And those black rods—clearly one of Pain's methods of attack—were incredibly sharp, and they could disrupt chakra.
That ability was extremely troublesome. If one of those hit you, you'd likely be crippled on the spot.
Uchiha Itachi didn't have the luxury of dwelling on Jiraiya's death. He quietly organized everything he had learned from this battle.
It might prove useful in the future.
Even if he ultimately chose not to assassinate Nagato, he could still pass this information on to Konoha.
This time, Jiraiya wouldn't have to risk his life to uncover these secrets again.
Perhaps Sasuke would need this information in the future as well.
All in all, this diary had brought him tremendous gains.
It had answered many of the questions that had long puzzled him—how the Akatsuki came to be, why it had developed the way it did, and just how powerful that mysterious leader truly was.
He could already sense it.
The Deva Path was terrifyingly strong.
The ocular power emanating from those Rinnegan eyes surpassed even his Mangekyō Sharingan… and even the Mangekyō Sharingan Sasuke would later awaken.
For those who possessed dōjutsu, there was an unspoken understanding of how to measure such things.
Now, the missing pieces had finally been filled in.
"…Jiraiya."
Itachi let out a quiet sigh.
The dangers of the future were already becoming clear.
"Jiraiya-sama…"
Hatake Kakashi sighed softly, tightening his grip on the short blade in his hand.
He watched as Jiraiya chose to sacrifice himself, dying at Pain's hands in order to uncover the truth behind the Six Paths.
If it had been him… would he have done the same?
He would.
Without hesitation, he would.
In his youth, he and Jiraiya had been completely different kinds of shinobi.
But in the end, they had both been shaped by the same Will of Fire.
And that meant they would arrive at the same conclusion.
There was no other path.
If that day ever came, he wouldn't have a choice either.
He would draw his blade and fight, just like Jiraiya—take down as many enemies as he could, and entrust the rest to his comrades… to his students.
That was all their generation could do.
"Sensei…"
Namikaze Minato's expression dimmed.
Even though he had long known this outcome—even though his own death came before Jiraiya's—watching his teacher entrust everything to Naruto in his final moments still weighed heavily on him.
"Minato, what's wrong?"
From outside the room, Uzumaki Kushina's voice called out.
Minato quickly wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. "It's nothing, Kushina. I'll be out once I finish going through these documents."
"Alright, don't stay up too late."
She didn't press further. Her footsteps faded away.
"That idiot!"
Tsunade slammed her fist onto the table, fury blazing in her eyes.
Tears spilled down her face despite herself.
Even though Jiraiya in this timeline hadn't died, she could no longer hold them back.
"Was that little bit of information really worth it? Even if I never learned who Nagato was, did it matter that much?!"
Her voice dropped into a low, trembling roar.
"You left me here to be Hokage while you went off to the Pure Land, huh?"
She was furious.
But beneath that anger was lingering fear.
Thank god for that brat Kaede Kitahara and his diary.
If not for it, she might have walked the same path—sending Jiraiya into battle for the sake of a handful of intelligence.
At least now… there was still time.
"Pain… Nagato…"
She ground her teeth.
Even with everything they now knew about the Akatsuki, there was no easy solution.
There were simply too many powerful members.
From what they could gather, there were at least nine—including Orochimaru—and every single one of them was at least Kage Level.
No single village could handle that alone.
Not unless it meant triggering another great ninja war.
Even then, victory wasn't guaranteed.
And if the Akatsuki simply relocated their base, they'd be left chasing shadows.
With that many Kage Level fighters gathered in one place, if they chose to flee, who could stop them?
Against an organization like this, their options were limited.
Only the strongest could face them.
If she was destined to become the Fifth Hokage, then she had to prepare.
Counting herself and Jiraiya, that made two Kage Level fighters.
She could bring in the old man as well. Sarutobi Hiruzen might no longer be in his prime, but he still possessed strength at the gatekeeper level.
At his peak, he had stood on equal footing with Hanzo, the Demigod.
Even now, diminished as he was, he still had Kage Level strength.
As for his old teammates, Danzo had maintained his power through body modifications, remaining at Kage Level—though likely also at the gatekeeper tier. Still, he was dangerous.
