Konan's struggle gradually lessened, and she soon fell into a coma.
As Hyuga Shin'ichi took a step forward, the flames from the explosion also dissipated.
Shin'ichi was now clad in a thin layer of chakra armor. When the Eight Gates Formation was activated up to the sixth gate, the Gate of View (Keimon), chakra would uncontrollably overflow from his body.
For anyone else, this overflowing chakra would be impossible to utilize properly.
However, Hyuga Shin'ichi, hailing from the Hyuga clan, did not face this issue. The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist (Jūken) technique had already trained his chakra control, and the way the Gentle Fist stimulates the body required the user to have mastery over the chakra both inside and outside the body.
For Hyuga Shin'ichi, controlling the scattered chakra overflowing from the Gate of View state was not a difficult task.
By combining his ongoing research into a chakra shield with the chakra overflowing from the Gate of View, Shin'ichi developed this defensive secret technique.
The secret technique Shin'ichi developed differed from the Cloud Ninja's Lightning Release Armor, but the underlying mechanism was extremely similar.
Crucially, the release of chakra by the Eight Gates Formation was a "natural" process. All Hyuga Shin'ichi had to do was control the chakra to adhere to his body surface during this process and incorporate a nature transformation (Lightning Release).
This greatly simplified the casting process for Shin'ichi. His chakra armor possessed various characteristics of the Lightning Armor, while also being a defensive secret technique more suited to him.
If this technique had a weakness...
It was that Shin'ichi had to rely on the Eight Gates Formation to assist in its execution, whereas the Cloud Ninja's Raikage did not require the Eight Gates as a prerequisite.
However, for Shin'ichi, this prerequisite of activating the Eight Gates was not really a weakness. On the contrary, mastering such a defensive secret technique significantly boosted his fighting ability.
Konan's jutsu was powerful, but compared to its offensive capabilities, the Shikigami Dance's greater role was actually to protect herself.
The offensive limit of the Shikigami Dance, which relies on explosive tags as its main attack method, was severely constrained. Unless Konan mastered the mechanism of the Interacting Explosive Tags (Gojō Kibaku Fuda), she could not breach Shin'ichi's defense, no matter how many explosive tags she detonated simultaneously.
His Lightning Armor was not something that explosive tags could shake.
Even if Konan had meticulously prepared before fighting Hyuga Shin'ichi, preparing 600 billion explosive tags to bombard Shin'ichi as she did with Uchiha Obito, she would not be able to breach his defense...
600 billion explosive tags sound terrifying, but the resulting power generated against an enemy in a limited space is finite. The reason it worked against Obito was simply that Obito himself had no defense to speak of, and the detonation time of the 600 billion explosive tags could completely cover the duration of Obito's Kamui.
Against Obito, if a single explosive tag landed on him and he couldn't phase through it, it would be enough to finish him.
But against Shin'ichi, even a technique like Wind Release: Shuriken wouldn't necessarily be able to break through the defense of his Lightning Armor!
The same jutsu has different effects when used against different people.
From the start, Konan had no chance of winning this battle; defeat was inevitable.
The fusion of blue and green chakra made Shin'ichi's chakra shield appear slightly cyan. He looked down at the unconscious Konan and, after a moment's hesitation, chose not to kill her.
Reaching out to poke Konan's lower abdomen (to seal her chakra points), Shin'ichi subsequently tucked Konan under his arm and looked toward the tall tower where Nagato was located.
His battle here was over. He wondered if Jiraiya had concluded his business with Nagato...
Time Reverts.
In the dark chamber, a cough echoed from the depths.
After regaining his breath, Nagato's eyes were filled with disappointment. Neither he nor Jiraiya could persuade the other during their debate.
And with Hyuga Shin'ichi's interruption, his discussion with his teacher came to an abrupt halt.
Nagato looked intently at the exit, quietly waiting for Jiraiya's arrival. He knew very well that Konan's abilities would not be enough to stop his teacher.
And from the very beginning, Nagato had not relied on Konan to completely fend off the enemy.
The Six Paths of Pain had lost, but Nagato still believed he had a chance to turn the tables.
"Tap—tap—"
Footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor. In Nagato's field of vision, a dark figure appeared at the bright exit, slowly walking toward him.
