This was a completely unexpected turn of events. No one could have anticipated that the leader of the Akatsuki would suddenly call out Jiraiya's name and refer to him as his sensei.
"You… how… how is this possible…"
Jiraiya's eyes widened. The enemy before him had messy orange hair and a familiar young face, though it was now covered in metal piercings.
So familiar… yet so alien.
Jiraiya desperately tried to place the face, but the sight of the Rinnegan and the man's cold aura made it impossible for him to be certain. Simply put, Jiraiya couldn't believe it.
The enemy looked so much like his deceased student, Yahiko, that his mind went blank. In that land of endless rain, he had once taken in three students, all of whom he later learned had died in the war.
"They look… kind of familiar?" Tsunade frowned, trying to place them.
She had met Jiraiya's student, Yahiko, before.
"It's..." Jiraiya's heart clenched. He took a deep breath and finally asked, as if to confirm the impossible, "Yahiko… is that you?"
"Sensei actually remembers me," Pain said, his gaze falling calmly on Jiraiya. "I thought you'd only recognize me if the other two appeared with me."
"The other two?" Jiraiya's brow furrowed.
The next moment, two figures appeared beside Pain.
With Pain's identity revealed, Nagato and Konan felt no need to hide any longer.
In fact, Nagato didn't want to hide at all. They were no longer burdened by their roles. Now that he wasn't the true leader of the Akatsuki, Nagato didn't care about exposing his identity; he wasn't the most important person anymore.
"It's been a long time… Jiraiya-sensei." Nagato stood behind Pain and took off his mask, revealing his bright red hair. His demeanor was still slightly reserved.
"Good to see you…" Konan appeared at Pain's other side, also removing her mask. Her light purple hair was tied up.
Three people. Three former students. It was as if they had stepped through time to reappear before him. Seeing them all together, Jiraiya finally recognized them completely.
His students… were the leaders of the Akatsuki.
Jiraiya's head spun. The toads on Mount Myoboku had told him these students had died long ago.
"They're those kids from the Land of Rain!" A look of disbelief flashed across Tsunade's face.
"Jiraiya, Tsunade, you know them?" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked back, hoping for some intelligence.
"It's more than just knowing them," Tsunade said, her expression complicated.
She glanced at the clearly shocked Jiraiya and explained softly, "During the Second Great Ninja War, Jiraiya took those three as his students..."
That teacher-student bond was far more troublesome than a simple enemy relationship. Tsunade felt a pang of pity for her old comrade. His once-close students were now his enemies.
"Jiraiya's… students…" Hiruzen's expression grew more serious.
He remembered the pain of his own student, Orochimaru, defecting. Perhaps now, he was the only one who could truly understand how Jiraiya felt.
"Yahiko, Nagato, Konan." Jiraiya steadied his breathing.
Years as a seasoned shinobi allowed him to quickly suppress his grief, replacing it with suspicion and cold questions. "What is going on? How did you end up in an organization of rogue ninja like the Akatsuki? And Yahiko, how did you become its leader?"
"Is there something wrong with that?" Pain stood in front of Nagato and Konan, just as Yahiko used to shield his friends from the rain, and faced his teacher's questions. "Jiraiya-sensei, our goal has always been to change this world of war and killing. The Akatsuki is simply the path we've chosen to make that dream a reality."
"Wait… change the world?" Jiraiya's body trembled slightly.
That goal… wasn't strange at all. Yahiko had always wanted to change the world, to bring an end to all wars. As a child scarred by conflict, it was a natural desire.
But…
Jiraiya's mind flashed to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, and then to Emiya Shirou's warning about the child of prophecy.
This is not good.
More than his students returning from the dead, Jiraiya was shaken by how Emiya's words were coming true.
The Great Toad Sage's prophecy: a child would bring great change to the world, and Jiraiya would guide that child down the right path.
Emiya Shirou's warning: each of Jiraiya's students would develop their own ambition to change the world, causing them to fight one another until the true child of prophecy emerged.
