Pain's corpse lay on the ground.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru appeared in front of Pain's corpse, realizing that this Pain was a puppet being controlled from behind the scenes.
Obviously.
The one controlling Pain from behind must be Nagato.
And Nagato, along with Konan, were still hiding in this base of the Akatsuki organization.
"Nagato and Konan..."
Jiraiya turned his head towards the cave.
"It's very dangerous inside..."
Orochimaru seemed to know the danger of the cave and chuckled lightly as he reminded, "You're lucky to have been able to sneak in."
Inside the cave.
Beneath the terrifying Gedo Statue.
Nagato, sitting in a wheelchair, slowly released his palm, finally having to admit a fact: "Konan, Tendo Pain has lost..."
When Nagato had no choice but to make Pain abandon the Rinnegan's techniques and was forced to resort to physical combat, the battle was essentially lost.
"Then let's leave this place first."
Konan's eyebrows furrowed as she began to push Nagato's wheelchair.
Konan's body started to emit sheets of paper, and even the stone walls of the base cave began to vaguely show the pattern of folded paper, with a crack in the stone wall opening up an escape door.
"As long as we leave here first, if they step into this base, I will immediately destroy the base and eliminate them using explosive tags..."
This was Konan's ability.
The entire base of the Akatsuki organization seemed to be a cave, but inside it was disguised by Konan using the Paper Person of God Technique, which is why Konan was able to detect Jiraiya and Kagura sneaking into the Akatsuki base.
This place was also filled with countless explosive tags!
This was Konan's final arrangement!
"No!"
Nagato stopped Konan's action, solemnly saying, "Konan, push me out, I must retrieve Yahiko's body, he is the only leader of the Akatsuki organization..."
"..."
Konan remained silent and did not respond.
Nagato had created the most powerful Tendo Pain using Yahiko's body, but Pain had already been defeated by Kagura. Yahiko's body was outside at this very moment.
Retrieving Yahiko's body was indeed important...
However, Nagato's safety was even more important than the deceased Yahiko!
"There's still a chance..."
Konan, looking at Nagato sitting in the wheelchair, was unwilling to agree to this.
Despite Nagato and Pain essentially being the same person, Konan's attitude toward Nagato and Pain was somewhat different: "Nagato, in the future, after you have created the Six Paths of Pain, it would still be okay to retrieve Yahiko's body…"
"Push me out there."
Nagato's voice was incredibly firm as he quietly commanded, "I don't want to endure the pain of losing Yahiko again. Besides, if we can't deal with that little guy, our plan will face many problems in the future. Let's go, Konan…"
Nagato lifted his head, looking deep into the cave at the Gedo Statue, and whispered, "There's an Outer Path Gedo Statue here; dealing with that little guy won't be too troublesome…"
This Outer Path Gedo Statue…
Every time it is used, it drains his chakra and life force.
However, it was also the power of the Outer Path Gedo Statue that allowed him to survive the encirclement and attack by Hanzo of the Salamander and Danzo Shimura in the past.
"But it's not possible to kill him…"
Suddenly, a voice appeared in Konan and Nagato's ears.
Sasori of the Red Sand, with his puppet Hiruko carrying Kakuzu, appeared here, speaking in a hoarse voice, "That kid possesses the Flying Thunder God Technique; I've suffered in his hands… Maybe even retrieving Pain's body is impossible."
"Sasori?"
Konan was somewhat puzzled.
This guy saw Pain's defeat but chose not to flee?
"I had guessed as much."
Sasori of the Red Sand with Hiruko slowly approached, speaking solemnly, "Konan has never left Pain's side unless there's something more important inside the base…"
…
Konan and Nagato really couldn't refute.
This guy observed quite carefully!
"We must leave this place."
Sasori of the Red Sand, looking at the two before him, continued, "A spy I control with my Subterranean Sand Puppet Technique sent a message that Hanzo of the Salamander is leading a large force towards us. Perhaps Jiraiya has also passed on the information that the Akatsuki's base is here. If we don't leave now, it'll be too late…"
…
Konan and Nagato's expressions changed dramatically.
Jiraiya and his student Akihara Kagura were already hard enough to deal with, and if Hanzo the Salamander and a large group of attacking Rain ninjas appeared…
"Let's leave together."