The other two had declined to the level of ordinary jonin or elite jonin.
They wouldn't be much help in battles between top-tier shinobi.
Danzo, in particular, was a problem.
He might have Kage Level strength, but he could just as easily become a liability. His presence might weaken Konoha rather than strengthen it.
Then there was Hatake Kakashi.
The son of her old comrade… now showing the same potential.
From Kaede Kitahara's diary, it seemed Kakashi was already pushing himself to break through to Kage Level.
She didn't know why he had started so early, but it was a good sign.
With his talent, as long as he didn't give up on himself, reaching Kage Level was only a matter of time.
After all, he would one day become the Sixth Hokage.
That made one more.
And then there was Kaede Kitahara himself.
Though he didn't seem particularly attached to Konoha—his words in the diary made it clear he could leave at any time—he was still fundamentally aligned with order and decency.
If they could win him over, he would likely stand with Konoha.
By that calculation, Konoha could gather five Kage Level fighters.
Still far from enough to match the Akatsuki—but far better than the hopeless situation they had faced before.
And that wasn't all.
After three years of training, even the three members of Team 7 would reach Kage Level.
With careful planning, Konoha might actually be able to field a group capable of contending with the Akatsuki.
They could even adopt a similar strategy—pairing up and operating in teams.
But Tsunade hadn't forgotten.
There was another enemy lurking in the shadows.
The one Kaede Kitahara had been most wary of—
Kara.
According to him, it was even more terrifying than the Akatsuki.
For now, it remained hidden, not yet fully active.
Then again, the Akatsuki itself hadn't reached its peak either.
First Akatsuki… then Kara.
Just thinking about it made her head ache.
"So in the end… I still died, huh? A frog at the bottom of the well, scattered into the sea. Not a bad ending."
Jiraiya watched his own fate in the video, his body sinking into the ocean.
He hadn't achieved a grand life like the Hokage.
Nor a glorious ending.
He failed to bring his friend back from darkness.
Failed to confess to Tsunade.
Failed to protect his teacher.
Failed to protect his students.
"A complete failure of a life. For someone like that… this kind of ending isn't so bad. At least I managed to pass on the information."
Jiraiya rubbed his nose, unsure what to say.
Especially when he saw the final scene—Naruto leaping through the forest, suddenly pausing as if someone had tapped him on the back.
That was him.
His spirit.
He couldn't help but sigh.
After searching for a lifetime—for three generations—he had finally found the child of prophecy.
Uzumaki Naruto.
But thinking back, Nagato had once had that chance too.
The Great Toad Sage had said it depended on how he guided them.
If he had taken them out of Amegakure… brought them to Konoha…
things might have turned out differently.
Nagato had been gentle.
Konan had been gentle.
Even Yahiko, though loud and impulsive, had been bright and optimistic at heart.
But back then, in the midst of war, Jiraiya had chosen not to take them with him.
He hadn't wanted to drag them into it.
And that decision had led them down a path into the abyss.
Every choice a person makes leads to a different future.
He could have done better.
But he hadn't.
That was why he saw his life as a failure.
"…But was that really Nagato?"
Jiraiya stroked his chin, recalling the Six Paths of Pain he had seen.
Each one corresponded to a shinobi he had once encountered.
It was clear they were already dead.
Only their bodies remained—controlled by Nagato.
And the one at the forefront…
That had to be Yahiko's corpse.
"…Seeing Yahiko die like that… Nagato and Konan must've suffered a lot."
Jiraiya let out a long breath.
Even though Nagato and Konan had tried to kill him, he couldn't bring himself to hate them.
He understood now.
What they had gone through.
Why they had fallen into darkness.
And he knew…
he bore some responsibility for that.
[The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant has come to an end. No matter how many times you watch it, it still hits hard. Jiraiya is gone, and Naruto will never again have someone to share popsicles with. Naruto had several teachers, but Jiraiya was, without a doubt, the most special one.]
[No matter how many times I watch it, I can't help wishing there were an alternate timeline… where Seventh Hokage Uzumaki Naruto could save Jiraiya.]