"Jiraiya… sensei…?"
Seeing the tall man walk in from another entrance of the hideout, Konan and Pain stared in shock. They never imagined that, at this moment, they would see their teacher again—the man they hadn't seen for more than ten years—Jiraiya.
"Why?!"
Pain blurted out instinctively. Why would Jiraiya-sensei appear inside Akatsuki's secret base?!
Just then, two more men stepped out from behind Jiraiya.
One of them spoke first. "If you're wondering why Jiraiya is here…" His voice was hoarse, as if his throat had once been badly damaged. "I brought him. After all, I used to be part of Akatsuki myself, one of its members. Later, it just got boring, so I left for a while."
That voice was—
"Orochimaru!!"
From the shadows behind Jiraiya, Orochimaru stepped forward together with Kimimaro.
The moment Pain heard Orochimaru's voice, he was ready to attack.
But when Orochimaru fully emerged from the shadows…
Who was this?
Man or woman?
"Orochimaru?!"
Even Ōtsutsuki Obito froze for a second.
He knew Orochimaru, but who was this snake-like figure in front of him?
Being stared at in shock by everyone, the Orochimaru from the future looked slightly displeased.
"You should all know my abilities by now, shouldn't you?" he said calmly. "There's really no need to be this surprised."
At that moment, the adult Obito Uchiha, who had gone to the inner chamber to collect the Uchiha clan's Sharingan and store them in Kamui, returned as well. Seeing Jiraiya and Orochimaru, he was briefly surprised but quickly understood what must have happened.
He leaned over and whispered to the quiz-world Ōtsutsuki Obito, "Same as you. This is a future Orochimaru who traveled here using the reward from a previous C-rank mission."
Seeing such a young-looking Snake Sannin, even the quiz-world Ōtsutsuki Obito couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
Orochimaru gestured toward Kimimaro beside him and explained, "This child's body is mostly healed now. At the request of another idiot, I brought him here to meet his former students."
The "idiot" he referred to was, of course, Jiraiya, who stood ahead, his bitter gaze never leaving Pain and Konan.
"Nagato, you've become someone I can barely recognize anymore," Jiraiya said softly. "As for Konan, you turned out just as I expected—a good woman."
Hearing this, the woman who had once been Akatsuki's second-in-command lowered her eyes, subtly avoiding his gaze.
Pain said, "Since you already know, Jiraiya-sensei, then you should also know whose body I'm using, right?"
Of course Jiraiya knew.
It was the body of his other student… Yahiko.
"If only I had gone back when I first heard about the organization you founded, when it began taking shape in the Ame Village," Jiraiya said heavily. "Maybe none of this would have happened."
"There are no 'ifs,' Jiraiya-sensei," Pain replied coldly. "There are no 'ifs' in this world. Everything leads to an inevitable outcome. I am fulfilling both your wish and Yahiko's—forcing this shinobi world to awaken through pain and despair. Without knowing pain, people will never understand true peace!"
Looking at Pain like this, Jiraiya's memories drifted back to that shy, gentle red-haired boy from years ago…
The child who would hold back his sobs just because a warm meal made him miss home.
The kindness of someone who killed to save a friend, only to fear his own strength afterward, terrified of losing himself.
The outstanding disciple who had once given him the inspiration to write the ending of The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.
Had he, in the end, truly lost himself to power and hatred?
At that thought, even a man as strong and resolute as Jiraiya felt his voice catch in his throat.
"Looks like… I really wasn't suited for it after all…"
"I couldn't protect you, and I couldn't save Minato. Even though the Great Toad Sage said the disciple I took in would decide the fate of the shinobi world, and I once placed that hope in you… in the end, I chose wrong…"
He had already heard about the future from Minato. The true child of prophecy was Naruto.
"As long as we still exist in this cursed shinobi world, we'll never have a stable life."
"If there really is hope for peace, then I'll grab it with both hands and never let go."
The first line was something Pain had just said. The second had been Nagato's words years ago, the words that helped Jiraiya seize the inspiration for the ending of The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.
