Chapter 299: Jiraiya, Nagato and Konan Meet

In the Otherworldly Space

There was no sun. There was no land.

Only an endless expanse of towering black square pillars of varying heights, stretching infinitely below. The material of these pillars was unknown.

This space was utterly still—no wind, no sound, as if it were a place of death.

Upon one of these pillars stood a figure in a black cloak adorned with red clouds, wearing a spiraled mask. Beside him was a pool of inky black liquid.

Obito and Black Zetsu.

Obito glanced around, confirming that neither Konan nor Nagato had been pulled into the space. He immediately realized that something had gone wrong.

According to the original plan, Black Zetsu would take control of Konan.

Though he couldn't kill her outright since she was uninjured, simply using her as leverage to force Nagato to surrender the Rinnegan would be enough.

At that point, Black Zetsu could activate the Transcription Seal he had left behind, pulling both Nagato and Konan into this dimension.

Here, without water or food, they would be nothing more than trapped prey. Even if Konan was troublesome to deal with, starvation would do the job eventually.

But now, only Black Zetsu was here.

That meant the plan had failed.

"Did you get the Rinnegan?" Obito asked impatiently.

"I did." Black Zetsu's eyes emerged from the black puddle.

Seeing this, Obito finally exhaled in relief. He took the Rinnegan from Black Zetsu. Though they hadn't captured Konan or Nagato, at least they had achieved their minimum objective.

If they had spent all this time scheming, only to walk away empty-handed, Obito honestly wouldn't know what to do.

He had watched the entire battle between Natsuro and the Six Paths of Pain.

To him, the Six Paths of Pain were already a nightmarish force.

Yet, against Natsuro, they were like infants facing an adult, utterly powerless.

And worst of all, Natsuro hadn't even used his full strength.

At the very least, from what Obito had observed, Natsuro had not used Flying Thunder God, except for a single instance when he teleported Jiraiya away.

So, if Black Zetsu had failed to retrieve the Rinnegan and it had ended up in Natsuro's hands instead…

Obito wasn't even going to try reclaiming it. That was someone else's problem, he wanted nothing to do with it!

Even with his intangibility, he had zero confidence in facing Natsuro.

Fortunately, Black Zetsu had succeeded. That meant they no longer had to deal with him head-on.

As for capturing the Nine-Tails?

Obito wasn't going back to Konoha.

With the Sixth Hokage there, the only way to get the Nine-Tails was if it somehow ended up outside Natsuro's protection.

And was that ever going to happen?

No.

Black Zetsu then began explaining what had transpired.

"So even under those conditions, Nagato still wasn't easy to manipulate?" Obito sneered. He wasn't surprised.

If it had been the younger, more naive Nagato, their plan would have worked flawlessly.

But after everything Nagato had been through, he had grown.

"What do we do now?" Black Zetsu asked, referring to the issue of the Nine-Tails.

"Capturing the Nine-Tails under the Sixth Hokage's watch is impossible. We need another plan."

Obito reached into his cloak and pulled out a small orb.

"What's that?" Black Zetsu immediately sensed the powerful Nine-Tails chakra contained within it and frowned.

He had never seen this before.

Was Obito hiding something from him?

"I picked it up."

Obito's expression beneath the mask was unreadable.

"You… picked it up?" Black Zetsu sounded doubtful.

"Yes. I found it at the battlefield where Natsuro fought the Six Paths of Pain. It seems the Sixth Hokage carried it with him, but when Deva Pain activated Chibaku Tensei, the pull must have knocked it loose."

"...…"

Black Zetsu fell silent.

That kind of coincidence… was it really possible?

Even Obito wasn't sure. He had wondered whether Natsuro had done it deliberately, but there didn't seem to be any logical reason why Natsuro would intentionally give them this.

After thinking it over, Obito chalked it up to an accident.

Either way, there was no way he was returning it.

"Does it have a Flying Thunder God mark on it?" Black Zetsu asked warily.

"No. I checked."

Obito had been extremely cautious before even touching the thing.

If there had been a Flying Thunder God mark on it, he wouldn't have dared to touch it.

