"Wait—Jiraiya, aren't you coming out?"
Orochimaru displayed a sinister smile across his features. Facing the imminent attack from Tendo Pain, he showed no signs of panic. Instead, he turned his head to look toward a nearby location.
Jiraiya, Uzumaki Naruto, and the Konoha tracking team were all concealed in that direction!
"That bastard Orochimaru!"
Jiraiya gritted his teeth. Though somewhat annoyed, he recognized this as typical behavior from his former teammate and had been prepared for such tactics.
The problem was...
Seeing Uzumaki Naruto about to leap out in fury, Jiraiya quickly grabbed him, saying, "Calm down! Orochimaru just wants us to jump out and take the bullets for him!"
"But..."
Orochimaru was the enemy who had killed the Third Hokage. The fact that Uzumaki Naruto had restrained himself until now without taking action was already a significant sign of growth.
"Look carefully. Our enemy this time isn't just Orochimaru. Those people obviously have malicious intentions. Remember what I've been trying to teach you?"
Under Jiraiya's persuasion, Uzumaki Naruto, who had been struggling to contain himself, finally calmed down and no longer wanted to rush out recklessly.
"Jiraiya, your students are standing right there—don't you want to come out and take a look?"
Orochimaru's voice rang out again, his intention crystal clear: to drag Jiraiya into the open and force him to resist the Akatsuki organization's assault alongside him.
And this tactic proved effective. Tendo Pain, who had been about to attack, immediately halted his offensive. The meaning was obvious.
"Jiraiya, you and your students have been separated for many years. I didn't expect they would grow to this level—becoming leaders of the Akatsuki organization!"
Orochimaru continued provoking Jiraiya, but he failed to notice that the faces of Tendo Pain and Konan standing opposite him had turned extremely grim.
On the mountain peak, within a hidden cave...
"Nagato, let me kill Orochimaru!"
Konan looked at the emaciated Nagato, her tone exceptionally cold.
"Wait. I haven't seen Jiraiya-sensei in quite some time."
Although his words seemed innocent enough, Nagato's tone carried no emotion whatsoever.
There was even a faint hint of murderous intent permeating the air.
Konan glanced at Nagato and immediately understood his intentions. He was planning to eliminate both Orochimaru and Jiraiya today!
The two had discussed this possibility long ago—if Jiraiya discovered Akatsuki's secrets and attempted to interfere, they would kill their teacher themselves.
To achieve his goals, Nagato was willing to sacrifice everything!
After believing he had seen through all the world's deceptions, Nagato no longer held any hope for this reality.
As for Konan, she simply stood silently behind Nagato, supporting him as always—just as she had once supported Yahiko.
Of course, compared to the resolute Nagato, Konan felt deep reluctance about killing their teacher unless absolutely necessary.
That was why she had spoken directly, preparing to eliminate only Orochimaru.
Unfortunately, Nagato had rejected her proposal.
On the battlefield, the confrontation continued.
Orochimaru fearlessly provoked Jiraiya, attempting to goad him into action.
"Orochimaru, you bastard!"
"Jiraiya-sama, the enemy is unexpectedly powerful and possesses very strange abilities. It would be dangerous if you entered the battle."
"I understand."
"Pervy Sage, let me go beat them up!"
Uzumaki Naruto clenched his fists fearlessly, looking at Jiraiya with eager anticipation.
"You cannot."
Jiraiya shook his head, regarding Naruto seriously as he said, "Stay put. These people are far from ordinary!"
Then he turned and ordered, "Keep watch over Naruto. I won't allow him to fight. Hold him back if necessary."
"Yes, sir!"
"Hey... Pervy Sage..."
Uzumaki Naruto pouted in dissatisfaction, clearly unhappy, though worry flickered in his eyes.
Seeing Naruto's concern, Jiraiya smiled and said, "Don't underestimate me, Naruto. Just watch me work my magic."
Before finishing his statement, Jiraiya rolled forward and leaped from their hiding place. After several bounds, he arrived at the battlefield's center.
"Behold and tremble..."
"One of the legendary Sannin, the devastatingly handsome Toad Sage—Jiraiya has arrived!"
Accompanying this exaggerated introduction, Jiraiya struck a pose he considered incredibly cool in front of everyone present.
"..."
The scene fell completely silent!
Orochimaru was speechless, unsure how to respond to Jiraiya's personality quirks.
It's definitely Jiraiya-sensei after all!
Tendo Pain and Konan, maintaining expressionless faces, shared the same thought flashing through their minds simultaneously.
Their teacher Jiraiya had performed this type of ridiculous routine countless times before.
They were already accustomed to it.
"Huh? What the hell is this?"
"Is this guy really Jiraiya, one of Konoha's Sannin?"
Hidan, lying half-dead on the ground, hadn't forgotten to complain. He stared at Jiraiya with a deeply suspicious expression.
"Of course it's me—the Toad Sage Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya introduced himself with characteristic enthusiasm, though his eyes calmly scanned his two former students.
Looking at Tendo Pain, he consistently felt something seemed slightly off, but couldn't identify exactly what.
"Yahiko, is that really you?"
Jiraiya asked tentatively. Although the resemblance was strong, their temperaments differed drastically. Combined with his nagging doubts, he couldn't be certain his assumption was correct.
"Jiraiya-sensei, it's been a long time!"
However, Tendo Pain's immediate response provided the confirmation he sought.
Jiraiya then looked toward Konan, who coldly acknowledged him as "Jiraiya-sensei."
"This is nothing like the scene I imagined for our long-awaited reunion!"
The Akatsuki members standing behind Tendo Pain observed with considerable surprise. They hadn't expected that Jiraiya of the legendary Sannin was actually their leader's teacher.
This information was truly unexpected!
"Konan, you've grown into a beautiful woman, though you've become rather cold," Jiraiya said with a smile. "And Yahiko, your appearance hasn't changed much."
"But..."
"Where is Nagato? Why do you possess the Rinnegan, Yahiko?"
"What happened?"
"Jiraiya-sensei, you don't need to know such things."
Tendo Pain raised his hand, his tone remaining unchanged. "Mortals cannot comprehend the realm of gods—you need only obey divine commands!"
"I'll eliminate you here as the first offering for the new world's birth!"
"What terrible words! You actually intend to kill your teacher!"
Jiraiya's expression grew somber. He couldn't believe why the kind child from his memories had transformed into this.
"Something must have happened..."
"As your teacher, I truly dislike what you just said, Yahiko. You need to receive proper instruction from your sensei."
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion