Chapter 269: Jiraiya: Yahiko Is Dead?!
In the curtain of rain, Konan floated in the air, her pure white paper wings flapping slightly, and the rainwater could not wet her in the slightest.
She looked down at Lord Jiraiya, her eyes cold.
“Answer me, Konan!” Lord Jiraiya’s voice carried heartache and confusion, piercing through the pattering rain.
“Where exactly are Yahiko and Nagato? Why has the Akatsuki organization become like this, harboring those dangerous rogue ninja? What exactly do you intend to do?!” He stared intently at Konan, trying to find a trace of the past on her expressionless face.
“As your teacher, I absolutely cannot watch you fall into depravity!”
Konan’s lips trembled slightly, her voice as cold as this icy rainwater: “Teacher, you have no idea what kind of pain we went through! Back then you just left, and now you put on the demeanor of a teacher, wanting to stop our cause?”
“Pain is not a reason for falling!” Lord Jiraiya growled, his hands quickly forming hand seals: “Fire Style: Great Fireball!”
A fireball even hotter and larger in scale than before erupted from his mouth, carrying the momentum to incinerate everything, howling toward Konan in the air.
The scorching high temperature instantly evaporated the rainwater along the path, forming a passage of white water vapor.
Konan’s eyes narrowed, her hands danced, the paper surrounding her body instantly gathered and hardened, forming a huge paper shield with sharp edges, while more paper swept toward the fireball like a blizzard.
“Paper Dance!”
Boom——!!!
A massive explosion rang out again, flames and burning paper scraps flying everywhere, the intense shockwave cracking the walls of the surrounding alley, gravel and pooled water being violently flung outward.
The thick smoke and steam from the explosion temporarily obscured the view.
Lord Jiraiya used the momentum of the explosion to flexibly roll to the side and rear.
He seized the moment when Konan was distracted blocking the explosion, his chest swelling up again!
“Ninja Art: Toad Oil Bullet!”
A large stream of viscous, slippery, foul-smelling black oil liquid shot out precisely like a high-pressure water gun, drenching Konan and her surrounding paper wings head-on!
Konan was caught off guard, her pure white paper wings and clothes instantly soaked in oil stains, becoming heavy and sticky.
She tried to manipulate the paper to separate or attack, but the paper stained with toad oil lost its lightness and flexibility, stuck like glue, difficult to control freely, and she herself fell from the air.
‘This is bad…’ Konan was startled in her heart.
Just as she landed unsteadily, Lord Jiraiya pressed his advantage!
“Ninja Art: Needle Ground Holder!”
His wild mane of white hair instantly grew and hardened madly, like a living silver waterfall or countless tough steel wires, lightning-fast wrapping toward Konan!
Konan, hindered by the toad oil and unable to dodge effectively, was instantly tightly bound by the hard and resilient long hair, unable to move.
“Once your Paper Dance is stained with oil, it’s hard to use.” Lord Jiraiya stepped closer, looking at Konan bound by his hair, covered in oil stains and somewhat disheveled, a complex glint in his eyes as he continued questioning.
“Konan, I remember, you were the one among those three children who loved folding paper the most and was the gentlest… Tell me, what exactly happened to make you like this? What about Yahiko and Nagato? Where exactly are they now?”
Konan lowered her eyelids, long lashes stained with oil and rainwater, she remained silent, not answering.
But her tightly pursed lips and slightly trembling shoulders revealed the unrest in her heart.
Seeing her still not answering, Lord Jiraiya took a deep breath and continued pressing: “Then, let me guess. The current leader of the Akatsuki organization, that mysterious person called ‘Pain’… is Yahiko? Is it… Nagato?”
Konan finally raised her head, her deep purple eyes gazing profoundly at Lord Jiraiya, surging with indescribable emotions, she slowly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of emptiness: “Do you regret it? Lord Jiraiya.”
“Regret?” Lord Jiraiya was stunned.
“Regret not listening to Orochimaru back then…” Konan’s voice was soft, yet like an icy awl piercing into Lord Jiraiya’s heart.
“Are you thinking, if at that time, you had listened to him and directly killed us three war orphans, that would have been better?”
This sentence was like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of Lord Jiraiya’s sealed memories.
Over twenty years ago, toward the end of the Second Great Ninja War, in the Land of Rain.
They, the Sannin, had just fought an earth-shattering battle with Hanzo of the Salamander, earning the title of Sannin.
On a devastated battlefield, they encountered three ragged, emaciated war orphans.
Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato.
At that time, Orochimaru proposed in his hoarse and cold voice: “Kill them, Jiraiya. The eventual ending for most war orphans is miserable, struggling in pain and despair for a few years before dying quietly. Rather than that, better to give them a quick end now, I guarantee they won’t feel any pain.”
At that time, Lord Jiraiya, looking at the three children especially Yahiko’s eyes full of survival instinct and unyielding light, decisively rejected Orochimaru’s cruel suggestion and took the initiative to stay and care for and teach them.
The scenes of memory flashed in his mind, Lord Jiraiya’s eyes shifted from momentary daze to extremely firm, he shook his head, saying resolutely to Konan:
“No! I never thought that!”
“As your teacher, I just feel… very sad.” Lord Jiraiya’s tone lowered, carrying deep helplessness and heartache: “I taught you the skills to survive in chaotic times, instilled what I believed to be correct thoughts and ninja way. Without a doubt, all three of you are disciples I, Jiraiya, acknowledge!”
He changed tack, with a hint of self-mockery and bitterness: “But now, you attack your teacher without distinction, without even an explanation… It really chills the teacher’s heart.”
He gazed at Konan, trying to awaken a trace of old affection with words: “After leaving the Land of Rain, I kept paying attention to your news. I heard you recruited like-minded friends, established the ‘Akatsuki’ organization, showed considerable strength in several instances of warfare and conflict, becoming famous in the Land of Rain.”
“I was proud of you for a time… And then, nothing, you seemed to vanish from the human world. I thought… you all died in some conflict.”
Lord Jiraiya’s voice carried deep regret, but then sharpened: “But I never imagined, the next news of the ‘Akatsuki’ organization would be you harboring S-rank rogue ninja from various countries, turning into a mercenary organization that works for great nations, even participating in nation-destroying operations! Tell me, why exactly?!”
Konan turned her head away, avoiding Lord Jiraiya’s burning gaze, her voice still cold: “Teacher… you don’t understand at all… what we went through after that…”
“I don’t understand what you went through!” Lord Jiraiya interrupted her, his voice carrying suppressed rage and heartache.
“But that is absolutely not a reason for you to abandon your original intent and fall into darkness! The former Akatsuki organization was dedicated to changing the warfare in the Land of Rain, letting people understand each other and live in peace! Why has it become like this now?! Why?!”
“Because… that is the answer obtained through our own pain. Lord Jiraiya.”
At that moment, a voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation came from a nearby tall tower, clearly overriding the rain.
Lord Jiraiya’s heart jolted, he abruptly looked up!
At the edge of the tall tower, a figure stood at some point.
He had an orange ponytail, wore a black robe embroidered with red clouds, and on his face, ears, and neck were inserted several black, rod-like eerie objects.
Most striking were his eyes.
Purple pupils rippling outward like waves, emanating deity-like coldness and majesty.
Rinnegan!
Lord Jiraiya’s pupils contracted sharply, though the voice, appearance, and demeanor were utterly different from the shy red-haired boy in his memory, he would never mistake this legendary pair of eyes!
“These eyes… absolutely unmistakable…” Lord Jiraiya’s voice carried incredulous hoarseness: “Nagato… is that you?!”
He stared tightly at the figure high above, pressing: “So, the Akatsuki organization’s leader ‘Pain’ is you… Nagato, tell me, what exactly happened? To make you walk this path?”
Nagato manipulated the Animal Path Pain, looking down indifferently at Lord Jiraiya with those Rinnegan eyes, his voice flat: “This has nothing to do with an outsider like you, Lord Jiraiya.”
“Outsider?” Lord Jiraiya’s heart was wrenched, he said heartbrokenly: “Nagato… you’ve changed. Changed so much I can hardly recognize you.”
He recalled over twenty years ago, when chatting openly with Nagato, how Nagato said he wanted to protect Yahiko and Konan, no matter what pain he had to endure.
The Animal Path Pain ignored Lord Jiraiya’s sentiment, slowly raising its hands to form a summoning jutsu seal.
