The light of the Sky Screen swirled once again, and people everywhere in the Shinobi World held their breath. The emotions from the tragedy of Kabuto and Nono hadn't yet settled, and already a new scene was unfolding.
[The next classic battle of the Shinobi World is the master-disciple battle between Jiraiya and the Six Paths of Pain.]
[Undoubtedly, before the Otsutsuki went into hiding, after Hashirama and Madara passed away, and before Naruto and Sasuke had grown up, the fated battle between Jiraiya and the Six Paths of Pain controlled by Nagato could be called the peak battle of the Shinobi World at that time.]
[Of course, considering their master-disciple relationship and their strong backstory, this battle wasn't just a clash of strength, but a reenactment of yet another tragedy in the Shinobi World. Now, let us deeply review this peak battle hailed as the final chapter of the Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Amegakure, a certain underground base]
The rain in Amegakure continued to fall, tapping against the rooftops of the steel structures, making a faint, pitter-patter sound.
Nagato sat in his wheelchair, watching the screen, staring blankly at the scenes about to play.
"Has it finally come?"
The battle between him and Jiraiya-sensei in the original timeline, or rather, the scene where he killed Jiraiya with his own hands!
After learning so many secrets of the Shinobi World, as well as the conspiracies of Madara and Obito against them, the current Nagato no longer cared much about whether the Shinobi World was peaceful or not; the future of the Shinobi World would be handled by the so-called Child of Prophecy anyway.
He currently had only two goals. First was the safety of himself and Konan. After all, Obito was now constantly coveting his Rinnegan, especially now that Obito's identity had been exposed, he was even less scrupulous.
So he had to guard against Obito making a move on his eyes. Although these eyes were his greatest burden, they were also the reliance for his and Konan's survival.
And the other goal was to preserve the peace of Amegakure.
Yahiko's dream couldn't be broken. Although the Akatsuki, which he, Yahiko, and Konan had built together, had been distorted by Obito, the changes in Amegakure now were real.
And after the screen revealed so much, the villagers also acknowledged him. So he couldn't let them down and must change the tragic fate of Amegakure in the future.
Konan stood behind him. "Nagato..." she called softly, her eyes full of worry.
"I'm fine." Nagato's voice was calm. "It seems that with a common enemy, Jiraiya-sensei and I should not cross paths again like that." The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, unclear whether he was smiling or mocking himself.
Konan was silent for a moment, then hesitated before speaking, "Then should we take the initiative to contact Konoha? Jiraiya-sensei... perhaps he would be willing to help us."
Nagato thought for a moment, "Wait a while longer. Let's watch the screen first. If I can obtain the correct method for using the Rinnegan, that would be great."
He had the intention to contact Konoha to oppose the enemy, but if he angered Obito again, facing that guy's elusive space-time abilities, he and Konan would be the ones on the defensive.
No matter how strong the Rinnegan was, it was useless if it couldn't hit the target. As for using Rin to provoke Obito, Nagato didn't want to do that unless absolutely necessary; what if Obito went even crazier?
That madman could destroy the world for the sake of a dead girl; if he provoked him again, he would probably turn Amegakure upside down.
---
[Location of Team 7]
After Naruto, Sasuke, and the others heard what the screen said, they all fell silent for a moment.
During this time, under Jiraiya's guidance, the strength of the two could be described as having advanced by leaps and bounds!
Not to mention that Naruto was becoming more and more proficient in using Rasengan. The Senjutsu training of Naruto and Sasuke had almost reached the entry level. Now, if they joined forces with Sakura, even Kakashi could be beaten away.
The Pervy Sage, who was always grinning and peeping into women's bathhouses at every opportunity, had already become an irreplaceable piece in their hearts.
Now, suddenly having to see the scene of his death, a wave of bitterness surged in the hearts of both Naruto and Sasuke, even though they knew this was just one possibility of the "future."
Kakashi looked at the reactions of his two disciples, sighed, and reached out to pat both of them on the shoulder. "Who can say for sure about the future? And Jiraiya-sama is doing just fine right now, isn't he?"
Sakura also nodded, "Sasuke, Naruto, don't be sad. We need to learn well from Jiraiya-sensei, and then change the future together."
Naruto took a deep breath, raised his head, and light rekindled in his eyes. "Yeah! I'll get stronger! Strong enough to protect Pervy Sage!"
Although Sasuke didn't respond, he also gave a slight nod.
---
[Hokage Office]
Jiraiya himself sat on the sofa, legs crossed, hands pillowed behind his head, looking completely like a loafer.
He looked forward to the scene that was about to play on the screen and spoke with a grin: "Oh my, it seems I am quite impressive after all, being able to engage in a peak battle against Nagato's Six Paths of Pain. Not bad, not bad at all; it doesn't disgrace my identity as a Gallant Hero!"
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya with a slight frown, a complex emotion flashing through her eyes. "Can't you be serious for once?"
"Serious about what?" Jiraiya shrugged. "Everyone dies eventually, and dying on the battlefield is a shinobi's fate. I've long been prepared, especially once Naruto and Sasuke grow up a bit more. My mission will be complete, and everything can be set at ease."
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, looking at Jiraiya, his eyes full of emotion.
If not for the screen, both he and Jiraiya would die at the hands of their own disciples. Or rather, Jiraiya might not necessarily have, but he himself certainly would have died long ago.
This screen was really a good thing!
Still, it would be better if it exposed a few less of Konoha's dark secrets.
The Will of Fire was actually very good!
Just then, the screen's content changed. The scene came to a rainy, overcast day, with rain falling in a drizzle. The people of the Shinobi World who had seen Konan fight Obito instantly recognized this as the outskirts of Amegakure.
Suddenly, a toad appeared on the surface of the sea, and as its mouth opened wide, an arm emerged from within, followed by a head with white hair, and finally, the entire body.
Jiraiya half-knelt on the sea surface, rain drizzling on him, his expression somewhat smug. "Infiltration successful. That was quite easy! Now then... what should I do next?"
[Unfortunately, what Jiraiya didn't know was that the rain of Amegakure was not merely the sky weeping. It was Nagato's sensory Ninjutsu, the Rain Tiger at Will Technique. Therefore, his infiltration plan had already failed the moment he entered Amegakure.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Hokage Office]
"So it was a sensory-type Ninjutsu covering the entire village?!" Jiraiya's pupils constricted, and cold sweat broke out on his back. "Good thing I found out in advance this time..."
He secretly rejoiced at the intelligence advantage brought by the screen. If he hadn't known this information, he really would have, like on the screen, foolishly infiltrated, then been discovered by Nagato, then surrounded and beaten, and then... there would have been no then.
Tsunade also smacked her lips. "I have to say... this Ninjutsu, combined with the environment of Amegakure, is really well suited. Rainy days are already the norm in Amegakure, so no one would suspect the rain water was problematic. That kid Nagato, he is quite smart in some ways."
*****
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