"Naruto," Yamato quickly ran over to help Naruto up. Fortunately, Kakashi's Earth Style Wall had partially blocked the attack, so although Naruto was injured, it was just from the shockwave and not serious.
"I'm fine," Naruto said, standing up with Yamato's support. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Nagato.
"This guy is strong. Be careful," Kakashi said, his face serious.
"Yeah," Naruto and Yamato both nodded. They already knew the man before them was no ordinary foe.
"Surrender quietly," Nagato said expressionlessly, "You cannot defeat me."
"Are you kidding?" Naruto shouted, gritting his teeth. He formed a hand sign.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In a series of puffs of white smoke, countless Naruto clones filled the surroundings. They paired up, each duo forming a light blue sphere in their hands.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto's clones kicked off the ground, shooting towards Nagato arrows, each holding a Rasengan.
Nagato stood still, his expression unchanged. He coldly watched the approaching Narutos and raised his arm.
"Shinra Tensei."
A massive force erupted from Nagato's palm. The overwhelming power made it feel irresistible. Under the attack, Naruto's clones were sent flying, dissipating into white smoke with a series of puffs.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears!"
Off to the side, Yamato had already formed hand signs. The ground trembled, and numerous sharp stone spears shot up from the earth, glinting coldly as they rose skyward.
Nagato stepped off the ground, leaping into the air to avoid the stone spears. But just then, a figure appeared behind him.
"Chidori!"
A hand crackling with lightning struck Nagato's back hard, sending him flying and crashing heavily to the ground.
"Yes!" Naruto cheered, raising a clenched fist, but his smile didn't last long.
"It's not over yet," Kakashi said gravely. He felt that his Chidori hadn't penetrated the opponent's body, meaning it hadn't dealt a fatal blow.
"Good teamwork."
Sure enough, Nagato slowly stood up from the ground. His clothes were slightly torn, with a hole revealing a wound that, although bloody, wasn't deep.
Suddenly, a large shadow appeared on the ground around Naruto and his team, as if something was blocking the light.
"Watch out!" Kakashi shouted, looking up sharply.
"Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!"
With a deafening boom, the ground shook slightly, stones and dust flew, and waves of air rolled.
In the critical moment, Yamato had decisively used Wood Style to defend against the attack. But the Wood Locking Wall creaked and cracked, with fissures spreading across it, barely holding up.
"Get out of here!" Yamato yelled, sweating profusely.
The three of them jumped, quickly escaping as the Wood Locking Wall collapsed with a crash.
The three who had escaped looked up to see a giant bird, which had appeared at some point, screeching with its beak wide open and pressing down on the fragments of the wooden wall. It was this bird that had attacked them earlier.
"What is this?" Naruto's eyes widened, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
The white mist dispersed, revealing two figures with orange hair in front of them. One had a ponytail, and the other had a square face. Both emitted a dangerous aura.
The group became serious. Just dealing with one Nagato had been tough, and now there were two more.
At this moment, Nagato's expression changed. He raised his arm and aimed at a small hill in the distance.
"Shinra Tensei!"
With a deafening roar, the distant rocks were pulverized, sending debris flying and dust billowing into the air. A figure leapt out of the dust, landing in front of Naruto and his group.
This man had spiky hair, wore a forehead protector with the word "oil" on it, and was dressed in red and green. It was none other than the Toad Sage Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sensei!" Naruto shouted excitedly, while Kakashi and Yamato also breathed a sigh of relief. With one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, the battle would surely be much easier.
"Long time no see," Nagato said in a low voice. "Jiraiya-sensei."
"Who are you?" Jiraiya looked up, his eyes widening in disbelief. "You're Yahiko?"
"Yahiko," Nagato said slowly, "is dead."
"What happened?" Jiraiya frowned. "I've been looking for you all these years, but I couldn't find you. I heard you were dead. How did you end up like this and become a member of the Akatsuki?"
"Those things are in the past," Nagato said in a low voice. "Why have you come here?"
"I have no special reason," Jiraiya said seriously. "I heard you were dead. I never expected this."
"If you had done as Orochimaru suggested and killed us back then, wouldn't you have thought that was the right choice?" Nagato said expressionlessly. "Do you regret it now?"
"I never thought about killing you," Jiraiya said, his eyes fixed on Nagato. He sighed softly. "I taught you how to survive in a chaotic world. You were my disciples. No matter how hard your lives are, attacking me without a word is too heartbreaking."
"You don't understand what we went through afterward," Nagato said in a low voice.
"I don't," Jiraiya admitted, then his eyes sharpened. "But does that justify becoming part of the Akatsuki? What the Akatsuki does is wrong."
"It's not us who are wrong, Jiraiya-sensei, but you," Nagato said expressionlessly. "After all, you're just a mortal. It's no surprise you can't understand me."
"I never thought you'd become this obsessed," Jiraiya said, his eyes fixed on Nagato.
Outside, the continuous sound of explosions was heard. Even from this distance, it was clear. The ground shook slightly, causing the room to tremble as well. Dust fell from the ceiling, filling the air.
In her room, Kaguya was restless, constantly thinking about what was happening outside. The truth was, with the current abilities of Jiraiya and Naruto's team, they were no match for Nagato. Even after Naruto learned Sage Mode, he still wasn't a match for Nagato until Hinata got injured, causing Naruto to go berserk and unleash the power of the Nine-Tails, which finally defeated Nagato.
As for Jiraiya, even though he was one of the Legendary Sannin, he stood little chance against Nagato. Even with three helpers, he might end up the same way he did in the original story.
And right now, Kaguya didn't want Jiraiya to die.