In fact, Nagato had already sensed that the people pursuing him were closing in.
"That's absolutely right..."
"Jiraiya-sensei?"
"And the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Naruto..."
Nagato took a deep breath.
"Konan, you stop Jiraiya-sensei. I'll use the other Paths of Pain to temporarily hold back the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. Once the Deva Path's chakra and power are restored, we'll use this opportunity to capture the Nine-Tails."
Konan spoke anxiously.
"But if we do that..."
"There are no 'buts.' This is our last chance."
"If we fail, everything we've done will be for nothing."
Konan shook her head helplessly.
While the two were speaking, Jiraiya and his disciple, Naruto, had already discovered what was happening.
"Hmm?"
"How did those Pains—including the Deva Path, the one who looks like Yahiko—come back to life?!"
Jiraiya was surprised.
Naruto, however, had become somewhat accustomed to such strange abilities.
"Perverted Sage, all these Akatsuki members have weird abilities. Pain is the leader of the Akatsuki, so I'm not surprised that he can resurrect them."
Jiraiya sighed.
"That's true. After all, Nagato possesses the Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths..."
He turned toward Naruto.
"Naruto, have you released the Yin Seal?"
Naruto smiled confidently.
"Yeah. Thanks to the technique Grandma Tsunade taught me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have any chakra left right now."
"My final move, Sage Art: Great Rasengan, consumed far too much chakra. Actually, I probably didn't need to use that much power."
Naruto thought about it carefully.
Based on his calculations, he had probably only needed seventy or eighty percent of his full strength to defeat the Shinra Tensei.
However, he had been extremely worried about Konoha's destruction at the time.
It had also been his first time using such a massive amount of chakra in a real battle.
As a result, he had overexerted himself, which was why he had become so weakened afterward.
But now that he had released the Yin Seal, Naruto's chakra had not only been completely replenished, but had become even more abundant and concentrated than it had been at his peak.
Jiraiya, however, couldn't hide his curiosity.
"Even if your chakra has recovered, don't you still need to cooperate with the two Great Toad Sages to enter Sage Mode?"
"Otherwise, you should first calm your mind, improve your condition, and absorb natural energy before entering Sage Mode again."
Naruto smiled.
"Perverted Sage, I've already reached the point where I can absorb natural energy while moving—even while fighting!"
Jiraiya was both surprised and impressed.
"Naruto..."
"You've truly surpassed me, your master."
"I absolutely can't do something like that."
"I'll still have to rely on the two of them."
Jiraiya finally formed the necessary hand seal and summoned the two Great Toad Sages, Fukasaku and Shima.
The two toads appeared beside him, their shoulders resting against his.
This was the Sage Art: Two Life Techniques.
"Little Jiraiya, you've finally decided to use this technique..."
Fukasaku sighed.
"I don't have much of a choice, Fukasaku-sensei. The enemy possesses the Rinnegan."
Shima glanced at Naruto.
"Look at little Naruto. He can enter Sage Mode all by himself."
"How can you, his master, be worse than your own student?"
"Hahahaha!"
Jiraiya laughed loudly.
"If the student surpasses the master, shouldn't that be something to celebrate?"
"Isn't that a good thing, Shima?"
Shima grumbled.
"You're just making excuses for your laziness!"
At that moment, Jiraiya's Sage Mode fully manifested.
However, compared with Naruto's, his Sage Mode was far from perfect.
His body still showed many signs of frog-like transformation.
His hands and feet resembled frog claws, his nose had become swollen, and his face had taken on obvious frog-like features.
His entire body had also become much larger and more muscular.
Naruto, meanwhile, almost instantly returned to Sage Mode.
Only his pupils and the pigmentation around his eyes changed.
Rather than becoming ugly, the transformation made him look even more handsome and imposing, giving him the aura of a true hero.
Fukasaku and Shima couldn't help sighing emotionally.
"Little Naruto's Sage Mode is probably the most perfect Sage Mode we've ever seen."
"No."
Fukasaku shook his head.
"He can perform multiple tasks simultaneously. He can absorb natural energy even while fighting."
"He's truly surpassed perfection."
"He's gone beyond the limits."
Hearing this, Jiraiya became even more proud.
"Hahahahaha!"
"That's my student!"
While they were talking and laughing, Jiraiya had already spotted the people standing opposite them.
"Konan..."
"Yahiko..."
"Nagato..."
At this moment, Konan and the Six Paths of Pain had already prepared themselves for battle.
The Naraka Path stood at the very back.
The Deva Path stood in the center.
The Human Path and Asura Path stood beside the Deva Path, acting as his guards.
The Animal Path and Preta Path occupied the front line.
Konan stood off to the side, providing support.
Jiraiya quickly analyzed the enemy's formation.
