Explosions echoed continuously.
Bursts of smoke filled the air above.
The scene was intense.
But… the shadow clone dodged and weaved, barely taking any damage.
"Deidara, come back," Sasori looked up at the two figures fighting in the sky and called out.
The blond, high-ponytailed youth protested angrily, "I haven't dealt with this guy yet!"
"Idiot!" Sasori snapped, "The shadow clone has already achieved its purpose."
"It stalled us long enough."
"Soon… Uzumaki Naruto's real body will be here."
"You want to face him alone?"
Deidara gritted his teeth, unwillingly turning his clay bird to descend.
He looked back.
That golden clone stood in the sky, no longer chasing—just coldly watching them.
"That bastard's really trying to trap us all inside the Land of Rain!" Deidara cursed after landing. "If it weren't for this damn weather, I'd have finished him already!"
Sasori gave him a sidelong glance, mocking bluntly, "And that was just a shadow clone."
"He's probably left dozens like that around the border."
Deidara didn't respond, only clenched his fists tighter.
He too had once been hailed a "genius prodigy."
But now…
He couldn't even deal with one shadow clone of that guy.
"Report to the leader," Sasori said quietly.
Inside Amegakure.
"Even you couldn't break through the shadow clones?" Kisame asked, his tone not overly flustered. "This is bad."
"He's single-handedly trapping us in the Land of Rain."
Uchiha Itachi remained silent.
"We can't stay here forever," Deidara shouted, less forceful than before. "How is this any different from being imprisoned?"
No one else spoke.
They tacitly agreed to let the youngest member test the leader's mood.
The orange-haired man remained calm: "Although the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has disrupted our plans…"
"But."
"Now that it's come to this—"
"Then we'll move forward. Crush anything that stands in our way."
Konan looked at him.
"No matter how powerful the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is, he is still just a human," Pain spread his arms, voice as cold as his expression, "He is not a god!"
"Let us show the world what true pain feels like."
Deidara muttered, "Is the leader going to act personally?"
Pain didn't answer.
He simply looked around. "Konan, you stay."
"The village needs—"
"I'll go with you," she interrupted firmly. "Even if I leave the village, I'll be fine."
Itachi spoke, "Let me stay behind."
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has strong resistance to genjutsu. I wouldn't be of much help."
Pain stared at him. "Is that so?"
"Then Uchiha Itachi will remain and guard the village."
"The rest of you, come with me."
Temporary Shelter.
Jiraiya looked in the same direction as Naruto but saw and heard nothing. "What's going on over there?"
"Two people tried to leave the Land of Rain without my permission," Naruto said calmly with a wave of his hand.
Jiraiya's heart tensed. "Aren't you going after them?"
"My shadow clones stopped them," Naruto shook his head. "When they realized they couldn't break through, they retreated."
Jiraiya nodded gravely. "Looks like they're getting impatient."
Naruto smiled.
His greatest gain from all his years in Soul Society was patience. Time and lifespan were not luxuries to him anymore.
He resumed his experiments.
Jiraiya assisted, though he didn't know much about "human experimentation," his knowledge of ninjutsu was deep.
And just as expected—
Less than an hour later, several strong chakra signatures approached.
"Jiraiya-sensei, they're here." Naruto paused his work, put down his instruments, and walked off to wash his hands.
Jiraiya looked grim.
He didn't share Naruto's calm demeanor and stormed out.
From the heart of the Land of Rain, a group approached.
Leading them was an orange-haired man with a high ponytail.
Behind him followed four others—three men and a woman.
"Konan!" Jiraiya instinctively called out upon seeing her.
The blue-purple-haired woman stared at him, "Jiraiya-sensei, what a surprise to meet you here."
"Is Konoha here to help?"
"No," Jiraiya shook his head. "It's just… the 'Rain Village' and 'Rinnegan' reminded me of you three. I came to check. I didn't expect it really would be you."
He turned his gaze to the man with the ponytail, "If Konan's here…"
"Then you must be Nagato?"
"Your appearance has changed, but those eyes…"
"And where's Yahiko?"
"It seems something went very wrong with your growth. What happened?"
The ponytailed man replied, "That has nothing to do with you, Jiraiya-sensei."
