As these words fell,
Jiraiya was once again dumbfounded.
Whoa!
Wait wait wait...
What's going on here???
The Akatsuki kicked out traitors???
Collecting Tailed Beasts was also the operation of these traitors????!
Jiraiya's breathing stopped. Faced with such an unexpected answer, he was naturally completely bewildered!
Until after a moment, he looked serious, his gaze puzzled, and said:
"Yo-you mean..."
"The current Akatsuki has not been capturing the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki from various countries?"
"The ones who planned this operation were the traitors kicked out of Akatsuki...?"
Jiraiya asked cautiously.
Unconsciously, the pen and notebook in his hand were gripped tightly.
Because,
He had realized,
He might be approaching the truth...
And at this moment,
Kyo opposite nodded honestly with a simple expression, without hesitation:
"Mm."
"As far as I know, that's the case."
"Well, how about this, since you're interested in intelligence about the Akatsuki,"
"I'll have Nagato, the leader of the Akatsuki, come and meet you?"
"...!?"
The moment the words fell,
Jiraiya, who had been looking serious, was momentarily stunned.
Then, when he registered Kyo's words, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he froze solid!
At this moment, his train of thought completely derailed, and his mind almost went blank in an instant!!
What did he say...?!
The leader of the Akatsuki... is Nagato?!??
Upon hearing these words clearly, Jiraiya on the other side instantly felt his pupils contract and a chill run up his spine.
Imperceptibly,
Even the hairs on his body stood on end.
What on earth is going on...?!
Judging by the expression and tone of this Kyo, it definitely didn't seem like some kind of joke...
Even more so, he seemed to have mentioned this name unintentionally...
That is to say,
Very likely... what he said is the truth!
But how is this possible...?!
According to the intelligence I received before... Nagato, Yahiko, Konan... should have all died in the civil war within Amegakure
They actually... didn't die???
And moreover,
Even more unbelievable is...
Not only did they not die, but Nagato... is actually the current leader of the Akatsuki?!!
That Akatsuki, known externally as the number one mercenary organization in the Shinobi World!???
Thinking up to this point,
Even Jiraiya, who had been trying to remain calm all along, couldn't help but gasp, his heart filled with shock.
The heavy mood and complex thoughts intertwined, making it hard for him to breathe steadily.
It was only after a long moment.
He slowly raised his eyes again, gazing complexly at Kyo, and spoke as calmly as possible:
"You... you mean..."
"The leader of the Akatsuki is named Nagato...?"
"He... is he the founder of Akatsuki...?"
Jiraiya asked with a strange expression.
To be honest,
He certainly found it hard to believe,
That the gentle and introverted boy Nagato from back then would suddenly become the head of some terrifying large organization...
Such a reversal was completely like something out of a fantasy...
Therefore,
He keenly realized that something must have happened.
And at this moment,
Sure enough,
Upon hearing this, Kyo across from him shook his head and said:
"Well... that's not it."
"The person who originally founded the Akatsuki organization back then seemed to be called 'Yahiko'... he should have been Nagato's friend."
"--!?"
Kyo's calm words fell, once again dropping a boulder into Jiraiya's heart, stirring up turbulent waves!
His breathing remained halted, his face slightly frozen.
Another familiar name!
Yahiko!
One of his three disciples from back then!
Also, at the same time, the eldest among the three, like an older brother!
Unexpected...
The one who originally founded the Akatsuki... turned out to be him?!
This boy, who wholeheartedly revered my ideals of peace, actually founded Akatsuki...?
Jiraiya's gaze flickered slightly, his thoughts becoming even more complex.
However...
Something's not right...
Since Akatsuki was founded by Yahiko,
Why is it that now... the leader of Akatsuki has become Nagato instead?
Could it be...
He encountered some kind of misfortune...?
Jiraiya looked at Kyo, cautiously probing:
"Th-then what about the founder, Yahiko..."
"Did something happen to him?"
"Hmm."
Kyo nodded, answering without hesitation:
"He passed away."
