Even knowing that Pain's Banshō Ten'in and Shinra Tensei had a five-second cooldown, watching the three enormous toads—Gamabunta, Gamahiro, and Gamaken—get blasted out of Konoha in a single hit by Shinra Tensei...
The Konoha ninjas, as well as Naruto Uzumaki on the battlefield, still felt the overwhelming power of Deva Pain after he had restored his strength.
"Damn it..." Naruto wiped the mess off his face.
Fukasaku leaped beside Naruto. "An attack like that—if the First Hokage hadn't suddenly appeared, Konoha would've been reduced to ruins."
"Right now, the only active Pains left are the strongest one and the one who absorbs ninjutsu chakra." Shima Hama also hopped over.
Fukasaku looked at Naruto Uzumaki: "What should we do, Naruto?"
At that moment, Pain across from them spoke, "You are indeed formidable. You are the first to push Pain to this extent."
The voice still made those standing beside the Second Hokage feel awkward. Especially since the Second Hokage himself seemed to enjoy praising this outstanding junior. When offering praise, aside from the slightly different tone, the voice was almost identical.
Focused on the battle, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, noticed a detail. "His address... it seems the Pain we're facing now is more like a special ninja puppet..."
Like the ninjas of the Land of the Wind, using puppets.
"It might very well be so," Minato Namikaze said. "Using the Rinnegan to control six special ninja puppets. After all, anything is possible in the ninja world."
Hashirama Senju: "But unless we defeat these Pain bodies, we likely won't see the real one."
"Earlier, the other me mentioned that Pain's true form is named Nagato. Like Naruto and Kushina, he's also a member of the Uzumaki clan," the young Obito Uchiha suddenly recalled. "Does that mean he's actually a close relative of both Hokage-sama?"
Hashirama Senju nodded. "Who would've thought it ultimately boils down to an internal Konoha issue?"
He sighed. "If he's from the Uzumaki Clan, then Pain's true form should have red hair."
Tsunade recalled, "Right! When we saw them back then, besides that orange-haired boy and the blue-purple-haired girl, there really was a red-haired youth!!"
"I see. So that's how it is..."
"Second Hokage, what have you figured out now?"
Young Obito had grown familiar with the two Edo Tensei Hokage over these days and spoke without reservation.
"It's fine to use the same voice as Pain. Please continue!"
"..." Tobirama Senju's eyes flicked nervously. He thought to himself: He's a Uchiha. I won't stoop to their level!
Hashirama gave an awkward chuckle, thinking: Tobirama must be thinking 'don't stoop to the Uchiha's level,' ha ha ha.
Regardless, the Second Hokage proceeded.
"The Pain before you is merely a reanimated corpse resurrected by Nagato's Rinnegan. It stands in stark contrast to my Edo Tensei. The Rinnegan can revive physical bodies, but it cannot truly resurrect those whose souls have already ascended to the Pure Land."
"!!!" Tsunade: "So that means....."
Tobirama Senju nodded. "I fear this orange-haired youth has been dead for years, transformed by the Rinnegan into a unique ninja tool."
Tsunade recalled the Second Shinobi World War, the moment she first met those children.
After all these years, the orange-haired boy who'd boldly demanded food from them ninjas to protect the two little ones behind him... was actually dead?
"What happened after that..."
No one could answer Tsunade's muttered question.
Meanwhile, Tobirama Senju, newly returned to the mortal world, had a bold plan.
The conditions for the Edo Tensei technique were the remains of the deceased and the life of a living person. Pain's very existence undoubtedly fulfilled both requirements. Whatever had happened back then would be revealed once he performed summoning on the parties involved to ask!
At that moment, on the battlefield—
Fukasaku Toad: "Naruto, buy time for me and Shima."
"Grandpa Sage?"
"Use my and Shima's genjutsu—the one effective against Pain!"
"Got it!"
Naruto nodded in agreement.
Fukasaku -sennin, unconcerned about how embarrassing it might be to sing in front of so many people, joined palms with his wife, eyes closed, gathering natural energy. They waited for the power to perform the genjutsu to accumulate.
Naruto Uzumaki charged toward Pain, buying time for the two Toad Sages...
Before he could reach them, Deva Pain summoned: "Banshō Ten'in~." It sucked him in from afar!
Asura Path Pain appeared precisely along Naruto Uzumaki's trajectory as he lunged forward, intercepting him with a single strike and trapping him from behind!
"Rest assured, I won't kill you." Pain spoke in the same voice as the Second Hokage. "You are the vital Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, the final piece for Akatsuki to achieve true peace."
Naruto retorted sarcastically, "Hmph! What 'true peace'? It's just your excuse to start wars!!"
"Further discussion is pointless." Pain had no desire to elaborate.
Naruto had nothing left to say to this so-called 'senpai' and prepared to break free using Sage Mode.