Realizing Jiraiya-sensei was quoting that very book, and also realizing that he himself had just repeated the antagonist's lines from its ending, Nagato—controlling Pain—slowly raised his head in the darkness.
Jiraiya stared at the corpse being manipulated in front of him. Pain called himself a "god," yet he had completely misunderstood what "justice" really meant.
"The Six Paths of Pain… are puppets modeled after the villains in The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi…"
Jiraiya pulled the book he had written from his robe, his eyes full of grief.
"And yet I…"
"…meant to save the role of the protagonist for you, Nagato."
In the darkness, Nagato's pupils suddenly contracted.
Only now did it hit him—he hadn't first heard these words in The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi at all.
"Do you remember, Nagato?" Jiraiya forced himself to keep his emotions in check, putting on a strained smile as he mimed eating ramen.
"The one who gave me the inspiration to write the final chapter of The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi was you. Back then we were at home in the Ame Village. I was eating ramen when you came to me and said those things. You made me believe in this shinobi world again. You made me believe in my own mission again. That's how I finished that book."
"And because I happened to be eating ramen, I casually named the protagonist after a topping in the bowl—the narutomaki… Naruto."
Knowing this history, and having lived through another life, Adult Obito was overwhelmed with emotion as well.
"Nagato is from the Uzumaki Clan," he said. "And The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi influenced Minato-sensei, so Minato-sensei and Kushina named their son Naruto…"
"Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto.
You have to become Hokage!
Those had been the final words he heard, spoken right before "Obito Uchiha" turned to ash, back when he experienced Naruto Uzumaki's life.
"Come with me to Konoha, Nagato!!"
Thinking of Naruto's stubborn refusal to give up, no matter how many times he was rejected, Obito Uchiha looked Pain straight in the eye.
"Come with me to Konoha! Go meet the real protagonist of The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi!"
The Nine-Tails jinchūriki—Naruto Uzumaki.
Nagato and Konan froze…
Facing them were Ōtsutsuki Obito from the quiz world, Adult Obito holding the mission scroll, their teacher Jiraiya who had found his way here, future Orochimaru, and Kimimaro, whose blood disease had been treated and who was still recovering.
Staring at this whole group, the two of them felt like time itself had twisted.
Just three hours ago, they had been holding a perfectly normal meeting, planning their next missions and their course of action.
And now?
The world had suddenly turned into something they couldn't even afford to "play" anymore…
They had planned to send Zetsu to track Itachi and Kisame, as well as "Madara's" movements, and pressure them into capturing the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
Instead, they were told that Zetsu had been alive for over a thousand years and was the mastermind who had pushed the shinobi world into its current trap.
Other than accepting Obito Uchiha's invitation, what choice did they have?
Acting rashly wouldn't help them at all.
They could tolerate someone else betraying them, but "Madara Uchiha," the one issuing the Eye of the Moon Plan's orders, suddenly switching to the enemy's side?
How were they supposed to keep playing after that?
Now Akatsuki, aside from the two of them, was basically just those two bickering pairs outside. So besides taking this "company trip," what other option did Nagato and Konan have?
"Call Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, and Kakuzu," Pain said. "We're going to Konoha."
Konan asked, "And the orders?"
"…"
Capture the Nine-Tails jinchūriki?
Destroy Konoha, make Konoha feel pain?
It was too early to issue anything like that. Too arbitrary.
At the very least, they needed to reach Konoha and gather more information before making a decision.
Adult Obito said, "Just tell them the boss is inviting everyone to Konoha to rest for a while. Free trip, all expenses paid."
"You've got some nerve," Ōtsutsuki Obito said, staring at his parallel-world self in disbelief.
Adult Obito didn't dare look at Pain and Konan's expressions. He forced himself to hold firm anyway. "I'm still an important behind-the-scenes member of Akatsuki, aren't I? What's wrong with treating the employees to a free vacation?"
"No, what I mean is…" Ōtsutsuki Obito clicked his tongue. "Who gave you the right to say staying at Kakashi's place is free? I only dared to say I could give them a discount."
...