The last thing he needed was to grab it and suddenly get flattened by a Rasengan.

"I see…"

Even Black Zetsu couldn't figure it out.

But Obito was right, this was an opportunity.

With this Nine-Tails chakra, they could at least partially awaken the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

It wouldn't be at full power…

But would it be enough to fight the Sixth Hokage?

For the first time, Black Zetsu hesitated.

Something in his instincts told him that even with everything in place, the Sixth Hokage would not be an easy opponent.

He quickly shook the thought away.

Impossible.

No matter how strong that man was, he couldn't possibly have Six Paths-level power.

Could he?

Black Zetsu pushed the thought aside, but a lingering sense of dread remained in his heart.

....

Outside World

Meanwhile, Natsuro had been keeping track of the orb he had used to store the Nine-Tails chakra taken from the boy named Sora.

As expected, he no longer sensed its presence.

Which meant… Obito had taken it.

That was intentional.

By this point, the Akatsuki likely already had Eight-Tails chakra, even if they hadn't captured the beast itself.

So why not give them a little push?

Natsuro's expression remained unchanged as he and Jiraiya arrived at the massive tree hollow.

Then, both of them frowned, they smelled blood.

Exchanging a glance, a sense of foreboding filled Jiraiya's heart as they stepped inside.

"You're late, Sixth Hokage."

A weak voice echoed through the tree hollow the moment they entered.

"Jiraiya-sensei."

Konan looked at them, surprisingly calm.

Then, Natsuro and Jiraiya saw them.

Konan.

And inside a strange contraption, Nagato, his eyes shut, fresh blood still leaking from his empty sockets.

"What happened?! Nagato, your Rinnegan..."

Jiraiya's voice was filled with shock.

Natsuro's eyes narrowed.

Did Obito actually have the strength to take Nagato's eyes?

He knew for a fact that Obito wasn't that powerful. Even a sneak attack wouldn't have been enough to take both eyes at once.

Something didn't add up.

"Nagato, Konan, what happened after I left? How did Yahiko die?"

Jiraiya took a deep breath, his voice filled with restrained emotion.

"What's the point of asking now, Jiraiya-sensei?"

Nagato spoke bitterly.

"I lost. And as the loser, I accept my punishment."

He paused, his voice softening.

"But… Jiraiya-sensei, I beg you, please spare Konan. She was only following my orders. She has never harmed Konoha. She is innocent."

"Nagato, you don't have to—"

Konan's voice wavered, but she remained resolute.

"If you're gone, I have no reason to live."

Nagato flinched. He sighed heavily.

"Sixth Hokage… You're also Jiraiya-sensei's student, aren't you?"

"Yes. So, should I call you 'senior'?"

Natsuro asked curiously.

Nagato smiled bitterly.

"I don't deserve such a title. But I do have one request…"

At Natsuro's words, Konan hesitated for a moment. A flicker of hope appeared in her eyes.

If it's Jiraiya-sensei… maybe even Nagato could survive?

With this newfound hope, Konan, carrying some guilt, finally spoke.

"Alright. I will tell you everything, Jiraiya-sensei."

Nagato opened his mouth slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.

To him, his own life didn't matter, only Konan's safety did.

But if he died, Konan wouldn't live either.

That was the greatest dilemma.

Perhaps Konan felt the same. Their lives had long been tied together.

Konan took a moment to gather her thoughts and then began her story.

During the Second Great Ninja War, after Jiraiya left them, they found their own path and established Akatsuki.

Back then, however, Akatsuki was nothing like the organization it later became, it was Yahiko's dream.

Yahiko had believed in achieving world peace without resorting to extreme violence.

Over time, many joined them, and Akatsuki grew in size and influence, gaining a great reputation.

Hearing this, Jiraiya nodded. He had heard about it back then and felt proud of them.

But it also confused him. What happened? What led to Yahiko's death? How did Akatsuki become what it is today?

Konan continued, her expression darkening with hatred.

During the Third Great Ninja War, Hanzo of the Salamander deceived them.

He claimed he wanted to use Akatsuki's strength to negotiate peace with the major nations... Fire, Wind, and Earth.

