Black Zetsu found Obito and relayed Nagato's conditions.
He also speculated that it might not have been Konan or Nagato who leaked the intel. Perhaps the real culprit was something left behind by that inherently twisted Senju Tobirama a reconnaissance jutsu of unknown nature, now improved and deployed by the Hidden Leaf.
That was the theory Black Zetsu laid out.
Obito was fuming. Are you kidding me? I'm the real mastermind here, not Nagato. What has he done to deserve the spotlight? How is his petty "nuclear deterrence" plan even comparable to the Eye of the Moon Plan?
In my plan, everyone gets resurrected and lives in bliss!
But Black Zetsu had to remind him again, and this time more bluntly: Your cover is blown. You can't beat Nagato in a head-on fight. And even if you manage to kill him through trickery, you're not strong enough to lead Akatsuki to storm the Leaf and gather all the Tailed Beasts.
The Six Paths of Pain are critical to the operation.
Obito was finally convinced.
"Fine," he said coldly, compromising for the sake of a "beautiful future." "Let that cripple enjoy his little fantasy of being in charge a few more days."
Bathed in moonlight, he stood in the shadows of a window, gazing at the noisy izakaya below where Jiraiya was enjoying himself in full drunken cheer.
"Let's go. We're heading to the Hidden Cloud."
"Aren't you going to see how Konan's meeting with Jiraiya is going?"
"No need."
Before the words had fully left his lips, the space around him twisted. Obito disappeared into a swirling vortex.
You should at least check, Black Zetsu thought. What if the real mole is Konan?
He sighed and sank into the shadows, following reluctantly.
…
Bang!
The door of the izakaya slammed open.
Jiraiya staggered out, face flushed from drink.
So the intel was right he was here.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, gazing at the towering steel spire at the center of Amegakure.
That's my next stop… Though I gotta say, the sake here isn't half bad.
As he savored the aftertaste, the night sky suddenly darkened.
Countless white paper sheets poured down like a blizzard, engulfing him in seconds. They swirled around his body, binding him tightly into the shape of a giant human figure.
Looks like I won't need to go there after all. Konan's come to me.
Jiraiya smiled. But I didn't come here to fight.
Toad Flat Shadow Manipulation Technique!
From the ground, his shadow reassembled into a copy of himself, spewing fire to incinerate the paper, breaking Konan's attempt to suppress him.
Amid the drifting ashes, countless sheets of paper reformed, swirling into Konan's body.
"You've grown, Konan," Jiraiya said with a grin, watching her take shape. "More powerful and a lot more womanly."
The old trio from Mount Myoboku had reunited.
"Jiraiya-sensei, Pain has ordered your death."
Konan's paper wings spread wide as she hovered midair. The sheets formed shuriken shapes in her hands, ready to strike.
This attack wasn't about killing it was a warning. A way of saying, Back off before this goes too far.
"Hold on! I'm here to talk!" Jiraiya raised both hands in surrender. "Konan, you're no match for me. Oil-style completely counters you! Let me talk to Nagato!"
…
A heavy silence hung in the air.
Konan's pupils shrank slightly.
Even Nagato's existence… is known by Konoha?
Just how deep does their intel run?
Where was the leak?
She frowned. "Where did Konoha get this intel?"
But the moment the question left her lips, she regretted it. Why would Jiraiya reveal valuable information to an enemy?
They weren't master and student anymore. That bond had burned away long ago consumed by blood and fire.
But
"I can tell you," Jiraiya said with a teasing grin.
"…Just not here."
The intel Hiruzen had given him was outrageous.
That the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails attack… was his student, the one Minato had personally trained.
Nagato, supposedly the Akatsuki leader, was being manipulated by Minato's student Uchiha Obito.
And Obito was only the puppet of another force.
That ridiculous pitcher plant-shaped thing Zetsu was actually the true mastermind.
And behind even Zetsu… was something darker still.
When Jiraiya had asked where the intel came from, Hiruzen simply said, "From a mysterious subspace."
With something this absurd, how was he supposed to convince Nagato and Konan?
He couldn't say too much. If the real mastermind caught wind, he might disappear altogether.
Though he kept up his usual grin, Jiraiya was troubled deep down. Would Nagato even listen anymore?
They weren't children now they had chosen their path.
Still, if he couldn't change them, he could at least keep them from being used.
And that other student… Obito… he's a massive problem too.
Hovering midair, Konan stared down coldly.
"If you're here to stop us, then you die here."
"I have a secret to share! Can we talk back at the Toad House?"
There, in the safety of Mount Myoboku, he might be able to explain everything.
Konan looked at him like he was an idiot.
Her wings spun faster. Razor-sharp paper blades formed a vortex around her.
Just as she was about to attack
A silent figure landed on the rusted pipe nearby.
Tendo Pain.
He stared down at Jiraiya, the black rods in his hand already drawn.
Jiraiya had no choice.
"The masked man isn't Madara!" he shouted. "He's Uchiha Obito my other student! The Fourth Hokage's apprentice!"
"And your plan to collect the Tailed Beasts… will never succeed!"
His roar tore through the night.
He'd just outed Obito on the spot.
Konan froze mid-attack.
Tendo Pain's expression shifted slightly. The cold fury in his eyes dimmed just enough to pause.
Looks like they're willing to talk.
But then…
Pain's voice dropped, icy and merciless.
"Mortals… cannot comprehend the will of God."
"Nothing can stop a god."
"Jiraiya-sensei, in exchange for this information… I will let you leave Amegakure alive."
Long-winded as ever, huh, Nagato?
Jiraiya opened his mouth to say more.
But six black rods stabbed into the ground before him.
A warning.
The last gesture of their bond as master and student.
"Konoha… is not worth negotiating with."
Damn you, Danzo…
Knowing the full backstory, Jiraiya could only sigh.
Even in Sage Mode, he wasn't a match for this former student.
Just like the old man said... there's no way to fix this.
"Leave, Jiraiya-sensei," Tendo said, voice devoid of emotion. "Next time we meet, it will be during Akatsuki's assault on Konoha."
That set off a spark in Jiraiya's heart.
His voice turned cold.
"If that day comes, Nagato I'll be the one to kill you."
Rain began to fall, soft and steady.
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