And hearing this, Tsunade fell silent once more.
Until a moment later, she said with an exceptionally grim expression:
"I understand."
"I'll immediately arrange personnel to go to Amegakure to investigate."
"No time to lose."
As she spoke,
Tsunade immediately stood up.
However,
Just as she was about to turn and leave, Jiraiya here suddenly reached out a hand and directly grabbed her.
"Wait, Tsunade."
"?"
Tsunade looked down in surprise,
And at this moment, Jiraiya's gaze had become exceptionally firm.
He met Tsunade's eyes without avoidance, and said in an unprecedented, serious tone, firmly:
"This mission to investigate Amegakure might be very dangerous."
"Ordinary Konoha Shinobi simply can't be Akatsuki's opponents. Even if they obtained information, they couldn't safely send it back."
"So... let me go."
"--!?"
As the words fell, Shizune and Tsunade were simultaneously stunned.
Then,
Tsunade hardened her gaze and said deeply:
"No!"
"Precisely because it's dangerous, you..."
However,
She was only halfway through her sentence when Jiraiya suddenly raised his hand to interrupt her, then smiled somewhat helplessly:
"Actually, this matter,"
"I should have done it three years ago, when Sensei passed away."
"But at the time, due to Konoha being in a precarious situation, Advisor Koharu, to make me stay and stabilize Konoha, vetoed my plan."
"But now, it's okay."
Jiraiya said with a light smile while closing his travelogue:
"Now,"
"You have become the Fifth Hokage and have stabilized Konoha inside and out."
"At this time,"
"Let me do something for you."
"Also as--"
"For the sake of Konoha and Sarutobi-sensei's expectations."
Jiraiya looked up at Tsunade, grinning confidently, and said:
"Don't worry, that acting Kazekage abducted from Sunagakure,"
"I'll investigate him as well, incidentally."
…
The scene shifts.
Back to Amegakure.
The drifting rain still continued, but the storm had vanished.
After the Kitsune Ogre and Obito left, Amegakure once again returned to its usual quietude.
Inside a room in an iron building,
At this moment,
Three figures stood within it.
Kyo, standing on the left, had a calm gaze, without any ripples.
Konan, standing on the right, had her eyes lowered, lost in thought.
But,
The person standing between them at this moment,
Was not the usual awe-inspiring, domineering leader, Deva Path Pain.
But a gaunt, red-haired youth.
At this moment, his entire body was inserted with black iron rods, a shocking sight.
And beneath his red hair,
A pair of pale purple Rinnegan was strikingly conspicuous!
He was the actual leader of the Akatsuki, and also the controller of the Six Paths of Pain—
Nagato!
The room was still silent.
Until a moment later, Nagato, who was on the apparatus, slowly lowered his gaze, his expression complicated, and said in a low voice:
"Seeing me like this... you must be very disappointed."
He murmured as if to himself.
But in reality,
He was speaking to Kyo.
There was no choice.
Although he didn't want anyone other than Konan to know his true appearance,
However,
In the battle that just passed,
Kyo had witnessed the existence of the six Pains firsthand...
That is to say,
It was completely impossible to conceal any longer.
He couldn't very well say that Pain had five brothers, and that the Rinnegan were mass-produced, could he...?
Such a lie would collapse without anyone exposing it.
Thus,
Left with no choice,
Nagato had to use the mouth of Deva Path to completely disclose his secret to Kyo.
If it were in the past,
He might have still harbored some suspicion towards Kyo.
But now,
There was no longer any doubt in his heart.
Such strength, capable of forcibly forcing back the Kitsune Ogre and easily injuring Obito...
To be honest,
He had far surpassed the remaining members of Akatsuki.
You have to understand,
Even using all the skills of his Rinnegan, Nagato couldn't harm the Kitsune Ogre opposite one bit...
Moreover, Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan possessed extremely powerful spacetime ninjutsu.
This basically sufficed to show that the gap was basically—
Kyo > Kitsune Ogre > Nagato.
And now, even with such strength, he had never shown any act of betraying Akatsuki, which was enough to prove he was trustworthy.
At this moment,
Nagato couldn't help but recall,
It seemed Konan had indeed said that Kyo's True Eye of the King was the Dojutsu surpassing the Rinnegan...
Nagato didn't believe it at first.
But after witnessing this battle firsthand, he... had to believe it.
After a moment of silence,
Kyo here slightly raised his eyes and chuckled lightly:
"Disappointed?"
"Not at all."
"I've always admired those who dedicate their lives to their ideals."
"Unlike me,"
"Who can only be a slacker."
As Kyo's words fell,
Nagato across from him was momentarily stunned, and then, instead, felt a bit embarrassed in his heart.
Although he was indeed striving hard for the ideal of world peace, this was also the first time someone had said this.
After all, as the leader of Akatsuki, what he heard more often was still talk about "war".
After a long silence,
Nagato finally raised his eyes and looked at Kyo ahead.
This time,
His expression was serious, as if he had pondered for a long time, before saying firmly:
"Kyo-san,"
"Actually, I don't understand..."
"A powerful Shinobi like you, why... would you be willing to stay in Akatsuki?"
"You have always yearned for a free life, right,"
"And, you are not like the others, with the identity of a Missing-nin."
"With your strength, you are completely capable of living well anywhere, it seems... unnecessary to be like now."
Nagato said calmly, and in the end, lowered his gaze again.
To be honest,
This was the biggest question that arose in his heart after witnessing Kyo's powerful strength.
Why would a slacker, who took time off to travel and particularly liked to slack off, stay in Akatsuki...?
As these words fell,
Konan beside him was momentarily stunned.
She also hadn't expected that the first time Nagato revealed his true appearance to Kyo, he would actually... ask this for the first time.
The scene fell silent again,
The air seemed to become calm with it.
And at this moment,
Kyo opposite slightly raised an eyebrow, revealing a leisurely smile. As his golden eyes flickered slightly, he chuckled lightly:
"That's a strange question."
"Wasn't it you who invited me to join Akatsuki in the first place?"
"Besides,"
"Can't a slacker have dreams?"
"Just like you,"
"I, Kyo, also have a wish..."
"And that is, a world of nuclear peace."
"?"