Yoruha shook his head.
When he stepped on Konan earlier, he had secretly marked her body with the Flying Thunder God technique.
His original plan was simple: let them escape first, then use the Flying Thunder God mark to instantly teleport to Nagato's real body once they regrouped.
That part of the plan had almost worked.
Almost.
But when Yoruha tried to activate the teleportation technique…
Nothing happened.
He couldn't jump to Konan.
That could only mean one thing: Nagato's hiding place was protected by a spatial barrier—something designed specifically to block teleportation techniques like Flying Thunder God.
It made sense.
Uchiha Obito was involved behind the scenes, and he was a master of space-time jutsu.
Cautious and calculating, Obito was the kind of man who would never trust anyone—not even his own allies.
Nagato may have been working with him, but that didn't mean he let his guard down. A barrier like this was proof of that.
Unfortunately for Yoruha, it meant he couldn't trace the mark.
No shortcut to Nagato's true location.
With dozens of Hidden Rain shinobi swarming in, Yoruha didn't bother wasting any more time. He simply activated the Flying Thunder God and warped himself and Jiraiya out of Amegakure.
Amegakure – Underground Chamber
In the damp, dim-lit chamber beneath the tower, Nagato sat motionless in his mechanical chair, eyes fixed on the bodies of the fallen Paths of Pain.
A deep frown creased his gaunt face.
Beside him, Konan stood with arms folded, her expression uneasy.
"Yoruha... just how is he so strong?" she muttered.
From her point of view, Nagato already stood at the peak of power in the shinobi world. With the Rinnegan, he was second only to Uchiha Madara.
No one else should've been able to contend with him.
But Yoruha? That man had shown power and speed beyond reason.
"It's not just about strength," Nagato replied quietly. "He had the upper hand because we were fighting in our village."
"If the battlefield had been Konoha, I would've been free to unleash my full strength. He wouldn't have dared to act so arrogantly there."
His gaze darkened.
Even as he said that, he knew the truth.
Yoruha was already strong enough to fight him on equal footing.
That fact alone was dangerous.
"By the way," Nagato added, "I sensed a spatial fluctuation just now. Check yourself. Did Yoruha leave any kind of mark on you?"
Konan's expression shifted.
A slight blush crept to her cheeks, quickly replaced by annoyance.
"Wait… You think he planted something on me when he pinned me down?!"
Nagato nodded slightly. "My barrier reacted to space-time energy. He may have tried to leave a Flying Thunder God mark on you."
"If not for the barrier…"
Konan bit her lip.
They could've been completely exposed.
Border of the Land of Rain
Yoruha and Jiraiya finally crossed the border, stepping out of enemy territory.
Jiraiya looked pale, exhausted—but alive.
Yoruha let out a sigh of relief.
It had been worth it. He had saved one of his favorite characters from his past life.
Back then, watching Jiraiya die in the anime… he remembered crying for real.
"Yoruha… I owe you one," Jiraiya said with a weak laugh. "Without you, I doubt I would've made it out of there."
He shook his head, visibly shaken.
"I really underestimated them. I thought there wasn't a single corner in the ninja world I couldn't go."
"But Pain… he proved me wrong."
Jiraiya's tone grew heavier.
"And I still couldn't figure out who Pain really is."
He clenched his fists.
Sure, the man using gravity and repulsion looked different now—but there was no mistaking it.
That was Yahiko.
And if Yahiko and Konan were involved…
Then the only one left behind the curtain had to be Nagato.
That shy, withdrawn boy who once carried the title of Child of Prophecy.
The one Jiraiya believed would change the ninja world.
"I guess it doesn't matter who's behind it," Yoruha said, voice steady. "We may have gotten away this time, but if they ever come after Konoha with their full strength…"
His gaze darkened.
"…the damage will be far worse than what Orochimaru did."
He remembered the original timeline.
Nagato's true Shinra Tensei had practically flattened Konoha.
If Naruto hadn't stopped him…
The village might never have recovered.
They couldn't afford to let that happen again.
They needed to move first.
"Yeah… we need to get back," Jiraiya said, veins bulging across his forehead. "We have to warn Tsunade. Konoha's defenses need to be reinforced immediately."
He couldn't shake the image of that repulsive force ripping through entire blocks of the village.
That wasn't even Nagato's full power.
If he ever attacked for real…
It would be catastrophic.
Wounded as he was, Jiraiya pushed himself to the limit, and the two of them raced back to Konoha under the cover of night.
Konoha – Hokage's Office
Jiraiya and Yoruha stood before Tsunade, their expressions grim as they relayed everything they had seen.
The Akatsuki.
Pain.
Yahiko. Konan.
And Nagato—possibly the mastermind behind it all.
Tsunade's brow furrowed.
"So you're saying… the Akatsuki might be led by the three disciples you once trained?"
"Yes," Jiraiya replied heavily. "I saw Yahiko and Konan with my own eyes."
He had once believed Nagato was the savior foretold in prophecy.
But now?
That same boy seemed to be steering the world toward destruction.
"A boy who once dreamed of peace... now commands an army of death," Jiraiya murmured.
"Regardless," Yoruha cut in, "we need the barrier team on high alert. If they're after the Nine-Tails, Konoha's going to be their next target."
Tsunade's expression turned sharp.
"About that… we just received confirmation. The Seven-Tails has been captured by Akatsuki."
Her eyes narrowed.
"That means only the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails remain."
The implications were chilling.
The Akatsuki now had seven of the nine tailed beasts.
Even if the Eight and Nine-Tails were the strongest…
Controlling seven was more than enough to wage war on any nation.
"Jiraiya," Yoruha said firmly. "It's time to teach Naruto Sage Mode."
In the original timeline, Jiraiya had died before he could train Naruto in earnest.
That death had been the push that sent Naruto to Mount Myōboku.
But now, with Jiraiya still alive…
Naruto's growth couldn't be delayed.
He was Yoruha's ace.
"Agreed," Tsunade said. "You've trained Naruto for three years. You know him best. It's time."
"Send him to Mount Myōboku."
Jiraiya nodded silently, the resolve returning to his eyes.
This time… they would be ready.