"Hide!" Shigeo's face went ice-cold as he scanned the area.
Inoichi and Ino leapt up and fell in beside him, taking the same line of defense.
Shigeo formed a hand seal with one hand. Five Moku Bunshin (Wood Clones) appeared, each bearing the blue Rinnegan. They surged outward.
Shizune knelt on the ground. She showed no sign of life.
With the Rinnegan, Shigeo knew how to reach her soul. He did not possess Naruto's boundless faith or his silver tongue. He had force. He would make Nagato act. He would save Shizune.
A few quick steps and Shigeo scooped Shizune into Ino's arms. "Protect her."
Then he used Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique). A white tiger sprang forth and lunged at the other summoned beasts.
Tsunade saw him and fell in beside him. Konoha lay in ruins.
Their immediate priority was minimizing casualties. As long as people lived, the village could be rebuilt; if lives were lost, Konoha might vanish forever.
"How did you get here?" Tsunade asked. For a moment she had dared to hope that, if he were present, Konoha might survive. The thought vanished the instant he stood before her.
"You should have had the summons talisman earlier. I left one with Ayame." Shigeo's eyes swept the devastation. He had not expected Pain's speed to be this terrifying.
"These are Akatsuki," Tsunade said while sharing chakra with Katsuyu. "They're after Naruto. Luckily Naruto isn't here. We've been tracking Akatsuki for months, but we never guessed this…"
She looked at him, curiosity and shock in her eyes. He had the Rinnegan now.
"No time for questions," Shigeo said. Other Wood Clones were already fighting Pain's bodies. Even though this was the main front, stopping the Six Paths required finding Nagato.
He glanced toward the highest point visible. He prepared to leave and find Nagato.
At that moment a huge toad appeared. Jiraiya and Naruto arrived in the village.
They had come back.
Naruto flung himself into battle against Pain. Shigeo approached Jiraiya. "Did he finish his training? Sage mode?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "Not stable. We got a summons from the toads. We couldn't wait."
Shigeo frowned and glanced at Naruto. Naruto was pouring out Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique), Fūton (Wind Style) — Kaze no Yaiba (Wind Blade), and Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere) against Pain. No wonder Tsunade used an S-rank mission to lure Naruto away in the original timeline—Naruto's temperament would never let him hide from Akatsuki.
Training time had been cut short. Many things were already forced.
Setting those thoughts aside, Shigeo grabbed Jiraiya and Naruto and, with Isekai Tensō (Interspace Transfer), whisked them away from Konoha.
"What are you doing? They killed Kakashi-sensei! I'll get revenge!" Naruto screamed, eyes blazing.
"Calm down. Calm down right now!" Shigeo slapped him once. "This is the Six Paths of Pain. Their controller isn't in Konoha. Every minute you waste here, more people die. We need to find Nagato."
"Who is Nagato, sensei?" Naruto asked, clutching his cheek as he came to.
Jiraiya froze. "No wonder I saw rain-village headbands on them. So it's him…"
In Jiraiya's memory a child once had those eyes. In this world he had yet to see a second person with that gaze. Today Shigeo's Rinnegan looked different, but Shigeo was an ally, not one of the Six Paths.
"Yes," Shigeo said. "He's one of your former students. Nagato." He pointed to a large tree on the mountaintop. "He's up there."
Nagato and Konan were inside the paper-made tree that Konan's Shikigami no Mai (Dance of the Shikigami) had formed. They had heard everything. The Six Paths of Pain in Konoha had received notice and shifted targets. All six bodies surged for the highest peak outside the village to protect the true Nagato.
"Katon: Gamayu Dama (Fire Style: Toad Oil Bomb)!" Jiraiya could not hold back. He wanted to know if it was true. Could the gentle child he remembered really be the man who'd sacrifice everything for a plan? He could not believe it.
The paper tree ignited. The Six Paths arrived. Shigeo's six Wood Clones, each with shared Rinnegan, met them before they could strike Jiraiya.
"Shigeo, why interfere? Have you forgotten how Konoha treated you?" Nagato's voice floated from the hollow. The thin, wired Nagato sat with black connectors embedded, red hair lifted by the wind. Konan stood beside him.
Konan's face flickered with awkwardness. She had agreed to join Monin Village yet still stood beside Nagato. If Shigeo interfered, she would protect Nagato with everything she had.
Shigeo did not press her about joining. He led Naruto and Jiraiya into the hollow tree. "I act as a person," he said. "You have lost the ability to think for yourself. If you considered the whole picture instead of single pain, you wouldn't be used by them."
"You're the one being used," Nagato shot back passionately. "Akatsuki's pursuit is the righteous path. Only by making people taste suffering will they know the horror of war and learn to cherish peace. Our Rain Village has always been the battlefield for others. Now I will make them feel what it's like when the battlefield is at home."
Nagato's fervor trembled through the trees. He truly believed the pain would force peace.
—Shigeo could see the conviction. He could also see the danger. He had come to stop the spiral of suffering and to save lives—starting with Nagato.
(End of Chapter)
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