His chakra was being absorbed?!
The Konoha ninjas watching from afar noticed that Naruto Uzumaki, who had just reactivated Sage Mode, was once again losing his Senjutsu abilities.
"That Pain can absorb Senjutsu too?!" Sakura exclaimed in alarm.
Minato Namikaze observed the battlefield. "Even if he can absorb it, we'll see if he can utilize it later."
The others didn't understand what the Edo Tensei Fourth Hokage meant by this, but immediately afterward, they noticed something was wrong with the Preta Path Pain in the center of the battlefield.
The arm pinning Naruto Uzumaki's movements from behind suddenly swelled uncontrollably, becoming thick and bloated, covered in protruding bumps.
Next, his feet burst through his ninja boots, transforming into massive frog-like webbed feet.
Then, before everyone's eyes, he shed his human form, becoming a stone statue of a toad?!
Minato Namikaze, who had also trained Senjutsu at Mount Myōboku, stated: "Practicing Senjutsu inherently carries immense risk. The chakra within and the natural forces must maintain an extremely delicate balance. Even the slightest imbalance allows the natural forces to seize control, turning the practitioner to stone."
This transformation was likely irreversible, even if the Naraka Path Pain were still alive.
Naruto Uzumaki freed himself from the stone statue of the Preta Path Pain. "Now there's only you left."
"Not necessarily," Pain replied.
Naruto froze as the slugs on his body relayed intelligence gathered elsewhere:
"These Pains are merely puppets. The real Pain is named Nagato..."
After a pause, the slug relayed the intelligence to Naruto.
"It's said that this Nagato is also a member of the Uzumaki Clan, like you. Therefore, his hair color should be red."
"Huh?!"
Naruto on the battlefield couldn't help but scoff inwardly. Katsuyu-sama, you're blatantly lying through your teeth.
"But I have blonde hair!" Was Katsuyu colorblind?
Of course, the Pain across the battlefield could hear their conversation.
This was the first time he'd heard such intelligence! The Uzumaki Clan?
But knowing he had red hair wasn't surprising. After all, both the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, and his late teacher, Jiraiya, knew that among the three of them back then, aside from Yahiko and Konan, only he had red hair.
Faced with Naruto Uzumaki's confusion, Katsuyu, unaware of the situation, could only shake its head. "They never mentioned it."
This sudden revelation stirred a whirlpool of emotions and thoughts within Naruto.
First, he learned that the Uzumaki Clan still existed in the world.
Second, he discovered that either his father or mother might have had red hair, while the other could have had blonde hair.
Finally...
He and the leader of Akatsuki weren't just both disciples of the Pervy Sage—they might also belong to the same clan.
This instantly reminded Naruto of the relationship between Sasuke and Itachi.
The two exchanged glances, their expressions blank for a moment.
Clearly, neither knew about this newly revealed information...
"Nonsense."
Pain's gaze was utterly devoid of emotion as he looked at Naruto Uzumaki. "The moment you failed to comprehend the peace I speak of, our negotiations were already broken. Whether it be the bond between fellow disciples, or kinship within the same clan..."
He closed his eyes briefly, pausing before continuing.
"None of this can change the fact that you are the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, while I am the one who will bring true peace to this world—the god."
With that, Pain once again unleashed the Banshō Ten'in!
But his target wasn't Naruto Uzumaki—it was Fukasaku, who was preparing to cast a Senjutsu genjutsu from behind!
"Grandpa Sage!!!"
Time seemed to slow...
Naruto charged forward;
Shima-sennin turned pale with shock;
Minato Namikaze prepared to throw his kunai;
Hashirama Senju's Wood Release was ready to strike;
Young Obito activated his Mangekyō Sharingan;
Yet Tobirama Senju simultaneously blocked all three.
...
'Thud'
The sharp sound of something piercing flesh rang crystal clear in Naruto's ears as he lunged forward.
The chakra-infused black rod, held all along by Pain, had driven itself into Fukasaku's body.
Another one...
Another sensei who imparted abilities to Naruto had fallen to Pain!!!
At the same moment, Naruto himself was pinned to the ground by the chakra-infused black rod!
"!!!"
Minato Namikaze's expression turned grim!
Yet when the Second Hokage had blocked him moments ago, he had already understood.
In this battle, they must not intervene!
For if they did, altering the original course of events, everything that followed might slip through their fingers.
They even regretted coming here to reveal part of the intelligence, and whether using Wood Release to help Konoha withstand Pain's Super Shinra Tensei was the right choice.
What if they ultimately failed to revive Kakashi...
It might even alter the outcome of the Fourth Shinobi World War itself.
"Aaahh----!"
Naruto Uzumaki's agonized scream pierced their ears.
His hands were pinned to the wooden floor beneath him by black iron rods driven in by Pain.
