"Since he's chosen the path of evil, then we have no choice but to kill him."
Fukasaku spoke.
The Child of Prophecy was destined to change the fate of the shinobi world. Whether that change brought destruction or peace, the end would come all the same. But Jiraiya would never allow the shinobi world to fall into ruin. The only option was to kill Nagato and prevent that outcome.
Until he heard news of Nagato's "death," he had always believed Nagato to be the Child of Prophecy.
Later, after hearing that all three of his pupils had "died" on the battlefield, Jiraiya convinced himself that the Child of Prophecy had been Minato. But since Minato had fallen in battle, that left Naruto as his final disciple—the one who carried that fate.
Still, the one he had always pinned his hopes on was Nagato.
When he first took in those three orphans, Jiraiya had no intention of teaching them ninjutsu. He didn't want them dragged into the shinobi world. Becoming a ninja was not a blessing. But when he saw Nagato's Rinnegan, he changed his mind.
Eyes identical to those of the Sage of Six Paths—surely they would bring a revolution to the world.
So he chose to teach them ninjutsu.
Teaching Yahiko and Konan was just incidental. His true focus was always Nagato.
He placed all his hopes on that boy. But who could have imagined he would go astray?
Now that his student had chosen the wrong path, as his teacher, it was Jiraiya's duty to set him right.
"Then I'll use Sage Mode." Kiyosuke said.
Fukasaku tilted his head, curious.
"Oh? Little Kiyosuke knows Sage Mode too?"
"He's Orochimaru's disciple," Jiraiya explained. "Isn't it only natural that he learned Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu?"
"That filthy snake style of senjutsu?" Shima looked over. "Huh? You don't even need to sit still and focus? You can just enter Sage Mode on your own? And it's perfect Sage Mode at that? Kid, look at this old fool here, wasted so many years of his life."
Shima smacked Jiraiya's head in exasperation.
"Ow! Don't hit me!" Jiraiya yelped. "How could I compare with this freak of a kid? He slips into Sage Mode like it's nothing—like eating or drinking. Is Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu really that easy to access?"
"Because of their ridiculously high death rate," Fukasaku said calmly. "Out of a hundred shinobi who try to train in Sage Mode, not even one may survive. The fact that little Kiyosuke lived through it means he's an exceptionally strong shinobi."
"Hahaha, sorry, I'm really not that amazing. Just a little bit stronger than Jiraiya-sama," Kiyosuke chuckled, rubbing his fingers together.
"Are you two done with the nonsense yet?"
This time the voice didn't come from the Animal Path. It was… Ichigo Kurosaki?!
Wait, what? Wrong series, buddy!
"Yahiko? Nagato, you even turned Yahiko into this…" Jiraiya's heart ached. What had happened to that boy who once only wanted to protect his friends?
Tendo Pain descended from the sky, speaking in an icy voice.
"Jiraiya-sensei, you're still nothing but a mortal. Do you feel sorrow in your heart? Do you know the pain of losing Yahiko? It's all because of this accursed world. Konan and I lost Yahiko, and through that pain we came to understand the true nature of this world. That pain made us grow. Only by making the world feel pain will it mature. Only then will mankind grow. And only then can a world of eternal peace be created."
"You've lost your mind," Kiyosuke said flatly.
"You're just a mortal with shortsighted vision, unable to comprehend the will of a god. Then hand over your life! Universal Pull!!!"
With an outstretched hand, an invisible pull swept through the air. Kiyosuke's body was dragged uncontrollably toward Tendo Pain.
From Pain's hand, a black rod extended, ready to impale him.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Kiyosuke's body burst into flames as he shot upward. The Preta Path rushed in, arms outstretched, intent on absorbing Kiyosuke's chakra.
Naturally, Jiraiya wouldn't just stand by. On his shoulder, Shima's tongue lashed out and wrapped around the Preta Path.
"Absorbing my senjutsu chakra, are you? Go ahead, try it."
But the more the Preta Path absorbed, the more its body swelled and distorted. Its skin bubbled, twisting, until with a final grotesque transformation, it turned into a stone toad statue.
"What…?"
Tendo Pain frowned. Losing one of the Six Paths so suddenly was infuriating.
Shima retracted her tongue, smirking proudly.
"Absorb too much natural energy, and you lose control. Then you're no longer human—you turn into a frog forever. That's the flaw of Mount Myōboku's senjutsu."
"I see. So that's one of the toads' abilities?" Tendo Pain nodded, storing away the rare intel.
Meanwhile, Kiyosuke reverted to human form, pressing his hand to the tower beneath his feet.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"
Instantly, the pipes making up the tower seemed to come alive. One after another, they tore free and lashed out at Tendo Pain and the other Paths.
The Naraka Path quickly retrieved the ruined Asura Path and the petrified Preta Path, pulling them aside for repair.
"Shinra Tensei!!"
An unseen repulsion burst outward, forming a barrier that shielded Tendo Pain from the onslaught. But the very next moment, the pipes' ends twisted into drills, shrieking as they bored into the wall of force.
Sage Art: Object Transmutation!
"Wait—how did those pipes turn into drills?" Jiraiya exclaimed.
"That should be Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu," Fukasaku said calmly. "Don't mind it, little Jiraiya. Focus—your enemy's coming."
Jiraiya's face hardened. Even with two Great Sages backing him, facing five Paths at once was no easy feat.
The drills shattered. Tendo Pain staggered back a step, but Kiyosuke was already upon him, moving with speed so fast it was almost teleportation.
So fast! Could that speed even belong to a human?!
Tendo Pain's heart clenched in alarm. He thrust his black rod forward—only to stab at empty air. Flames flickered, and in the next instant, a hand appeared behind him. Then came the detonations.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosive tags erupted all around, chaining into a violent storm of blasts.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Centered on Tendo Pain, the repulsion surged outward, blowing away both Kiyosuke and the sea of tags in one sweep.
Kiyosuke kicked off a pipe that rose up beneath him, using it as a foothold.
Crouching there, he looked down on Tendo Pain with a mocking smile.
"Well? What now, 'God'? You're stuck. You can't kill me. Even when I hand you the chance, you can't do anything."
"A mortal's barking is meaningless."
"You're the one talking big. Don't forget—you're just an ordinary man with Rinnegan."
Nagato's posturing had left Kiyosuke speechless. Did this guy really see himself as the god of a new world?
Kiyosuke rubbed his temples in exasperation.
Down below, Jiraiya was in serious danger. Fighting five of the Six Paths was far too risky for him.
"Guwa, guwa, guwa, guwa!!"
"Guwa, guwa, guwa, guwa!!"
Fukasaku and Shima croaked in unison, unleashing a sonic-wave senjutsu.
Sage Art: Frog Song!
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