The Land of Rain sat wedged between the three great nations of Earth, Fire, and Wind. Though small in territory, it was one of the most perilous places in the ninja world. Its soil was soaked with blood from countless wars, its skies forever shadowed by storm clouds.
During the Second Great Ninja War, one man had risen above them all here: Hanzō of the Salamander, a warrior so fearsome he had been called a "demigod." But Hanzō was long dead, struck down by the very group that now ruled this land—the Akatsuki. The hidden villages whispered of the country as a graveyard of ambitions, the seat of an organization that threatened the entire shinobi world.
Far from that storm, Ayanami Kaito was in the Land of Whirlpools. To reach Ame, he would have to cross nearly half of the Land of Fire. Even at his fastest, the journey would take twenty minutes. His jaw tightened. Jiraiya was already there. Would Jiraiya have that long?
In Amegakure itself, Jiraiya wandered the streets with his usual disguise, eating skewered meatballs while chatting with villagers, carefully probing for information. His easy laughter masked the sharp calculation in his eyes.
What he didn't know was that the moment he stepped foot inside the Land of Rain, his chakra had been detected.
Inside a darkened chamber, Nagato sat rigidly, the Rinnegan in his eyes shimmering like concentric ripples in still water. Beside him stood Konan, her expression unreadable.
"There are intruders," Nagato said flatly.
Konan's head tilted. "Who?"
"This chakra… it is familiar. It's Jiraiya-sensei."
Her eyes widened briefly, old memories flashing across her mind. "So it's him?"
Nagato rose. "Yes. Come, let us greet the teacher we have not seen in many years."
His words were cold, without affection. At his signal, six figures moved in unison, silent and lifeless. Each bore piercings of black chakra rods, their faces devoid of warmth. They were Nagato's Six Paths of Pain, vessels of his will: Deva, Asura, Human, Animal, Preta, and Naraka. Six bodies, six abilities, all bound together by the Rinnegan's vision.
Jiraiya's instincts prickled. Mid-conversation, his body flickered away from the crowd, reappearing in a deserted alley laced with sewer pipes. He landed lightly, just as six shadows emerged from the mist ahead.
Hovering above them, angelic wings of paper unfolding, Konan descended with silent grace.
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Konan…? And Yahiko? Those eyes… how? Where is Nagato?"
"Why are you here, Jiraiya-sensei?" Konan asked softly, her tone caught between bitterness and sorrow.
His gaze hardened as he took in their cloaks, marked with the red clouds of Akatsuki. "So it's true. The ones I've been chasing all this time, the leaders of Akatsuki… it's you. You've chosen this path?"
"The path of no return?" Nagato's voice came from the body of the Deva Path, calm and merciless. "This world is drowned in suffering. I will bring peace in my own way. A world without conflict, without lies."
"Peace through capturing the Tailed Beasts? Through fear?" Jiraiya's voice rose with anger.
Nagato's hand extended, palm forward. "You will not understand. Enough words."
A sudden pull of gravity dragged at Jiraiya, his body yanked toward the Deva Path. Konan's wings split into countless slips of paper, sharp as steel, raining down like a storm of arrows.
But the Jiraiya they struck dissolved into smoke.
"Clone Technique," Deva murmured.
From behind, Jiraiya's voice rang out. "Fire Style, Giant Flame Bullet!"
A massive fireball roared toward the Animal Path. Yet the Preta Path stepped calmly forward, absorbing the flames into nothingness.
"Damn," Jiraiya muttered.
Missiles whistled through the air as the Asura Path's mechanical arm opened, launching a barrage. Explosions shook the alley as Jiraiya blurred away, his body twisting into evasive maneuvers. Even so, shrapnel tore through his clothing, leaving cuts across his skin.
His teeth clenched. Six enemies, each sharing their vision. And Konan above. He couldn't afford to hold back.
With a quick substitution, he vanished again, reappearing in a shadowed corner. His hands flew into seals.
"Summoning Technique!"
A puff of smoke erupted, revealing a massive purple toad armed with a steel fork and a broad shield.
"I need you to hold them off. I'm going into Sage Mode," Jiraiya ordered grimly.
The toad nodded. "Leave it to me!"
The sky split as a giant bird dove, its beak striking like a spear. Gamabunta raised his shield, the impact shuddering through his body, forcing him back several steps.
"Persistent pests!" Gamabunta grunted, bracing himself as another volley of missiles rained down. Explosions tore through the street, fire and smoke engulfing him.
And then, from the Animal Path's hands, another summoning—this time a massive, snarling Cerberus. Three heads bared rows of fangs as the beast lunged, claws tearing through stone as though it were paper.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. He knew this summon. Immortal, endlessly splitting each time it was struck. The only way to dispel it was to defeat the Animal Path itself.
His situation was deteriorating fast. Still, his heart remained steady. He was Jiraiya of the Sannin. If this was to be his end, he would carve his will into the future.