Chapter 64: Heading to Rain Village
On the border of the Land of Rain—
"I must be crazy for following a criminal who attacked Konoha!" Jiraiya grumbled non-stop, yet his feet still obediently followed Ayaan.
At the very least, he wanted to witness the battle himself. More importantly, he was deeply concerned about Uzumaki Nagato—his former apprentice and the former "Child of Prophecy." He feared Ayaan might kill him.
"So, your personality really isn't suited for being a ninja," Ayaan said with a playful tone. "The ninja profession has no room for justice or mercy, yet you carry far too much of both."
Jiraiya fell silent at that.
No matter how brightly ninjas are portrayed in fiction, there's one undeniable truth—being a ninja is a profession built on killing.
They're not like soldiers who protect nations. Ninjas are a fusion of mercenary, spy, assassin, and warmonger.
Each of those roles is soaked in darkness and blood. A ninja, being all of them combined, becomes the darkest and bloodiest of professions.
It's no wonder so many ninjas go insane. Someone like Jiraiya, who still holds onto some compassion, is truly rare.
"We're in the Land of Rain now." Looking at the misty country ahead, Ayaan glanced at Jiraiya and asked, "Do you want to visit your apprentice first?"
"We've come this far. How could I back out now?" Jiraiya gave a bitter smile. "Let's see if what you've said holds any truth."
Jiraiya hadn't been idle during the past few days. As the toad sage of Mount Myōboku, he had direct access to the Great Toad Sage.
Unfortunately, the toads weren't big on documenting history—writing with toad hands was tricky, after all. The Great Toad Sage either feigned ignorance or was truly lost to age. Jiraiya came away with no detailed answers.
Still, the vague knowledge about the Sage of Six Paths, his two sons, and the founding of the ninja clans all aligned with what Ayaan had told him.
Worse, the Great Toad Sage confessed that he could no longer dream of the future—deepening Jiraiya's belief in Ayaan's words.
The Land of Rain was small. Given the absurd strength of the two traveling ninja—among the most powerful in the entire world—they quickly arrived at the gates of Amegakure.
"Rain Tiger at Will Technique…" Jiraiya murmured as he closed his eyes. His sensory training kicked in. He could indeed sense a faint layer of chakra in the falling rain.
Ayaan, however, was in a far worse mood.
As a Devil Fruit user, his hatred for water ran deep—instinctive and ingrained.
While the rain here didn't contain seastone particles like the sea in his original world, the sensation of constant dampness still left him agitated.
Amegakure was already overcast year-round. With Pain's technique causing non-stop rain, Ayaan found himself irritated beyond belief.
"We'll have to sneak in underground—"
"What do you mean 'sneak in'?" Ayaan interrupted, shaking his head. In his hand, black mist began to coalesce into a dense, lightless orb. "Let's say hello. I'm sure they'll come out to greet us."
With a flick of his wrist, Ayaan hurled the black sphere into the sky. It exploded into a swirling mass of darkness, like a black hole spinning in midair. Rain clouds vanished as they were sucked into the abyss.
Jiraiya, who had just been preparing to explain stealth tactics, stood dumbfounded.
In the original story, Jiraiya's battle against the Six Paths of Pain was one of the last great examples of a traditional ninja battle. He used his life to gather information, and Naruto later used that intelligence to defeat Pain.
After that, battles in the series turned into nukes with hand signs. Intelligence, tactics, and clever jutsu gave way to massive power moves. The stronger the ninjutsu, the stronger the ninja. Strategy gave way to sheer spectacle.
Jiraiya realized something uncomfortable.
He was like a veteran gamer who had mastered every mechanic, only to be annihilated by a pay-to-win newcomer who spent a fortune to crush everyone in one move.
"This world is full of cheats," he thought grimly. "How are regular players like us supposed to keep up?"
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Inside Amegakure
Konan gazed upward, her expression darkening as she watched the rain clouds scatter unnaturally.
This wasn't ten years later. Just recently, Nagato had killed Hanzo the Salamander, and Amegakure was still unstable.
Besides her and Nagato, Akatsuki currently had only two other members—Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu—both with ulterior motives.
Konan unfolded her paper wings, preparing to scout, but a sudden gravitational pull halted her.
She turned to see the Deva Path of Pain standing behind her. Several other paths were converging as well.
"Nagato, the situation is unclear. Let me go test it—"
"Because the situation is unclear, you won't go out." The Deva Path cut her off with its flat, inhuman voice. "That's what the Six Paths of Pain are for."
"You're better off near my true body. That way, if something happens, i won't be left defenseless."
While Nagato's true body was frail and crippled, it was protected by the Gedo Statue. Ironically, his hideout was the safest place in the entire village.
Though the Deva Path's expression was as unreadable as ever, Konan could feel Nagato's worry behind it. She nodded silently and flew off to his location.
It had always been this way. Konan had no strong opinions of her own—she followed her comrades without hesitation.
Nagato wasn't much different. He only started making decisions after Yahiko's death forced his hand. But in the end, his lack of critical thinking made him an easy pawn for Obito.
A pawn too obsessed with pain and salvation to see how deeply manipulated he truly was.
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