"Guy, how are you holding up?"
Minato wrapped an arm around Guy, and together with Obito, carefully lowered him onto the ground. His eyes were filled with concern.
Guy cracked a faint smile without speaking, forcing his eyes open to stare at the blurry figure in front of him.
He had completely drained himself, and much of his body was damaged from forcibly unlocking the Eighth Gate.
Just staying conscious was hard enough; every attempt to open his eyes sent agonizing waves of pain rippling through him.
He saw the two men who had caught him, and saw the shadow that blocked the sunlight above shattered by his own strike.
At this moment, though his body was wracked with pain, his heart felt light.
In fact, he even wanted to laugh out loud—to express the fire of youth burning within him.
Unfortunately, laughter required too many muscles, and in his current state, such a simple act was temporarily impossible.
He saw Minato's lips moving, but truthfully, heard no sound at all—as if they belonged to different worlds separated by an invisible barrier.
"All right, don't talk. Keep your breathing steady—you've done it, and perfectly too! You've truly blown us all away!"
Realizing Guy was trying to speak, Minato quickly reminded him while placing one hand on Guy's chest, feeling the rapid yet strong heartbeat beneath.
Of course, he also noticed that Guy seemed unable to hear due to the aftereffects of battle, looking somewhat dazed after Minato finished speaking.
But none of that mattered now—the outcome was already great. What remained next was just cleanup, and Guy seemed fine overall—at least not in life-threatening condition!
As for Pain, there was no way he could use such a powerful jutsu again so soon, right?
Even if he could pull it off again, they had discovered the key to defeating him.
They simply needed to destroy that black core before Planetary Devastation fully formed, and the technique would essentially fall apart on its own.
Just now, Guy had struck down the core in one blow despite its defenses, shattering the dark mass that loomed above into nothing in an instant.
In battles between experts, a jutsu achieves surprise only when first deployed.
Once that initial impact fails, opponents usually gain enough preparation to counteract the move effectively.
Unless it's a move that's nearly impossible to counter even when anticipated—like the Flying Thunder God or Onoki's Dust Release...
"Sensei, should I go get a medical ninja?"
Seeing Guy's condition wasn't great, Obito spoke up, letting go of Guy's hand and standing to glance toward other parts of the village.
"Mm… Go bring Kushina and Tsunade-sama over here. The situation here should be mostly stabilized."
Minato glanced at Jiraiya-sensei chasing after the enemy and at the distant figure struck head-on by Guy, now crashing into the horizon. After thinking for a moment, he instructed Obito accordingly.
"Sure thing, no problem!"
Obito gave it a moment's thought, then vanished in a flash.
Guy clearly defeated the Deva Path, the core of Pain's forces, with that last attack. Jiraiya-sama, one of the Sannin, continued chasing after the enemy, so things were mostly under control here for now.
Meanwhile, the village's ninja forces had recovered from their earlier shock caused by wide-range ninjutsu attacks. Many ninja were gathering in the area to provide backup to Minato and his team.
Snap!
Just as Obito disappeared, a small blue-and-white object suddenly appeared midair and landed directly onto Guy's chest. It then slowly wriggled and adjusted its position.
"Eh... Katsuyu?"
Minato stared at the miniature slug, slightly taken aback.
"Hello, Minato-sama. My main body was summoned by Lady Tsunade for assistance, so I came here."
Katsuyu the Sage was quite an unusual being. Each fragment seemed to have its own mind, making it easy to tell them apart.
Take this tiny version right now—it speaks softly and looks fragile.
"Oh, thank you. Then I'll leave Guy in your hands."
As he watched the small slug stick onto Guy's chest and begin emitting a faint green glow, Minato smiled.
He hadn't expected Lady Tsunade's Boss Summon could produce such amazing effects—he'd never even heard about this before.
"Minato, Jiraiya and the old man went after the enemy. We should head over there quickly too!"
Shima perched on Minato's shoulder, glancing at the side of his face. She recognized the slug from Shikkotsu Forest but wasn't familiar with this particular fragment, so she simply gave a slight nod in greeting.
