The six silhouettes within the smoke gradually revealed themselves.
They were six orange-haired men.
All wore identical black cloaks patterned with crimson clouds.
All bore the same cold, merciless expressions.
Black metal piercings covered their faces in varying numbers.
And all six of them—
Possessed the Rinnegan.
“Six pairs of Rinnegan?!” Shima cried out in disbelief.
“So the whole group is finally here…”
Jiraiya gave a grim smile as his gaze passed over each of the six Pains.
In the end, his eyes settled upon the short-haired man standing at the center of the formation.
The Deva Path.
Pain stared back at him without emotion.
“As expected of one of the Legendary Sannin.
To possess such strength…”
His voice was as cold as the wind of midwinter.
“You are worthy of facing all Six Paths of Pain.”
At the same moment, the Asura Path extended both arms.
Click—clack!
With a series of mechanical sounds, rings of missiles emerged from his forearms.
Flames ignited behind them.
Then—
Fwoosh!
Fwoosh!
Fwoosh!
A dense barrage of projectiles screamed through the air, forming a net of destruction that descended upon Jiraiya.
…
Konohagakure — The Hokage’s Office
As always, the Third Hokage sat behind his desk, quietly puffing on his pipe while reading through a thick scroll.
A long time passed before Hiruzen finally lowered it.
He tapped the bowl of his pipe against the table, scattering the ashes within, while the eyes hidden beneath the shadow of his ceremonial hat sank into deep thought.
Uchiha Sasuke…
Truthfully, when Hiruzen had first finished processing the future memories Naruto carried, he had briefly considered killing Sasuke.
Even though the Sasuke of the present had done nothing yet.
There was one thing Hiruzen despised above all else—
Those who betrayed the village.
According to Naruto’s memories, Uchiha Sasuke would not only defect from Konoha but eventually harbor the dangerous desire to destroy it.
For a man who had spent most of his life enduring one war after another, it was only natural that Hiruzen had considered eliminating the threat before it could take root.
And yet—
“Haah…”
The Third Hokage released a quiet sigh and leaned back in his chair.
I truly have grown old.
His killing intent was no longer as fierce as it had once been.
Nor was he as decisive as he had been in his youth.
Hiruzen’s thoughts once again drifted toward the disciple who had once made him so proud—
Orochimaru.
Naruto’s memories contained no direct details of the battle between the Third Hokage and Orochimaru during the Konoha Crush.
However, just who was Sarutobi Hiruzen?
From the scattered remarks Naruto had heard before and after the incident, Hiruzen had already reconstructed most of how that final battle would unfold.
If I had used the Reaper Death Seal from the very beginning…
His aged eyes narrowed slightly.
It would not have ended with merely taking away Orochimaru’s arms.
The setting sun resembled blood.
Crimson light streamed through the enormous windows of the Hokage’s office, burying the old man’s face beneath a veil of shadow.
Only the ember within his pipe continued to flicker—
Brightening and fading in the darkness.
…
“Sage Art: Great Breakthrough!”
Jiraiya’s hand seals were far too fast to follow.
His chest suddenly expanded—
Then he released a violent gale.
WHOOOOOSH—!
The raging wind charged directly into the Asura Path’s missile barrage like a roaring dragon.
The missiles were blown off course one after another, tumbling helplessly through the air before falling across the battlefield.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Explosions erupted everywhere.
Amid the smoke, dust, and roaring wind—
Fwish!
Jiraiya moved.
His body became little more than a blurred afterimage as he rushed toward the Pain positioned at the edge of the formation.
The Animal Path.
The first Pain who had appeared before him.
Jiraiya drove his elbow forward.
A fraction of a second earlier, he had been more than ten meters away.
Now—
His elbow was less than a centimeter from the Animal Path’s face.
Just how terrifying was a body strengthened by Sage Mode?
Within Naruto’s future memories, Jiraiya had once eliminated one of the Paths of Pain almost instantly.
And now, he was attempting to do the same thing again.
If this elbow strike landed cleanly, even if it did not completely crush the Animal Path’s head, the body would at least lose all ability to fight.
However—
Pain was still Pain.
Jiraiya’s speed was extraordinary, but the shared vision of the Rinnegan allowed the Six Paths to react.
The Deva Path raised one hand.
“Shinra Tensei!”
The moment Jiraiya’s elbow touched the Animal Path’s face and began transferring its force—
An irresistible repulsive power erupted from nowhere.
BOOM—!
Jiraiya’s body was hurled backward.
Yet his expression did not change.
It was almost as though he had anticipated this exact response.
In the instant the repulsive force overturned and sent him flying, Jiraiya twisted his body and locked both legs around the Animal Path’s neck.