"Our goal is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
"Even you—"
"If you oppose me, I will kill you without hesitation."
"Leave now."
Jiraiya shook his head, chakra flaring, "You should know Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's son."
"And I'm the Fourth Hokage's teacher."
"There's no way I'll let you lay a hand on my student's child."
The man raised a hand. "Is that so, Jiraiya-sensei?"
"What a pity—you've become my enemy."
As they spoke—
The house door opened again.
Naruto stepped out. "Jiraiya-sensei, that's not your student."
"That's just a puppet."
Jiraiya was stunned and turned to look at him.
"The real body doesn't even show itself?" Naruto continued, "Even after leaving the village, still hiding?"
The man with the ponytail responded, "Your sensory skills are incredible."
"You can even tell the difference between life and death?"
"But… even with a body like this, defeating you won't be a problem."
He formed a hand seal.
White smoke burst forth—five more figures appeared.
They looked just like the ponytailed man—orange hair, black rods embedded in their faces.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you'll regret not fleeing the moment you sensed me," said one of the summoned figures. "Now, you no longer have a chance."
Jiraiya was stunned.
He stared hard at the speaker.
Familiar hair. Familiar face.
"Yahiko?" his voice trembled. "You're the leader of the Akatsuki?"
"Why do you have the Rinnegan?"
"Where's Nagato?"
Naruto interjected, "He's a corpse too."
"Yahiko is dead," said the orange-haired man. "The one before you is Pain, the god!"
Jiraiya clenched his teeth. "What happened to you all?"
"Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto said, "Remember what you were just thinking about?"
Jiraiya paused, looking at him confused, not sure what he meant.
Was it about scouting the village for intel?
"These six are all corpse puppets," Naruto said softly. "But… they're not controlled by chakra strings. Did you notice the black rods on their faces?"
"When he performed the summoning technique, those rods vibrated—they were receiving chakra from afar."
Jiraiya quickly understood, "Nagato is remotely controlling them?"
"I see…"
"Then I'll leave this to you."
He vanished in a flash.
"You won't escape!" Konan moved to block him, her arm and sleeve extending into sharp paper ribbons.
But just as they extended—
A flash of red fire.
"Hadō #31: Shakkahō (Red Fire Cannon)."
A gaping hole was blown through her paper barrier, black smoke rising from the scorched edges.
Konan turned back.
A golden gleam filled her vision.
"Your opponent is me," Naruto stood before her. "Let Jiraiya-sensei do what he needs to."
Pain spoke, "It's fine, Konan."
"There are others in the village too."
Not just Uchiha Itachi—
But also the one calling himself Uchiha Madara.
"The real body of the Rinnegan isn't here, and neither is Uchiha Itachi," Naruto scanned them. "Only you guys?"
"Even Uchiha Madara won't show?"
Pain's voice shifted slightly, "You seem to know a lot."
"Even about him…"
"I'll make sure you meet him—after we capture you."
"Attack!"
At his command, Konan instantly lunged, a sharp paper spike in her hand gleaming coldly.
Naruto raised his hand.
Two fingers caught the attack.
No matter how much force she used, she couldn't get any closer.
"It's been a while since I fought seriously," Naruto said, forming a seal with his other hand as he stared past her at the six men behind.
"Let's see what the Rinnegan is really capable of."
Konan's pupils dilated—she quickly retreated.
But…
The jutsu Naruto performed wasn't offensive.
He was recalling his shadow clones from the border.
His aura surged.
Chakra burst out, pressing down like a storm.
Deidara flinched.
What was this sensation?
His body suddenly felt so heavy—
Sasori's puppet body groaned under the pressure.
Kisame stayed cautious, not drawing his chakra-hungry Samehada, but forming hand seals.
"Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A massive torrent erupted from his mouth, flooding the area in seconds.
But—
Naruto instantly rose into the air.
Pain also ascended. Behind Konan, paper wings unfolded and flapped.
Deidara tossed clay that turned into a bird, carrying him and Sasori.
The five corpses, unable to fly, floated slowly in the water.
Elsewhere—
Two figures burst from the forest, leaping high.
Naruto caught them mid-air and placed one on each shoulder.
(End of Chapter)