Deep within the Akatsuki's base, Konan pressed her lips tightly together as she spoke to the emaciated Nagato:
"Nagato… are you sure you want to do this? That's Konoha—the village of Jiraiya-sensei."
When Konan suddenly ntioned Jiraiya, Nagato froze for a mont, a trace of nostalgia flashing through his eyes.
"Jiraiya-sensei.… It really has been a long ti."
Hearing this, Konan's beautiful eyes briefly lit up, but then she heard Nagato speak again, his expression resolute:
"But I won't stop because of Jiraiya-sensei.. At this point, there's nothing left that we can't abandon."
At those words, the light faded from Konan's eyes. After a long silence, she spoke softly:
"I understand."
Seeing her like this, Nagato paused briefly, but soon spoke with firm determination:
"Konan, you understand my predicant. We have no way back anymore. If we don't go to Konoha and use the hands of Konoha's shinobi to weaken Madara's forces, then not only will Yahiko's dream be impossible to realize—even you and I won't be able to protect ourselves."
Konan's body trembled violently at this. She looked up at Nagato and offered a faint smile.
"I understand. I'm not blaming you. I said it long ago—I live for the sake of helping you achieve that dream."
Nagato did not respond. He rely said in a low voice:
"Call everyone over. It's ti to begin the operation."
After Konan left, Nagato's eyes flickered for a mont before he finally clenched his teeth and made up his mind. As he ford hand seals, the five coffins stationed beside him suddenly stood upright, and five differently shaped corpses erged from them.
After his gaze swept across the five bodies one by one, Nagato murmured softly:
"I hope I won't have to use you today."
As soon as those words fell, Nagato seed to age more than ten years in an instant. At the sa ti, the five corpses, whose eyes had been tightly shut, suddenly opened them, revealing the oppressive Rinnegan within.
...
Everything proceeded exactly as anticipated. After delivering a brief address, Nagato—controlling the Deva Path Pain—announced the plan to invade Konoha.
As they neared the borders of the Land of Fire, the Akatsuki mbers completed their assembly. Eight figures moved silently toward Konoha.
Along the way, the Deva Path Pain frequently cast his gaze over Black Zetsu and Tobi. However, since the two were not known for their combat prowess, even the Deva Path Pain failed to sense anything amiss.
Led by Nagato, the Akatsuki advanced in silence. Partway through the journey, Tobi suddenly spoke up:
"Yare yare, this is bad. Looks like the Konoha guys have discovered our trail. There's a team of about twenty people heading this way."
The Deva Path Pain showed no change in expression and replied coldly:
"It is nothing more than futile resistance. Before God, all defiance is aningless."
Hidan, standing nearby, chid in:
"Exactly. I just hope their blood can bring Lord Jashin a mont of pleasure."
Both groups moved towards each other. Before long, they encountered one another. After the two sides ca face to face, they fell into a brief silence.
The Konoha group looked toward the eight mbers of Akatsuki, especially Pain at their head, and felt imnse pressure.
anwhile, the Akatsuki mbers were identifying familiar faces among the Konoha ranks, and their expressions changed one by one.
There was no helping it—every single person Konoha had brought was simply too famous. Ignoring them was impossible.
Behind the Fifth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, stood the four most veteran and legendary powerhouses of Konoha: Hoshiyomi, Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya. Behind them were the pillars of the middle generation: Kuugetsu, Nawaki, Shikaku, and Pakura.
After Kuugetsue's group ca Kakashi, Might Guy, Obito, and Asuma. Further back were the younger generation's prodigies—Shisui, Itachi, Kimimaro, Haku, Shin, Kabuto, Sasuke, and Neji.
With twenty-one elite figures lined up in a single formation, the deterrent force they radiated was overwhelming.
After a mont of silence, Minato was the first to step forward. As Hokage, it was only natural for him to demand an explanation for Pain's large-scale assault:
"Why is the Akatsuki launching such a massive attack on the great ninja villages? The shinobi world has only just regained its hard-won peace—are you planning to shatter it once again?"
Hearing this, Pain—who had worn a cold expression all this ti—suddenly smiled. It was as if he had heard an extrely amusing joke. After throwing his head back in laughter, his smile abruptly vanished, and he fixed Minato with an icy stare.
"You say we are the ones destroying hard-won peace? Why don't you think about who broke that so-called peace in the first place?
The Five Great Ninja Villages fought among themselves again and again, yet in the end it was the small villages that were left devastated, drowning in misery. After creating such tragedies, you swaggered away without consequence—and now you dare to accuse us of breaking the peace?"
At this point, Pain shifted his gaze back to Minato.
"Fifth Hokage of Konoha, I hear you are the father of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. As his father, you must know where Naruto is. Tell Naruto's location now, and perhaps I will allow Konoha to continue existing.
Or will you, as a father, choose to abandon the entire village for the sake of your child?"
Pain's arrogant tone caused everyone present to frown. Minato's expression darkened even further.
"Stop dreaming. Today, whether it's Konoha or Naruto, you won't get what you want."
Just as Minato finished speaking, Jiraiya behind him suddenly beca agitated. He had abruptly realized that the Deva Path Pain looked shockingly familiar—and even more unexpectedly, he saw Konan standing behind Pain.
All of this was impossible for Jiraiya to accept. Unable to suppress the shock and confusion in his heart, he spoke out:
"Yahiko… is that you? Why do you have Nagato's eyes? And Konan—you're still alive too? I clearly heard reports that you died in the unrest. Why are you here now? And where is Nagato? What happened to Nagato?
What have you all been through all these years?"
Facing Jiraiya's shocked and conflicted gaze, Konan felt deep remorse. She looked at him and parted her lips, but it took a long while before she finally spoke:
"Sensei… back then, we should have listened to Orochimaru and let him kill us. Maybe that's what you're thinking now as well. But it's too late. We have already begun acting according to God's will."
As Konan finished speaking, the Deva Path Pain spoke just as resolutely:
"Enough with such aningless talk. The Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan of the past are already dead. The one standing before you now has transcended the limitations of flesh and blood—I am no longer who I once was.
I am now the god who corrects order, and Konan is the angel at my side who helps proclaim divine judgnt."
...
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