She was worried about the frog and her companion who had already left, so she reminded Minato accordingly.
"Then I'll leave this place to Lady Katsuyu! I'm heading out first!"
Minato glanced around, noticing a squad of approaching ninja not far away. He waved briefly before vanishing instantly.
As Lady Shima said, Master Jiraiya had gone after Pain. Although the enemy appeared seriously injured by Guy, for safety's sake, he still needed to rush over for backup.
The true wielder of the Rinnegan had yet to appear—it might happen soon.
Possibly another major battle would erupt, but this time they wouldn't lose initiative. The enemy had revealed enough information, and their side now possessed more defensive strategies.
...
"Shisui, what do you think Saitama will do next?"
Bounding across treetops, Itachi and Shisui steadily moved toward Konoha.
It was Itachi Uchiha who spoke, his expression serious as he glanced at Shisui beside him.
"Itachi, he has become our enemy. We don't need to consider other issues anymore. Defeating him and his evil organization is what we must do now. Furthermore, you've seen it yourself—the Five Great Hidden Villages have preliminarily reached an agreement to jointly eliminate Akatsuki. Events are moving forward inevitably. He must answer for his wrongdoings sooner or later, right?"
Shisui kept his eyes ahead while continuously advancing, leaping between trees.
Perhaps he had once placed great hopes upon Saitama, so the current disappointment weighed heavier.
"Enter every fight intending to kill him," Shisui continued. "Or we will be the ones killed!"
Shisui touched his chest, as if remembering something painful, and a dark shadow passed through his eyes.
"Do you think we can kill him? He's gotten even stronger this time. Even the Five Kages couldn't do anything to him!"
Itachi managed a faint smile, stating a fact.
"There's always a chance. I'm waiting for that day—and I've never stopped working toward it."
Unwilling to dwell further on the topic, Shisui abruptly accelerated, creating distance between himself and Itachi.
As for Saitama, maybe he was still holding onto a faint illusion buried deep inside—probably how things were.
Not far ahead lay Konoha Village. Both of them moved quickly and were about to return to the village.
"I hope nothing happened to the village. Minato—the Hokage—should have already returned."
Itachi looked toward the direction of the village. The silhouette of the Hokage Rock was now vaguely visible, yet an uneasy feeling stirred inside him.
...
Puchi!
Nagato spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression suddenly weakening.
Beside him, Konan's face changed instantly as she turned her gaze toward her comrade.
"What happened, Nagato?"
There was a hint of panic in her eyes, though well concealed. Nagato didn't raise his head to look at her, so he noticed nothing.
"A Konoha Ninja who wasn't part of our plan truly impressed me! The Shinobi World is clearly more complicated than what we see. For someone to achieve such strength with mere Taijutsu alone—unbelievable!"
Nagato didn't bother wiping the blood from the corner of his lips. His eyes remained fixed straight ahead into the darkness, as if seeing through every obstacle before him.
"It's no longer feasible to keep engaging in combat to capture the Nine-Tails. Prepare for retreat—we're leaving soon. We've already left enough chaos behind in Konoha. Our purpose—to demonstrate Akatsuki's might—has been fulfilled."
Switching topics slightly, Nagato glanced sideways briefly at Konan.
Previously, certain events had diverted his focus somewhat, shifting the objective of this mission partially away from the Nine-Tails.
He thought using the Rinnegan would take more time but still lead to his final goal.
He never expected a shinobi named Guy could still cause unexpected trouble.
Konoha didn't become number one among the Five Great Nations just by talking—it's got real strength to back it up. There are truly skilled and gifted shinobi here.
"Alright, we did act carelessly during this mission. Our intelligence preparations were insufficient too. Zetsu certainly didn't fulfill his duties properly, which made us waste most of our time searching inside the village for the Nine-Tails. Plus, Konoha's Ninja kept appearing nonstop..."
Konan nodded in agreement with Nagato's plan to withdraw.
"What about the ninja who injured you?"
She continued cautiously after a moment.
