Jiraiya kept moving through the labyrinth of pipes, his figure flashing from one shadow to the next. At this point, his options were running thin. Faced with such a dire situation, there was no perfect solution left to him.
All he could do was instruct the two sages to dispel their summoning and leave immediately if things turned dangerous.
Before long, Fukasaku and Shima released a genjutsu through their croaking, the sound rippling through the space and interfering with Pain's judgment.
At the same time, Jiraiya confirmed something crucial when the Preta Path once again absorbed his Fire Release.
"That big one is definitely the one absorbing ninjutsu. The first one we saw only used summoning techniques, and the one absorbing jutsu has always been that bulky guy. Just like we thought—each of them only has one specialized ability."
His conclusion matched what the others observing had already deduced.
Was that why they had to appear together?
Because each one only represented a fragment of the whole?
"Right now, the big one's eyes are focused on the ninjutsu. Another one has its eyes closed. That means… only one pair of eyes is actually watching this direction."
On the other side, Jiraiya's main body forced two of them up onto the ceiling with a blast of Fire Release. In the next instant, they realized they couldn't move—the ground beneath them had turned into a mire.
They had fallen into his trap.
Swamp of the Underworld.
With that, he immobilized two of them, creating a brief one-on-one situation. At the same time, the genjutsu wrapped around all three, locking them in place.
"So you've been played, huh?"
The Animal Path reacted quickly.
"That's a clean strategy," Uchiha Itachi said quietly, a note of admiration in his voice.
Jiraiya had spent decades traversing the shinobi world. His combat instincts and experience far surpassed those of ordinary shinobi.
Even when he was at a disadvantage in a one-against-three fight, he could still manipulate the situation to this extent in such a short time. That alone spoke volumes.
It also made Kaede Kitahara's caution back in "Returning Through the Morning Mist" feel entirely justified.
Against an opponent like Jiraiya, especially with his own body already compromised, dragging things out would have been suicidal.
If there was any weakness to exploit, it was Jiraiya's physical condition.
In smaller skirmishes, it might not show. He could recover afterward.
But against someone like Jiraiya—especially one in Sage Mode—prolonging the fight would only lead to death.
Even so, everyone's expressions remained tense.
They already knew how this would end.
No matter how brilliant Jiraiya's tactics were, they were nothing more than a struggle against fate.
After all, only three of the Six Paths of Pain had appeared so far.
Jiraiya was already going all out.
Nagato… had not.
That was the fundamental difference.
And the strongest among them—the Deva Path, the one who had once wiped out Konoha in a single strike—had yet to show itself.
That thought alone kept everyone on edge.
"At the moment, you're trapped within a genjutsu that restrains both body and mind—the Temporary Paralysis Technique. That means neither your bodies nor your true selves can move."
In the scene, Jiraiya spoke calmly.
Within the illusion, the Animal Path, Preta Path, and Human Path were surrounded by a crowd of toads, pinned in place.
"Jiraiya-sensei… I didn't expect you to have a genjutsu like this," Pain said evenly.
"I taught you better than that. Never underestimate your opponent."
Jiraiya looked at his former student, pain flashing across his face.
"Nagato, you've misunderstood your purpose. Instead of using pain to guide the world, I'd rather you use the strength that surpasses pain to fulfill it."
"Goodbye."
The moment those words left his mouth, Jiraiya struck from outside, piercing through the bodies of all three Paths.
"It's over."
He exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders as he believed the battle had ended.
Even for Fukasaku and Shima, maintaining their state had reached its limit.
Just as Jiraiya thought he had made his decision—just as he felt he could finally rest—
someone appeared behind him.
The Naraka Path.
"Don't let your guard down—that's what you taught me, Jiraiya-sensei."
In the next instant, Jiraiya was blasted away, blood spilling through the air.
In a single strike, his left arm was shattered.
He stared at the newcomer, eyes wide.
This wasn't one of the three he had just killed.
The face was different.
It had been summoned earlier.
The sudden reversal made everyone's hearts tighten.
Because they all knew what it meant.
With one arm broken, even forming hand seals would become difficult. His combat ability would drop sharply.