Then—
He used the Deva Path’s own repulsion against them.
“HAAAH!”
With his legs still clamped around the Animal Path, Jiraiya violently hurled him backward over his shoulder.
Both of them were launched away from the other five Pains.
Information from Naruto’s future memories flashed through Jiraiya’s mind.
Animal Path’s abilities:
First: It could summon powerful creatures without forming hand seals.
Second: It could directly summon the other Paths of Pain to its location.
The Deva Path possessed even more dangerous abilities.
First: Shinra Tensei.
A tremendous repulsive force capable of deflecting nearly all physical attacks.
Second: Banshō Ten’in.
An immensely powerful attractive force that was almost impossible to resist.
Third: Chibaku Tensei.
A technique that created a gravitational core, drawing in the earth, stone, and everything nearby to form a gigantic celestial body—or crushing the target directly within its center.
Jiraiya struck the ground and regained his footing.
Thanks to the extraordinary durability granted by Sage Mode, he immediately launched himself forward again.
He pursued the Animal Path farther away from the others.
Jiraiya completely ignored the remaining five Pains.
From the beginning—
This was the only target he intended to eliminate.
Another piece of information surfaced in his thoughts.
Naraka Path’s abilities:
First: Once it seized an opponent by the throat, the target would be unable to escape.
It could then summon the King of Hell to interrogate them.
Second: Through the King of Hell, it could restore the other Paths of Pain—even those that had been severely damaged or completely destroyed.
Jiraiya pulled a scroll from his robes and tossed it toward Fukasaku on his shoulder.
“Old man!”
Fukasaku did not know exactly what Jiraiya intended.
However, the trust and understanding they had built over many years allowed him to realize what was required.
He caught the scroll and immediately unfurled it.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya continued rushing toward the Animal Path.
The Animal Path had only just begun falling toward the ground after being thrown away.
Jiraiya precisely adjusted his trajectory while still in midair.
He twisted his body—
Then brought one leg crashing downward with all his strength.
CRACK!
The descending axe kick struck the Animal Path’s back with terrifying force.
The spine of the rolling body snapped beneath Jiraiya’s heel.
At almost the exact same moment, Fukasaku threw down the opened scroll.
It landed directly upon the Animal Path’s broken back.
Fukasaku brought his tiny hands together.
His voice became solemn.
“Seal!”
…
The Ninja Academy
The young Academy students had already gone home.
Umino Iruka remained alone within the empty classroom, gathering the sheets of paper left upon each desk.
Every student had answered the question he had given them:
“If tomorrow were the end of the world, who would you want to be with?”
“Sasuke again…”
Iruka picked up Haruno Sakura’s paper and shook his head helplessly.
Uchiha Sasuke’s effect on the young girls in the classroom was almost frightening.
“Hm?”
Iruka stopped at another desk.
“Uzumaki Naruto?”
He looked down at the name written on the paper, then glanced at the desk itself.
After recalling who sat there, Iruka blinked in surprise.
“Isn’t this Hinata’s desk?”
He read the answer once more.
“The eldest daughter of the Hyūga clan actually chose… Naruto?”
For a moment, Iruka could only stare.
Then he shook his head, collected the paper, and prepared to continue.
However, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
He walked past the remaining desks and headed directly toward Naruto’s seat.
Iruka picked up the sheet of paper lying there.
Written upon it was a single sentence.
[If something like that really happened, I suppose Kurama is the only one who would definitely remain beside me.]
Iruka could not help smiling.
“So it was only one-sided on Hinata’s part…”
He gave a quiet laugh.
“Honestly, the thoughts of young boys and girls are impossible to understand.”
Then his smile slowly became puzzled.
“Still…”
Iruka looked down at the name again.
“Who is Kurama?”
He tilted his head.
“Did Naruto have a friend like that?”
Iruka thought about it for a long while, but no answer came to him.
Eventually, he shook his head and continued collecting the papers.
…
“What is going on?”
The Deva Path’s voice sounded from behind Jiraiya.
“You seem to know a great deal about us.”
Jiraiya turned around.
The remaining Pains stood not far away, their Rinnegan fixed upon him from multiple directions.
A faint smile appeared on Jiraiya’s face.
“I’m facing the legendary Rinnegan.”
He lowered his center of gravity and shifted into a battle stance.
“Did you really think I would come here without preparing anything?”
His eyes settled upon the Deva Path.
“Yahiko…”
Jiraiya’s smile slowly disappeared.
“Or should I call you…”
His gaze sharpened.
“Nagato?”
The Deva Path remained expressionless.
He offered no answer.
Jiraiya crouched lower, every muscle in his body tightening.
The Animal Path had been sealed.
But the battle—
Was far from over.