Sasori of the Red Sand with Hiruko, looking at them and Nagato's Rinnegan, spoke solemnly, "Orochimaru hasn't arrived yet, so let's just have Orochimaru cover our retreat."
"That makes sense."
Konan thought Sasori of the Red Sand made a good point.
After all, she had long disdained Orochimaru, that dangerous guy. It would be better to secretly leave him behind and let him die here.
"What about this big guy?"
Sasori of the Red Sand looked towards the hidden Outer Path Gedo Statue in the cave, continuing, "Is the future plan entirely reliant on it? Is there a way to take it with us?"
"No worries."
Konan wasn't concerned about the Outer Path Gedo Statue, saying, "Once we reach our destination, Nagato can use his Rinnegan to summon it there."
Taking advantage of the moment before Nagato could react, Konan quickly agreed with Sasori of the Red Sand to leave Orochimaru behind to cover their retreat, and their group immediately left the base in secret.
Of course,
it was said to let Orochimaru cover their retreat.
In reality, it was just to distract others with Orochimaru.
Who would have thought that guy, refusing to cooperate and thinking his relationship with Jiraiya was good enough to afford watching the spectacle from the sidelines, even insisted on wearing the Akatsuki's robe?
Sasori, seeing Nagato's hesitation, solemnly persuaded: "If we don't leave now, Hanzo of the Salamander's troops will soon be upon us... along with Jiraiya and that kid named Akihara Kagura. I don't want to be caught in a net along with you all."
From any perspective, Sasori's actions could be considered extremely honorable. Knowing the leader of the organization was a puppet, he did not choose to leave the Akatsuki but instead sneaked in to warn them upon learning of the imminent danger.
Konan's favorable impression of Sasori significantly increased.
Even Nagato understood that Sasori, an S-rank rogue ninja, being willing to help them escape was fulfilling a comrade's duty as best as he could.
"Thank you, Sasori."
Konan rarely took the initiative to thank Sasori.
"No need for thanks."
Sasori, manipulating Hiruko, crawled out of the escape hatch, continuing, "If you ever want to repay me, just kill that kid named Akihara Kagura for me. Turning his corpse into a puppet would be fine. I have a fondness for powerful puppets..."
"It's a deal."
Nagato immediately agreed.
Although Nagato thought Akihara Kagura's strength was significant enough to be one of the Six Paths of Pain, the key ability of the Six Paths of Pain lay in the Rinnegan, so it didn't matter if they handed Kagura's corpse over to Sasori eventually.
Hearing this, Sasori's Hiruko paused for a moment before continuing its crawl without any further comment.
Kakuzu, following behind, actually had a different opinion and took the initiative to say, "That kid's corpse could fetch thirty-five million ryō now... its price might even increase in the future."
This group of Akatsuki...
They didn't seem like they had been defeated at all, but rather like they had won a victory.
When the group left the base and hid behind a rock, they saw a dark line approaching the Akatsuki base from a distance.
That was...
Hanzo of the Salamander's Rain ninja troops.
"Konoha's Jiraiya and Hanzo of the Salamander have joined forces to encircle us..."
Kakuzu's voice sounded somewhat weary; he didn't seem to care much about the alliance of the two forces, nor did he realize how impactful his words were to those nearby.
Nagato and Konan's expressions turned very grim.
This scene reminded them of many years ago when Konoha's Danzo and Hanzo had jointly encircled the Akatsuki, which was still in its early stage.
"Let's go."
Konan, pushing Nagato's wheelchair, took the lead in leaving.
The Sasori of the Red Sand, Hiruko, followed behind, looking at Kakuzu with a strange expression. How did this guy, who is so eloquent, manage to live from that era to the present?
On the other hand,
When Hanzo of the Salamander led the Rain Ninja troops to arrive, they immediately surrounded Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Akihara Kagura's group.
Hanzo of the Salamander also saw the body of Pain lying on the ground and asked in a deep voice, "This is the leader of the Akatsuki organization. It seems you have already dealt with the biggest trouble..."
"Lord Hanzō."
