"It was originally a trap to lure in Pain, but I didn't expect you to show up instead," Jiraiya said, slightly amused.
"It seems your jutsu casting has become even sharper. You've grown into a formidable woman, Konan. I just didn't expect that you were still alive—and turned into fluttering paper light."
He smiled as he spoke, like he was greeting an old friend he hadn't seen in years.
The hooded ninja seized the moment and shouted, "You're Angel-sama, right? He's the intruder! He's controlling me, Angel-sama!"
Konan hovered high above, her form transforming into two rows of paper wings. She glanced down coldly and said, "I understand. Move aside."
The hooded ninja ran off in a panic, as if he'd been pardoned from death.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, looking at Konan. "So, you've become an angel? If you're alive, and you're not Pain, then that must mean Nagato and Yahiko aren't dead either. If I'm right, and you're the one they call Angel, then Tendo Pain—the so-called god—must be one of them."
Konan's voice was cold and detached. "What's the point in talking about this now?"
Jiraiya clenched his jaw. "You're right."
Konan declared icily, "This is God's decree. I will kill you."
With that, she activated her Paper Shuriken Technique.
The two rows of paper wings on her back became like twin Gatling guns, launching a storm of paper projectiles toward Jiraiya like rapid-fire bullets.
Jiraiya didn't waste a second. He launched a Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet—a stream of intense fire burst from his mouth, incinerating wave after wave of the incoming paper.
He quickly rolled to the side, widening the distance, then aimed at Konan and released a blast of Toad Oil Bullets from his mouth.
Caught off guard, Konan was drenched in the thick toad oil. Her technique stopped immediately.
Jiraiya stood tall, formed a hand sign, and his long white hair suddenly extended, snaking toward Konan and wrapping tightly around her.
"Once you're covered in oil, your paper can't disperse," Jiraiya said flatly. "Konan, I remember you were always the kindest of the three children. How did you become like this?"
His voice softened. "And what happened to Yahiko and Nagato? Why would they create a ruthless god like Pain?"
Konan glared at him. "Why now, sensei? Why are you showing up in our lives again?"
Her tone held a trace of pain—accusation mixed with sorrow.
But Jiraiya didn't catch it. He replied seriously, "If you weren't part of Akatsuki, I wouldn't be here. I heard you all died. I never expected this..."
Konan sneered. "You should've listened to Orochimaru and killed us back then. That would've saved you the trouble now."
Jiraiya looked stunned. "I never wanted to kill the three of you. I taught you how to survive in a world of war. You were my students. But now you attack me without even a word? That's heartbreaking."
Konan looked directly at him. "You never really understood us."
Jiraiya's voice turned sharp. "What happened to you after we parted? Why would you join Akatsuki? Don't you realize everything Akatsuki stands for is wrong?"
A voice echoed down suddenly, cutting through the tension."That answer... we discovered it ourselves, Jiraiya-sensei."
Jiraiya looked up sharply.
Above Konan, a long-haired man appeared—Pain.
Jiraiya's gaze narrowed. Despite the physical changes, there was no mistaking those eyes. The Rinnegan. He couldn't be wrong.
"Nagato... You've truly lost your way. I never imagined the day would come when you would become the Pain of Akatsuki!"
He took a step forward, emotion surging in his voice. "What happened to you? How could you end up like this?!"
Nagato—now Pain—replied without emotion. "You don't need to know."
As he spoke, he formed a hand seal. A glowing summoning circle appeared on the wall behind him.
"Summoning Jutsu."
With a loud bang, a giant crab appeared in the circle and immediately sprayed massive amounts of foam downward, flooding the area where Konan and Jiraiya stood.
Jiraiya quickly leapt onto a nearby wall to escape the foam and shouted, half-laughing, "You really are my student. You knew to wash off the toad oil first!"
A few moments later, Konan jumped out of the foam, her paper wings fully restored. The crab summon dispersed.
"Konan, fall back," Nagato ordered.
Without a word, she vanished.
Nagato formed another seal, summoning a giant lobster from the lingering foam. It snapped its huge claws and lunged toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya didn't flinch. With a flick of his fingers, his hair surged forward again, this time using the Lion's Mane Technique to entangle the lobster and crush it in an instant.
Boom! The summon vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Now's my chance," Jiraiya muttered.
His hair lashed forward again, morphing into a dragon-like shape, camouflaged by the white mist left by the defeated summon. The hair-wrapped tendrils surged straight for Nagato and bound him tightly.
Jiraiya appeared in front of him. "Nagato, I have questions. First—what happened to Yahiko?"
Nagato looked down at him, his expression unreadable.
"Oh? Yahiko? That name… sounds vaguely familiar."
Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock. This wasn't the Nagato he remembered. The boy who once swore to protect Yahiko and Konan—who valued friendship and peace.
"What... what happened to all of you?"