bookbashuk Chapter 51: Death on a Rainy Night
Chapter 51: Death on a Rainy Night
Konoha, late at night, inside an izakaya (Japanese pub).
Tsunade sat in the corner, surrounded by empty wine bottles.
"Another bottle, please!"
She shouted, her face still flushed, but she was perfectly lucid.
She was venting; the past few days had been too depressing.
The collapse of hemophobia, the chaotic battle of the three Sannin, and Konoha's mess.
Everything took a lot of effort for her, especially the mess in Konoha.
Although she appeared very assertive, kicking aside the advisors and setting the tone for the large-scale infrastructure project, she was still uncertain about the future.
A hole of 300 million taels cannot be filled by selling tickets; we need to plan for the long term.
"Tsunade, drink less."
Jiraiya sat opposite her, holding a cup of sake, but he didn't drink it.
"You're Hokage now, you need to be mindful of your image."
"Image?"
Tsunade just smiled helplessly.
"Is Sarutobi-sensei a good person? A kind elder, the ninja world's expert."
"And the result?"
"They're still like dogs, crawling around in a glass room trying to snatch moldy bread."
This statement left Jiraiya speechless.
He really couldn't refute it.
The fate of the three generations is indeed the greatest irony of the word "image".
"Jiraiya".
Tsunade put down her wine glass and looked at her old friend.
"What are you worried about?"
"Your brow hasn't been furrowed since just now."
He was indeed worried about Orochimaru's last words.
"The next time we meet will be when Konoha is destroyed."
Not only that, but they were also worried about the masked man and the enemies lurking in the shadows.
"I'm thinking..."
Jiraiya said in a low voice.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"Orochimaru defected, and I couldn't stop him."
"Minato died in battle, and I couldn't make it back in time."
"Even those three children..."
At this point, Jiraiya choked up a little, as if it had touched upon the deepest memories in his heart.
He adopted three orphans in Amegakure: Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
He was also the prophesied son on whom he placed great hopes.
But since leaving Amegakure, he has never received any news from them again.
I heard they died in the war.
Want to know the answer?
A sudden voice rang out.
Jiraiya and Tsunade turned their heads at the same time, and Roy appeared at the table without them noticing.
He was just leaning against a pillar, holding a bottle of soda in his hand.
"Store manager?"
Jiraiya frowned.
"When did you arrive?"
"What a coincidence, I just arrived too."
Roy smiled and pulled a black card from his pocket.
The card depicts a red cloud against a dark, rainy night background.
"Still worried about Orochimaru? The masked man?"
"Or perhaps..."
Roy pushed the card in front of Jiraiya.
"Are you worried about your three previous apprentices?"
Jiraiya's eyes suddenly widened. Did even the shop manager know about this?
"You know anything about them?"
"There's nothing I can't do, if you can imagine it, of course."
Roy pointed to the card.
"Let's go take a look."
"Look at your disciples, look what they've become."
"Let's see what kind of fruit your dream of peace will ultimately bear."
[Instance Title: The Prophecy of the Child - Final Chapter]
[Difficulty: Nightmare level.]
Jiraiya looked at the card, his heart pounding, and his hands trembling slightly.
He had a bad feeling that what was in this instance might overturn his understanding of the world.
It might cause him more pain, but he has to go, both to find answers and to make up for his regrets.
"I can't figure it out no matter how much I think about it, so I might as well stop thinking about it and go."
Jiraiya picked up the card.
"I'm going too!"
Tsunade stood up.
"No."
Roy stopped her.
"He has to go alone this time; this is his karma."
"It was also his...destiny."
Inside the illusionary dojo, Jiraiya lay down in the cockpit.
[Loading the copy...]
Location: Amegakure Village.
[Time: Late stages of the Second Shinobi World War.]
The incessant sound of rain began, and Jiraiya opened his eyes at that moment.
He looked down at himself, at his young body.
He has no gray hair or wrinkles; he is thirty years old.
Laughter came from ahead.
"Jiraiya-sensei! Look! I caught a big fish!"
A boy with orange hair ran over excitedly, carrying a lively, wriggling fish in his hand.
Yahiko, a boy always full of passion, shouting that he wants to change the world.
"Teacher! I've learned that technique too!"
A red-haired boy followed behind, a shy smile on his face.
Nagato, a child with the Rinnegan.
"Teacher, dinner is ready."
The blue-haired girl, holding a paper flower in her hand, looked at everyone gently; it was Xiao Nan.
Jiraiya stood in the rain, looking at the three familiar figures, his eyes welling up with tears.
This is the most beautiful memory of his life.
For the past three years, he has stayed in Amegakure to teach these three orphans ninjutsu, the principles of survival, and the meaning of peace.
"Teacher, why are you crying?"
Yahiko ran over and looked at him with concern.
"fine."
Jiraiya wiped his eyes.
"I got sand in my eyes."
At night, a bonfire was lit inside the cave.
The four people sat together, eating grilled fish.
"My dream is to conquer the world!" Yahiko pumped his fist. "I want to eliminate all wars and ensure everyone has enough to eat!"
"I will protect Yahiko and Konan," Nagato said softly. "No matter what happens, I will protect them."
"I just want to stay with everyone forever," Xiao Nan said with a smile.
Jiraiya smiled in a long time.
Those were truly wonderful times.
He genuinely believed that these three children could change this cruel world and bring true peace.
The image began to blur, and time flew by.
Jiraiya left Amegakure, and the three children stood at the village entrance, waving goodbye.
"Teacher! We'll miss you!"
"You must come back to see us!"
The sound gradually faded away, and the image became clear again.
It's still Amegakure Village, but it's no longer that cozy little cave.
A towering steel tower appeared, and the rain was still falling.
Jiraiya stood at the top of the tower.
He now looks like he's in his fifties, with white hair and a weathered face.
He looked ahead, where a person stood, wearing a long robe with a black background and red clouds.
Orange hair.
His face was covered with black chakra rods, like a strange decoration.
That face... Jiraiya knew it all too well; it was Yahiko.
But he had no expression, like a soulless corpse.
"Yahiko?"
Jiraiya called out tentatively, but there was no response.
His eyes weren't Yahiko's eyes; they were rings of purple ripples—the Rinnegan.
But isn't the Rinnegan Nagato's eye? Why is it on Yahiko?
"Who are you?"
Jiraiya only felt a twitch.
Yahiko floated in the air, looking down at Jiraiya as if he were an ant.
"I am Payne."
"It is God."
A terrifying repulsive force erupted from Yahiko, repelling the rain.
Jiraiya took a few steps back, barely managing to steady himself.
He looked at the man who called himself a god and sensed that his body was a puppet being controlled.
And the one who controls him... the one with the Rinnegan...
"Nagato?"
Jiraiya called out that name.
"Is that you, Nagato!"
no respond.
Another indifferent voice sounded behind him.
"teacher."
"You're too late."
Jiraiya turned around, only to find that there was no one behind him.
"The world no longer needs your peace rhetoric."
"Because...feel the pain, experience the pain."
"Those who do not understand pain cannot understand true peace."
This declaration was accompanied by...
Six figures slowly descended from the sky, each wearing a long robe with a black background and red clouds.
They were covered in black rods and all possessed the Rinnegan.
The Six Paths of Pain descend.