When Jiraiya saw Hanzo of the Salamander appear, he thought Nagato and Konan were still in the cave and didn't want Hanzo of the Salamander to interfere further, questioning, "Didn't we agree to let me resolve the Akatsuki matter peacefully..."
"I have been waiting for the time."
Hanzo of the Salamander was indeed not lying, actively saying, "Seeing that there was a battle happening here, I immediately came to help you, after all, we had established a covenant to jointly oppose the Akatsuki..."
At this point, Hanzo of the Salamander continued, "I didn't expect you had already dealt with the leader of the Akatsuki. It seems you have indeed become stronger over the years..."
"It's not..."
Jiraiya hurriedly wanted to explain, not wanting to reveal the situation of Nagato and Konan, and tried to ask Hanzo of the Salamander to take his people and leave: "The matter with the Akatsuki is not resolved yet, I have found a peaceful solution..."
"Killing the leader of the Akatsuki is indeed a peaceful solution as well."
Hanzo of the Salamander looked at Pain's corpse, nodded in satisfaction, and loudly ordered, "Let the news be announced, the leader of the Akatsuki, Pain, is dead, and the civil war in the Land of Rain is over!"
"It's not..."
Jiraiya really didn't know how to speak.
"Right."
Hanzo of the Salamander didn't wait for Jiraiya to finish, waved his hand, and continued, "Since the base of the Akatsuki is here, then bury this body right here."
"Yes!"
A group of Rain Ninjas immediately lifted Pain's body.
"..."
Jiraiya watched this scene somewhat dazedly.
This matter...
It seems he also has no way to refute?
After all, Yahiko has long been dead, and Nagato turning Yahiko's body into a puppet was indeed a bit too much. Letting Yahiko rest in peace is also a good thing.
After Hanzo of the Salamander finished speaking, his gaze turned to Orochimaru, who was still wearing the cloud-black robe of the Akatsuki, "It seems there's only one survivor left from the Akatsuki... Letting you go during the war might have been a mistake, Orochimaru, that's the name, right?"
"Correct."
Orochimaru's gaze slightly changed.
Even after many years, Orochimaru had become even more powerful, but the psychological shadow of being suppressed by Hanzo of the Salamander when they were part of the Sannin of Konoha still lingered.
With a swoosh!
Hanzo of the Salamander drew out his chain scythe!
Orochimaru's body immediately transformed into a series of long snakes, vanishing on the spot. He wasn't confident in engaging in battle with Hanzo of the Salamander in such a situation, and it wasn't convenient for Akihara Kagura, the little guy, to assist him. Jiraiya might even be thinking of taking him back!
The show had been enough!
Jiraiya, this guy, would definitely talk with Hanzo of the Salamander for a while, and Akihara Kagura, the little guy, would also be following Jiraiya...
Now...
It was his chance to seize the Rinnegan!
At the very least, he had to lure out Nagato and Konan!
By then, a fierce battle between Hanzo of the Salamander and Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, would surely result in both sides suffering, and he could take the opportunity to snatch the Rinnegan!
The Rain Ninjas Village were terrified and hiding from the snakes but failed to notice one long snake sneaking into the Akatsuki organization's base cave during the chaos!
However, after this long snake entered the cave and spit out Orochimaru's body, Orochimaru saw the Akatsuki base already deserted...
Even...
The laboratory was cleaned up spotlessly!
Clearly.
Only Sasori of the Red Sand from the entire Akatsuki would do such a thing.
Sasori, Kakuzu, Nagato, and Konan had all escaped through the back door escape passage, leaving him alone here?
"These bastards..."
Orochimaru looked at the opened escape door behind him and cursed through gritted teeth.
If it weren't for Akihara Kagura being his spy, if it weren't for his good relationship with Jiraiya, if it weren't for his strong life-saving skills...
Wouldn't he have been captured by that group outside?
Orochimaru glanced at the escape door, could only follow their route, not wanting to stay here and become a target for Hanzo of the Salamander!
Outside the cave.
Jiraiya and Hanzo of the Salamander exchanged a few words.
A group of Rain ninjas could no longer restrain themselves and directly entered the base of the Akatsuki, reporting that there were no enemies inside the base, only finding an origami escape door.
"Have they escaped?"
Jiraiya felt somewhat relieved in his heart.