“Summoning Technique!”
With his words, a massive summoning array appeared instantly on the wall behind him on the tall tower, smoke exploding!
A gigantic crab-like summoned beast wielding two huge pincers appeared abruptly!
“Guruguru—” The massive crab opened its mouth, spewing countless viscous, slippery foam like a tidal wave surging toward Lord Jiraiya!
This foam not only forced Lord Jiraiya to release the hair binding Konan and leap back to dodge, but upon contact with Konan, it began rapidly decomposing and washing away the sticky toad oil!
“What?!” Lord Jiraiya was shocked.
Konan, regaining mobility, immediately manipulated the paper not yet fully cleaned, breaking free, still somewhat disheveled but her Paper Dance ability quickly recovering.
And that massive crab summoned beast swung its huge pincers, charging ferociously at Lord Jiraiya!
“Wild Lion Dance Technique!” Lord Jiraiya reacted swiftly, once again manipulating his hardened extended hair like flexible silver snakes wrapping around the crab’s huge pincers and body, yanking hard!
Crack!
Boom!
The massive crab summoned beast was crushed and severed by his hair, turning into white smoke and vanishing.
Lord Jiraiya retracted his hair, his gaze locking deadly on the Animal Path Pain high above, his voice trembling with disbelief: “Nagato! Answer me! What about Yahiko?! Where is Yahiko?!”
The Animal Path Pain’s tone remained terrifyingly flat, as if stating a trivial unrelated matter: “That guy… died long ago.”
“Died… dead?!” Like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, Lord Jiraiya froze in place, though he had suspected, hearing it directly from “Nagato”‘s mouth still made him dizzy with massive grief.
Yahiko, that sun-like radiant boy full of ideals and leader demeanor, really…
Moreover, Nagato’s tone… so cold!
This was like two different people from the boy in his memory who cherished companions and said his wish was to protect Yahiko and Konan!
“What exactly happened?! Tell me! Nagato!” Lord Jiraiya almost roared the question, unable to understand what kind of traumatic experience could change a person to this extent.
The Animal Path Pain’s Rinnegan looked at him indifferently, as if overlooking a tiny ignorant mortal: “Nothing much. In this place, death happens every day, the most ordinary thing.”
“The once ignorant children, after experiencing enough pain, grow into adults who can see the truth of the world.”
“Discarding an important friend like Yahiko is your so-called growth?!” Lord Jiraiya demanded furiously.
The Animal Path Pain’s voice gained a slight inflection for the first time, a near-divine indifference transcending mortal emotions, “Lord Jiraiya, you are but a mere mortal, bound by worldly emotions. And I, after feeling this world’s endless pain, have grown from mortal… into a deity!”
“Deity?!” Lord Jiraiya repeated the word in shock, almost thinking he misheard.
“Exactly.” The Animal Path Pain spread its arms, as if embracing the cold rain curtain and pain-filled world.
“It is precisely because I became a deity that I understand how insignificant mortal power is, how fragile and laughable peace brought by understanding and communication is. Only by letting the world experience equivalent pain, trembling in that pain, can they truly understand the preciousness of peace, learn to understand each other! This is the ‘peace’ the Akatsuki organization will bring to this world!”
He looked down at Lord Jiraiya like a deity pronouncing judgment: “Of course, to let the world fully understand this pain, necessary punishment is essential. We will collect the scattered power, let the world feel true pain. Just like that emerging Land of Stars did, sweeping away the old order with absolute power!”
“Land of Stars? Shura?” Lord Jiraiya seized the key words, associating with the mysterious boy who appeared in the Rain Village earlier, hurriedly asking: “What relation does that Shura have with you?”
In Nagato’s mind flashed the terrifying attack from the sky during the assault on the Land of Stars, containing destructive energy that made even him, master of the Rinnegan power, feel dread.
He paused a moment, then coldly said through the Animal Path Pain: “That guy… shares similarity with my ultimate goal, but chose a different path.”
He did not elaborate, but that dread and faint attitude of viewing Shura as some “kindred” or “competitor” made alarm bells ring in Lord Jiraiya’s heart.
Even Nagato with the Rinnegan evaluated that Shura this way…
“Then, as your teacher…” Lord Jiraiya took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing all shock, grief, anger, and doubt, his eyes regaining firmness and sharpness: “I have no choice but to stop you here!”
