could even speak, Jiraiya said grimly, "Sorry to bother you, but I need your help to enter Sage Mode. Fast."
Hearing his tone, the two Sages understood the gravity of the situation. Even upon being summoned, they felt an overwhelming pressure—Nagato's Rinnegan chakra suffused the battlefield.
They immediately began accumulating natural energy, helping Jiraiya to prepare for Sage Mode.
Meanwhile, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path began to stir—not aiming for Jiraiya, but for the Nine-Tails in the distance. Sensing danger, the beast tried to escape.
Nagato wasn't idle either. With both hands raised, he launched an attack on Jiraiya, wielding the full might of his Rinnegan.
He began with Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push), followed by the start of Chibaku Tensei (Planetary Devastation)—a combination devastating even to a legendary Sannin.
In the original timeline, Jiraiya had faced the Six Paths of Pain alone, defeating three before being overwhelmed by the remaining. However, at that time, Nagato operated from afar, and the individual bodies lacked the full might of the Rinnegan.
But now—Nagato himself stood on the battlefield, wielding all Six Paths powers directly. And under Madara Uchiha's direct influence, his abilities had grown even more terrifying.
Jiraiya struggled to hold out long enough for Sage Mode. Every clash pushed him back, and he barely parried Nagato's blows. Even the elder toads had difficulty gathering nature energy under the pressure of Nagato's assault.
Though Nagato held back slightly against his former teacher, he showed no such mercy to the elder toads. Had they been any less experienced, they would have been slain or forcefully unsummoned.
Far away, Konoha's Intelligence Division was monitoring the battle. Among them stood a man named Aoba Yamashiro, not Kawaki Aoba (note: this name is not canon to Naruto). Aoba grimaced as he watched the feed.
"Jiraiya… what a pity. I hope he doesn't die."
He didn't intervene. This was Jiraiya's decision, and Aoba chose to respect it.
Nagato's expression remained impassive as he whispered to himself:
"The weak have no right to choose—only the fate of being chosen. Jiraiya-sensei, you shouldn't have stood in the way of peace. But I won't kill you. You'll sleep for a while… and then, you'll see my vision of a perfect world."
This was not the same Nagato who once trembled in the face of war. This was someone shaped by pain—and now guided by Madara's ideology.
He thrust out his palms, and a final Shinra Tensei struck Jiraiya.
Unlike the violent bursts before, this attack was calm, methodical—and devastating. Jiraiya's chakra was nearly depleted. He could no longer resist.
The elder toads had already been forced back to Mount Myōboku.
Jiraiya collapsed—unconscious, not dead.
Nagato let out a sigh. "It's over. Even one Sannin is this difficult to defeat... I still have a long way to go."
But in truth, Nagato had done more than just fight Jiraiya—he had also summoned and used the Gedo Mazo, channeling massive chakra to begin suppressing the Nine-Tails.
The massive fox was pinned under the Gedo Statue, unable to fire a Tailed Beast Ball, its mouth forcibly shut by the statue's grip.
"Your mission is over," Nagato said coldly to the struggling beast. "Return to the Ten-Tails, and help me reshape the world."
The Nine-Tails glared with rage in its eyes. If it could speak, it would be cursing him—or worse.
Yet Nagato was unrelenting. Slowly, he channeled its chakra into the Demonic Statue. The process was painful and long, but without interference, it worked.
And thus—the Ten-Tails was fully revived.
Its massive body twisted in place. On its forehead, a monstrous eye opened—red, with nine tomoe rotating slowly. It was a projection of the Rinne Sharingan—the key to Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Nagato stood in silence. He could now, in theory, cast the ultimate genjutsu upon the world and end war.
But he knew it wouldn't work. Madara Uchiha, his puppet master, and others like Kawaki Aoba of Konoha (note: not canon), could not be trapped by such a technique.
No—Infinite Tsukuyomi was no longer the answer.
In another part of the world—hidden from Nagato's perception—stood a tall man in a white haori, a long braid trailing down his back.
He felt the Ten-Tails' chakra and smirked.
"This planet… still has that much energy? Even after years of withering?" he murmured.
This man was Jigen—or more accurately, the vessel of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki.
He had once traveled from world to world, planting Divine Trees and harvesting chakra fruits. The Earth was different—abundant, fertile… and frustrating.
He recalled the time he had considered using Kaguya Ōtsutsuki as a sacrifice. Had he done so, the Chakra Fruit would have matured into something even greater—perhaps enough to make him the supreme being of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
But he hesitated.
And that foolish woman—Kaguya—had betrayed him. She consumed the fruit herself and attacked him, forcing him to inhabit a weak human body for centuries.
