The Hidden Rain Village shimmered under a veil of ceaseless drizzle, its steel towers and shadowed alleys cloaked in an oppressive gloom. High above, on a platform overlooking the village, Tendo Pain stood motionless, his Rinnegan eyes glowing faintly against the gray sky. The rain, infused with his Rain Tiger at Will Technique, pulsed with his chakra, sensing every disturbance in the village below. A foreign presence had been detected—an intruder with a powerful, unmistakable chakra.
"Konan," Pain said, his voice cold as the rain itself, "when the downpour ceases, use your paper jutsu to find the intruder."
Behind him, Konan nodded, her hands already weaving seals. "Leave it to me." As Pain's fingers completed the final seal to halt the Rain Tiger technique, the drizzle tapered off, leaving the village in an eerie silence. Konan's body dissolved into countless sheets of paper, folding into delicate butterflies that fluttered outward, blanketing the Hidden Rain in a silent hunt.
Deep within the village, Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, emerged from the mouth of a summoned toad, his white hair damp against his forehead. He'd infiltrated the Rain Village under the guise of a bartender in a conjured tavern, capturing two low-ranking Rain ninjas for interrogation. One, stubborn and defiant, had been transformed into a frog with a flick of Jiraiya's wrist, the Toad Transformation Technique proving its worth. The other, a trembling ninja in a turban, spilled everything he knew under the threat of a similar fate.
"Pain… he's a god," the turbaned ninja stammered, awe and fear mingling in his voice. "He killed Hanzo, the demigod himself. No one stands against him."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. Hanzo, the legendary salamander summoner who'd once nearly crushed him, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, was dead? Slain by this so-called god, Pain? The information was sparse, but it confirmed Jiraiya's suspicions: the Akatsuki's leader was no ordinary foe. He needed to confront Pain himself, to uncover the truth behind the Rinnegan and the Akatsuki's plans.
But first, a precaution. Jiraiya retreated to the inner chamber of his summoned toad, spitting out a scroll containing Gamayin, the key to the Nine-Tails' seal. If the worst came to pass, he'd ensure the key reached Naruto, entrusting it to Gamayin to deliver to Konoha. His hands moved swiftly, sealing the scroll with a protective jutsu. "If I fall," he murmured to the toad, "find Ibiki in Konoha. He'll know what to do."
The toad croaked in acknowledgment, diving into the water and vanishing. Jiraiya, now controlling the turbaned ninja like a puppet, stepped back into the village's shadowed streets, his senses sharp. He wore the ninja's form like a disguise, moving toward the highest platform where Pain awaited.
Unseen, Konan's paper butterflies drifted through the village, their delicate wings sensing chakra signatures. One butterfly lingered near the turbaned ninja, then another, until a swarm converged. Konan materialized behind a pillar, her expression unreadable. On the platform above, she reported to Pain, her voice low. "It's Jiraiya-sensei."
Pain's Rinnegan flickered, a rare trace of nostalgia crossing his face. "Jiraiya… my old teacher." His voice softened, then hardened. "He's no longer our ally. Treat him as an intruder, Konan. Lead the way and engage him. I'll follow."
Konan nodded, her body dissolving into a paper airplane that soared through the village, guiding Pain toward their target. Below, Jiraiya, still cloaked in the turbaned ninja's form, moved cautiously. The air shifted, a faint rustle alerting him. Paper swarmed around the puppet ninja, wrapping him in a cocoon of razor-sharp sheets. Konan emerged, her paper forming a blade aimed at the ninja's heart.
At the last second, Jiraiya erupted from the ground behind the puppet, his voice booming. "Fire Style: Flame Bullet!" A roaring fireball surged from his mouth, incinerating the paper swarm and forcing Konan back. She crashed into a wall, smoke curling around her as the flames dissipated. The turbaned ninja, freed from Jiraiya's control, collapsed, gasping in terror.
Jiraiya rose fully from the ground, his silhouette framed against the smoldering wreckage. "Konan," he said, his voice heavy with recognition. "Still dancing with paper, I see."
Konan stepped out of the smoke, her expression cold but her eyes betraying a flicker of pain. "Toad Shadow Manipulation Technique," she said, identifying his jutsu. "You haven't changed, Sensei."
Jiraiya's gaze softened, memories of his old students—Nagato, Yahiko, Konan—flashing through his mind. But the Rinnegan's power and the Akatsuki's ruthlessness loomed larger. "You've changed, Konan," he said, his tone firm. "What's Pain planning? Why the tailed beasts?"
Before Konan could answer, a shadow loomed on the platform above. Tendo Pain descended, his Rinnegan glowing like twin moons. "Jiraiya," he said, his voice devoid of warmth. "You should have stayed away."
Jiraiya's stance widened, his chakra flaring as he prepared for battle. "I'm here to stop you, Pain. Whatever you're planning, it ends now."
Unseen in the distance, a figure moved swiftly through the rain-soaked forest, sage-enhanced senses locked on Jiraiya's chakra. Naruto Uzumaki, driven by memories of a future lost, raced toward the Hidden Rain Village. I won't let you die, Sensei, he vowed, his heart pounding with the weight of his mission. The clash of titans was imminent, and Naruto's arrival could tip the scales of fate.
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