Shigure swept his gaze across the village.
There was hardly any major damage.
He had just faced Deidara, Akatsuki's strongest demolition specialist—yet the Hidden Mist Village remained largely intact. That alone proved how far Kirigakure had come.
Even without him present, the village's shinobi had reacted instantly and repelled invaders.
Even an organization like Akatsuki could no longer cause true devastation here.
Thinking of this, Shigure finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
His years of effort… had not been in vain.
"Shigure, are you alright?"
Mei Terumī stepped forward, worry flashing across her face.
Shigure shook his head. "I'm fine."
Then he turned—his gaze drifting far into the distance.
Toward Konoha.
Konoha…
Now reduced to ruins.
At the center of a massive crater, Jiraiya and Naruto stood side by side.
Before them stood the Deva Path, the face of Yahiko… yet the power of Nagato's Rinnegan.
"Yahiko… What did you do to Nagato?" Jiraiya demanded, voice shaking.
Seeing Yahiko's face controlling the Deva Path, it was natural for Jiraiya to assume Nagato's Rinnegan had been taken by him.
The Deva Path did not answer the question. He simply stared back.
"Long time no see… Jiraiya-sensei."
Long time no see?
Was this really the moment to say that?
Jiraiya's heart twisted.
The Yahiko before him was no longer the student he remembered.
"Sensei…"
Naruto was confused.
"This guy called you sensei. Does that mean… they were also your students?"
The question struck Jiraiya like a kunai.
"Yes," he finally said, voice low.
Behind them, Tsunade worked desperately, medical ninjutsu flowing nonstop as she tried to save what villagers she could—though even she could do nothing for those crushed by Shinra Tensei.
"Naruto," Jiraiya said, expression hardening,
"Konoha is facing a crisis like never before. We're the only two who can confront this enemy."
He looked at Naruto.
"Are you afraid?"
Naruto clenched his fists.
"Fear isn't in my dictionary."
Jiraiya smiled.
"Then you saw his eyes?"
"I saw them."
"Those are the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths—the Rinnegan."
Naruto had never heard the word before, but he understood one thing clearly:
Anyone who possessed the power of the Sage of Six Paths…
was an opponent beyond terrifying.
High above, a flock of white doves circled.
Through them, Shigure sensed the chakra of Nagato, Jiraiya, and Naruto.
With Jiraiya and Naruto working together, taking down one Nagato shouldn't be too difficult… right?
After a moment of thought, Shigure decided not to interfere.
There were more urgent matters here in the village.
He needed to settle the chaos caused by the Akatsuki's invasion, reassure the villagers, and announce that the intruders had been subdued.
At the same time, Kuji arrived with new information.
The Jinchūriki had been discovered.
Originally, Shigure had wanted to keep them hidden—to make the world believe all the Tailed Beasts were sealed within him. Who would ever expect the Hidden Mist to be secretly sheltering so many Jinchūriki?
But now that the truth was exposed…
Would Obito spread this information?
And if he did—
What would the world do once it learned the Mist Village held so many living Tailed Beasts?
Shigure had captured the Four-Tails and brought the Five-Tails Jinchūriki back to the village.
Once Iwagakure learned of this, they would never simply stand by.
There would inevitably be friction between Iwa and the Hidden Mist. And although the current Kirigakure feared no nation, Shigure still preferred to avoid meaningless conflict.
But leaving the Four-Tails and Five-Tails roaming freely would only gift them to the Akatsuki. Allowing Akatsuki to capture them was unacceptable.
Better for him to secure them and strengthen Kirigakure—
—even if such a justification could never be spoken aloud to Iwagakure.
"We'll deal with it step by step," Shigure murmured.
There was no perfect solution yet.
If Iwagakure chose to challenge him, then so be it—Shigure would not back down.
"Watch Deidara closely," he instructed. "Do not allow him to escape under any circumstances."
Kuji nodded immediately.
Shigure returned to the Mizukage Building. There were mountains of issues waiting for him. Even with the assistance of the Great Sage, processing everything took time.
Meanwhile, in Konoha…
Jiraiya and Naruto—both in Sage Mode—were being overwhelmed by Nagato alone.
Nagato's physical condition remained stable enough to fully control the Six Paths of Pain.
A single strike from the Asura Path forced even Sage Mode Naruto and Sage Mode Jiraiya backward.
At the same time, Konan arrived to assist.
Her Shikigami Dance wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but it was troublesome—slowing Naruto down and keeping him from supporting Jiraiya.
Jiraiya faced the remaining Pains alone.
And he paid the price.
Black receivers pierced into his body—one after another—until he was forced to his knees, blood dripping onto the shattered ground.
Even summoning Fukasaku and Shima didn't help; against two coordinated Pains, the elder toads couldn't reach him in time.
Gasping for breath, Jiraiya looked at the Deva Path.
"You're not Yahiko…"
The Deva Path paused—then smiled faintly.
"Oh? How did you figure it out?"
Jiraiya forced a small, pained smile.
"Yahiko… was never like this. The way you move, the way you fight… everything reminds me of Nagato. I couldn't understand it before—why Yahiko looked more like Nagato than himself. Now I see…"
"You're not Yahiko.
You're Nagato."
Konan's eyes widened.
Even she hadn't expected Jiraiya to deduce the truth in the middle of battle.
"Even if you realized it," the Deva Path said slowly, "it changes nothing."
"Jiraiya-sensei… goodbye."
SPLCH—
A black rod pierced straight through Jiraiya's chest.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
Naruto froze.
Around them, the surviving Konoha shinobi stared in horror.
Jiraiya of the Sannin…
was dead.
Naruto's eyes turned crimson.
Inside him, the Nine-Tails stirred in alarm.
Naruto's emotions were spiraling into rage—so violently that the killing intent of the Tailed Beast chakra surged uncontrollably.
This time, the chakra wasn't being guided by the Nine-Tails.
It was being dragged out by Naruto's own fury.
Naruto, stop! Control yourself!
You'll lose yourself!
But—
It was already too late.
Blood-red chakra erupted from Naruto's body.
"Tsunade—!" someone shouted.
She staggered as she felt Jiraiya's life force vanish.
His presence disappeared.
There was no longer anything for her to heal.
And now the village needed its Hokage—not a grieving friend.
BOOM—!!
A pillar of red chakra shot into the sky—
The Nine-Tails' presence exploded outward, engulfing all of Konoha.
In the Mizukage Office
Shigure suddenly looked up—eyes narrowing.
"Jiraiya… he's dead?
Naruto is losing control?"
"Nagato can fight both of them—and still kill Jiraiya?"
If this continued, nobody knew how far Naruto's rampage would go.
Shigure stood up slowly.
He could not allow the situation to escalate any further.