"Everything that needed to be said has been said. We can settle this once and for all."
Pain said, "Your Sage Mode can only use that troublesome Wind Release: Shuriken twice, right? After two uses, your Sage Mode will automatically deactivate. Defeating you and taking you away will be just as easy."
"So we must fight first after all?" Naruto Uzumaki assumed a fighting stance, though he'd already devised a plan to locate Nagato's true body without defeating Pain!
As Pain thrust his chakra-infused black rod toward him, Naruto used Senjutsu Frog Kata to deflect it, then impaled the captured rod fragment into his own body. Immediately, he employed his masterful sensory abilities to trace the source controlling his Chakra Flow in reverse!!
"Found it!!"
Pain: "Give up! Do you really think I'd let you pass so easily?!"
"I won't give up. Absolutely not."
"...."
Just as Naruto and Pain locked gazes—
Swish, swish, swish, swish!
Four figures suddenly burst forth behind Naruto Uzumaki: the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, the Edo Tensei Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, and the young Obito Uchiha.
"Whether it's Jiraiya-sensei, Kakashi, or the Toad Sage..." Minato Namikaze gazed at Pain, all moved by Naruto's unyielding will, willing to stand behind him and aid him.
"!!!" Naruto stared in shock at the several Edo tensei-summoned Hokage who had previously declared they wouldn't intervene.
"You guys..."
"Go, Naruto."
"Fourth..."
"Even though we're in a different parallel world, calling me 'Dad' isn't too much, is it?" Minato quipped.
Then, before Naruto could respond, he fixed his gaze on Pain.
"Leave Pain to us. You go find Nagato. We happen to have some business with this fellow too... Yahiko."
Yahiko was…
The name of the corpse used to create Deva Path Pain!
Naruto still seemed hesitant.
"Hurry up! After all, my counterpart in that world is Pain's real boss. Defeating him should be a piece of cake!"
The tone of the young Obito Uchiha mirrored that of Naruto Uzumaki himself at the same age.
"Though I don't understand what you're talking about, thanks anyway!"
Naruto resolved to turn and leave.
"Not a chance!"
Pain had no intention of letting Naruto Uzumaki escape, unleashing Shinra Tensei.
"Quintuple Rashōmon!"
Hashirama Senju's Summoning Technique slammed into the ground, and five hellish gates stood strong, bearing the brunt of Pain's Shinra Tensei! One gate, two gates... Shinra Tensei struck the third gate, leaving a tiny crack before its power dissipated completely. The cooldown was only five seconds.
But…
For Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze, five seconds? Too long!!
As the Quintuple Rashōmon appeared, holding back Pain's Shinra Tensei, two specially crafted Flying Thunder God kunai shot out from behind the gates! With four seconds left on the cooldown!
Tobirama Senju arrived first beside Pain to launch his attack. Pain recognized the Flying Thunder God Technique of the Second and Fourth Hokage! Aware of this ninjutsu's blinding speed, Pain had no choice but to abandon his pursuit of Naruto Uzumaki and focus on this new threat. After parrying Tobirama Senju's strike, he deliberately evaded the Flying Thunder God kunai hurled by Minato Namikaze.
Sure enough, Minato Namikaze appeared beside the kunai he had thrown, launching another kunai attack at Pain! There were only three seconds remaining on the cooldown!
Pain dodged the kunai attack, all while preparing for another surprise assault from Tobirama Senju.
Swish! Tobirama Senju suddenly materialized behind Pain!
"What?!" Pain was startled! Only then did he notice the kunai in the Second Hokage's hand was actually Minato Namikaze's, and engraved upon it was the Flying Thunder God seal of Tobirama Senju!
"Though the voice is the same, I will not allow you to harm even a speck of Konoha!" Tobirama Senju formed a hand seal. The cooldown for the Flying Thunder God Technique had just two seconds left!
Water Release? Pain attempted to retreat during the hand seal formation to buy time.
But unexpectedly, Minato Namikaze suddenly materialized beside the Second Hokage!
"Rasengan!!" The unmarked ninjutsu struck Pain instantly!
In that moment, Pain saw the characters 'Sword of Love' etched upon the Second Hokage's armor. But it was too late.
