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GSiN: Ch. 122
🕑 Added 2025-06-11 19:54:21 +0000 UTC---Third POV---
"Please, let me go. Nagato became an orphan because of the war between Konoha and Ame. Only I can talk to him properly."
Jiraiya leaned close to Orochimaru, gripping his shoulders and shaking him non-stop.
"I'm begging you, let me go."
Annoyed by his persistence, Orochimaru could only reluctantly agree. "Your mission is only to investigate. If you notice anything unusual, you must retreat immediately."
"Alright! Thank you, I knew you'd help me."
Jiraiya gave Orochimaru a bear hug and then eagerly set off to investigate the area mentioned in the intel. No matter what had happened, he believed that Nagato and the other two still longed for peace deep down. They were surely being manipulated.
Now was the time for him to guide these lost children back onto the right path.
---
In the Land of Grass, at a Konoha outpost, a powerful repulsive force formed a circular field, blasting all the facilities at the outpost away.
When Jiraiya arrived, all he could see were the broken bodies of Konoha ninjas scattered everywhere.
"How could this be…"
He stared in disbelief at the red-haired figure, familiar yet so distant.
"Nagato, do you even know what you're doing?"
"Of course I do. I'm just doing what I must." Black Zetsu, controlling Tendō, casually responded.
Jiraiya, however, misunderstood, thinking that as he'd suspected, Nagato's actions stemmed from his hatred toward Konoha since childhood.
"It seems a lot happened while I wasn't around, but hatred solves nothing. This is the ninja way I taught you... You should understand that, Nagato."
"Jiraiya, peace isn't achieved through understanding between people, but through fear and pain. Only when people truly feel pain will they treasure peace."
"You won't even call me 'sensei' anymore? That hurts."
The lifeless look in the red-haired boy's eyes sent a chill down Jiraiya's spine. What could've happened to turn that once gentle child into something like a walking corpse? If talking no longer worked, then there was no choice but to fight. He was still a Konoha ninja.
The orphan he once saved out of guilt had now become a blade pointed at Konoha. The ninjas who died horribly here, they were a responsibility he couldn't run from.
"Before we start, I want to ask, are Yahiko and Konan still alive?"
"Those two naive fools? Who knows. They might be dead already."
"I see…" Jiraiya muttered bitterly.
Whoosh.
Tendō suddenly accelerated toward Jiraiya, gripping a black rod and thrusting it at his right chest.
Jiraiya dodged swiftly, forming hand signs as his long white hair rapidly extended, trying to bind Nagato.
But then, an invisible force exploded outward, shattering the Wild Lion's Mane and scattering broken hair into the air.
"What?"
Jiraiya reacted quickly, kicking off the ground and leaping backward, narrowly escaping the range of the standard Shinra Tensei.
But Tendō showed no mercy. Aiming at the retreating Jiraiya, he extended his left hand, a black vortex began to form in his palm.
A powerful gravitational force seized Jiraiya's entire body, pulling him uncontrollably toward Tendō.
Pshk!
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out. Tendō's right hand held a black rod that was thrust straight into Jiraiya's shoulder.
Poof.
A puff of smoke exploded, the Jiraiya who had been stabbed vanished instantly. Using the distraction of his white hair filling the air moments earlier, he had secretly swapped places with a shadow clone. It was just a habit of his in combat, but it happened to save him from Tendō's technique this time. While the clone drew attention, he quickly formed hand signs and slammed his palm onto the ground.
A vast swamp spread out, trapping Tendō's legs before he could escape.
One technique to rule them all, with his cooldown refreshed, Tendō raised his hand and unleashed an omnidirectional Shinra Tensei, blasting away all the surrounding swamp.
"So that's the power of your eyes, huh? Pretty convenient," Jiraiya muttered. He wasn't slow in battle. After two exchanges and having seen a similar technique from Ryouma, he would be a fool not to notice the pattern.