Before his words finished, he leaped back sharply, hands rapidly forming seals in the air, then slammed toward the ground!
“Summoning Technique!”
Massive smoke exploded, a gigantic toad holding a giant iron trident and shield, with a “filial piety” apron around its waist, appeared under Lord Jiraiya’s feet, it was Gamaken.
Lord Jiraiya stood on Gamaken’s broad head, striking what he thought was a cool pose, preparing to announce his name: “Speaking of which, I’m no ordinary human anymore! Great Toad Sage Jiraiya, I…”
Before the “I” could come out, Gamaken underfoot seemed to wobble unnaturally due to tension or something, Lord Jiraiya on its head staggered, nearly falling, barely steadying himself, his heroic posture instantly gone.
The Animal Path Pain high above watched indifferently, commenting flatly: “You’re still the same as always, Lord Jiraiya.”
“Hey! Gamaken!” Lord Jiraiya jumped in frustration, complaining to the one underfoot: “Don’t mess with me when I’m posing cool!”
Gamaken replied in its characteristic slow, apologetic voice: “Sorry, Lord Jiraiya. Because I’m just a clumsy, useless toad.”
Lord Jiraiya sighed helplessly, knowing now was not the time to quibble.
His expression quickly turned grave, smearing special toad oil on his face to form eerie patterns, hands forming seals again.
Lord Jiraiya knew well that facing Nagato with the legendary Rinnegan, any holding back was fatal.
He needed to summon the two sages Fukasaku and Shima, combining to enter the strongest Sage Mode!
“Gamaken, I leave it to you, buy me some time!” Lord Jiraiya said gravely, then closed his eyes, focusing his mind to absorb the surrounding nature energy.
This process took time and could not suffer serious interruption; he had to rely on Gamaken to block possible attacks.
“I understand, though I’m useless, I’ll do my best.” Gamaken said earnestly.
……
Meanwhile, in the Akatsuki organization’s secret base underground in the Rain Village.
Nagato, through the Animal Path Pain’s perspective, clearly “saw” Lord Jiraiya preparing to enter Sage Mode.
His true body hidden in shadows showed no expression change on its gaunt face.
“Wanting to use Sage Jutsu, huh… Lord Jiraiya…” he murmured to himself, not paying much mind.
For him who considered himself a “deity,” Lord Jiraiya’s Sage Jutsu was powerful, but before the Rinnegan, just so-so.
He knew much about Lord Jiraiya’s abilities, but Lord Jiraiya lacked understanding of the current Nagato, of this Rinnegan.
Beside the Deva Path Pain on the other side, Abs’s figure emerged from the ground again, gesticulating as he reported: “Leader, Hanzo of the Salamander is making moves again. He’s sent a lot more ninja, over twenty Anbu elites, heading straight toward Lord Jiraiya’s location!”
It seemed the intelligence about the Rinnegan youth’s appearance had reached Hanzo.
The Deva Path Pain slowly floated up, a cold glint flashing in its Rinnegan.
“As expected… can’t hold back anymore, huh, Hanzo…” he murmured, his figure floating toward the base exit: “Perfect timing… time to settle old scores.”
……
On the other side, in Amado’s office on the top floor of the Regenerative Medical Technology Company.
Amado pushed up his orange glasses, frowning at the surveillance screen showing the chaotic scene in the northern urban area of the Rain Village due to battle and explosions, and the news of large-scale Anbu mobilization.
He had chosen to set up the laboratory in the chaotic Rain Village precisely because it was easy to hide, with complex intertwined factions, convenient for his research unknown to the outside.
But now, the Rain Village seemed to be brewing a massive storm, which would undoubtedly affect his experiment progress, even possibly expose his existence.
“Really… troublesome.” Amado murmured, his face maintaining its usual calm.
He habitually pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket, took out a cigarette to put in his mouth, then reached to search for a lighter.
Upper pocket, none.
Pants pocket, none.
He frowned slightly, checking the lab coat pockets again.
At that moment, a hand holding a lighter with an orange-yellow flame appeared abruptly before him.
Amado instinctively leaned forward with the cigarette to light it, but just as the flame was about to touch the tip, he suddenly sensed something wrong.
