Obito stared at the man who had just appeared, his expression turning ugly almost instantly.
The missiles frozen mid-air, unable to advance even an inch, told him everything—Ren had arrived.
They had already accelerated their assault, trying to end this before things spiraled further. And yet, he still made it in time.
Which meant the situation had completely slipped out of their control.
Ren didn't even look at Obito first.
His gaze swept over Jiraiya, quickly confirming he was still alive, before shifting toward Nagato. Only then, almost as an afterthought, did his eyes brush past Obito.
That casual disregard stabbed deeper than any attack.
"I was wondering if Minato's intel was wrong," Ren said calmly. "Or maybe you were just passing through."
His tone was light, almost indifferent.
As if Obito didn't matter at all.
Obito's fists clenched tightly.
Ren wasn't treating him like an enemy—he wasn't even treating him like a person worth acknowledging.
Nagato spoke instead, his voice steady. "The Land of Rain is under my control. This is my home. There's nothing strange about that."
Obito immediately followed up, forcing a cold smile. "So you finally figured it out. This is our base."
"Ren, don't rush," Jiraiya muttered quietly as he stepped closer. "They're provoking you."
Ren turned slightly, glanced at him, then shook his head with faint amusement. "Forget them. I'm more surprised by you."
Jiraiya paused.
"You're weaker than I expected."
Silence fell for a moment.
Jiraiya's face stiffened. He wanted to argue, but the words wouldn't come out. After all, based on Ren's past battles, this wasn't something he could easily refute.
"…I'm dealing with Nagato too," he muttered.
"Fair enough." Ren nodded casually. "Then let's finish this."
His gaze finally settled fully on Obito.
And at that moment, a chill ran down Obito's spine.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Ren stood there without moving, but it felt like he had merged into the environment itself. No presence. No fluctuation. No hostility.
Like he was part of the world.
And that… was the most terrifying thing.
"I'll handle him," Ren said lightly. "Your student is yours. If you can't manage, I'll step in."
"Tch. Don't underestimate me," Jiraiya snorted, though he didn't argue further. He turned back toward the Six Paths of Pain, focus sharpening.
The battle resumed instantly.
Explosions echoed through the underground space as chakra surged wildly. But amidst the chaos, Ren and Obito remained still.
One calm.
The other suffocating.
Obito's thoughts raced wildly, but for the first time, he had no clear answer.
"Relax," Ren suddenly said. "I'm not killing you. Not yet."
Obito froze.
"I'd rather leave you to others," Ren continued with a faint smile. "But first… you need to survive."
Something snapped inside Obito.
"You don't even think I'm worth killing?" he growled.
Ren didn't answer directly. Instead, he raised his hand. A simple tree branch formed in his grip.
"Let's make this interesting," he said. "I'll give you five minutes."
Obito's eyes narrowed.
"Use anything you want. If you can make me move even one step, or hurt me, or break this space…" Ren's lips curved slightly. "You win. I let you leave."
A brief pause.
"But if you can't…"
His voice turned cold.
"You die."
Silence.
Then—
"…Fine."
Obito's eyes turned bloodshot. "Then die!"
"Time starts now," Ren said calmly. "Four minutes and fifty-five seconds."
"Fire Style: Bomb Blast Dance!"
Flames twisted together with spatial distortion, forming a violent vortex that surged toward Ren.
Ren didn't move.
Not even slightly.
"…That's it?"
The flames twisted strangely, as if swallowed by something unseen—
Then reappeared behind Obito.
"…What?!"
Obito barely phased in time, narrowly avoiding being burned.
"Using space like that…" Ren tilted his head slightly. "…what a waste."
"Shut up!"
Obito vanished instantly, reappearing behind Ren as his chain lashed out toward his head.
And then—
It stopped.
A branch.
Pointed directly at his throat.
His attack had completely missed.
"You have four minutes and forty-four seconds," Ren said calmly.
"…Impossible."
Again.
Again.
Again.
Every attack ended the same way.
The branch.
At his throat.
Time passed.
"Four minutes ten seconds."
"Three minutes thirty-three seconds."
"Two minutes twenty-two seconds."
Obito's breathing grew heavier. Sweat soaked his body.
This wasn't a battle.
This was humiliation.
He tried to escape.
Kamui failed.
Space was sealed.
He couldn't leave.
"…No… no… NO!"
"Ten."
"Nine."
"Eight."
Ren's voice echoed steadily.
A terrifying killing intent began to descend.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"…Time's up."
The moment the final word fell, space itself collapsed.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
Obito's body twisted violently, torn apart by distorted space. Flesh and chakra were shredded as reality itself crushed down on him.
Pain beyond comprehension flooded his senses.
His consciousness began to fracture.
"I CAN'T DIE—!!"
Then suddenly—
A gap.
A crack.
A way out.
And at that exact moment, Ren's eyes flickered slightly.
Inside Obito's collapsing body, something white began to surface.
"…Found you."
Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Nagato's battle had reached its peak.
Entering Sage Mode, Jiraiya managed to gradually eliminate several of the Paths. But even so, he was clearly reaching his limit.
Then Nagato raised his hand.
A black sphere slowly rose into the air.
"Chibaku Tensei."
An overwhelming gravitational force erupted.
Everything—rock, steel, ground, Jiraiya himself—was dragged upward.
Crushed.
Buried.
Sealed.
"…This…"
Jiraiya gasped.
"…this is… god-tier…"
He couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
"…So this is the Rinnegan…"
His bones began to crack under the pressure. His vision blurred.
"…Guess this is it…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant…"
"Final chapter…"
"…not bad…"
"…Ren…"
"…don't screw this up…"
Then—
A surge of chakra exploded.
Everything collapsed.
The pressure vanished instantly.
Jiraiya opened his eyes—
Back in the underground tunnel.
Alive.
"…What?"
Ren stood beside him, one hand resting on his shoulder.
"Relax," he said with a faint smile. "You're not done yet."
"…You heard all that?"
"Yeah," Ren replied casually. "…pretty dramatic."
Jiraiya: "…"
Then he saw them.
Konan.
Nagato.
Standing right there.
Alive.
Calm.
"…What?"
"…WHAT?!"
"Jiraiya-sensei," Konan said softly, lowering her head slightly. "We heard everything."
Nagato gave a small smile. "Looks like your story isn't over yet."
Jiraiya slapped himself hard.
Not a genjutsu.
Not a dream.
"…You… you… you…"
He couldn't even form a sentence.
Ren walked over and casually wrapped an arm around Konan's waist.
She leaned into him naturally, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Silence fell.
Jiraiya stared.
Nagato stared.
Both completely frozen.
After a long moment, Jiraiya finally spoke in a dry, hollow voice—
"…I finally understand…"
"…why you didn't report this to Konoha."
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