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"Dammit, where the heck did Yahiko and the others go?"
Jiraiya had been searching for two days but found no information about the Akatsuki. Even when he encountered civilians who might know something, they absolutely refused to tell him anything.
He wasn't very good at genjutsu, and interrogating civilians would violate the ninja code—something he could never do.
"Damn it, why are these people's mouths so tight-lipped? And they obviously know about the Akatsuki. I'm not a bad guy, so why won't they just tell me?"
Jiraiya crouched outside a civilian's house. The people inside definitely knew members of the Akatsuki, but no matter how he asked, they wouldn't spill any information. He could only stake out the place.
What he didn't know was that even though the Akatsuki had dispersed, most civilians had still benefited from the group's actions. Therefore, when an outsider like Jiraiya came asking about the Akatsuki, they would never betray them.
Just as Jiraiya was about to continue his stakeout, a shuriken suddenly flew towards him.
"Who's there?"
Jiraiya formed hand seals, and his hair instantly hardened, blocking the shuriken.
He then saw a figure flash by but couldn't make out their face. However, the person who attacked him with the shuriken was clearly trying to lure him away.
"Doesn't seem like the style of the Hidden Rain Village ninjas, so it must be Yahiko's Akatsuki. This guy's style isn't bad, knowing to protect civilians."
Jiraiya immediately gave chase, but the person who threw the shuriken wasn't slow either.
The two quickly left the small town, heading to a desolate, empty area on the outskirts. There was a barren expanse of land nearby, with some forests on the side, but Jiraiya lost track of the person he was chasing.
Before he could search the surroundings, a figure walked out of the nearby forest.
Red hair and Rinnegan eyes, although his face was much thinner and there were unknown white objects on his body, Jiraiya immediately recognized him as Nagato.
He excitedly asked, "Nagato, was that you just now? You brat, you threw a shuriken at your teacher?"
"Jiraiya-sensei, what are you looking for the Akatsuki for?"
Jiraiya was momentarily stunned by the question, and then he saw Nagato's cold expression. He immediately guessed that the information might be true, feeling heartbroken for a moment before asking, "I came to check on you guys. Nagato, where are Konan and Yahiko?"
"Yahiko is dead, killed in a joint assassination by Hanzō and Danzō. After they killed Yahiko, they destroyed the Akatsuki."
Nagato's voice was calm, and he continued coldly, "Jiraiya-sensei, if you're here to see Yahiko, you can go back now."
"Nagato, there must be some misunderstanding. I will investigate this thoroughly."
Seeing Nagato's demeanor, Jiraiya knew he already hated Konoha. However, Nagato was the Child of Prophecy from Mount Myōboku, and with his Rinnegan, he had the potential to change the fate of the ninja world. Jiraiya didn't want Nagato to hold a grudge against Konoha.
"Nagato, I promise you, if it was really Danzō—"
"Jiraiya-sensei, it was Danzō."
Nagato interrupted Jiraiya, pointing to his Rinnegan, and said, "One of the Rinnegan's abilities is to search information directly from the soul. A person's mouth can lie, but their soul's memory cannot. It was Danzō who killed Yahiko."
Jiraiya frowned upon hearing this. He hadn't known the Rinnegan had such an ability. Since Nagato said so, he had no choice but to believe him or continue denying it.
Believing Nagato would mean returning to confront Danzō on behalf of Yahiko. Not believing Nagato might sever their teacher-student bond.
"Nagato, I hope you can trust me this once."
"We always trusted you, Jiraiya-sensei. That's why Yahiko went to find you, and then he was forced to his death by Konoha ninjas."
Nagato could see Jiraiya's choice and was deeply angered. His parents had been killed by Konoha ninjas, and Yahiko, believing in Jiraiya's ideals, had ultimately died under the pressure from Konoha ninjas and Hanzō.
But remembering that Jiraiya had taken care of them for three years, Nagato was unwilling to attack him.
