Pain rose from the ground, patting the dust off his clothes.
"Master Jiraiya, I didn't expect you to be so clever..."
"I thought I could launch a surprise attack from behind..."
"If it wasn't successful, this is going to be tricky..."
At this moment.
Pain as the Animal Path and the Asura Path emerged from the ground simultaneously from both sides.
Jiraiya, caught between them, easily defended himself.
Pain as the Deva Path spread his right hand slightly towards Jiraiya, "How much longer can you block additional attacks?"
"Universal Pull!"
Jiraiya's body was uncontrollably pulled by an unseen force.
"Mother of my child! Use your tongue!"
"Understood!"
Shima Sen utilized her tongue, extending it to a nearby iron pillar.
Her long tongue firmly wrapped around the pillar.
With a retraction, Shima Sen pulled Jiraiya's body back.
The giant blades that had subdued the three Pains earlier were now pulled out.
Pain as the Deva Path leaped down.
Five figures stood behind him.
"This... this is..."
Fukasaku Sen regarded the scene with a grim expression.
"Weren't those three killed earlier!"
Jiraiya frowned, "I've seen this guy before, but at that time, only one of them existed."
"Wait!"
Jiraiya looked at the scene before him, as if a realization struck him.
He looked up at Konan floating in the air, then at the six Pains standing on the high platform.
"Seven people..."
"Exactly seven people..."
A flood of memories surged through Jiraiya's mind.
It was on the way back to the Hakkou Ranri Tower with Sumiki.
Sumiki had told him the story of "The Dragon Returns to the Sea."
"Finally killed by his own disciple."
"Fighting seven people alone, eventually perishing in the depths of the sea..."
"What was the protagonist of that story called?"
"You still haven't told me?"
Jiraiya suddenly snapped back to reality.
He had asked Sumiki twice about the protagonist of "The Dragon Returns to the Sea."
But Sumiki had always remained silent, avoiding the topic.
Jiraiya looked at the churning deep sea behind him, and he suddenly burst into laughter.
"I was so foolish..."
"To think I didn't know that book was telling my own story."
"So Sumiki already knew my fate..."
"The Dragon Returns to the Sea..."
"The sea does not welcome Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya finally uttered the words Sumiki had left unfinished that day.
It turned out the last three words were his own name.
Pain as the Deva Path sneered, "Master Jiraiya, it seems you have accepted your end."
"This sea will be your burial ground."
"Kid, what's going on!" Fukasaku Sen asked Jiraiya with a puzzled look.
Jiraiya shook his head slightly, "Someone already knew my fate, and it's today."
"But I refuse to concede!"
Recalling the last few lines of the book, Jiraiya was filled with renewed strength.
"I almost got to see my disciple get married."
"I almost got to confess to the one I love and spend my life with her!"
"Today, you will not see me perish in this sea!"
The six Pains leaped into the air simultaneously.
Seeing this, Jiraiya quickly bit his finger, "Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof!
White smoke billowed.
Gamahiro appeared with a stoic expression.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
In mid-air, Pain as the Animal Path formed hand seals with both hands.
Yata-Garasu and the Hell Crab descended onto the sea's surface.
The sea was immediately churned into monstrous waves.
The six Pains landed on Yata-Garasu's back.
The Hell Crab, with its agile strides, charged towards Gamahiro.
Gamahiro frowned, extending his right hand slightly backward.
Swish swish swish!
A flash of steel.
The Hell Crab was instantly sliced into six pieces of meat.
"I do not believe in fate!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball!"
Jiraiya, standing on Gamahiro's head, instantly spat out a massive fireball.
Pain as the Deva Path took a step forward, spreading his right hand, "Almighty Push!"
The fireball was instantly repelled.
A gust of sea breeze swept past.
Pain as the Deva Path took the opportunity to jump down from Yata-Garasu's back.
"Universal Pull!"
As he fell from the air, Pain as the Deva Path used the pulling force to control Jiraiya's movement.
A metal rod quickly extended from his sleeve, and as he landed before Jiraiya, he fiercely thrust it towards his heart.
"Little Jiraiya!"