Worse, he could no longer replant a tree with such potency. The world's chakra was already drained. The next fruit would be inferior.
And so, Isshiki seethed.
Kaguya deserved death.
He no longer hoped for ultimate advancement—only a proper vessel.
And soon… he would emerge.
When the time comes, he will make Kaguya Otsutsuki pay the price—along with these irritating natives of the Ninja World. He will turn every last being with chakra into nourishment, into pills for cultivation.
But to achieve that, a suitable vessel is essential—and despite wandering the Ninja World for over a millennium, Isshiki Otsutsuki has yet to find one. Relying on luck alone, who knows how many more centuries he would have to wait?
Yet today, seeing the revived Ten-Tails, his long-faded hope flickered to life again.
If he cannot find a suitable vessel to reincarnate into, then perhaps cultivating another Chakra Fruit is the path forward.
But the conditions to grow a new Divine Tree are stringent.
It requires abundant planetary chakra—and a Mini Ten-Tails as a seedling.
Isshiki has already secured a Mini Ten-Tails, safely sealed in his dimensional space. But the Ninja World, having already produced one Divine Tree in the past, has been nearly depleted of its natural chakra.
This planet alone is no longer sufficient to grow another Divine Tree.
Unless... the tree devours an Otsutsuki.
That is the fallback method employed by the clan when harvesting a Chakra Fruit on a planet with insufficient life energy. The branch family, like Kaguya, are meant to serve as sacrificial offerings.
Their lives are disposable—nothing but pawns in the eyes of the main family. Even if they perish, Karma allows them to resurrect through another vessel.
'Tch. The more I think about that treacherous woman, the angrier I get.'
Kaguya had long since been sealed on the moon by her two so-called "filial" sons—Hagoromo and Hamura. And those two have since passed away.
When Isshiki first took over Jigen centuries ago, his injuries from Kaguya's betrayal were too severe to act. The chance to let the Divine Tree consume those two brothers died with them.
Back then, he thought the only option was to bide his time, slowly searching for a compatible vessel in the Ninja World.
But now—after seeing this revived Ten-Tails—he realized there might still be a chance.
The native below, somehow in possession of a Rinnegan and carrying traces of Otsutsuki blood, may have the potential to evolve into a full-fledged Otsutsuki by absorbing the Ten-Tails.
If that transformation succeeds, then the conditions to nurture a new Chakra Fruit might finally be complete.
And events are unfolding in his favor.
Though he is annoyed by the constant infighting of these human tribes, the kid is finally about to seal the Ten-Tails into his body.
"Rrroaar!"
The Ten-Tails let out a guttural roar.
It sounded like the groan of a shattered bellows, or the death wail of a soul departing its body. The sound pierced the air like a blade through flesh.
Nothing in the entire Shinobi World could be more grating than the cry of the Ten-Tails.
Yet for Nagato, the sound itself wasn't the issue.
What terrified him was something far worse: he had lost control.
Though the Rinnegan's link to the Ten-Tails remained, its actions had slipped free of his command.
The beast let out another cry and slowly turned its colossal body.
Nagato immediately tensed, his mind racing.
'What's going on? Has it... developed a will of its own?'
A mindless beast is dangerous—but a sentient monster of that scale is a nightmare.
His heart dropped. If even the Rinnegan couldn't control it anymore, then what could?
He braced for a battle to the death.
But instead, the Ten-Tails did something he never expected.
It didn't attack him. Didn't even look his way.
Instead, the creature turned—and ran.
It fled with surprising agility, each of its long, grotesque legs pounding into the ground as it vanished over the horizon.
A beast many times the size of the Nine-Tails... had just turned tail and bolted.
Nagato was left frozen, completely dumbfounded.
What the hell just happened?
Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do now?
Three crushing questions filled his mind.
And he wasn't alone. Watching from the shadows, Jigen—the vessel of Isshiki—was equally stunned. He had been waiting for Nagato to absorb the Ten-Tails, so he could reap the benefits. But now...
Everything had gone sideways.
He had seen many Ten-Tails in his long life—but never one that behaved so erratically after revival.
Could the planet's chakra have mutated it somehow? Poisoned it?
It was the only explanation that made sense. After all, before arriving here, he didn't even know that this Ten-Tails could split into nine Tailed Beasts.
From that perspective, maybe this was natural.
Still dazed, Jigen saw Nagato giving chase, and without hesitation, he too moved after them—quiet as a shadow.
High above in the sky, Kaguya Otsutsuki, who had been subtly trying to control the Ten-Tails' movements, was preparing to leave.
But the sudden reactions of the two men below caught her attention.
Nagato was irrelevant—a pawn at best.
But Jigen…
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