"Back during the civil war in Amegakure, he was killed in a trap set by Hanzo the Salamander, the original leader of Amegakure."
"!"
Jiraiya's gaze trembled, his heart tightening involuntarily.
Then, he lowered his eyes, revealing a bitter smile.
As expected...
In this chaotic Shinobi World, a child as bright as Yahiko... in the end, was still swallowed by the darkness of the Shinobi World...
Jiraiya let out an imperceptible sigh.
As if, at this moment, he had returned to the pain he felt years ago when he heard that intelligence.
They were all children wholeheartedly yearning for love and peace,
Yet in the end,
They were caught up in the mercilessness of the Shinobi World...
It seems,
It was precisely because of Yahiko's death that Nagato became the leader of the Akatsuki...
It was also because of his death that I received that intelligence.
…
After a long silence,
Jiraiya suddenly slowly put down the pen and notebook in his hands, then raised his eyes to look at Kyo before him, and said with a bitter and complex expression:
"Then... what about Konan?"
"Besides Nagato and Konan... there should also be a girl named 'Konan,' right?"
"Is she... still alive now?"
Jiraiya asked softly.
His tone was already completely different from before, lacking its former vigor.
There was no element of acting either.
Clearly,
Such subtle, slightly hoarse words were his truest emotional outpouring.
At this moment,
He also briefly set aside his investigative purpose.
And transformed into an ordinary teacher.
Hearing this,
Kyo's gaze shifted slightly, but quickly calmed down.
Then,
He nodded, still unchanged in expression, and said:
"Hmm."
"She is still in the Akatsuki now."
"And at the same time, as the headmistress of the Shinobi Academy in Amegakure, she teaches the children of Amegakure."
"You might notice that under various houses on the streets of Amegakure, there are various angel-like ornaments hanging..."
"Those angels refer to her."
Kyo's voice was unhurried,
And upon hearing this, Jiraiya was once again unconsciously stunned.
Those three,
After so many years...
Have they all changed so much, each taking a different path...
Even that very shy girl Konan, now... has actually become an angel worthy of others' trust...
Thinking of this, at this moment,
A rare, slight smile appeared on Jiraiya's face.
Like self-mockery, or like relief.
Hard to fathom.
However,
What he didn't know was,
At this moment,
The scene inside this private room had long been completely observed by Nagato and Konan, who were on top of a distant building.
And, through Kyo's special ability,
The two of them could also clearly hear every word of the conversation between the two here...
Clearly,
This was deliberately done by Kyo.
And at this moment,
Hearing up to this point,
Nagato and Konan,
Both fell into an unusual, long silence, saying nothing.
Their eyes were lowered, lost in thought.
In fact,
From the very beginning,
When they heard Kyo's words, they immediately understood —
Kyo seemed to be trying, through his conversation with Jiraiya, to completely separate the Akatsuki from Obito's influence.
For this reason, he said that the matter of capturing the Jinchuriki was schemed by a traitor within Akatsuki...
However, this was actually correct,
Back then, it was indeed Obito who proposed the Tailed Beast Collection Plan,
And, not long ago, they had indeed just kidnapped all the Jinchuriki in Amegakure out of the village...
Calling him the traitor who schemed this wasn't wrong at all.
However,
Next, they never expected...
In the following conversation, Kyo directly revealed his identity as the leader of Akatsuki...
No buildup or warning, on-the-spot spoiler!!
This move,
Not to mention Jiraiya over there.
Even Nagato himself was a bit dumbfounded.
Konan beside him was also stunned.
However,
Before they could think it over carefully,
They immediately received a telepathic message via Spiritual Pressure from Kyo — although they didn't know how Kyo achieved this kind of telepathy, they had long since become accustomed to it.
And in the message,
They gradually came to understand Kyo's good intentions...
So,
They chose to continue listening quietly.
Until just now, this moment.
And now,
After listening to Jiraiya's just-spoken words, they couldn't help but feel complicated emotions.