Chapter 103: Intel and a Reunion

Chapter 103: Intel and a Reunion

“Damn it! Using a Sealing Technique is cheating! Have the guts to release me and fight fair!”

Sasuke Uchiha thrashed against the Four Symbols Seal binding his limbs, his face twisted with frustration as the mist cleared.

“Sasuke Uchiha, are you still a kid who hasn’t even graduated yet?” Karin shot back, her temple throbbing. “You were the one who insisted on taking us both on. Now you’re throwing a tantrum just because you lost?”

Sasuke froze mid-rant.

Hinata Hyuga, landing gracefully nearby, added gently, “You need to control your temper. Every time your power surges, you get reckless. That arrogance is a deadly flaw.”

Sasuke’s face burned crimson.

Click! Click!

Suddenly, camera shutters whirred.

Izayoi snapped photos of Sasuke’s disgruntled face, sighing theatrically. “Tsk tsk. I wanted a cool shot, but you got wiped out in under ten moves. What a disgrace.”

“Shut up!”

Sasuke’s humiliation was complete. If he’d known this would happen, he’d never have rushed in. Next time he fought Hinata and Karin, he’d avoid Fire Release at all costs—those two’s sensory skills made it suicide.

After Karin released the seal, Sasuke bolted, desperate to escape the trio’s smirks.

“Wait,” Izayoi called, halting him. “Your chakra’s overflowing right now. Perfect timing—help me with something.”

He turned to the two girls. “Hinata, Karin, you’re with me too.”

“Yes!” they chimed.

“Hmph… No one said you couldn’t stay,” Sasuke muttered.

Izayoi grinned. “Could it be you’ll miss me after I move out?”

“Who’d miss you?!” Sasuke spat, his lie obvious. “I’d love for you to vanish already!”

“Relax. My new place’s huge. There’s a massive arena. You can crash or spar anytime.”

“Like I care.”

Grumbling, Sasuke led them to Konoha’s Central Street. Izayoi’s new home—a modest two-story house—was already framed, with crews working furiously.

The four of them used Multiple Shadow Clones to assist the contractors, secretly learning the trade. Better to fix things themselves later. Izayoi also discussed retrofitting the basement with machinery and ninja tools.

Unlike the bumbling Leaf ninjas, the prodigies in his group were golden apprentices—grasping techniques instantly, making the crew chief beam. At this rate, the house would be done before December.

---

Rain lashed Amegakure.

“Scatter! Even if we die, this intel must reach the Raikage!”

Kumo Anbu in raincoats sprinted through mud, their leader barking orders. Shadows flickered, vanishing into alleys.

One Anbu skidded into a side street, his mask barely visible beneath his hood. Blood smeared the ground as he bit his thumb and slammed his palm down.

“Summoning Jutsu!”

A gray wolf poofed into existence. As the Anbu reached for a scroll, a shadow loomed.

Boom!

A colossal rhinoceros crashed down, crushing him and his summon. On its head stood a man with orange hair and a Rain-nin forehead protector—Deva Path.

Elsewhere, another Anbu never even glimpsed his killer. A missile screamed toward him, tracking his every Body Flicker.

Lightning Release—Boom!

The explosion engulfed him, leaving him broken. A figure descended—Shinra Path, delivering the final blow.

The Six Paths slaughtered the rest. One was drained by Asura Path’s Chakra Siphon, another devoured by the King of Hell. Nagato absorbed their memories, extracting their mission details.

Only the squad leader escaped, collapsing against a cliffside, gasping.

“Shinra Tensei!”

A invisible force yanked him skyward. He thrashed, but the godly grip held firm.

From the rain emerged Deva Path, crimson clouds swirling on his cloak. His Rinnegan pierced the storm.

“Your game ends here.”

With a flick of his wrist—

Boom!

Rain vanished in a dome of destruction. The Anbu shattered against the earth, the crater swallowing the cliff. Not even dust lingered.

Deva Path turned. “Jiraiya-sensei. You can come out now.”

A tall figure in a raincoat emerged, pulling off his hood to reveal wild white hair—Jiraiya.

“So it’s really you… Nagato.”

His voice cracked. “What happened to you all these years?”

Deva Path floated down, expressionless. “Didn’t your Shadow Clones gather enough intel these past days?”

“So I’ll ask again—what exactly happened all these years?” Jiraiya pressed, his voice heavy with sorrow. “Are you Yahiko or Nagato? Is the ‘angel’ of Amegakure really Konan? Why did I receive news of your deaths back then? If you survived, why didn’t you return to the Hidden Leaf? Why form an organization like Akatsuki? And what about Danzō Shimura and Hanzō? What truly occurred?”

His questions carried the weight of years of confusion.

Had he not been searching for Tsunade at the time, he would’ve rushed to Amegakure immediately after the Hidden Leaf’s destruction crisis.

Initially, he refused to believe his three disciples were alive, suspecting instead that someone had used the Rinnegan or other techniques to reanimate them as human puppets.

