A figure slowly descended from the sky.
Jiraiya froze the moment he saw the newcomer's face.
"Naruto?! What are you doing here? Get out of here—now!"
His expression shifted rapidly before settling into anger. He didn't even want to look at Naruto again.
Naruto just smiled.
"Pervy Sage, stop pretending. I know you're trying to protect me by pushing me away. But seriously, your acting is terrible. You've got no skill at all. Total amateur."
Jiraiya's expression instantly fell apart.
Facing the overwhelming Six Paths of Pain, he could barely protect himself—let alone Naruto.
That realization filled him with despair.
"Uzumaki Naruto? The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?" The Deva Path of Pain stared coldly at Naruto, eyes filled with vigilance. "No… you're not the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from Konoha."
It felt like encountering a natural enemy.
Even a self-proclaimed god felt instinctive danger from the man before him.
Jiraiya snapped back to attention and examined Naruto more closely.
The way he appeared—descending slowly from the sky—wasn't like Onoki's Earth Style flight.
Did Naruto have that ability?
Impossible.
Jiraiya's eyes sharpened.
The face was identical.
Height, features… everything.
But the eyes were different.
The aura was different.
The temperament was different.
In Jiraiya's mind, Naruto was reckless, hot-headed, loud, always charging forward without thinking.
The man standing here was calm. Confident. Composed.
He carried the presence of a true Hokage.
"Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?" Naruto shrugged. "Well, I did send the Nine-Tails out for a stroll somewhere in the ninja world. But technically, I suppose I'm still the Jinchuriki."
"Who are you?" Jiraiya demanded.
"Who are you?" the Deva Path asked at the same time.
Neither believed a word.
Once a tailed beast is extracted, the host dies.
Naruto claiming he "sent it out" was absurd.
Naruto shook his head.
"You don't believe the truth when you hear it."
He had separated Kurama's conscious chakra into a clone. The main chakra remained sealed within him. But to him now, that power was insignificant.
"Fine. Formal introduction. Konoha Village. Fifth Hokage. Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you both."
"Fifth Hokage? That's Tsunade. At least make your lies believable!"
"Are you really the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"
They stared at him like he was insane.
Naruto sighed.
"I never said I'm the Uzumaki Naruto of this world. Time travel. Parallel worlds. Haven't you heard of those?"
He glanced around Rain Village, then down at the sea below.
And frowned.
This world was strange.
Rain Village lay between the great nations.
There was no ocean here in the original timeline.
But now—an entire sea existed beside it, as if inserted artificially.
"In the original world, there was no sea here," Naruto muttered. "Did some bored creator add it just to make Jiraiya's ending more dramatic? What terrible taste."
Only now was he certain.
This wasn't the future of his world.
It was a parallel one.
---
"Parallel world?" Jiraiya muttered blankly.
Even Pain's Six Paths fell silent.
Time travel?
Alternate realities?
Their minds buzzed.
Naruto waved a hand dismissively.
"Enough talk."
"In my original world, too many constraints. Too many ties. Since I'm here… I might as well test something."
He smiled brightly.
A pure, unrestrained smile.
It made both Jiraiya and Pain shiver.
For a moment, master and disciple almost felt like allies against a greater threat.
"What do you want?" Jiraiya asked hoarsely.
"Peace," Naruto replied simply. "Same as you."
"Like your disciple Nagato. Creating the Akatsuki. Using the Six Paths. Collecting tailed beasts to enforce peace."
"Like Uchiha Madara. Dead, yet planting pieces for resurrection—for peace."
"And Uchiha Obito. His Infinite Tsukuyomi plan. Also for peace. A world with only Rin."
Naruto spoke casually.
Information spilled freely.
Jiraiya's scalp went numb.
Nagato… the Six Paths… it all clicked.
And "Madara's resurrection" hit him like a thunderbolt.
Obito's name meant little to him—but Pain's eyes flickered.
"Uchiha Madara… dead? Pawn? Resurrection? Obito…"
Nagato quickly pieced together implications.
---
"Nagato," Naruto called gently, addressing the true body behind the Deva Path. "Collecting tailed beasts is inefficient. Your body won't last long."
"Why not merge Akatsuki under my command? I'll help you achieve real peace."
Silence.
Then the Deva Path snorted coldly.
"Empty promises. You expect me to hand over Akatsuki? Stay in Rain Village forever."
Despite caution, Nagato's confidence in the Rinnegan was absolute.
Submission?
Impossible.
Naruto sighed.
"See? I shouldn't talk so much. I always say I won't, but then I can't help myself."
He didn't form a single hand seal.
The sea below surged violently.
Six colossal water dragons erupted upward.
They wrapped around the Six Paths instantly.
"What?!" Jiraiya's eyes widened.
"Ridiculous," the Preta Path scoffed, stepping forward. "Ninjutsu is useless."
He raised his hands to absorb it.
Rinnegan absorption never failed.
It had devoured Jiraiya's Rasengan effortlessly.
But—
He absorbed only one water dragon.
And even that—
Only partially.
The chakra overwhelmed him.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
The remaining water dragons bound him tightly.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The Deva Path unleashed massive repulsion.
It vanished into the water dragons like a stone thrown into the ocean.
No effect.
The other Paths struggled.
Nothing worked.
The mighty Six Paths of Pain—
Reduced to six helpless captives bound by ordinary Water Style.
Jiraiya's jaw nearly dropped to the ground.
Three Paths had nearly killed him.
Now all six were powerless?
Was he dreaming?
---
"How about it, Nagato?" Naruto asked calmly. "The Rinnegan you rely on isn't that impressive before true power."
"Serve under me. I'll give you the peace you want."
There was movement atop the tower.
A thin, red-haired figure emerged—Nagato himself—pushed forward by Konan.
Forced to appear.
"Who… are you?" Nagato asked, breathing heavily.
Pain had always been his weapon.
Now all six were restrained.
Even the Deva Path was useless.
He had no choice but to face this directly.
Naruto smiled again.
"Me? Konoha Village. Fifth Hokage. Uzumaki Naruto."
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