chapter 80 part 1
Chapter 80: Don't Use That Jutsu...
Jiraiya was dumbfounded. The scene he least wanted to see had appeared: Nagato's Rinnegan was exposed in front of dangerous individuals.
According to Jiraiya's initial plan, he didn't hesitate to withdraw from the Second Great Ninja War and stay in the Land of Rain for three years, all to cultivate Nagato, at the very least so Nagato would have the power to protect himself in a small country like the Land of Rain.
What did "power to protect himself" mean? To put it plainly, as long as he didn't encounter someone as formidable as Hanzo, if Nagato genuinely wanted to escape, he would surely succeed. That was the measure of his successful cultivation.
Jiraiya intended to use three years to cultivate Nagato to this level, and if nothing unexpected happened, three years would be more than enough to achieve this goal.
The Rinnegan granted Nagato innate mastery of Five Nature Transformations; Nagato could easily learn and use ordinary Ninjutsu, which provided him with a vast array of tactical options in combat, allowing him to instantly deploy Ninjutsu that countered his enemies.
Furthermore, with the Rinnegan's powerful visual and sensory ability, and the mysterious Dojutsu that Jiraiya was certain existed but didn't yet know about, Nagato was perfectly capable of thriving in a small country like the Land of Rain.
Yahiko, being intelligent and decisive, could compensate for Nagato's hesitation and timidity, and with Konan's Paper Release providing support, the three of them would surely establish a firm foothold in the neutral Land of Rain, and keep away from the conflicts of the Five Great Nations, avoiding the gaze of many dangerous Ninja.
This should have been a perfect plan. Nagato was about to graduate, and should have been accumulating experience and leveling up in the "newbie village" that was the Land of Rain. But why had things suddenly turned out this way?
Why had so many Root Ninja come to the Land of Rain as a group, and why had they detected Nagato's presence?
Jiraiya was amazed and furious.
Danzo, on the other hand, was surprised and delighted.
Logically, at his age, having lived through the First Great War and the Second Great Ninja War and constantly operating in the shadows, there were few things in this world that could cause such violent fluctuations in his mental state.
The last time he was this pleasantly surprised was when he discovered Tsukasa Kaede's Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu.
"It's the Rinnegan..." Danzo couldn't help but utter in a suppressed voice.
Terai's ears twitched. He immediately shifted his gaze to Nagato, and facing those strange eyes that, even under the dim rain curtain, still emitted an invisible pressure, he was also startled.
Every Root Ninja looked over, and a ripple of commotion spread.
"The Rinnegan?"
"Isn't that just a legend? The eyes of the Sage of Kaedex Paths?"
"It used to be a legend, but not anymore."
Terai drew his sword and held it horizontally, suppressing the Root Ninja's attempts to exchange Intel. He looked at Jiraiya and said, "No wonder you were willing to withdraw from the war, acting no different from a Rogue Ninja, just to stay in the Land of Rain. It all makes sense now. You were coveting the Rinnegan."
"Your mouth truly stinks. Did you eat shit before coming to the Land of Rain? Remember not to defile this neutral nation." Jiraiya said, "I am their teacher now."
"Teacher or superior, in essence, it's just another form of coveting the Rinnegan." Terai snorted coldly. He didn't believe Jiraiya truly had no ulterior motives.
In fact, Jiraiya initially truly had no ulterior motives regarding Nagato and the other two.
Back then, he, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were defeated by Hanzo. After receiving Hanzo's promise that the Hidden Rain Village would withdraw from the war, the three of them had planned to leave the Land of Rain.
It was at this time that Jiraiya met Nagato and the other two. Without knowing Nagato possessed the Rinnegan, he, driven by a certain feeling, disregarding Orochimaru and Tsunade's dissuasion, decided to stay and teach the three of them for a period.
But at that time, Jiraiya didn't necessarily intend to stay for three years, as Konoha was still fighting against the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Stone Village. It was only after confirming Nagato possessed the Rinnegan that Jiraiya identified Nagato as the Child of Prophecy and decided to spend three years cultivating him.
However, Terai clearly wouldn't believe it. Who would do something without benefit? Moreover, Jiraiya, a Hokage disciple, willingly withdrew from the war to stay in the Land of Rain—wasn't it precisely because he discovered the Rinnegan and wanted to claim it for himself? "Controlling the Rinnegan's wielder is also an excellent way to covet the Rinnegan. Jiraiya, it seems I truly underestimated you before."
Terai gave a signal, and everyone prepared for battle.
Jiraiya was enraged and took a combat stance.
Yahiko roared in anger: "You arrogant Konoha bastards, do you even know what you're saying? Constantly talking about coveting and selfish desires. There's still genuine emotion in this world, not everything is measured by profit like you people do!"
"Yahiko, prepare for battle. There's no reasoning with these guys." Jiraiya's killing intent steadily rose.
Nagato's sensory perception was the sharpest; his body trembled slightly, and he whispered, "Teacher, are you planning to..."
"That's right, I intend to kill all of them. Not a single one will return alive."
The 190-cm tall Jiraiya, with his broad and imposing back, gave Nagato a strong sense of security. Practically nothing made Nagato feel safer than the killing intent rising from Jiraiya.
Indeed, Teacher Jiraiya wasn't harboring ill intentions as those people claimed, nor would he covet his Rinnegan, Nagato thought to himself.
Yahiko forced a strained smile onto his grim face: "As expected of Teacher Jiraiya. Although I know it's incredibly difficult for you to make such a decision, after careful consideration, this truly is the best approach. It's just hard on you, having to fight comrades from the same Village."