This was the price of incomplete information.
If Jiraiya had known from the beginning that there were six Paths of Pain, he would never have lowered his guard so easily.
It was precisely at the moment he believed everything was resolved—when he thought the danger had passed—that the true threat revealed itself.
"So… this is how I lose…"
Jiraiya finally understood.
Even after entering Sage Mode, this was why he still died.
And what came next was even more horrifying.
The three bodies he had pierced and sealed with special rods… rose again once those rods were removed, completely unharmed.
Now—
all six Paths of Pain stood before him.
The Deva Path and Asura Path, who had not appeared before, stepped forward as well.
In that moment, any hope of escape became vanishingly small.
"That bastard…"
Tsunade's body trembled, her eyes reddening.
She had known this was coming.
But knowing and seeing were two different things.
The memory of Dan and Nawaki dying before her resurfaced, raw and vivid, and she could barely bear to look.
Decades of shared battles, of life and death together—whether love was involved or not—were enough to make this unbearable.
"The Six Paths of Pain… have arrived."
"Six of them… there are six of them?"
Fukasaku stared at the fully assembled group, shock flooding his face as the situation sank in.
"Look—those three we just defeated are here too!" Shima cried out.
"They must've been revived by that newly summoned one… some kind of jutsu," Fukasaku guessed.
"A jutsu that can bring back the dead? That's impossible…" Shima's voice trembled, cold sweat running down her face. "Are these things even human?"
The scene was deeply unsettling.
"Pain… what exactly are you?" Jiraiya asked, equally shaken.
"Pain is the name we share as one," the Deva Path replied calmly.
For those watching, their focus sharpened instantly.
The most terrifying figure from their memories—the one who had annihilated Konoha in a single move—had finally appeared.
Jiraiya's expression shifted.
Recognition.
"You… that face… Yahiko?"
The name surfaced in his mind immediately.
That was why the Jiraiya who had read the diary could recognize him so quickly. It wasn't just the Rinnegan—it was that face.
It hadn't changed much.
Only matured.
"What's going on? Yahiko is supposed to be dead. And those eyes…" Jiraiya demanded, shock clear in his voice.
"You see Yahiko in me? As expected of my former teacher. But Yahiko is long dead. The one standing before you is Pain."
The Deva Path's gaze was cold.
"I've heard enough of that. Then why do you have the Rinnegan?"
Jiraiya clutched his broken arm, staring at him in disbelief.
"What is it, Jiraiya?" Fukasaku asked.
"One of my former students… they were among them. But that child didn't have those eyes," Jiraiya said, shaken. "No—that's not right. The moment I saw the Rinnegan, I assumed the first one I saw must be Nagato. But it doesn't feel like him. And looking closely… none of the six resemble Nagato at all!"
"Even so, one of them looks like Yahiko and carries Nagato's Rinnegan. So which is it? Yahiko or Nagato?"
Jiraiya's voice rose, frustration breaking through.
"What the hell are you people?!"
In response, Pain's voice remained cold and detached.
"We are Pain. We are gods."
The six figures leapt down as one, launching a coordinated assault toward Jiraiya.
"You call yourselves gods?" Jiraiya roared, his fist crashing toward the Deva Path. "Yahiko, why do you have Nagato's eyes?!"
"Even if you knew, you couldn't defeat us."
The Deva Path spoke without emotion, sending Jiraiya flying with a single motion. At the same time, the Asura Path unleashed a barrage of miniature missiles from its arm, streaking toward Jiraiya in a deadly storm.
Faced with the onslaught, Jiraiya could only retreat, not daring to slow down for even a moment.
I have to find a weakness… even if it means taking them down with me.
The thought settled in his mind, grim and unyielding.
Before he could act on it, the Deva Path raised a hand.
Gravity surged.
The wall behind Jiraiya tore free and came crashing down toward him.
"You idiot… you have to come back alive! You can't die in some place like Amegakure… you absolutely can't die! Not before me!"
Tsunade's voice trembled as she watched, her eyes bloodshot.
Even though she had prepared herself, the moment still hit her like a blade.
Her body shook uncontrollably.