Shima Sen shouted, quickly extending her tongue to collide with the iron rod.
Squelch!
Her tongue altered the trajectory of the attack, and Pain as the Deva Path stabbed Jiraiya in the left shoulder.
Jiraiya quickly formed a Rasengan in his right hand and slammed it towards Pain.
Unfortunately.
Pain as the Preta Path appeared behind Jiraiya.
"Little Jiraiya! Watch your back!"
Squelch.
Another iron rod pierced Jiraiya's body.
Blood slowly trickled from Jiraiya's lips, a firm resolve hardening in his eyes.
Fukasaku Sen clasped his hands together quickly.
"Universal Pull!"
Pain as the Deva Path was directly pulled towards Fukasaku Sen and immediately produced an iron rod, stabbing towards him.
"Gamahiro!"
Jiraiya let out a heart-wrenching roar.
Upon hearing this, Gamahiro tilted his body sharply downwards.
Pain as the Deva Path's body swayed violently, and Universal Pull was interrupted.
Fukasaku Sen was finally saved, but was then blasted into the sea by a punch from Pain as the Asura Path.
"Kid, hang in there!"
"Go... check on Fukasaku Sen..."
Jiraiya said, enduring the pain.
Shima Sen leaped into the sea.
Inside the dark tree hollow.
Nagato coughed up large amounts of blood.
His breathing was heavy, and his chakra was almost depleted.
"Still... just a little more..."
"Just a little more..."
Pain as the Asura Path unleashed a barrage of missiles from his back.
Jiraiya, with his wounded body, rolled back and forth on the sea's surface.
Gamahiro, wielding his twin swords, charged across the water, slashing rapidly at the six Pains.
Pain as the Deva Path coldly spread his right hand, "Almighty Push!"
Bang!
Gamahiro was instantly sent flying.
At this moment, beneath Jiraiya's feet.
Pain as the Animal Path suddenly charged forward, plunging an iron rod into Jiraiya's chest.
Jiraiya cried out in pain, then kicked Pain as the Animal Path away.
Next, Jiraiya knelt on the sea's surface, his blood already dyeing the water beneath him red.
"Master Jiraiya, do you truly believe peace can be achieved without war?"
Pain as the Deva Path, holding an iron rod from his sleeve, slowly approached Jiraiya.
Jiraiya gasped for air, the Sage Mode on his body suddenly dissipating.
"Nagato..."
"Do you still remember what I told you..."
"Peace obtained through war will ultimately lead to new wars..."
"Your suffering is not the hatred brought about by war itself?"
"You, Yahiko, Konan, the three of you..."
"Are the flowers that bloomed from that war!"
Pain as the Deva Path suddenly froze.
In the tree hollow, tears streamed down Nagato's face.
He looked up and let out a wail of despair.
"Ahhh!!!!"
Immediately, Nagato let out a heart-wrenching cry.
Pain as the Deva Path frantically lunged towards Jiraiya with the iron rod.
"Kid!"
"Little Jiraiya!"
The two Sages, having just surfaced, saw what was happening.
As Pain as the Deva Path approached Jiraiya, the iron rod aimed at his heart suddenly stopped.
It was only a few millimeters away.
"Master Jiraiya..."
"I'm sorry..."
"I am not a qualified savior..."
Jiraiya seized the opportunity and struck Pain as the Deva Path's abdomen with a Rasengan.
The immense power instantly pierced through Pain as the Deva Path's body.
Nagato violently spat out a large amount of blood.
He shook his head bitterly, "I miss the days when we learned ninjutsu together with you..."
Then, Nagato ceased to breathe, and the instruments covering his body finally stopped functioning.
"Nagato!!!!"
Konan let out a desperate scream, tears streaming down her face with the sea breeze.
Plop.
Pain as the Deva Path fell in front of Jiraiya.
Jiraiya stared blankly ahead, and the other five Pains collapsed simultaneously.
"...Nagato..."
"You hesitated in the end, didn't you..."
Suddenly, it began to rain heavily.
Jiraiya lay beside Pain as the Deva Path and slowly closed his eyes. "I'm so tired..."