Standing within the circular crater left by the Shinra Tensei, Tendō's voice echoed emotionlessly.
"You clearly had a chance just now to use a fire jutsu, yet you still chose Earth Release."
He opened his arms and gestured toward the remains of the Konoha ninjas around them.
"Take a good look at the corpses around you. At this point, do you still want to protect that laughable teacher-student bond?"
Jiraiya let out a deep breath, his gaze sharp as he locked eyes with Tendō.
"Even when you pierced my clone, you didn't aim for a fatal spot. Maybe… we still—"
"Enough." Tendō cut him off. "It seems you've misunderstood something."
"What do you mean?"
A strange feeling crept into Jiraiya's heart. Just as he was about to press for answers, he suddenly felt something watching him from behind.
Whoosh.
A pink tongue shot through the air and tightly wrapped around his body. From the seemingly empty space behind him, a massive chameleon slowly revealed itself.
"This is the end for you."
Black Zetsu, controlling Nagato's real body, leapt from the chameleon's mouth, wielding a black rod and aiming it at Jiraiya's shoulder.
In that moment of crisis, Jiraiya formed a one-handed seal with his right hand.
With a large puff of smoke, Gamabunta appeared, drew his katana, and slashed the chameleon's tongue, freeing Jiraiya.
"Thanks, Bunta."
Standing atop Gamabunta's head, Jiraiya was filled with questions.
"Are Rinnegan really that common now? One popping up is already insane, but now even summoning creatures have them? And more importantly… Two Nagatos? What the hell is going on?"
Even though half of the second figure's body was black, he could still recognize the features of the red-haired boy he once knew.
Was this another ability of the Rinnegan?
A clone?
Or something else entirely?
While he was still piecing it together, Black Zetsu had no interest in prolonging things. Since the quick kill failed, it was time to get serious. Channeling the power of the Rinnegan, he clasped his hands together and formed a small black sphere, launching it into the sky.
Ugh… I really hate having to use this disgusting power, he thought.
The black gravity core shot swiftly into the air, then exploded with an immense gravitational force. The surrounding ground began to collapse, and all matter was caught and drawn in by its invisible pull.
Jiraiya and Gamabunta were no exception.
Gamabunta leaped between chunks of earth suspended in the air, trying to maneuver, but was still being pulled closer and closer to the gravitational core above.
"Bunta! Focus your power and attack the core of that jutsu in the sky!"
"Got it!" Gamabunta responded without hesitation.
Man and toad formed hand seals together to unleash a collaborative jutsu.
"Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
The flame, enhanced with oil, shot out like a blazing orange-red laser, tearing through the sky straight at the core of the technique, which was now wrapped in layers of stone and earth. The attack was so powerful it left a glowing trail through the air.
"Heh." Black Zetsu sneered. "It's too late to realize it now."
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out in midair. Thick smoke and dust spread out, forming a giant vortex, only to be sucked back in by the all-encompassing gravity in the sky.
Just as Black Zetsu had said, Jiraiya had discovered the weakness of Chibaku Tensei too late. The core of the technique was already protected by thick layers of earth, and the Toad Oil Flame Bullet wasn't strong enough to penetrate and destroy it.
"This is bad," Jiraiya murmured with a wry smile. "Sorry, Orochimaru. Looks like I've caused trouble again."
Poof.
Right before being sealed, he canceled the summoning jutsu, and a reluctant Gamabunta returned to Mount Myoboku.
Seconds later, Chibaku Tensei was fully completed.
A massive sphere of rock hovered in the sky, surrounded by drifting smoke, utterly awe-inspiring.
"To think it forced you to use that jutsu… The Sannin really aren't to be underestimated." Spiky White Zetsu poked half his head out of the ground and remarked. He had assumed that with the power of the Rinnegan, capturing one of the Sannin would be an easy task.
"Never underestimate a famous ninja. Go report to Madara, our bait has been captured."