Naruto Uzumaki, who hadn't run far, turned back, stunned by the battle that had unfolded in mere seconds.
"This is..." He murmured, his voice breaking, "A battle of Hokages?!!" Defeating Deva Path Pain in just an instant?!!
Katsuyu: "It shouldn't be just that. Both the First Hokage Hashirama and the Fourth Hokage can use Senjutsu. They haven't even unleashed their true power yet."
Naruto was profoundly shaken, yet immensely inspired. The Fourth Hokage had once told him that regardless of success or failure, he shouldn't put too much pressure on himself. He should just act according to his own style.
Now, witnessing these Hokage in battle, Naruto felt something he hadn't experienced in sixteen years—the reassurance of having a strong foundation, a powerful backing, the certainty that if wronged, someone would come to his defense!!
In this moment, he seemed to grasp that profound, comforting sense of security.
Turning, Naruto Uzumaki charged toward Nagato's hiding place, light as if shedding all burdens and anxieties.
…
"He doesn't seem like a truly evil villain."
After removing all the chakra conductors—those black rods—from Pain's body, Tobirama Senju glanced at the young man lying on the ground.
Minato Namikaze: "Is this possible, Second Hokage?"
"Hmm, there's still a sliver of life left. He can serve as a substitute for a living person."
With that, Tobirama Senju prepared to perform the jutsu.
Tiger-Snake-Dog-Dragon, hands pressed together!
"Edo Tensei!!"
Using Pain as the medium—and since Pain was essentially Yahiko's corpse—there was no need for the tedious process of obtaining the deceased's personal belongings.
Through Edo Tensei, Tobirama Senju easily summoned Yahiko's soul, binding it to the reincarnated body.
When Yahiko blinked and saw the people before him, he was momentarily dazed.
"May I ask who you all are...?"
Noticing their forehead protectors, he quickly added, "You're Konoha ninjas!"
Because his teacher, Jiraiya, was a Konoha ninja, Yahiko didn't immediately harbor hostility toward these Konoha ninjas, despite the past wars between Konoha and other nations that had left the Land of Rain in ruins. He felt a sense of kinship.
Adhering to the youth of the Land of Rain's belief that all conflicts should be resolved through conversation, he said, "Did you save us from Hanzō of the Salamander? We're truly grateful. If Akatsuki ever needs our help, as long as it doesn't violate your principles, we will definitely offer our full support."
"....."
Young man, do you even understand what Akatsuki represents to the entire Ninja World?
If Akatsuki were to offer full support, Konoha would likely find itself at odds with the other great ninja nations.
Considering Yahiko's ability to comprehend the situation, Minato Namikaze decided to change the subject to ease the tension.
"Hello," he said with a polite smile. "You're also Jiraiya-sensei's student, right?"
"Jiraiya-sensei..." Yahiko froze. "That title... Could it be... you're also Jiraiya-sensei's student?!!"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Oh my god! Doesn't that make us brothers in the same school?! No wonder you came to help us!!" Yahiko grabbed Minato Namikaze's hands and shook them up and down in gratitude.
"Oh, really. I was actually wary of you guys earlier. I never expected you to be Jiraiya-sensei's student, too. That makes us brothers! Oh, right, I don't know if you know Nagato and Konan, but they're also Jiraiya-sensei's students."
"Oh my, sorry, sorry, I'm just so happy! I haven't seen Jiraiya-sensei in years. How is he doing?"
"Why don't you come with me to see them both? We can catch up properly." Yahiko was thrilled. The moment he found out Minato was also Jiraiya-sensei's student, he immediately regarded this warm-smiling, blond-haired youth as his own brother.
"By the way, how old are you?"
The flood of words left Minato momentarily stunned. He answered instinctively, "Twenty-four."
Yes, he lived to be twenty-four.
"Oh, I see! I see!" Yahiko nodded vigorously. "So you're older than me. I'm fifteen this year, though you seem younger somehow."
What Yahiko didn't yet realize was that fifteen...would also be his age at death.
He looked past Minato Namikaze, observing the black-haired man in red armor, the white-haired man in blue armor beside him, and finally a young Konoha ninja.
"Hey, are you guys also Jiraiya-sensei's students?"