It would be wise to avoid confronting someone capable of seriously wounding Nagato.
Although the Rinnegan is indeed mighty, its use places immense strain on the body. If possible, they should minimize its usage.
This wasn't the final showdown. They could wait for another chance—no need to keep wasting energy here.
The time for an open confrontation on enemy territory had passed. Konoha was starting to fight back, so retreat was the better choice.
As for safety concerns at this point, there was no need to worry. Nagato's main body and she were both present—there wouldn't be any accidents.
"The opponent should also be seriously injured. Cracking through my technique like that must've taken a huge toll on him and drained a lot of his stamina. So even though he dealt me heavy damage, he himself isn't in good shape either."
Nagato said softly. In the final moment, he noticed Guy plummeting toward the ground, seemingly half-unconscious.
"Hmm? Jiraiya-sensei is chasing after us..."
Nagato suddenly paused, then added briefly.
"Here?"
Konan frowned. This was a secret location she'd personally selected, protected by her Paper Dance (a genjutsu formed from flying paper). It should've been nearly impossible to find.
"No, he's chasing Yahiko. No problem. Wait until I get rid of him, then we'll leave."
Nagato closed his eyes and began focusing entirely on controlling Deva Path.
Due to Guy's attack, Yahiko's body had sustained multiple serious injuries. His current combat effectiveness might only be half—or even less—than usual.
Konan didn't ask further questions, merely watching Nagato and paying close attention to his condition.
...
"Jiraiya-sensei..."
The Deva Path hit the ground hard, propping himself up with both arms to stay upright.
There was a deep indentation on his chest area, and his trench coat was torn into tattered rags.
Looking at the figure landing not far ahead, Nagato, hidden behind, controlled Yahiko to speak these words:
"Nagato!"
Jiraiya locked eyes on "Yahiko," his tone heavy, the pressure radiating from his entire body continuously compressing the surrounding air.
"It really seems I underestimated Konoha's ninja."
Ignoring the intense questioning tone in Jiraiya's voice, Nagato said with some regret.
Before coming here, Saitama had warned him about the Konoha ninja who mastered the Eight Gates Release Technique, yet now he had still ended up falling to that opponent.
It wasn't outright suppression, but Guy's interference had indeed made the mission unpredictable and ultimately led to their current failure.
The Eight Gates Release Technique was far more powerful than Nagato had expected.
Recalling how that move had directly withstood his [Shinra Tensei] and shattered [Planetary Devastation]...
Nagato still felt a dull pain in his chest.
Since acquiring the ability to use Shinra Tensei, it had been a long time since he last experienced such an overwhelming force beyond his resistance.
That was an impact even Shinra Tensei couldn't resist.
Therefore, after facing that single strike, Deva Path had suffered severe injuries. Even Nagato found his control significantly weakened afterward.
"That's all you have to say?"
Taking one step forward, Jiraiya condensed the air pressure toward Deva Path, increasingly suffocating the puppet, while looking down upon its visibly battered form.
He naturally knew this was merely a puppet, which was why he wanted to use it to trace back and find Nagato's hiding place.
Even if controlled by the Rinnegan, it shouldn't be far away. Probably somewhere hidden outside Konoha Village.
Using the properties of Sage Chakra, there was still a chance to trace back and locate Nagato's hiding place.
This time, he was determined to find Nagato and meet his former student!
"What? Did you really think, teacher, that you could keep me here?"
Deva Path slightly shrugged its shoulders and slowly rose to its feet with a stiff motion.
Jiraiya remained calm, clearly having anticipated Nagato's reaction from the start.
"Do you really think this current version of Pain can resist me? Perhaps you've underestimated your teacher!"
Jiraiya's Sage Mode hadn't ended yet, so he felt completely confident at this moment.
"Let's find out then!"
Deva Path suddenly lunged forward, thrusting its arm toward Jiraiya. A black rod-like object faintly appeared from within its sleeve.
Facing Pain's sudden attack, Jiraiya simply smirked, staying completely calm.
Although he often seemed carefree while speaking, he hadn't let his guard down against Pain for even a second.
