Onoki fell silent.
Rasa and Yagura were equally speechless.
They watched the god-like battle unfolding before them, their eyes lingering on the white-clothed goddess standing beside Minato.
They knew that the winds of the era had shifted completely.
In this age where power levels had been scaled to such infinite heights, the so-called balance of the Five Great Nations had become a complete joke.
Only by banding together could they hope to survive.
"Hmph."
Onoki snorted coldly. Although his expression remained grim, the murderous aura radiating from him slowly began to recede.
"Hokage, once this Akatsuki organization is dealt with... you had better tell me everything you know about this 'Otsutsuki' without leaving out a single word."
"Otherwise, the Hidden Stone Village will never let this rest."
Though these were harsh words, everyone present could hear the underlying tone.
He had already compromised.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted from the roof of the Hokage building.
Dust filled the air as fragments of stone scattered in every direction.
The Deva Path's figure was sent flying backward out of the smoke, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the cracked ground before he managed to steady himself.
His black robe, embroidered with red clouds, whipped fiercely in the wind. His cold, emotionless face now betrayed a hint of ill-concealed astonishment.
Opposite him, Jiraiya stood tall and resolute.
"Nagato!"
Jiraiya's voice was low, yet it struck Nagato's eardrums like the tolling of a massive bronze bell. "Is this your answer? To betray the promise we made in the Rain Village and plunder the Tailed Beasts like a common bandit? Is this your so-called path to peace?"
"A promise?"
The Deva Path slowly looked up, ripples swirling within his purple Rinnegan. His tone remained indifferent. "Teacher, you are too naive. In this cursed world, verbal oaths are more fragile than scrap paper. Only absolute power can impose peace upon the world."
"The threat of the Otsutsuki is right at our doorstep, yet you choose to stab us in the back."
Jiraiya shook his head, the disappointment in his eyes deepening. "I thought that after learning the truth, you would choose to stand on the side of those protecting this world. I didn't expect you to still be blinded by those eyes."
"Blinded?"
Pain let out a cold laugh and raised his right hand, aiming his palm at Jiraiya. "I am a god. A god only looks down upon all living things; how can there be any talk of being blinded? Since you refuse to see reason, do not blame me for being heartless."
"Bansho Ten'in!"
A terrifying gravitational pull erupted instantly, attempting to forcibly drag Jiraiya toward him.
However, at the very moment the gravity took hold, Jiraiya's figure suddenly blurred.
"Too slow."
The voice echoed from Pain's rear flank.
What?!
Pain's pupils shrank.
He hadn't seen how Jiraiya moved at all.
"Sage Art: Frog Kata!"
Thud!
A heavy fist, shrouded in natural energy, slammed squarely into the side of Pain's face.
The punch didn't make direct physical contact. Instead, it used the invisible shockwave formed by natural energy to deal tons of damage from a distance.
Pain was sent flying sideways, crashing through the rooftop railing like a discarded ragdoll.
'How is this possible...'
Nagato was in disbelief.
Bansho Ten'in's activation had almost no startup time; how could Jiraiya have predicted it with such precision?
"Five seconds."
Jiraiya did not immediately pursue. Instead, he stood his ground and held up five fingers, looking coldly at Pain as the latter climbed out of the rubble.
"Your Shinra Tensei and Bansho Ten'in are indeed powerful, but there is a five-second cooldown between each use."
Jiraiya lowered one finger. "If you use a large-scale Shinra Tensei, that interval becomes even longer."
Pain's body stiffened visibly.
This was his greatest secret and the fatal weakness of the Deva Path's abilities.
Even though he had recovered, he could not change the nature of this power; it felt as though the eyes did not truly belong to him at all.
Aside from Konan, no one should have known these weaknesses.
How did Jiraiya know so clearly?
"Are you surprised?"
Perched on Minato's shoulder, Gamakon shouted in his obnoxious, raspy voice, "Nagato, did you forget? Your teacher is a novelist. Intelligence gathering is a basic skill for him!"
"Do not underestimate your teacher's information network."
Pain grit his teeth, the sense of unease in his heart growing stronger.
The divine power he took such pride in felt like transparent glass in the eyes of his opponent, completely devoid of mystery.
"Four seconds."
Jiraiya lowered another finger. The wooden clogs on his feet made a crisp click as he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
"Since you style yourself a god, let me see what is left of you once you lose those five seconds of invincibility!"
"Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer!"
Boom!
A massive toad descended from the heavens, carrying the weight of a mountain as it slammed down toward Pain.
Pain attempted to dodge, only to find the surrounding air becoming incredibly thick and viscous.
"Sage Art: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The concrete beneath his feet instantly transformed into a bottomless bog, firmly trapping Pain's legs.
"Three seconds."
Jiraiya's voice sounded like a reaper's countdown.
The Rasengan in his hand expanded rapidly, growing into an Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan several meters in diameter in the blink of an eye.
"Damn it!"
A flash of panic crossed Pain's eyes.
The Deva Path's ability was still on cooldown, his taijutsu was completely countered by Frog Kata, and his movement was restricted by the swamp.
This was the pure despair brought about by an absolute information advantage.
In the original timeline, Jiraiya had traded his life for Pain's secrets because he had no prior intelligence.
But now, with a full walkthrough in hand, Jiraiya's battle against Nagato—who had been overconfident enough to only deploy the Deva Path—was nothing short of a stomp.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
In this crisis, Nagato finally stopped holding back.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Several clouds of white smoke exploded within the swamp.
Three figures appeared out of thin air, positioning themselves in front of the Deva Path.
A giant crustacean swung its massive pincers, attempting to snap Jiraiya's waist; a winged monster bird dove from the sky; and a burly, bald man covered in mechanical parts opened his chest to reveal a dense array of missiles.
The Animal Path and the Asura Path.
"Finally willing to summon your other puppets?"
Jiraiya snorted. Without a moment's hesitation, he slammed the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan directly into the crustacean's shell.
Crack!
The hard shell shattered like an eggshell. The giant crab didn't even have time to scream before it was ground into a pulp by the violent chakra and vanished into white smoke.
Immediately after, Jiraiya's long hair fluttered wildly, transforming into hardened spikes that shot toward the monster bird like a torrential rain of needles.
"Ninja Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The bird was riddled with holes and fell screaming from the sky.
As for the missile-laden Asura Path, before it could even fire, its arm was severed by a high-pressure water jet from Fukasaku.
The battle was entirely one-sided.
"Is this... a Sannin in Sage Mode?"
Watching from a distance, Raikage A's eyes twitched.
He had always assumed Jiraiya was just a lecherous novelist. Although he was famous, A believed Jiraiya's strength was likely inferior to his own.
But looking at it now...
This level of battlefield control, the endless variety of techniques, and that terrifying Sage Chakra...
If Jiraiya had made a move against him in the conference room earlier...
A subconsciously touched his chest, which had not yet fully healed, as a chill ran down his spine.