"What are you going to do?" Jiraiya looked at his students, desperate to understand their motives and the nature of the Akatsuki. "I've heard things about your organization. You're gathering dangerous rogue ninja. It doesn't seem like you're trying to change the world through peaceful means."
"No comment." Pain shook his head, refusing to elaborate.
He was no longer the primary decision-maker for the Akatsuki, so he couldn't decide what information to share.
But he didn't conceal one more thing. "In any case, it's a path Jiraiya-sensei could never accept. Someone from a great village like Konoha, who always hopes for mutual understanding, could never accept the way we intend to change the world."
The past teacher and his students… it seemed they were always fated to be on opposite sides.
"Move aside," Pain said, raising a hand. "Jiraiya-sensei, we don't want to kill you. We don't want to harm any more innocents here."
These words were sincere. They had only come to kill Danzo Shimura. That was their mission from Emiya Shirou and Black Zetsu, and it was also their personal goal for revenge.
They truly didn't intend to kill anyone else. After all, the true leader of the Akatsuki wasn't some indiscriminate murderer, but a healer who saved the suffering.
But Pain's offer wouldn't bring peace. Now that their identities were exposed, there was no way they would be allowed to leave Konoha easily. And Jiraiya wasn't the only one making decisions here.
"Lord Hokage..." The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, glanced at Hiruzen and smiled. "While both our villages wish to capture the Akatsuki's leader for intelligence, it appears Konoha has a rather personal connection here. Is the Sand Village supposed to tear up our agreement and step aside?"
"Jiraiya, step back!" Hiruzen ordered, his expression grim. His sharp gaze remained fixed on Pain. "Leave them to me and the Kazekage."
Of course, they wouldn't step aside.
This was too rare an opportunity. They had to apprehend the Akatsuki's leader, even if he was Jiraiya's student. As the Third Hokage, he had to secure them for Konoha's future, no matter how much it pained Jiraiya.
If Jiraiya fought, he might hesitate, just as Hiruzen had with Orochimaru, and they could lose their chance.
However, Jiraiya showed no intention of withdrawing. The imposing man looked at his students with a bitter gaze and refused his teacher's command. He wasn't going to walk away. People he cared about were on both sides of this fight.
No matter who won, it would be painful.
Most importantly, this was his responsibility. As their teacher, he was supposed to guide them, not stand by while his own aged teacher and trusted friends handled his failure.
And then there was the Rinnegan. Only he truly understood its reality.
He had personally felt its power and knew more about it than anyone else here.
Both Nagato and Yahiko possessed it. He didn't know how, but they should both be able to use its abilities. The battle was not looking good for Konoha.
If Nagato and Yahiko could use the Rinnegan like Emiya Shirou, then Jiraiya stepping back could put Hiruzen and Tsunade in mortal danger.
"Not planning to step aside?" Pain sounded regretful when he saw Jiraiya take a fighting stance. "I suppose… that is just like you, Jiraiya-sensei. Too bad. It's a reckless move. If you've witnessed the power of the Rinnegan, you should know you have no way to resist it."
"..."
Jiraiya's gaze hardened. He knew his opponent was right. He had been powerless against Emiya Shirou; even with Tsunade and Hiruzen, it might not be enough. But in this world, you don't only fight when you know you can win.
"Then let's begin!" Hiruzen shouted, lifting his hand.
The old man attacked first, his fingers flying through hand seals as he shared tactics with his allies. "Start with ninjutsu! Watch out for that move that blows back attacks and jutsu!"
"That's the Rinnegan's power!" Jiraiya explained, forming his own hand seals. "When I sparred with Lord Emiya, he used a move that generates a repulsive force, pushing away all attacks."
"We'll use staggered attacks," Rasa proposed coldly, a tactical response to counter the timing of the repulsive force.
Hiruzen, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were all taken aback. They had all been thinking the same thing, never expecting the Kazekage to be so in sync with them.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" Hiruzen spat a stream of fire toward the trio.
"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal!" Nagato leaped forward, catching the flames and absorbing them entirely into pure chakra.