Thus, he’d proceeded cautiously, sending only a Shadow Clone into Amegakure.

But as his clone gathered more intelligence, Jiraiya was forced to accept the truth—his three disciples had indeed survived.

Yet something—or someone—must have happened to them. Otherwise, they’d never have become so unrecognizable.

Pain (Deva Path) remained expressionless under Jiraiya’s barrage of questions.

But when the conversation turned to the abduction of the Wood Release ninja and the theft of the Forbidden Scroll, his undead face finally flickered.

The corner of his mouth twitched faintly, as if defending himself. “Danzō Shimura’s death brings me no sorrow. But I didn’t kill him, nor have I ever set foot in the Hidden Leaf.”

“What?”

Jiraiya stiffened, then glanced at the shattered cliffside, his face falling. “Whether you’re Yahiko or Nagato, my disciples never lied. You’ve changed—utterly. The ninjutsu traces you left in the Hidden Leaf match exactly the techniques used to kill that Anbu. This power… it’s unmistakably the Rinnegan. You can’t fool me.”

Pain (Deva Path) fell silent.

For the first time in his life, Nagato felt the bitterness of being misunderstood.

He truly couldn’t comprehend how someone with a Sage’s Eye—supposedly unrivaled in the ninja world aside from himself—could act so undignified.

Where was the greatness befitting a legendary warrior?

Slandering others—wasn’t that the weapon of the weak and petty?

Why had fate bestowed a second Rinnegan upon that man, forcing him into this divine trial?

Could it be because the other was righteous and radiant, destined to destroy the darkness he represented to become the true savior?

Perhaps seeking to redeem himself in his mentor’s eyes, Pain (Deva Path) declared arrogantly, “A god has no need for lies. My strength requires no alliances. If you’ve investigated Akatsuki’s affairs, you know Orochimaru is now a hunted traitor.

“The one who conspired with him to assassinate Danzō, abduct the Wood Release ninja, and steal the Forbidden Scroll is a mysterious figure with a second Sage’s Eye—my destined rival, chosen by fate.”

“A second Rinnegan?!” Jiraiya’s eyes widened in shock.

But moments later, realization dawned, twisting his face into a grimace. “Wait… isn’t it the seventh?”

Pain (Deva Path) had already lost count of how many times he’d been left speechless today—a record since his transformation.

The dignity of godhood crumbled once more.

Yet before his former teacher, he could only explain patiently, “Those marked with black rods are my human puppets.”

At this, Jiraiya’s expression darkened. “So… you truly are Nagato.”

Pain (Deva Path) gazed into the rain, his voice cold. “I will become a god in Yahiko’s name, ending this endless cycle of war. That is my peace.”

“Is that why Akatsuki hunts the tailed beasts? To gather them all?” Jiraiya challenged. “That’s not peace—it’s tyranny!”

“You lack vision,” Pain countered. “This is the difference between mortals and gods. None understand my path—except that mysterious foe. He alone is worthy of me.”

“Return to the Hidden Leaf, Master Jiraiya. Your intelligence gathering is complete. My war is no longer with the Five Great Villages, but with my destined adversary.”

“If you persist in meddling… even as my teacher, I will kill you.”

With that warning, Pain (Deva Path) ascended into the sky, vanishing toward Amegakure.

“Nagato! I’ll stop you!” Jiraiya roared after him. “Correcting my disciples’ errors is my duty as their teacher!”

Pain (Deva Path) didn’t look back.

Watching the rain swallow his former student, Jiraiya muttered grimly, “A second Rinnegan… a shadow manipulating the ninja world. I never imagined things had deteriorated this far.”

This journey to Amegakure had shaken him deeply.

He’d initially believed Nagato’s Rinnegan alone was the source of the crisis.

Yet the truth was far worse—his own disciple led Akatsuki.

The death of Yahiko had clearly warped Nagato, the prophesied child.

But from their exchange, Jiraiya sensed Nagato hadn’t yet lost all reason—merely strayed from the path.

And that made the reality even more terrifying.

The Sage’s Eye was not unique. A second existed.

This unknown figure was the true architect behind the Hidden Leaf’s destruction plan, a mystery even to Nagato.

Why kill Danzō Shimura?

Why abduct Tenzō, the Wood Release test subject?

Why steal the Forbidden Scroll and countless other scrolls?

Akatsuki’s goal was clear—to dominate the ninja world through the tailed beasts and impose a twisted peace.

But what of this mysterious stranger?

What was his objective?

The unknown was the greatest fear.

After his encounter with Pain, Jiraiya now viewed the possessor of the second Rinnegan as the most dangerous threat of all.

Resolute, he decided to resume his wanderings across the ninja world, seeking answers.

With a pop, Jiraiya dissolved into a cloud of white smoke—

Another Shadow Clone.

Yet neither Pain (Deva Path) nor Jiraiya noticed a distant observer watching through the rain—a Wood Clone’s eyes, belonging to none other than Izayoi.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end