"You seemed pretty dissatisfied just now. Why don't you try again?"
Naruto snapped his fingers.
The water dragons binding the Six Paths of Pain immediately dispersed, freeing them.
Nagato's eyes lit up.
He was dissatisfied.
The Six Paths—especially the Deva Path—had been restrained without even understanding how it happened.
That humiliation burned in his chest.
---
Splash!
The Six Paths of Pain landed simultaneously on the sea, forming a coordinated battle formation.
The Asura Path attacked first, launching forward like lightning.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The Preta Path followed immediately.
Massive summoning beasts appeared one after another, each radiating murderous intent.
Jiraiya's expression changed drastically.
"So many summoning beasts? When he fought me before, he only used the bird and the split dog one at a time. Looks like he didn't go all out against me!"
Each creature was nearly as powerful as the giant toads of Mount Myōboku.
Together, they could overwhelm even the toads themselves.
When Pain fought Jiraiya earlier, the battle had taken place inside the tower. Nagato had held back to avoid destroying it—and perhaps because of lingering respect for his former teacher.
But now?
Against Naruto.
Out in the open.
Nagato unleashed everything.
"Each Pain is comparable to a Kage-level shinobi," Jiraiya murmured. "Six of them together… no one in the ninja world could stand against them. With these summoning beasts added in… this is a hopeless situation."
Then he looked at Naruto.
"Show me your real strength."
Jiraiya's gaze was complicated.
He was beginning to believe Naruto's claim about being from a parallel world.
But Naruto's calm confidence—his talk of creating peace alone—made Jiraiya uneasy.
Even overwhelming strength couldn't oppose the entire ninja world.
Or so Jiraiya believed.
---
"Nagato. Pervy Sage."
Naruto smiled faintly.
"You really know nothing about power."
He raised his hand, fingers shaped like a gun.
He pointed at the charging Asura Path.
"Bang."
The Asura Path's head snapped backward.
Its body still ran forward for a second—
Then it flew away like a rag doll.
Boom!
Naruto casually fired again.
"Bang."
Another shot.
"Bang."
Each time he mimicked a gunshot, a massive summoning beast collapsed into the sea.
Within seconds, the terrifying creatures floated lifelessly on the water.
Nagato felt his scalp go numb.
Not just the summoning beasts—
The Six Paths themselves were falling.
One by one.
Their heads exploded under Naruto's invisible attacks.
They couldn't dodge.
They couldn't defend.
The shared vision of the Rinnegan—useless.
The Preta Path's chakra absorption—useless.
The Deva Path's Shinra Tensei—useless.
Wherever Naruto pointed his finger—
A head exploded.
Soon, only the Naraka Path remained intact.
Nagato.
Jiraiya.
Konan.
All stared at Naruto in stunned silence.
"You know nothing about power…"
The words echoed in their minds.
Nagato finally lowered his head.
"A god… only someone like him deserves that title. I was arrogant. I never understood how vast the sky truly was."
He had completely accepted defeat.
---
"Then tell me," Nagato said quietly. "What exactly do you want to do?"
Nagato had bowed.
Konan did not object.
Akatsuki had essentially fallen into Naruto's hands.
But the organization itself was already weakened.
Sasori was dead.
Deidara was dead.
Hidan was dead.
Kakuzu was dead.
Itachi and Kisame were missing.
Black Zetsu and Tobi were nowhere to be found.
Only Nagato and Konan remained in Rain Village.
Jiraiya couldn't stay silent any longer.
He had come here to gather intelligence.
Now that he had it—
He felt no relief.
Only dread.
The Akatsuki no longer mattered.
The ninja world was about to face something far more terrifying.
---
"Didn't I already tell you?" Naruto said casually.
"I want peace."
"Peace in the ninja world."
But his eyes weren't on Nagato.
They were fixed on the enormous figure behind him.
The Gedo Statue.
Black rods pierced Nagato's back, draining his chakra like needles stuck in a hedgehog.
Naruto walked over and placed a hand on the statue.
"You've sealed quite a lot of chakra in here… several tailed beasts. Your organization really worked hard capturing all those jinchūriki."
The Gedo Statue had already absorbed a large amount of tailed beast chakra.
Its eyes were open now.
Rolling.
Alive.
But the moment Naruto touched it—
The statue trembled violently.
Fear appeared in its eyes.
Like a beast encountering its natural predator.
Nagato looked back at it in shock.
He had captured tailed beasts precisely to revive the Ten Tails and dominate the world.
Yet now—
The nearly awakened body of the Ten Tails cowered before Naruto like a frightened kitten.
---
"Spit the chakra back out," Naruto said calmly.
The Gedo Statue nodded frantically.
Chakra flowed back through the black rods into Nagato's body.
Nagato gasped.
Color returned to his pale face.
His body began to recover.
"Nagato…!" Konan cried in shock.
Naruto tossed him a small bottle of red medicine.
"This thing bullies the weak. It drained your chakra and even your life force for years. You never thought to take some back?"
"That medicine restores vitality. Drink it."
Naruto casually tapped Nagato's shoulder.
The black rods embedded in his back burst out instantly, spraying dark blood.
Nagato drank the potion.
Warmth spread through his body.
His ruined legs regained sensation.
Slowly—
He stood up.
"Nagato… you're standing again!" Konan sobbed with joy.
Jiraiya watched with tears in his eyes.
"Such kindness…" Nagato bowed deeply. "From now on, I'll follow your command without hesitation."
Now—
He truly submitted.
Naruto nodded.
"If you're going to act as my public figurehead, you can't look like a dying patient."
"But your organization barely has any members left. That's not enough to make waves."
Naruto walked around the Gedo Statue.
The statue wagged slightly, looking almost like a loyal pet trying to please its master.
"If I leave this thing around, it'll cause trouble."
Naruto clasped his hands.
Golden chains burst from his back.
The Vajra Chains wrapped around the Gedo Statue.
The statue immediately went berserk.
Chakra exploded outward like a raging dragon.
It roared and thrashed violently, trying to break free.
Even with most of its power sealed, the leaking aura alone made Nagato, Jiraiya, and Konan tremble.
Their breathing grew heavy.
The difference in lifeforms was overwhelming.
"This monster… is even more terrifying than the Nine Tails," Jiraiya muttered, drenched in sweat.
For the first time, he saw the statue's true horror.
Compared to it—
Kurama was like a house cat.
Nagato stared in awe.
"So this is the incomplete Ten Tails… the ultimate weapon."
Even at full health, he knew he would still be powerless against it.
The gap was enormous.
Yet the most terrifying thing—
The monstrous statue was gradually shrinking inside Naruto's chains.
Until finally—
It compressed into a small sphere no larger than a fist.
Naruto held it effortlessly.
Jiraiya and Konan stared at him as if he were the real monster.
A terrifying monster had just been sealed—
By an even more terrifying one.
No one knew which was truly more frightening.
---
"Well," Naruto said, looking toward the direction of Konoha.
"Next we need to find a few more figureheads."
"It should still be in time."
With Nagato and Konan following him—
Naruto began heading toward Konoha.
Jiraiya had no choice but to follow behind.
-------------------------
For advanced chapters, visit patreon.com/Varnok