With him there, no one could harm Pain or Konan. Staggered attacks might work against Pain, but they were useless against Nagato, the true wielder of the Rinnegan.
"Watch out!" Jiraiya's expression grew more serious. "That's the Rinnegan's power to absorb jutsu. Any ninjutsu will be absorbed and turned into chakra."
"Ninjutsu won't work?" Tsunade lunged forward, throwing a punch. If ninjutsu was useless, her raw taijutsu might break through.
Sheets of origami fluttered through the air. As Tsunade attacked, Konan made her move, sending a flurry of paper covered in explosive tags flying toward her.
At the last second, Tsunade managed to spread her Yin Seal across her body, hoping its instant-healing properties would shield her from the blast.
"Wind Style: Cyclone!" Rasa quickly formed hand seals and spat a blast of wind, blowing the origami high into the sky. His jutsu effortlessly dispelled Konan's technique and saved Tsunade.
"Thank you, Kazekage," Tsunade said as she landed.
Rasa's intervention had been vital. Both Hiruzen and Jiraiya felt a growing sense of goodwill toward the Kazekage for his genuine willingness to fight alongside them.
"Thank you," Hiruzen said in a deep voice.
"No problem," Rasa replied with a faint smile. "We need each other. But we still haven't forced out that repulsive attack. It's unlikely we'll hit our real target yet."
"This doesn't even feel like a warm-up," a voice rang out, putting everyone on high alert. "Are you getting too comfortable already?"
It was Pain.
But their alertness was meaningless.
His expression was emotionless as he raised his hand and spoke two calm words, as if casting an ordinary jutsu.
"Shinra Tensei."
The next moment, the air itself was compressed by an invisible force. The ground began to shake violently. Every Konoha ninja present witnessed a horrifying scene.
This time, Pain didn't hold back. The full power of Shinra Tensei was unleashed. All the tiles of the arena were instantly ripped from the ground as the repulsive force plowed the field into a barren plain.
Hiruzen and the others couldn't react in time. They were launched into the air by the powerful force, thrown across half the arena, spitting blood before they even hit the ground.
They had been suddenly and severely wounded.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Of everyone, Tsunade was the least injured.
The moment she hit the ground, she formed the summoning seal. A dark summoning array appeared, and a huge slug materialized, its gentle voice filled with surprise as it saw a blood-spitting Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade..."
"Katsuyu, start healing!" Tsunade quickly pointed to her wounded allies.
Her incredible physical strength had allowed her to react just in time to mitigate some of the impact.
"Yes!" Katsuyu instantly split into smaller slugs, which slid over to Hiruzen and Jiraiya, enveloping their bodies in a healing light.
"No danger of death," Katsuyu's gentle voice reported, allowing Tsunade to relax slightly.
"Cough, cough..." Hiruzen and Jiraiya coughed simultaneously, feeling the healing take effect. But they felt little relief. Their enemy's strength was simply too much. They hadn't even gone all out, and they were already severely injured.
"Check the Kazekage's injuries," Hiruzen reminded Tsunade. Rasa had helped them; Konoha couldn't just ignore a wounded ally.
"I've already sent a slug," Tsunade said, her hands glowing with green chakra as she checked Jiraiya's injuries. "I'll go ask Lord Emiya for help…"
"It would be best not to bring that great man here," a familiar yet cold voice suddenly whispered in her ear.
"?" Tsunade was confused, but another of Katsuyu's voices made her heart jump.
"Lady Tsunade! This is…"
When Tsunade turned to look, she saw Rasa lying on the ground, his body oddly shriveled. Her heart sank. Not because Rasa was dead, but because the technique was horribly familiar. It reminded her of a former teammate.
"This is… the Orochimaru's Body Replacement Jutsu…"
Tsunade's mind flashed back to the voice she'd just heard. Her eyes scanned the area, but she saw no sign of Orochimaru. However, she noticed something else.
Hiruzen and Jiraiya were both bleeding from the mouth, but they were sitting up, staring intently at something behind her.
"What a pity…" the voice whispered again. "You still didn't recognize me."