"Leave, Jiraiya-sensei. There's no more Akatsuki."
"Nagato!"
Seeing Nagato about to leave, Jiraiya rushed towards him, trying to stop him to talk.
But Nagato suddenly turned and raised his hand towards Jiraiya, "Shinra Tensei!"
A powerful repulsive force instantly spread from Nagato, creating a circular crater in the hard ground and sending Jiraiya flying, tumbling for dozens of meters before landing among the rubble.
"I told you, don't come looking for us anymore, Jiraiya-sensei! Yahiko's dream and the old Akatsuki are gone."
With that, Nagato prepared to leave. Despite everything, he couldn't bring himself to hurt Jiraiya.
However, Jiraiya got up, coughed up blood, and said, "Nagato, you brat, how dare you attack your teacher? Fine, let me see how much stronger you've become!"
"Doton: Yomi Numa!"
Jiraiya quickly formed seals and performed a jutsu, turning the ground in front of him into a vast swamp. He knew that if he let Nagato leave, he might become hostile to Konoha, so he had to stop him and clear up the misunderstanding.
Nagato sensed the attack and jumped up. As he turned in the air, he saw Jiraiya using his hair jutsu to attack him.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The powerful repulsive force reappeared, this time even repelling Jiraiya's iron-hard hair.
'Hmm? His hair and the swamp were both repelled? It seems to form a spherical shape centered on Nagato, repelling everything. And it doesn't require hand seals.'
Jiraiya wasn't disappointed that his move failed. He had gathered some information about the previous technique.
'Both close and long-range attacks can be repelled. Let's try something else!'
"Katon: Dai Endan!"
A massive, fiery flame mixed with toad oil shot towards Nagato. This fire jutsu was not an ordinary one, and even water jutsu had a hard time extinguishing it because of the toad oil.
"Banshō Ten'in."
Nagato extended his hand towards the ground, and under the influence of an attractive force, the mud from the Yomi Numa rose, forming a mud dragon that extinguished Jiraiya's Dai Endan.
"He can do that too?"
Jiraiya was surprised. Unlike the repulsive force, the mud from Yomi Numa seemed to be pulled up.
But there was no time to be amazed. He then saw Nagato's body change, his arm detaching to reveal numerous missile launchers that fired at him.
"Is this also a Rinnegan ability!?"
Jiraiya was shocked by the missiles, then quickly dodged. He even used his Needle Jizō to block some of them, though the explosions hurt his chest. The missiles weren't just ordinary—they were homing missiles.
Just as he dispelled Needle Jizō, he saw Nagato already in front of him.
"This is bad."
"Shinra Tensei!"
Boom!
A powerful repulsive force spread out in all directions, creating a spherical crater in the ground and sending Jiraiya flying again, tumbling to the ground and falling silent.
"Banshō Ten'in."
Nagato raised his hand towards Jiraiya again, using the Rinnegan's ability to pull him over.
Pretending to be unconscious, Jiraiya felt the pull and immediately tried to resist with a jutsu.
But it was too late. He was quickly pulled in front of Nagato, who grabbed his neck and slammed him to the ground.
Boom!
Jiraiya spat out a mouthful of blood. That slam felt like it broke his entire body.
With Tobi's possession, Nagato's chakra and strength had increased significantly. That slam was nearly as powerful as superhuman strength.
In the next second, a black rod extended from Nagato's left hand, but hesitation flashed across his face. The prone Jiraiya, squinting his eyes open, weakly said, "Nagato..."
Bang!
Nagato stabbed the black rod into the ground beside Jiraiya, took a deep breath, and said, "Jiraiya-sensei, don't come looking for us again. This is our last bond as teacher and student."
With that, Nagato turned and left. After this battle, he had no more ties with Jiraiya.
Once Nagato left, Jiraiya passed out. Having taken two Shinra Tensei blasts, a missile, and a near-superhuman slam, his internal organs were injured, and his body was nearly broken.