Because if Hanzo of the Salamander was here, there might have been a major battle with Nagato, making it troublesome to save Konan and Nagato.
Moreover...
There was Akihara Kagura, who regarded them as enemies.
"The leader of the Akatsuki..."
Akihara Kagura wanted to remind Hanzo of the Salamander on the side.
"Kagura!"
Jiraiya quickly stopped Akihara Kagura and looked at Hanzo of the Salamander, saying, "This is my disciple. The affairs of the Akatsuki may not be over, but they pose no more threat to the Land of Rain..."
"Hmm, it seems a few slipped through the net and escaped…"
Hanzō of the Salamander slightly nodded, turning to his subordinates to issue his command: "It's okay, go and tell everyone, the leader of the Akatsuki is dead. I will fulfill my promise, pardoning all those who have ever been involved with the Akatsuki, even those ninjas who had joined the Akatsuki can return to the Rain Village. I will not pursue their past mistakes!"
It must be said.
This command is quite generous.
Anyone would have to admit that Hanzō's magnanimity is somewhat broad.
The leader of the Rain Village, leading his troops as if on a tour, effortlessly annihilated the Akatsuki, announced a grand funeral for the leader of the Akatsuki, and pardoned all those who had connections with the Akatsuki.
After Hanzō announced his command, the Akatsuki base cave suddenly experienced continuous explosions, and the entire base was completely destroyed and buried!
"This is..."
Jiraiya was somewhat speechless.
"Indeed, it's dangerous inside..."
Akihara Kagura squinted at the now-disappeared base.
"Someone inside planted explosive tags."
Hanzō, who enjoys using explosive tags, immediately realized the truth: "Those who escaped, they wanted to take us all out while we entered..."
"..."
Jiraiya remained silent, not knowing what to say.
"It doesn't matter."
Hanzō continued generously, loudly continuing: "My command still stands, only the core members of the Akatsuki are wanted within the Land of Rain, the rest can still be pardoned, and they can even come here to pay respects to the Akatsuki's leader, Pain..."
"Yes, Lord Hanzō!"
"This civil war has finally ended!"
"From today onward..."
"We no longer have to worry about our village being attacked!"
All the Rain Ninjas present knelt on the ground, frantically expressing their joy!
"Teacher Jiraiya."
Akihara Kagura stood beside Jiraiya, frowning and asked: "The leader of the Akatsuki, Pain, was just a puppet controlled by someone else, the real leader has already escaped, clearly, this war has not ended..."
"It will end."
Jiraiya murmured to himself, shaking his head as he looked at those Rain ninjas digging graves: "Nagato and Konan will not give up Yahiko's body, they will surely come back here secretly..."
"Yes..."
Akihara Kagura nodded.
That was also the reason he was manipulating Hanzō, to bury Yahiko's body here.
After all...
There were too many onlookers during the day.
There should be fewer at night.
Hanzō led his people away.
Before departing, the leader of the Rain Village deliberately distracted all the Rain ninja and inquired Jiraiya about Yahiko, whom he and Shimura Danzo had originally caused the death of, questioning why Yahiko would still appear here. "Where is the child with the Rinnegan and red hair?"
Clearly...
The leader of the Rain Village did not act like a fool.
"I declared the war over as soon as possible to stabilize the people's hearts out of necessity."
Before leaving, Hanzo of the Salamander took a deep look at Jiraiya: "Konoha youngster, that red-haired child with the Rinnegan is still alive, isn't he? This Pain, he is a corpse controlled by him, right? Tell him, the incident back then was because I had no choice but to submit to Shimura Danzo. If he wants me to atone, I am willing to commit suicide as an apology, as long as he does not start a civil war again and does not involve those who once followed me…"
Jiraiya, watching Hanzo of the Salamander leave directly with his team, felt incredibly conflicted for a moment.
This guy, along with Danzo, was responsible for Yahiko's death...
Despite knowing the truth about Pain, he could still choose to hide it for the sake of the Rain Village's peace and even opt for atonement through suicide for the village's peace...
"Is this the demigod of ninja?"
Akihara Kagura, standing by the side, seemed also to be impressed by Hanzo of the Salamander's broad-mindedness.
~~~
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