In his current state, Pain was no real threat to Jiraiya at all!
With one swift motion, Jiraiya grabbed Deva Path's arm and twisted his body, flipping the opponent over.
Bang!
Jiraiya drove one knee into Deva Path's back, slamming it hard onto the ground.
The earth instantly collapsed, creating a deep crater where Pain sank in.
But the very next second, an overwhelming repulsive force erupted from Pain's body, blasting Jiraiya and Fukasaku away like flies.
[Shinra Tensei!]
Fortunately, both man and frog were well-prepared and quickly stabilized themselves mid-air before landing steadily on the ground.
Because the technique Pain used just now was significantly weaker than before, they easily absorbed the shock.
"Fukasaku-sama, do you have a way to track Nagato's trail?"
The move Jiraiya had just made wasn't meant to attack Pain—it was an attempt to use Sage Mode's powerful sensory abilities and Sage Chakra's unique properties to trace the chakra signal back to its source.
However, apparently, he managed only a slight connection before Nagato sensed it and immediately released a burst of chakra to sever everything.
"It's difficult, especially if he resists."
Fukasaku narrowed his eyes, his mustache subtly twitching.
"But we have to try!"
Jiraiya refused to give up his pursuit of Nagato.
His former student, who had strayed down the wrong path, needed saving.
And the person who would extend their hand to save him was none other than Jiraiya himself—the teacher who had failed to fulfill his responsibilities years ago!
"Fine then, I'll need you to restrain him for more than three seconds, then I will attempt to trace his exact location!"
Seeing Jiraiya's determination, Fukasaku decided not to hesitate any longer and gravely said,
"Understood!"
Jiraiya glanced at Deva Path, already knowing when exactly he should make his move.
It would be right after the last technique's cooldown ended. He'd attack again, forcing Pain to defend—that would create a few crucial seconds for Fukasaku to act!
Currently, Jiraiya had already figured out Nagato's jutsu cooldown timing. It seemed to be around five seconds.
That should be more than enough!
Sage Mode hadn't even faded yet, so Jiraiya naturally opted for more direct close-quarters combat.
He calculated the timing perfectly and darted toward the Deva Path.
Though the Deva Path had just unleashed a forceful blast to repel Jiraiya, its own state remained severely weakened.
"Looks like I'll have to retrieve him using the Summoning Technique."
Nagato had sensed Jiraiya's intentions earlier and was determined not to give him another chance to probe further.
Whoosh!
A kunai flew from a distance and stabbed straight toward the Deva Path. Pain immediately recognized who it was from.
But before he could react, Minato had already appeared before the Deva Path and struck immediately.
[Rasengan!]
A pale-blue glowing ninjutsu hurtled into the Deva Path's chest before erupting in a powerful explosion, sending his entire body flying backward.
[Sealing Technique: Embracing Buddha Method!] (an ancient Uzumaki secret art that can momentarily freeze an enemy's spatial presence)
The instant the Deva Path was sent flying, Minato Namikaze swiftly followed up, pressing his palm forcefully against the air.
With chakra surging outward, golden runes radiated from his palm, coiling around the Deva Path and locking its movements.
Jiraiya was stunned by this sudden turn of events. He had been trying to figure out how to immobilize the Deva Path himself and prevent Nagato's original body from retrieving this puppet clone within such a short time.
Unexpectedly, Minato had rushed over directly and created all the favorable conditions at once.
He recalled Minato once mentioning this sealing technique — apparently an ancient secret art inherited within the Uzumaki Clan.
It could temporarily seal the space around someone, completely freezing their current state!
"Chief Fukasaku! It's your turn now!"
Jiraiya naturally wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity.
Minato succeeded in using this sealing technique only because the Deva Path was already weakened, and his Flying Thunder God entrance caught everyone off guard.
Moreover, it was the first time this technique had ever been used, producing startling results.
"Got it!"
Fukasaku leaped swiftly from Jiraiya's shoulder and landed beside the immobilized Deva Path.
"This is bad!"
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