Even though the two had grown up, Jiraiya, who had spent three years with them, recognized them at a glance.
Nagato, as before, hid his face with his hair, looking a bit shy.
Konan had indeed grown into a great beauty, and that figure...
Fortunately, Jiraiya quickly stopped his inappropriate thoughts and greeted the two with a joyful surprise.
As Nagato and Konan looked at him, Jiraiya took a bold step forward, spread his arms, and intended to embrace his two students.
It was truly only the joy of his presumed-dead students returning to life, and had nothing to do with Konan.
Absolutely nothing!
Jiraiya emphasized in his heart, a happy smile on his face, as he approached Nagato and Konan step by step.
"Commander-in-Chief, please stop!"
Nagato's left hand transformed into a metallic device, its front end already accumulating an astonishing Chakra reaction, poised to strike.
Jiraiya didn't know what it was, nor how Nagato had done it.
But his battle-hardened experience told him that one more step forward, and he might truly die.
It wasn't just the terrifying Chakra reaction from Nagato's left arm, but also the undisguised killing intent that locked onto him from Nagato.
Jiraiya's smile instantly froze, his outstretched arms suspended in the air, and his back foot, about to step forward, also remained still.
His entire being, both expression and movement, was filled with absurdity.
Jiraiya didn't know how ridiculous he looked at that moment; he only felt a pang of sadness.
Before coming, he had imagined several possibilities for their reunion.
There were scenes of a tearful embrace after a long separation, eyes brimming with tears.
There were also scenes of them blaming him for leaving and never returning to see them, driving him away while venting their anger.
However, this scene before him truly exceeded Jiraiya's expectations.
The two just looked at him coldly, like strangers, with no joy, no hatred, only indifference and caution.
Slowly stepping back, Jiraiya's outstretched arms had already retracted.
Correspondingly, the crystalline blue light on Nagato's left arm dimmed slightly, but it remained in an activated state.
Looking at his two completely unfamiliar students, Jiraiya still spoke.
"Nagato, Konan, why have you become like this? I am Jiraiya, your Teacher Jiraiya!"
Hearing Jiraiya's words, which directly brought up the past, Konan still couldn't maintain an indifferent facade and slightly turned her head away.
There's hope!
Konan's action of averting her gaze gave Jiraiya confidence.
However, Jiraiya's focus remained on Nagato, as in Jiraiya's mind, he once again believed Nagato to be the Child of Prophecy.
This perfectly showcased the hypocritical nature of a self-righteous person, directly ignoring Konan because she held no value.
Jiraiya immediately strode forward, muttering to himself.
"I don't know what you've been through, but Nagato, if I've done something wrong that makes you feel you must kill me, then do it. I will not resist!"
The second trick of the self-righteous: portraying oneself as the vulnerable party, outwardly admitting fault, but in reality, firmly believing one has done nothing wrong.
Jiraiya was clearly well-versed in such tactics.
As Jiraiya stepped forward, Nagato was indeed momentarily bluffed, his body leaning back slightly, and the light from his left arm subtly receding.
Just as Jiraiya felt he was about to succeed, Nagato directly made his move.
A beam of attack, like a laser, shot directly towards Jiraiya.
Although Nagato had rejected the strategy of carrying the rice, his personality remained unchanged; he didn't indulge Jiraiya at all.
"Commander-in-Chief!"
The Ninja who had been following Jiraiya immediately checked Jiraiya's condition after Nagato's attack.
Fortunately, he wasn't critically injured; he wouldn't die!
After confirming that Jiraiya was fine, the Ninja spoke to Nagato.
"Amegakure's Captain, do you want to declare war on Konoha and the Shinobi Alliance?"
The Ninja trained by Tomoki were increasingly skilled at war threats; although Jiraiya was a figurehead, he was still a Konoha Ninja, and an attack on him couldn't just be brushed aside.
This was an attitude that had to be displayed.
Nagato said nothing, only aiming his left arm at the Konoha Ninja. Nagato admitted he couldn't defeat Tomoki, but that wasn't a reason for a Konoha Ninja to dare to challenge him.
Nagato, who no longer called himself a god, wasn't because his chuunibyou tendencies had disappeared, but because they were hidden, showing no fear of being threatened.
"Alright, I'm fine. Just have the medical Ninja treat it simply later. You can step back for now!"
Seeing the two at loggerheads, Jiraiya still spoke up.
The passive skill of the self-righteous: the truthful lie.
Jiraiya had repeatedly said to strike him, that he would not resist, and he did follow through, but he didn't tell the whole truth: the moment the attack came, Jiraiya desperately dodged.
Jiraiya, confident in entering a state of self-inflicted suffering, began a new round of courting disaster.
"Nagato, was it Yahiko's death that completely changed you?"
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