Forced to lie prone, Naruto Uzumaki stared at the corpse of Fukasaku-sennin not far away, his fingers digging into the wood beneath his palms in fury.
"Why? Why did you have to do this?!!"
"Why? I already explained—all for peace, for what Jiraiya-sensei couldn't accomplish."
Blood rushed to Naruto's head. Gritting his teeth, he seethed with fury, wanting to tear Pain to shreds.
"Peace? What a joke......"
He recalled the dizziness that hit him the moment he learned of the Pervy Sage's death.
"He killed my master!"
He remembered the suffocating feeling when he saw Kakashi-sensei lying in the coffin.
"He killed my teacher!"
Not far away lay the corpse of Fukasaku.
"He killed the Sage Grandpa who taught me Senjutsu!"
Surrounded by the massive tree blocking every approach, he learned from Katsuyu that inside, because of Pain, everything was utterly devastated, with casualties beyond counting.
"...You destroyed my village and killed my comrades without a second thought!!"
"With such actions, what right do you have to speak of peace!!"
The air thickened with grief. Countless Konoha ninjas, having lost loved ones, turned away, clenching their fists so tightly they trembled, as Naruto Uzumaki's anguished roar pierced their ears.
"Then what is your purpose?" Pain countered calmly.
Naruto snapped back, "To defeat you! To bring peace to this ninja world!"
"Is that so? How admirable."
Circling around Naruto Uzumaki, Pain materialized another black chakra rod in his hand.
"But do you know? Killing my family, murdering my comrades, destroying my village... all of this was done by you, Konoha."
Without hesitation, the chakra rod pierced Naruto Uzumaki's body, avoiding vital organs. The surrounding ninjas watching the battle heard Naruto's agonized scream once more!
Pain: "How about it? Does this make you understand even a fraction of the pain, despair, rage, and hatred I endured?"
Naruto, enduring the pain, asked Pain what he meant.
"My father, my mother... ...Right, if you insist on calling them members of the Uzumaki Clan, I don't care."
"Anyway," Pain continued, "our once peaceful lives were shattered when Amegakure became a battlefield for Konoha and other ninja nations. So, back then, I witnessed with my own eyes—"
Naruto's pupils contracted.
"I saw your Konoha ninja invade my home and murder my parents—mere civilians."
Thud
As if venting his rage, Pain thrust another chakra-infused black rod into Naruto's body.
"The Land of Rain, reduced to a battlefield for great nations, lay in ruins just like Konoha does now. People starved, children lost their families and became displaced. Do you know the consequences of that?"
Naruto's incredulous expression and agonized screams from the piercing rod were his only response.
Sakura could no longer bear to watch or listen.
"Why?! Why won't you save him?!" She cried out, her beautiful eyes blazing with fury as she glared at the Edo Tensei Fourth Hokage's back.
"You're the Hokage, aren't you?! Why won't you save Naruto?!! He's alone, but defeating five Pain bodies should be enough, right?!!"
"....."
Yet Sakura received only silence from the three Hokage.
"Why won't you intervene?!!!"
Sakura shouted the unspoken thoughts of many present.
"Are you just going to watch him die at Pain's hands?!!"
The three Hokage, still facing away from her, showed no sign of movement. They didn't even turn around, didn't utter a single word.
Sakura couldn't understand. Just moments ago, these three Hokage had praised Naruto so highly.
"Everyone says......"
Sakura Haruno was overcome with despair. Her voice choked with emotion as she accused them.
"Everyone says the Fourth Hokage was the great hero who saved the village. Naruto admired you most. When he was little, everyone hated him, shunned him..."
"Back then, Naruto would always sit alone on the horizontal bar, staring at the Hokage Rock..."
Her voice wasn't as loud or angry as before, but each word, laced with sobs, struck deep into the heart.
"He'd look at your portrait and swear he'd become a better Hokage than you."
At that moment, Tsunade stood slightly behind Sakura, noticing Minato Namikaze's hands clenched tightly. With each of Sakura's words, he writhed in agony, desperately suppressing the urge to act.
"But it seems legends are just that—legends. The real Fourth Hokage is a coward—" She intended to goad the Hokage into action, but unexpectedly...
"Shut up! Sakura!!" Tsunade snapped harshly!
Sakura, scolded by her master, wiped away tears incessantly.
Tsunade's expression turned sorrowful. "There is no one in this world who feels more pain or longs to act more than Minato does at this moment."
Sakura and the others standing nearby were baffled.
Tsunade looked at Minato Namikaze, seeing no intention from him to stop her.
"No one feels more heartbroken than Minato seeing Naruto hurt."
Before the bewildered crowd, Princess Tsunade declared:
"Because he is..."
"The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze..."
"...is Naruto Uzumaki's biological father."
"......"
...
"!!!!"