Since they had dedicated themselves to world peace, they trusted him.

But it was all a trap.

Hanzo had secretly allied with Danzo of Konoha and ambushed them at the meeting place.

Hanzo captured Konan and used her life to force Nagato into an impossible choice, kill Yahiko, or she would die.

At this point, Konan's face was streaked with tears.

Even after all these years, the pain was still unbearable.

"Nagato couldn't decide. He couldn't do it. But Yahiko…Yahiko threw himself onto Nagato's kunai and died in Nagato's arms."

Jiraiya clenched his fists. It was just as he feared.

Danzo… again? Why was Danzo always at the center of such tragedies? How many lives did he have to ruin before he was satisfied?!

Jiraiya suddenly felt like letting Danzo die back then had been too merciful. Right now, he wouldn't mind dragging his corpse out and desecrating it.

Meanwhile, Konan continued.

Hanzo never intended to spare them. He wanted to exterminate Akatsuki before they could grow into a real threat to his rule. But at that moment, Nagato's Rinnegan fully awakened. With god-like power, he annihilated Hanzo's and Danzo's forces. Only Hanzo and Danzo escaped with their lives.

At this point, Konan's expression was a mix of satisfaction and sorrow.

After Yahiko's death, Nagato became Akatsuki's leader. He created the Six Paths of Pain using the power of the Rinnegan.

And Yahiko's body… Became the Deva Pain. With his new power, Nagato killed Hanzo and seized control of Amegakure.

Jiraiya's grip tightened. Danzo. Again. That bastard. Why was he always behind these tragedies?!

Meanwhile, Konan kept going. "Then, someone calling himself Madara Uchiha approached us."

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Madara?! Impossible!"

That didn't make sense. Madara had died long ago.

"Yes, he introduced himself as Madara Uchiha and possessed a Sharingan strong enough to control tailed beasts."

Konan acknowledged Jiraiya's skepticism but continued.

"Go on," Natsuro said. "I've met that man before. He's not Madara."

Konan glanced at Natsuro before continuing. "He had approached us before, but Yahiko refused him. After Yahiko's death, however, Nagato accepted his offer. And so, Akatsuki's goal changed. We began gathering the tailed beasts. Developing forbidden jutsu. Creating weapons of mass destruction. The goal was to accumulate power capable of obliterating entire nations in an instant, to instill fear, to make people experience unbearable pain, and in doing so, to force the world into peace. And from there… you know the rest. Once we had amassed enough wealth and strength, we started capturing the tailed beasts."

Jiraiya exhaled slowly.

"I see…" His voice was heavy with sorrow.

"But is that really peace?"

Nagato's voice was cold. "Jiraiya-sensei, people will never truly understand each other. If they could, Yahiko would still be alive. True peace is impossible without extreme force."

Jiraiya opened his mouth, but found himself at a loss for words. Nagato had lived through this suffering firsthand. What could he say to counter that? If he couldn't change Nagato's heart… Then how could he let him live?

Natsuro had given him the right to decide Nagato and Konan's fate. But even then, he had to put Konoha's interests first.

"Instead of using pain to lead the world… I want you to use the power to overcome pain."

Nagato laughed bitterly. Then his laughter turned into a crazed, hysterical cackle. "Hah… hahahaha! Jiraiya-sensei, you know nothing!"

His frail body shook violently, his laughter punctuated by violent coughing. His skeletal frame made him look ghastly, as if he were already a corpse.

At that moment, Natsuro yawned."Can we wrap this up already? This conversation is getting boring."

Everyone in the room froze. No one had expected him to say that.

"You think world peace is a boring topic?" Nagato's voice shook with rage, as if Natsuro had denied his entire existence.

"It's not?" Natsuro replied casually.

"It's an impossible dream. No matter how much you discuss it, there will never be a real answer."

Natsuro did wish for world peace.

But he also understood that as long as living beings existed, as long as there were limited resources, there would always be conflict.

True peace…

Would never exist.

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Currently on Chapter 354: Madara Uchiha vs The Allied Shinobi Force