Some Ten-Tails Jinchūriki had probably been raised by their caretaker into a whole new level of obedience. Looking at mission-scroll Obito's expression, it was basically: I salute your courage.
Konan watched the "Masked Man," who had once been both a collaborator and a danger she and Nagato had to guard against, and who was also the one who had taught Nagato about the Rinnegan, now working his tail off to drum up business for a guesthouse run by a Konoha jōnin…
This world really was becoming something they couldn't afford to play with.
They had entered the hidden chamber as three—Nagato, Konan, and Tobi.
Now four people came out.
And not just four. There was also Ōtsutsuki Obito in Konoha ANBU gear, his black cat mask tilted to the side of his head, along with Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Kimimaro.
"Hey, hey! Why are there more people again?!" Hidan shouted. "I told you, we need to seriously improve our security!"
Kakuzu immediately snapped at him to shut up.
Can't you read the room?!
That white-haired Konoha ANBU was definitely not someone you could treat like a nobody.
Deidara looked at Ōtsutsuki Obito, then at Adult Obito. "Why are there two Tobi? Shadow Clone Technique, hmm."
"And why is there an extra woman, an extra old guy, and some dude with bun eyebrows? Boss, you recruit new members way too fast! Or were you preparing this all along, hmm."
Sasori said coldly, "Shut up. Listen to what the leader says."
"Ahem." Pain cleared his throat. "Next, all Akatsuki members will head to Konoha."
"Yahoo!!!" Hidan threw his scythe over his shoulder. "We're going to conquer Konoha? Massacre them? That's my favorite!! Best if we can pick up a bunch of new believers too and offer holy faith to Jashin-sama!!"
"…"
Watching the silver-haired punk suddenly go off the rails, Jiraiya genuinely didn't know how to describe his disciple's standards for recruiting subordinates.
The atmosphere turned awkward.
Kakuzu warned Hidan to keep his mouth shut for a while, and Hidan immediately started arguing.
"You think I won't sew your mouth shut?!"
In the end, Kakuzu played his trump card. For a chatterbox like Hidan, that was the cruelest punishment imaginable.
Hidan grumbled under his breath like a wronged little wife, but at least he finally stopped yelling.
From inside Hiruko, Sasori of the Red Sand narrowed his eyes and looked past Jiraiya, toward the person behind him.
"Orochimaru. You actually dare come back to Akatsuki?"
He was the only one who recognized Orochimaru at a glance.
Deidara immediately started looking around in confusion. "Orochimaru? Which one? That white-haired old guy is Orochimaru?"
Jiraiya: "…"
Hidan had joined after Orochimaru's defection too, so like Deidara, he had no idea what was going on.
It was only because of Sasori's words that Kakuzu realized the young, beautiful, hard-to-place figure was the same vile, treacherous Orochimaru from before.
"Hmph." Kakuzu let out a cold laugh. "Looks like our ambitions align in two areas: pursuing immortality and learning more ninjutsu."
Orochimaru didn't argue. He simply smiled. "I'll take that as praise."
Kakuzu ignored him and turned to Pain. "So what's the plan once we reach Konoha? Capture the Nine-Tails jinchūriki?"
Obito: "…"
Right now, Naruto wasn't some unloved little nobody anymore. The current Fourth Hokage, Minato-sensei, was his father. Not to mention there was also another Minato-sensei from other parallel worlds, and the First Hokage and Second Hokage both valued him a great deal.
After the Fifth Hokage heard Naruto talk-no-jutsu—no, persuade—parallel-world Dan Kato and Nawaki when they were at death's door, she started treating that kid like her own grandson.
The generations were a total mess, but still…
Capture the Nine-Tails?
Bully him?
Not happening.
You'd be picking a fight with every Hokage from the First to the Seventh.
Unless you were looking to get completely wiped out.
"If we're not capturing the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, then what are we going there for?" Sasori of the Red Sand asked. He hated doing pointless things, and the voice coming from inside Hiruko carried a merciless chill.
He didn't mind going to Konoha.
He could even kill Kakashi Hatake while he was there.