Naruto: Rebirth Of The Child Of Prophecy

Konan's gaze bore into him. "You never understood us, sensei."

Jiraiya's voice rose, his frustration spilling over. "What happened to you? Why join the Akatsuki? Don't you see how wrong their actions are?"

Konan's eyes turned icy. "This is the answer we found ourselves, Jiraiya-sensei."

A new voice cut through the tension, deep and unyielding. "Indeed, sensei."

Jiraiya's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing as Tendo Pain descended from above, his Rinnegan glowing like cold ripples of fate.

"Nagato," Jiraiya muttered, his voice heavy. "You've strayed so far from the path I hoped to guide you on. I never thought you would become… this. Pain. What happened? Why have you chosen this path?"

Pain's face remained impassive. "You don't need to understand, sensei," he replied.

With a swift seal, Pain summoned a massive crab from a magic circle. Foam burst forth, blanketing the area in a blinding spray.

Jiraiya leapt to safety, watching as the foam washed away the oil on Konan's wings. "You've studied my techniques well," Jiraiya said, a hint of pride in his voice despite the circumstances.

Konan reemerged from the foam, her paper wings spreading wide once more. Pain's voice rang out. "Konan, stand down. I will handle him."

Konan hesitated, then dispersed her form into paper and vanished.

Pain formed another seal, summoning a colossal lobster. Its claws snapped menacingly as it lunged at Jiraiya.

But Jiraiya remained calm. His hair extended, entangling the beast and crushing it in an instant. With a bang, the summoning dispersed.

Jiraiya seized the opportunity, his hair extending further to ensnare Pain. "Nagato!" he shouted, desperation in his voice. "Tell me—what happened to Yahiko?!"

Pain's face remained stoic, his voice devoid of emotion. "Yahiko…? That person no longer exists."

Jiraiya froze, his eyes wide with shock. The Nagato he once knew, the boy who swore to protect his friends and bring peace to the world, seemed like a distant memory. "What happened to you all…?" he whispered.

Pain stared down at his former master. "You'll find out soon enough, sensei."

"Is this… a barrier?" the long-haired man muttered, his eyes darting warily around the enclosed space.

Before he could act, the stone beneath his feet began to corrode and collapse. His instincts kicked in, and he leapt into the air. But as he evaded the acid, Shima Sage, perched on Jiraiya's right shoulder, lashed her tongue out like a whip, anchoring herself to a nearby pillar. The force propelled Jiraiya forward.

"Rasengan!"

Jiraiya's left hand surged with spiraling energy as he drove the Rasengan directly into the long-haired man's chest. The impact sent the man hurtling into the acid pool at the center of the barrier.

Landing heavily on the stone platform above the pool, Jiraiya knelt down, panting, his gaze fixed on the bubbling acid that consumed the man's body. "We dragged him into the barrier… and finally killed one." His voice was heavy with both exhaustion and relief.

The battle leading up to this moment had been brutal. First, Jiraiya had faced the long-haired man alone. To stand a chance, he had no choice but to activate Sage Mode, summoning Fukasaku Sage and Shima Sage to assist him. But during the summoning, his hands were immobilized, leaving him vulnerable.

The long-haired man had relentlessly summoned a series of monstrous creatures, one after another. Gamaken, the summoned toad, fought valiantly to defend Jiraiya, but the opposing beasts were ferocious and unyielding. Despite his best efforts, Gamaken was gravely wounded, forcing him to retreat with an apology. "Forgive me… I wasn't strong enough."

Jiraiya, however, had no time to mourn. His restored Sage Mode allowed him to face three of the Pains simultaneously. With the combined efforts of the two Great Sages, he managed to defeat them. But just as he prepared to leave, a fourth Pain, the Explosion Path, emerged from the shadows.

"Teacher," the new Pain said, his voice cold and mocking, "you taught me that no opponent should ever be underestimated."

Caught off guard, Jiraiya had no time to react.

BOOM!!

An explosion rang out, and his left arm was torn away in an instant. The force of the blast sent him crashing to the water's surface outside the barrier. Blood gushed from his shoulder, staining the sea red.

"Cough!" Jiraiya clutched the remains of his left arm, his vision blurring from the pain.

"Boy, your left arm!" Fukasaku Sage exclaimed in horror.

There was no time to recover. All six Pains assembled before Jiraiya, their cold, unfeeling gazes bearing down on him. He barely managed to retreat into the barrier, dragging the long-haired man with him. Hidden from the sight of the other Pains, he launched a surprise attack.

Now, with the long-haired man seemingly dead in the acid, Jiraiya tried to catch his breath.

"Well done, boy," Fukasaku Sage praised.

But the moment of reprieve was short-lived.

Without warning, the long-haired man burst out of the acid pool, his face a grim mask of determination. Raising his right hand, he extended a slender black chakra rod from his sleeve.

The rod shot forward like a lightning bolt, aimed directly at Jiraiya. Reacting instinctively, Jiraiya raised his right arm to block it. The rod pierced through his shoulder and arm, pinning him to the stone wall.

"Agh!" Jiraiya gasped, blood spilling from his lips as his body sagged against the wall.

The long-haired man collapsed in exhaustion, finally succumbing to his injuries. But the damage was done.

"Are you okay, kid?" Shima Sage asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Jiraiya struggled to lift his head, his breaths shallow and labored. "I… I can still hold on," he rasped, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

With great effort, he grasped the black rod and snapped it in half. But as he did, a sudden wave of pain coursed through his body. He trembled, his voice shaking. "My chakra… it's completely disordered."

Fukasaku Sage's eyes darted to the broken rod. "Is it because of this thing?" He hurriedly yanked the remaining piece out of Jiraiya's arm and tossed it aside.

"What… what are these people?" Shima Sage exclaimed. "Their bodies, their weapons—none of it is normal. They're not even human anymore!"

Jiraiya's head drooped, his expression dark with despair. The chakra disruption still lingered in his body, and his mind reeled as fragments of his past encounters flooded his thoughts.

He recalled the words of the hooded ninja: "No one has ever seen him. No one knows what he looks like. Some even say he doesn't exist."

His heart sank further as his thoughts turned to Tendo Pain. The man's face was unmistakable—it was Yahiko's. But Yahiko didn't have the Rinnegan. How could this be?

At that moment, the cloth binding the long-haired man's forehead protector slipped away, corroded by the acid. Jiraiya's eyes widened as he stared at the revealed forehead.

He froze, his breath catching in his throat.

He recognized it.

Shock washed over him, his mind racing. "This… this can't be…"

The truth was undeniable, but it shattered him all the same.