There shouldn’t be a second person in his office!
Amado jumped back like a startled rabbit, his movements agile unlike a researcher, his back instantly soaked in cold sweat.
He looked in horror at the figure that had appeared unknown when beside his desk.
A black-haired blue-eyed young boy was looking at him with a half-smile expression.
“Who are you?! How did you get in?!” Amado suppressed the stormy waves in his heart, demanding sharply, his mind racing to analyze the other’s identity and purpose.
An assassin sent by an enemy?
Or a ninja hired by a competitor?
Menma did not answer his question, calmly extinguishing the lighter’s flame, then stepping before Amado, under the other’s vigilant gaze, gently tucked the lighter back into the breast pocket of Amado’s lab coat.
“Don’t panic, Dr. Amado.” Menma’s voice was calm, carrying a strange soothing power yet laced with authority.
“I’m just a passing ninja, here to help you resolve some… troubles you haven’t noticed yet.”
“Troubles? What troubles?” Amado forced himself to calm, pushing up his glasses, trying to analyze the situation.
The other could infiltrate this heavily guarded place silently and knew his name, clearly their intelligence work was outstanding.
But the other seemed to have no immediate intent to act.
Menma did not answer directly, but instead turned and walked to Amado’s computer terminal, his gaze sweeping over the complex data streams on the screen regarding clone life maintenance and gene sequences.
His eyes seemed to pierce through that coldness of data, seeing the obsession behind it that Amado had poured countless efforts into.
“It seems your cloning experiment…” Menma slowly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of understanding: “has been led astray by Jigen.”
“What?!” Amado was struck as if by lightning, the calmness on his face instantly shattered, replaced by extreme shock and disbelief!
The other party still knew Jigen?
That his greatest sponsor and technical supporter, though mysterious, had indeed provided theories and partial technology far surpassing the current Ninja World level.
“Led astray… what does that mean?!” Amado noticed the other’s wording and couldn’t help but start recalling his own experiment steps.
Menma crossed his arms, tilted his head, and looked at Amado with those deep blue eyes, his tone flat yet every word piercing the heart:
“Whether cloning technology or artificial human technology, their essence is attempting the creation of life ‘out of nothing.'”
Menma leaned against the control panel: “And Jigen, he told you some knowledge about the essence of life and Yin-Yang Release, but he didn’t tell you, or rather, deliberately misled you on the most crucial point.”
“Life is far more than a perfect physical replica.”
“The direction he gave you is doomed to fail.”
Menma pointed to the failed experimental subject data on the screen and continued in Amado’s shock: “Clones will independently generate their own entirely new souls and personalities. Your daughter Akebi’s original soul has long followed this world’s laws and entered the Pure Land of death.”
“If you can’t find a way to bring her soul back from the Pure Land, then no matter how many clones you create, what you’ll ultimately get is just ‘another person’ with your daughter’s appearance but an entirely unfamiliar inner self, a brand new soul completely unrelated to you.”
“Is this really what you want?”
These words were like an ice-cold dagger, ruthlessly stabbing into the depths of Amado’s heart.
Amado was struck as if by lightning, the calmness on his face instantly shattered, cold sweat beading on his forehead, subconsciously refuting: “No… this is impossible… souls… Pure Land… these are just folk superstitions…”
“Superstition?” Menma chuckled lightly, his eyes profound: “When the chakra you use is itself the energy connecting body and spirit, even life and death, doesn’t the word ‘superstition’ seem overly arrogant, Dr. Amado?”
The always composed and calm Amado froze in place, his mind instantly flashing with countless instances of experiment failures where the clones showed eerie expressions and inexplicable life reaction collapses.
The doubts that had always been deliberately guided by Jigen and masked by his absolute confidence in science surged into his heart like a tide.
Could it be… that Jigen had been using his love and obsession for his daughter from the very beginning?
Under Jigen’s guidance, he had conducted so many experiments, but Jigen had never mentioned any knowledge regarding the soul domain to him!
Menma looked at Amado plunged into massive shock and chaos, knowing his goal had been achieved.
‘That guy Jiraiya is just right to draw some attention.’ Outside the window of the office, the commotion in Rain Village seemed to be intensifying.
Menma walked toward the door, preparing to go have a chat with Jigen.