"Previously, Konan didn't bring all the other Pains with her. She only took the Naraka Path."
"Now that all Six Paths have been revived, it means the Naraka Path is extremely important."
"It probably possesses the ability to resurrect the other Paths."
Naruto nodded.
"That's why it's standing at the very back, protected by the other Pains."
Fukasaku and Shima frowned as they stared at the Six Paths of Pain.
"Is that the Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths?"
"Those eyes really are terrifying..."
Konan spoke in a deep voice.
"Jiraiya-sensei, it seems you've already made your decision."
Jiraiya snorted.
"You were the one who tried to destroy the village and capture Naruto."
"You must have made your decision long ago, didn't you?"
"Konan..."
"You were once the gentlest and kindest girl among my students."
"How did you become the false angel of the Akatsuki?"
"Tell me exactly what happened!"
Konan's expression remained indifferent.
"There's no point in telling you, Sensei."
"At this point, the outcome can only be decided by absolute power."
Pain looked toward Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sensei, even now, if you hand over the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki to me, I can still let you leave here unharmed."
"Hahahaha!"
Jiraiya burst into laughter.
"Nagato, you've really become an expert at telling jokes!"
"At a time like this, you're still making jokes?"
His expression suddenly became serious.
"Then let's fight to the death, my former students!"
Jiraiya continued working in perfect coordination with the two Great Toad Sages.
Sage chakra instantly surged through his body.
"Fukasaku-sensei will use Wind Release."
"Shima will use Fire Release!"
"Got it!"
"Understood!"
"Sage Art: Goemon!"
In an instant—
Boiling oil erupted from Jiraiya's mouth.
At the same time, the two Great Toad Sages, Fukasaku and Shima, unleashed incredibly powerful Wind and Fire Release techniques.
The wind fanned the flames, while the flames fed on the wind.
In the blink of an eye, the entire area transformed into a raging sea of fire and boiling oil!
Even Naruto couldn't help being impressed.
"As expected of the Perverted Sage. He's still as amazing as ever..."
However—
The Preta Path suddenly rushed forward.
It raised both hands and released the terrifying power of the Rinnegan.
"Blocking Technique Absorption Seal!"
No matter how fierce the flames were or how scorching the sea of oil became, everything was instantly swallowed and absorbed by the Preta Path's ability.
The attack gradually disappeared.
Not even the slightest bit of damage reached Pain.
"Hmm?!"
"Could that be the Preta Path?"
"Can it even absorb Sage chakra?!"
At the same time, Konan had already spread her paper wings and risen into the sky once again.
Countless pieces of paper transformed into deadly weapons.
"Paper Shuriken!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The paper shuriken rained down from the sky.
Naruto roared.
His Wind Release Chakra Mode merged with Sage Mode once again, instantly transforming him into his strongest state.
Sage Wind Mode!
"The Sage Art: Flowing Windbreaker Technique!"
Boom!
Violent wind blades tore through the sky and earth.
This version of the Windbreaker Technique was ten—or even a hundred—times more terrifying than before!
The entire battlefield seemed to be carved into countless valleys.
The sky itself appeared to shatter.
Wherever the wind blades passed, enormous rocks were split apart, massive trees were torn down, and everything in their path was swept away and reduced to fragments.
Konan's Paper Shuriken couldn't resist the technique at all.
They were instantly shredded.
For a moment, countless scraps of paper filled the sky, fluttering like butterflies among flowers.
Konan's face immediately turned pale.
She wanted to retreat.
But it was already too late.
BOOM!
Sharp whistles echoed through the battlefield as the wind blades tore through the air one after another.
Konan was finally caught in the attack.
One of the paper wings on her back, along with one of her arms, was violently torn apart.
"Ah!"
Konan cried out in surprise and immediately used her remaining wing to retreat at high speed.
Fortunately, she was currently in her Shikigami Dance form.
Even if her body was torn apart, she could still reform herself.
However, she could clearly feel the enormous difference in strength between herself and Naruto.
She no longer dared to act recklessly.
Jiraiya, Fukasaku, and Shima were equally shocked.
"Can an ordinary attack really possess such terrifying power?!"
"Naruto..."
"Your Sage Wind Mode has truly reached its peak!"
To protect Konan, the Asura Path and Animal Path attacked simultaneously.
"Strange Arm Cannon!"
"Summoning Technique: Yatagarasu!"
"Summoning Technique: Giant Crab!"
Immediately afterward, the Asura Path's Chakra projectiles unleashed a barrage of bombs.
Yatagarasu soared into the sky and fired countless explosive projectiles.
At the same time, the Giant Crab sprayed enormous amounts of foam as it charged toward Naruto.
The battlefield once again erupted into chaos.
________________________________________
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