"Konan!"
Jiraiya's expression turned wary as he watched one of his former students suddenly enter the battlefield.
Her unexpected arrival disrupted Jiraiya's plan, adding an element of uncertainty to what had previously been a battle he could surely dominate against Nagato.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I'm taking Yahiko away from here. I hope you won't try to stop us."
Facing her former teacher—who was now her enemy—Konan's tone wasn't forceful, yet it carried a quiet and unwavering determination.
"Do you even realize what you're saying?"
Jiraiya looked at Konan, whose expression remained cold, though her lips still called him "sensei." His heart twisted with mixed emotions.
"You've always been someone I deeply respected. Even now, you remain an important part of me..."
"If that's truly how you feel, then I definitely can't let you go!"
Jiraiya stared at Konan, deep lines forming between his brows, making him look years older in an instant.
His tone was equally resolute, tinged with stubbornness.
Hearing this response, Konan fell silent, as did Nagato—both locking eyes with Jiraiya and Minato.
"You don't know what we've endured over the years, so I beg you—don't keep trying to stop us. Some things can only be achieved through sacrifice. As Nagato would say, it no longer matters who must be sacrificed. So even if it's you… we won't hold back if you keep blocking our path. Personally, I never want to relive something like last time ever again."
As Konan continued speaking, two large white paper wings suddenly unfolded behind her back. With a powerful flap against the ground, dust swirled into the air.
"As your teacher, I feel deeply sorry for not being able to protect you properly. But make no mistake—if it comes to fighting, I won't hold back either."
Jiraiya sighed softly. Looking at these two former disciples, he couldn't help but feel that perhaps it was his incomplete teachings as a ninja master that had led them down this wrong path.
Hearing Konan's veiled threat only made him feel more troubled.
"Perhaps this is the destined path of a ninja. Didn't you often say, sensei, that you believed in fate and sought a ninja who could change the Shinobi World?"
"Perhaps that ninja is me!"
Nagato continued where Jiraiya had stopped, speaking through Yahiko's voice.
"I'm sorry, but the ninja I seek—the one destined to bring change or bear the fate of the shinobi world—certainly wouldn't be someone trying to bring destruction to the entire world. Nagato, Konan, you've both walked down a dark and disappointing path. This shouldn't have happened. I bear great responsibility for this too!"
"No, sensei. Fate is filled with such twists and strange wonders. I firmly believe I am the one destined to bring reform to the Shinobi World. That was the answer Yahiko once gave me, and I trust his judgment! As for your responsibility toward us, perhaps there is some. Still, none of that changes my current goal!"
"What happened in Konoha Village before was just a necessary sacrifice for this reform. It's unfortunate, but it cannot be undone."
Deva Path's voice was firm. Reforming the world had always been one of his strongest motivations.
"After you left us back then, we also believed the Land of Rain had begun a new chapter. After all, with the war ended, there would finally be enough time for our country to develop. However, weakness makes one powerless. Even Hanzo Sanshouo, known as 'Half-God,' couldn't change the fate of that nation. He could do nothing but endure exploitation from the stronger nations. That's why Yahiko established the newly formed organization called Akatsuki—to unite every young person filled with ideals and determination, aiming to create an equal nation entirely belonging to ourselves!"
"Jiraiya-sensei, as a Konoha ninja, surely cannot understand the bitterness of being weak. What we wanted wasn't even much—just hoped for a nation that belonged solely to us, instead of serving as a tool passed around by the major powers at their whim. Honestly speaking, back then we truly despised your Konoha as well!"
"Yahiko's intentions were good, but achieving success under such circumstances was indeed difficult. As we grew stronger, Hanzo's attention eventually turned toward us, a force hidden in the shadows whose strength couldn't be underestimated."
"The irony is here: Hanzo, who was the leader of Amegakure at that time, actually considered us destabilizing elements that would bring disaster to the peace that had been painfully achieved. So he kept sending his men to eliminate us. At that time, although Akatsuki had developed for quite a while and held high status among the youth, our strength still wasn't enough to confront Hanzo's deep-rooted power. As a result, after great losses, we moved our operations into the hidden depths of the Underworld, silently accumulating our forces, waiting for the day when we could finally reshape our nation's fate."