Jiraiya had jumped onto the tower, followed the structure, and found this entrance. Sensing the person inside, Jiraiya walked in without a word.
Jiraiya walked slowly. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light, faintly making out Nagato's silhouette. As Jiraiya drew closer, Nagato's appearance became clearer and clearer in his eyes.
"This... how could this be!!!"
Unlike the image of a "powerful mastermind villain" Jiraiya had imagined, Nagato's body was currently confined within a special container, with more than a dozen black receiver rods plugged into his back, connecting him to the container.
Nagato's originally reddish, glossy hair now looked somewhat dry and black in Jiraiya's eyes, and Nagato's gaunt appearance caused Jiraiya to gasp in surprise.
If he hadn't seen Nagato's pair of Rinnegan, he wouldn't dare confirm that the person he was seeing was the mastermind who controlled the immensely powerful Six Paths of Pain.
"Nagato... is that you?"
Seeing Nagato for the first time, Jiraiya simply couldn't believe his eyes and instinctively asked.
"Long time no see...."
"Jiraiya-sensei."
At this point, denying his identity was meaningless, so Nagato simply stopped concealing himself.
Hearing that unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar address, Jiraiya's eyes momentarily welled up with tears.
His former disciple had become this way... Jiraiya was speechless for a moment.
"How did you end up like this...."
Jiraiya mumbled. The resolve he had made in his heart was shaken the moment he saw Nagato.
"To avenge Yahiko, even if I become like this, it doesn't matter."
"Have you already decided to kill me, Jiraiya-sensei?"
Nagato looked up at the teary-eyed Jiraiya and was momentarily startled, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Yahiko..."
"How did Yahiko die?"
Jiraiya didn't respond to the question, instead asking about the cause of Yahiko's death. Clearly, Jiraiya was caught up in their former master-disciple bond and sought to understand the full story.
The Sage Toads, Shima and Fukasaku, perched on his shoulders, stared intently at Nagato and did not interrupt, only helping Jiraiya stay vigilant. They could both sense Jiraiya's sorrow.
"....."
Hearing Jiraiya bring up Yahiko, Nagato sighed softly after a brief silence:
"What's the point of talking about all this now?!"
"But since you want to know, I will tell you."
"Perhaps... after knowing the truth, you will also understand my pain!"
With that, Nagato stopped concealing anything and slowly recounted the events of the past.
Yahiko originally created the Akatsuki organization. After separating from Jiraiya, Yahiko, having gained power, hoped to use his strength to bring peace to Amegakure.
Thus, Yahiko, along with Nagato and Konan, became active on various battlefields in Amegakure. They not only helped the Amegakure ninja fight foreign enemies but also assisted the weak who needed help.
Soon, the deeds of Akatsuki were spread throughout Amegakure, and more and more like-minded individuals joined Akatsuki, becoming their comrades.
Akatsuki even received praise from Hanzō the Salamander, the ruler at the time.
However, as Akatsuki grew in size and gained more recognition and respect from the people of Amegakure, Hanzō's attitude began to change. As he grew older, Hanzō, the former "Demigod," deteriorated."
His obsession with power surpassed Hanzō's original intention of seeing his people live well. To consolidate his position, he allied with Konoha, the allied nation at the time, and set a trap targeting Akatsuki, launching a mission to exterminate the organization.
The one who cooperated with Hanzō was Konoha's Danzō Shimura. As the leader of Root, the "Shadow of the Light," Danzō naturally paid little attention to an "insignificant" organization like Akatsuki. Compared to the weak Akatsuki of that time, the powerful "Demigod" Hanzō was the one Konoha should court.
Faced with the siege by Amegakure ninja and Root, Yahiko sacrificed himself, hoping to exchange his life for his comrades' safety.
But it was clear that Hanzō, who had already decided to kill Akatsuki, would not let them go so easily. After Yahiko committed suicide, Hanzō ordered the complete annihilation of the Akatsuki members.
Yahiko's death stimulated Nagato. The power of the Rinnegan was fully activated at that moment. After Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path (Gedō Mazō), killing a large number of Amegakure and Root ninja, both Hanzō and Danzō chose to retreat.
After that, Nagato, Konan, and the other survivors went into hiding.
As Nagato became more proficient with the Rinnegan and the Six Paths of Pain were officially created, Nagato quickly used Pain to assassinate Hanzō. Since then, Pain became the leader of this country, and to achieve eternal "peace," Nagato began to collaborate with Uchiha Obito.