---
At the Konoha encampment, Orochimaru suddenly sensed something. His eyes shifted from the map on the table toward the outpost. The sensory technique he had left on Jiraiya had just been severed.
He had considered the possibility that Jiraiya might run into a battle during his investigation, but he hadn't expected the fool to get into trouble less than half a day after leaving.
"Tch, I knew I couldn't trust him… I must've been out of my mind."
He used a secret channel to send news of Jiraiya's disappearance back to the village. Although the sensory link had been cut off, that didn't necessarily mean Jiraiya was dead. Still, considering how fast Jiraiya had been taken down, Orochimaru figured he would need reinforcements.
---
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen's face was as dark as water. In his hand was the intelligence Orochimaru had just sent back.
"Someone, notify Minato and Ryouma immediately. I need to see them."
"Yes."
---
At that moment, Ryouma was in his study, reading through the Second Hokage's research notes on Hashirama's cells. To be honest, he couldn't really make sense of the highly technical material.
"Looks like I'll need to find a specialist for this."
He returned the notebook to its place.
Just then, a knock came from the door. He quickly walked over and opened it.
"The Hokage has issued an emergency summons."
"I understand."
To be summoned urgently at a time like this… His sixth sense told him this probably wasn't good news. Without hesitation, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to a small alley in front of the Hokage's office.
---
"Ryouma?"
"Captain Minato?"
Minato felt a sinking sensation in his chest. If both of them were being summoned together, it could only mean something serious had happened. Without exchanging many words, the two entered the Hokage Building together.
Hiruzen didn't waste time either. As soon as he saw them, he informed them of the intelligence Orochimaru had just sent back.
"Jiraiya went to investigate the enemy… and has gone missing."
Ryouma frowned, and Minato's breath also hitched slightly.
"These are the detailed intel reports." Hiruzen pushed an unrolled scroll across the desk toward them.
"Excuse me." Minato picked it up and quickly read through the information.
His expression didn't change much, but Ryouma could tell, Minato's body was trembling slightly.
"Captain Minato, are you…"
"I'm fine, Ryouma." Minato's voice remained steady. The more urgent the situation, the more he knew they had to stay calm. Anger wouldn't solve anything, he understood that clearly.
"Our mission is to rescue Jiraiya-sensei, correct?"
Hiruzen had been worried that Minato, due to his teacher-student bond with Jiraiya, might act impulsively. But it was now clear his concern was unfounded. "That's right. Minato, Ryouma, you are to head to the battlefield in the Land of Grass immediately and rescue your comrade!"
"Yes!"
The two quickly exited the Hokage Building. Minato asked, "Do you need to prepare anything?"
"No," Ryouma shook his head. "The situation is urgent, we don't have time to run to the Land of Grass."
Minato's eyes lit up. "Did you leave a mark in the Land of Grass?"
"No, I didn't. But there's someone who can teleport without needing a mark."
With that, Ryouma didn't elaborate further, Minato would find out soon enough. He placed a hand on Minato's shoulder and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
---
In a forest on the west side of the village, Obito had just finished training with shuriken throwing. After deactivating his three-tomoe Sharingan, he sat down in a clearing and took out a bottle of eyedrops to apply.
Ryouma had prepared this eyedrop solution at the Konoha Hospital a few days ago, specifically for Obito. He wasn't sure how effective it really was, but it definitely had a cooling effect, he'd added plenty of mint and cassia seeds.
Just as Obito was using two fingers to pull his eyelids open and drip in the solution, a sudden ripple in space-time.
Ryouma and Minato appeared right in front of him.
"Wahhh!!" Startled, Obito fell backward, only for Ryouma to grab him by the collar and pull him upright.
"Whoa… you scared me to death. Don't just show up out of nowhere like that!"
"Sorry, Obito," Minato said apologetically, scratching his head.
"Alright," Ryouma said seriously, patting Obito on the shoulder. "It's your turn now, Obito!"