"But things always changed more unexpectedly than imagined. Even though we abandoned part of our strength to retreat underground, Hanzo still didn't abandon his pursuit. To thoroughly wipe us out, he even allied with your Konoha ninja. The so-called 'Half-God' actually displayed such a side—bringing foreign ninja into our own nation and employing despicable means. And Yahiko died trying to save Konan during that time."
"It was then I truly witnessed the cruelty of this world, realizing that hiding beneath Yahiko's wings would never allow me to grow strong. On that same day, I awakened these eyes—the power which I could freely use now—and gained the potential to become the new god of that village, of that nation!"
"Yahiko died, and Hanzo thought Akatsuki had lost its foundation to exist. But the cowardly man ultimately fell dead before my revenge alongside Konan!"
As Deva Path spoke to this point, he slowly extended his right index finger, gently tapping it against his eye socket. A trace of satisfaction flickered through his eyes.
Jiraiya didn't respond, quietly listening to Nagato's account and learning about their experiences over the years, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
"I'm telling you all this just to make one point, sensei. Many people sacrificed themselves on the path forward—including Yahiko and some of today's villagers in Konoha Village—but they've all contributed toward a better future."
"You've completely abandoned Yahiko's original ideals. Now you're nothing more than an obsessive fanatic clinging to a dark ideology! This is exactly what he wouldn't have wanted to see!"
Looking at Deva Path calmly uttering those words with complete indifference, Jiraiya felt a headache coming on. He tried appealing to Yahiko's memory, hoping it might help restore even a glimmer of those early ideals.
As for why they had changed so dramatically over these years, he now basically understood through Nagato's story.
But these hardships and misfortunes weren't reasons enough to take this wrong path. He absolutely refused to accept Nagato's defeatist attitude—abandoning everything to embrace darkness after experiencing hardships and misfortunes.
What exactly defines a ninja—a shinobi who endures through hardship and silence?
A true ninja is someone who keeps enduring—even when it seems impossible!
From the very first day of becoming a ninja, one should understand that many difficult and unpleasant things will come your way. You must face them actively rather than abandoning yourself to extreme measures!
As their teacher, he had once taught them to face the world positively, never forgetting their original intent for becoming ninjas.
Now, however, Nagato and others had clearly abandoned those ideals, adopting twisted and misguided beliefs as their guiding principles!
"That's precisely where our difference lies. Teacher, you haven't experienced what we've gone through, so no matter what you say, you cannot possibly understand or support us. There's simply no need to continue this discussion further!"
Deva Path smiled slightly, appearing quite calm, while his eyes gradually regained their coldness.
As he spoke, Konan's wings behind her back flapped several times rapidly. Her feet left the ground, and an unusual atmosphere began spreading outward.
She hadn't expected Nagato would speak so much to Jiraiya. Perhaps in Nagato's heart, Jiraiya still occupied some significance.
Yet before their true objective, this significance had become trivial, explaining previous assassination attempts at Amegakure Village and just now at Konoha.
Actually, these attacks and today's conversation didn't conflict—they were merely deliberate choices.
"As your teacher, I genuinely want to help you. That's why, no matter what happens, I won't allow you two to leave easily this time. It's only natural and just for a teacher to guide disciples who've strayed from the right path—that's a sacred duty meant to correct my earlier mistakes."
Jiraiya took up a fighting stance facing Konan and Deva Path, clenching both hands into fists across his chest.
Fukasaku also remained highly vigilant, wiping away bloodstains from earlier injuries at the corner of his mouth, maintaining perfect synchronization with Jiraiya.
"Well then, sensei, let's see whether you can actually stop us. We'll fight you with the exact same intent to kill as last time."
Konan lifted off the ground, her wings continuously flapping, her expression turning cold.
Despite Jiraiya's lengthy appeals filled with talk about "disciple" and "teacher," they still failed to cause even the slightest shift in their attitudes.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As soon as she finished speaking, Konan struck. A torrent of paper scraps erupted from behind her, slicing toward Jiraiya like blades.