After Nagato left, Obito appeared from the Kamui space, and White Zetsu emerged from the ground.
"The Rinnegan's power is indeed formidable, to have beaten one of the Sannin so quickly."
Obito said calmly, "After all, it's the Sage's eyes."
Instant, seal-less jutsu, mechanical enhancements, and the boost from Tobi's possession, plus intelligence gathering. Obito, having been possessed by Tobi before, knew how powerful the boost was.
So he wasn't surprised Jiraiya was beaten so badly. This was with Nagato not fully mastering the Rinnegan; otherwise, he could have taken down Jiraiya even faster.
White Zetsu asked, "What about Jiraiya? Should we kill him?"
"No need. He won't give up on Nagato. Let's leave him be."
Obito looked at Jiraiya, unsure if he was thinking about Nagato or himself.
"Once Nagato kills Jiraiya, he'll fully stand with us."
With that, Obito left using Kamui.
"Killing your teacher, huh. Heh, Obito, you must be thinking the same thing."
After saying this, White Zetsu and Black Zetsu also disappeared underground.
Soon, it began to rain heavily, and the downpour woke the unconscious Jiraiya.
When he woke up, he found himself alone, Nagato long gone. A black rod was still stuck in the ground beside him.
"That brat Nagato, how dare he hit his teacher so hard."
Jiraiya muttered through gritted teeth, feeling several broken bones and struggling to walk. Gathering some chakra and using a bit of his own blood, he performed a summoning jutsu.
Poof!
A puff of smoke appeared, and Jiraiya stood on top of a giant purplish-red toad.
The toad, holding a shield and spear, looked around and, seeing no enemies, asked, "Jiraiya, where are the enemies?"
Jiraiya said, "Sorry, Gamaken, the enemies are gone. I'm seriously injured. Can you take me back to Konoha?"
"Alright, no problem. But you'll need to be inside my mouth."
Gamaken said. Given Jiraiya's serious injuries, he couldn't stand on his head. Jiraiya didn't object, so Gamaken placed him gently in his mouth and began hopping towards Konoha.
In his current state, returning to Konoha for treatment was the best option. Although he could go to Mount Myōboku to recuperate, there were no medical ninjas there, and he'd only have bugs to eat.
"Well done, Rin."
Yoichi praised, feeling his vision obscured. "Learning an A-rank genjutsu in just a few days shows your talent. Do you want to take a break?"
"I'm fine. Are you tired, Yoichi-sensei?"
Rin dispelled the genjutsu, came to Yoichi's side, and smiled sweetly. His patient guidance and gentle encouragement had greatly improved her opinion of him.
"Let's rest for a bit. Training isn't a race. By the way, Rin, the ninja game I brought is newly developed. You can play it when you're bored and give me some feedback."
"Yes, Yoichi-sensei."
Rin nodded, then stood obediently by his side, asking, "Yoichi-sensei, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Well..."
Yoichi thought for a moment, then used his ability to listen to Rin's thoughts seriously.
'I really want to do something for Yoichi-sensei. He's so kind and has helped me so much. I'd feel too guilty if I didn't do something in return.'
"In that case, Rin, could you give me a massage?"
"A massage?"
Rin was momentarily stunned but quickly accepted. As a medical ninja, she was familiar with the practice.
"Alright, Yoichi-sensei."
She moved her youthful body closer to him.
But just then, Yoichi received a memory from his wood clone, making him smile. He patted Rin's auburn hair apologetically and said, "Rin, I suddenly have something to take care of. My clone will help you with your training. We'll save the massage for another time."
"Oh? Okay, Yoichi-sensei."
Rin felt a bit disappointed but was happy that his clone would stay with her. She smiled brightly.
Leaving a wood clone in the alchemy room, Yoichi left for the Hokage Tower.
(End of Chapter)