"Foam?"
Looking closely, it wasn't water that the giant lobster spat out, but a torrent of bubbles. They surged forward, washing away the oil that covered Konan's body.
"As expected of your student, Jiraiya-sama. He even knows your weakness. Looks like you didn't hold anything back when teaching him."
Kiyosuke smiled.
"Of course not! When I, a Sage, teach a student, I teach them thoroughly."
Jiraiya grinned proudly, even though he had just been countered. Somehow, he could still laugh.
"Konan, fall back."
The Animal Path controlled the lobster as it burst out of the foam. Its massive claws snapped forward with crushing force, threatening to shred both Jiraiya and Kiyosuke into pieces.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
Jiraiya's long hair shot out, exploding into countless strands midair, wrapping tightly around the lobster's body before contracting with sudden force.
The lobster's hard shell cracked under the unbearable pressure. With a sharp sound, it vanished into smoke.
The hair regrouped, shaping itself into the form of a lion's head, lunging straight at the Animal Path.
Boom!
The Animal Path leapt aside—only for Kiyosuke to follow up, landing a sharp kick that sent him flying through the air.
Jiraiya's hair whipped forward again, entangling the Animal Path as Jiraiya demanded,
"Nagato, answer me—where is Yahiko?"
The reply came in that same detached, indifferent tone.
"That person once existed. But he's been dead for a long time now. That kind of man…"
"What?!"
Jiraiya's face stiffened. If Yahiko was dead, it would explain why Nagato had strayed so far.
Among the three students, Yahiko had been the most determined, the one with ideals. Nagato, on the other hand, had always been introverted and a little obsessive. If Yahiko had truly died, it wasn't hard to imagine Nagato losing his way.
"You… what exactly did you go through?"
"Only war."
The Animal Path's tone remained cold.
"I experienced pain. Endless pain. That pain made me grow. It made me lose faith in this world. Ignorant, foolish children grow through suffering—both in words and in thought."
"So you abandoned your desire to protect your friends? Did you forget why you sought strength in the first place?"
I just want to protect them!
The words of a red-haired boy still echoed in Jiraiya's ears. But the boy who once said them was gone.
"Sensei, you're just a mortal. But I… after countless wounds, I surpassed mortality and became…"
His voice swelled with pride.
"I became a god!!!"
Kiyosuke crouched down on Jiraiya's hair, staring directly into Pain's Rinnegan.
"In the end, you're just running away from the pain of losing a friend. That's all. You call it endless suffering, but really, it's just the loss of one person. And because of that, you want to rule the world? Nagato, your so-called resolve is pitifully small."
"As a mere human, your shallow vision is understandable."
The Animal Path wasn't angered. He only held his gaze.
The two locked eyes. The Animal Path could clearly see the mockery in Kiyosuke's expression. But to him, now a god, arguing with mortals was beneath him.
"I've already become a god. Once you ascend, your perspective shifts—you think as a god does. Sensei, you're just human. Flawed thinking is natural."
"Has he always been like this?"
Kiyosuke turned to Konan, who was hovering in the sky.
Her face stiffened.
"He's what, in his thirties now? If I were him, I'd die of shame."
Everyone has embarrassing teenage fantasies, but to still act like this as an adult? Just remembering it later was enough to make you want to dig a hole with your toes and disappear.
But to still be like this at his age—he's hopeless.
Tsunade: Hopeless. Let him die. I'm out.
"A mortal cannot comprehend the thoughts of a god. That is the barrier between us."
"No. The barrier between us has a name—a syndrome."
"Nagato, why are you collecting the Tailed Beasts?"
Seeing his student refusing to speak sense, Jiraiya could only change the subject.
"For the sake of world peace."
The Animal Path didn't hide his intent.
"By gathering the Tailed Beasts, I will create a weapon so powerful it can destroy an entire nation in an instant, killing millions in the blink of an eye. Then, I will sell this weapon to the nations. Their fear will make them understand pain."
"I grew into a god because of pain. They will grow as well. People and nations will learn to fear pain, to fear war. And with that, there will be no more war. A world without war—true and everlasting peace will be achieved."
"So… violence to end violence, huh?"
And yet, his logic wasn't entirely without basis. It was precisely because of the Fourth Shinobi World War—because the shinobi world had suffered so grievously—that people finally understood the horrors of war. And with Konoha's dual guardians pressing down like Hashirama and Madara once had, the walls between villages began to crumble, slowly giving way to peace.
He wasn't completely wrong. But Nagato didn't realize that he was just a pawn.
Obito was a pawn. Even Madara was a pawn.
The real player was Black Zetsu.
And true chess masters never sit on the board—they stand above it.
"Guiding the world to grow is my duty as a god. After all, I am a god of peace!!"
"You claim to be a god of peace, yet you intend to drag the world into war. How ironic."
Kiyosuke sneered.
"As a mere human, you cannot comprehend the will of a god. Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive chameleon broke free from Jiraiya's hair, clinging to the walls. Its two eyes were Rinnegan. Its tail ended in a snake's head—also Rinnegan. Black receivers jutted from its body.
"So this is your ninjutsu? Summoning Jutsu!"
Jiraiya leapt onto his giant toad, laughing.
"Besides, I stopped being human a long time ago! My tears of blood flowed from rage! I was once one of the Sannin—now, I am a Sage!"
Standing on the toad's head, he struck an awkward pose, breaking into a ridiculous dance.
"Behold! Jiraiya-sama of Mount Myōboku, the Toad Sage! Wahhh!"
The toad shifted under his feet, causing him to stumble and fall flat on his face. It was painfully embarrassing.
"Still the same clumsy fool. No growth whatsoever."
The Animal Path passed his cold judgment.
Jiraiya patted the toad's head.
"Gamaken, don't wobble when I'm trying to look cool!"
"Sorry. I'm just… not very reliable."
The toad warrior, armed with a shield and trident, spoke apologetically.
Kiyosuke landed to one side.
"Jiraiya-sama, this guy's not worth worrying about. Let's finish this quickly."
"No problem!"
Jiraiya also wanted to capture the Animal Path fast and get his answers.
"Even against you two, I won't lose!"
The Animal Path spoke as the chameleon beneath him opened its jaws wide and swallowed him whole, disappearing without a trace.
"Hm? Camouflage? Doesn't matter. Chakra doesn't lie."
Kiyosuke smiled, a flaming spear forming in his hand. He hurled it with all his strength toward the source of the Animal Path's chakra.
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