Nagato's narration was detailed. Jiraiya stood in front of Nagato, listening quietly. When Nagato mentioned Hanzō's "deterioration" and Yahiko's death, Jiraiya felt a pang of heartache, and his breathing became ragged.
As Nagato continued his story, Jiraiya roughly understood why Nagato had become this way.
The power of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had been draining Nagato's life force—perhaps this was the price of using the Rinnegan...
Hearing Nagato personally state that he had killed Hanzō and successfully avenged Yahiko, Jiraiya felt no satisfaction; instead, he felt pity for the man once called the Demigod.
The Demigod—
Their "Sannin" title was "bestowed" by him.
Hearing that such a man had died so silently, Jiraiya felt the fragility of human existence.
Hanzō's fate also reminded Jiraiya of Danzō and his own teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Perhaps... Hanzō was not the only one who had "deteriorated."
At this moment, Jiraiya understood Nagato's hatred.
"Jiraiya-sensei..."
"Did Yahiko make a mistake?"
"Did Akatsuki make a mistake?"
"Or... did I make a mistake?"
After finishing his account, Nagato looked intently at Jiraiya, suddenly questioning him.
Yahiko's death was tied to Konoha, and Jiraiya also knew that Konoha ninjas mistakenly killed Nagato's parents. In every sense, Jiraiya seemed to have lost the moral standing to criticize Nagato.
Faced with Nagato's questions, Jiraiya lowered his head, his expression one of confusion.
"Thump, thump, thump!!!"
It was at this moment that the machine Nagato was sitting in suddenly emitted several loud bangs. Several black receiver rods shot out from the machine, embedding directly into Jiraiya's body.
The black rods pierced Jiraiya's right chest, thigh, and forearm. The sharp pain made Jiraiya frown, and blood flowed from the wounds.
In Sage Mode, Jiraiya's sensory ability and defense were greatly enhanced. Although he couldn't dodge the attack due to his distraction, the depth of the rods' penetration would not affect Jiraiya's fighting ability.
Feeling the pain in his body, Jiraiya finally cleared his head somewhat.
"Nagato..."
"As your teacher, I am deeply sorry that I wasn't there when you needed help the most."
"But..."
"Nagato, don't dwell in hatred. The dead are gone; the living must continue."
"Yahiko probably wouldn't want to see you like this."
"Wouldn't it be better to let go of hatred and live a good life?"
"Inherit Yahiko's will and use your power to let more people live well, wouldn't that be better?"
The physical pain was nothing to Jiraiya; the pain in his heart was what hurt him the most.
Looking at Nagato, who was consumed by hatred, Jiraiya felt immense pity.
Ultimately... he had become a "preacher," hoping Nagato would give up his hatred.
"Give up hatred?"
"Ha! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"
Hearing such a naive request, Nagato suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had heard a great joke.
Perhaps the laughter strained his weakened body. Nagato's laughter abruptly ceased, replaced by a violent fit of coughing.
Catching his breath, Nagato finally slowly raised his head, looking deeply at Jiraiya, and said solemnly:
"Ask me to give up hatred...."
"Then wait until I have killed half the people in the world, made everyone feel the pain, and then persuade the living... to give up hatred and live a good life!"
"Jiraiya-sensei, since you love persuading people to give up hatred so much, you should be very busy by then!"
Nagato's tone was low. Chakra flowed through the black rods into Jiraiya's body.
Jiraiya was not like Naruto; his body did not have the Nine-Tails' immense chakra to help him resist Nagato's chakra intrusion. Even in Sage Mode, Jiraiya clearly felt his body becoming uncontrollable at this moment.
"Nagato... what did you do?" Jiraiya's voice was heavy, a hint of panic in his eyes.
But before Nagato could answer, Jiraiya suddenly saw himself reach out and grab Fukasaku-sama on his shoulder. The immense strength squeezed the toad sage until he coughed up blood.
"Jiraiya!"
"Fukasaku-sama!"
"Shima-sama, I can't control my body!"
Shima, finally realizing the abnormality, immediately jumped off Jiraiya's shoulder. Jiraiya cried out worriedly and tried to release his grip, but his will and Nagato's will began a struggle within Jiraiya's body.
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