The air turned heavy in that instant, the paper whistling through space like razor-edged knives.
Jiraiya bent his knees and stepped back, easily evading the initial wave while preparing a counterattack.
But the next moment, his expression shifted.
Because he clearly saw those paper scraps flying at him had transformed into explosive tags—within an impossibly short span?
There was no time to think. He threw himself sideways, stomping hard on the ground with his heel to propel his body into a swift lateral dodge.
Right after he moved, an explosion erupted behind him, sending a powerful shockwave crashing onto his back, a metallic taste rising in his throat.
"Sensei!"
Minato, standing nearby, rushed to help Jiraiya, but Deva Path stepped forward, blocking his path.
Facing Pain's blatant obstruction, Minato tightened his grip on the kunai in his right hand and thrust it forward without hesitation.
Crackling like serrated wires, Wind Nature Chakra surged across the kunai, as if tearing open countless fissures in the air.
Nagato made no attempt to block directly. Instead, Deva Path swung both hands downward. Two black rods dropped into his palms, which he then wielded together to intercept Minato's kunai, effortlessly stepping back to increase the distance between them.
Meanwhile, after attacking, Konan did not pursue Jiraiya further. Instead, abandoning him, she flew toward Deva Path's position.
Still midair, she swept her wings forward, unleashing a hail of paper senbon needles that engulfed Minato, who was about to chase Deva Path again.
Though made of paper, these weapons were terrifyingly sharp.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Minato leapt back to evade. The senbon riddled the ground like a thousand pinpricks, forcing him to leap sideways more than ten meters away.
Swish!
Konan hovered beside Deva Path, feet pointed slightly downward, her stance carrying the grace of an untouchable deity.
"I never imagined that girl who loved origami back then would become this formidable. And it seems neither of you hold any fondness for this old man—I come here and you two immediately unleash deadly attacks."
Jiraiya reacted quickly enough during Konan's earlier assault, only suffering minor grazes from the blast's aftershock across his back, leaving several broken skin patches and small cuts.
He ignored the wounds, quickly regaining his composure before rushing forward to stand alongside Minato.
Fukasaku, still perched on his shoulder, now had soot-blackened whiskers and ragged breathing from the earlier explosion.
Still, there were no other injuries.
"You should leave first—I'll hold them off!"
Konan looked at the two men and said to Nagato.
This clone's sole purpose here was to protect Nagato. Now, it was time to withdraw.
Swish!
With a flick of her hand, Konan caused Jiraiya, Minato, and Gamakichi's expressions to suddenly turn grim.
There was only one reason—unknown to when exactly, countless paper scraps now littered the battlefield. Scattered among them were rows of tightly packed explosive tags.
This paper scrap had blended into the surroundings as if it were part of it, and only now, when Konan moved, did they notice it.
That was deadly!
And this was Konan's signature skill — her trump card in battle.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, locking onto the two before him, but deep down, he already knew there was practically no way to keep them here today.
As much as he hated it, he couldn't do anything but give up at this point.
After all, handling so many explosive tags alone was already extremely troublesome; chasing enemies in such a situation was out of the question.
"Until we meet again. I've heard the Five Great Villages are considering an alliance. I'd love to witness it firsthand. If all threats can be eliminated at once, I think that wouldn't be impossible! The Akatsuki and other ninja powers are destined to collide — a battle that could change the world forever! And now, we're almost ready."
Nagato controlled Deva Path to softly speak those words before immediately sprinting away without hesitation.
Jiraiya and the others couldn't chase either. They could only stand still and watch Konan hovering midair, wings flapping.
"Sensei, you must also feel that what Nagato has done goes too far."
Looking toward her, Jiraiya recalled that sweet little girl from long ago as he spoke.
"Teacher, we're not those children anymore. Continuing this conversation is pointless."
Swish!
She vanished in a whirl of flying paper before her last word even faded. At the same time, the hidden paper scraps and explosive tags within the environment reacted instantly like receiving a command, rushing toward Jiraiya and Minato together.
Boom!
Explosions erupted one after another, never-ending.
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