Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 271 Sage Mode Jiraiya, here I come!

Under the cover of rain, the chaos and brutality of the three-way battle reached its peak.

The sounds of ninjutsu explosions, the roars of summoned beasts, the sharp clang of metal clashing, and the screams of the dying, mixed with the incessant sound of rain, created a bloody symphony.

At the edge of the battlefield, in the shadow of an inconspicuous tower, space suddenly distorted like a vortex.

A figure wearing an orange-red single-eyed tiger-striped mask and dressed in an Akatsuki-style black robe with red cloud patterns emerged from the vortex. His single exposed eye coldly surveyed the fierce battlefield in the distance.

It was Uchiha Obito who rushed back from outside after receiving Zetsu's notification.

On the wall beside him, Jue's eerie body, half black and half white, slowly emerged.

"Oh my, what a lively scene!" The White Zetsu half spoke first in his characteristic flippant tone, "That perverted sage Jiraiya somehow managed to sneak into Amegakure. Pain and Konan said they were going to kill him, but judging from the looks of it... it seems they haven't succeeded yet? Seriously, they've already caused such a commotion."

Obito snorted coldly, his eyes beneath the mask showing no emotion. Instead, the name "Jiraiya" stirred up some unpleasant memories.

He remembered that night, the Nine-Tails' rampage in Konoha, and... Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki lying in pools of blood.

The smooth progress of that plan was accompanied by an indescribable heaviness, signifying a complete break with his former self.

"Hmph, pointless interference." Obito's voice sounded deep and hoarse through the mask.

Black Zetsu's voice, even more sinister, analyzed, "Nagato's goal is probably not just Jiraiya. He likely wants to use Jiraiya's intrusion and chaos as an opportunity to lure out that old turtle who's been holed up in the tower—"

Hanzo the Salamander!
Obito's gaze drifted into the distance, where he saw the giant salamander Ibuki summoned by Hanzo the Salamander, and the scene of it fiercely battling Pain the Deva Path and Pain the Asura Path.

Hanzo wielded his signature chain scythe with impenetrable skill, but against Pain's bizarre abilities, he was already struggling to keep up.

"It seems Nagato's plan has succeeded," Obito said calmly, his tone revealing neither approval nor anything else.

His gaze then shifted to another direction, where the cloaked Beast Path of Pain was still manipulating several hellhounds to search for Jiraiya's whereabouts.

“However…” A cold killing intent flashed in Obito’s single eye: “Jiraiya must die here.”

His goal is to collect the nine tailed beasts, execute the "Eye of the Moon Plan," and create a world that includes Rin.

This plan is destined to clash head-on with the five great ninja villages that control the tailed beasts.

Before that, weakening the top combat forces of the five great ninja villages as much as possible is a crucial step.

Whether it was his assistance to Itachi Uchiha in slaughtering the Uchiha clan, which greatly weakened Konoha's Sharingan bloodline limit, or his current determination to kill Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, it was all for this ultimate goal.

Only by eliminating these powerful individuals who could cause trouble in the future can the Eye of the Moon Project be implemented more smoothly.

……

On the battlefield, Hanzo the Salamander's situation is becoming increasingly dire.

He was somewhat overwhelmed by the two hellhounds that kept splitting apart and seemed to be immortal, and the giant bird that was waiting for its chance to strike. His armor, which symbolized the majesty of a "demigod," also had several tears and claw marks.

But he was a seasoned veteran after all. Seizing an opening, the chains, like venomous snakes emerging from their holes, suddenly wrapped around the neck of a hellhound and slammed it against the wall. At the same time, using the momentum, he charged forward like a ghost, his target being Pain, who stood silently atop the tower!
"Chain Sickle - Double Strike!"

The sharp scythe, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, tore through the rain and aimed straight for Pain's head!
A ruthless glint flashed in Hanzo's eyes. He knew that to catch the thief, you must first catch the king!
And they were convinced that it was this "Yahiko" in front of them who was controlling these summoned beasts.

Hanzo's eyes burned with a crazed killing intent as he roared, "Since that's how it is, then I'll kill you one more time, Yahiko!"

However, just as the scythe's blade was only centimeters from Pain's face, and he seemed to 'see' the scythe piercing his cheek, blood and brain matter splattering, Pain finally moved.

He merely raised his hand slightly, uttering four cold and ruthless words:
"Shenra Tianzheng."

Om-!
A terrifying repulsive force, even more concentrated and massive than when it blasted away Hanzo and the Anbu, erupted from the center of Pain!
Hanzo felt an irresistible force slam into his scythe and his entire body!
That seemingly insurmountable distance now appeared as an insurmountable chasm, and his scythe could not advance even an inch further!

"What?!" The ferocity on Hanzo's face instantly turned into utter horror!
Immediately afterwards, he was struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, flying backward at an even faster speed than when he came, even spitting out a mouthful of blood, and crashing heavily onto the broad head of the salamander he had summoned.

"Lord Hanzo!" the few remaining loyal ANBU cried out in alarm, but they were in dire straits themselves.

The Asura Path Pain had already removed the Akatsuki's black robe with red clouds, revealing a modified mechanical body with three heads and six arms, and huge saw teeth extending from his back spinning to reap lives.

Soon, these small fry were turned into cold corpses by the killing machine-like attacks of Pain and the siege of the summoned beasts. They rolled down between the towers and were washed away by the merciless rain.

Hanzo, leaning on his sickle, struggled to his feet atop the salamander's head. Looking around, he saw that apart from the only summoned beast beneath his feet, there were no other subordinates standing.

Despair and anger intertwined in his heart.

Now that things have come to this, he no longer cares that this is the core area of ​​Amegakure and that there may still be civilians around who have not been evacuated in time!

He must survive; he must eliminate these threats!

"Ibuki!" Hanzo commanded hoarsely to the summoned beast beneath his feet, "Poison Spray!"

The giant salamander, Ifuku, raised its enormous head high, a deep gurgling sound emanating from its throat as it accumulated deadly venom.

The next moment, it opened its huge mouth, and a thick, almost tangible purple poisonous mist gushed out like a flood bursting its banks, quickly spreading and covering an area of ​​several hundred meters in radius, swallowing up Pain of the Deva Path, Pain of the Asura Path, and those troublesome summoning beasts!

Wherever the poisonous fog passed, even the rain seemed to be tinged with an eerie color, and the surrounding metal and rocks emitted a hissing sound of corrosion.

Hanzo stared intently at the churning poisonous fog, his breathing slightly rapid with tension and anticipation.

He knew all too well the power of this poison gas; even a Kage-level expert would gradually lose his fighting ability if he inhaled just one breath!
"Success?" Hanzo looked at the figure that seemed to have stopped moving in the poisonous fog, and couldn't help but show a hint of joy at surviving a disaster.

He roared, as if bolstering his courage or declaring victory, "This is poison gas that even Kage-level experts find troublesome! Even I would be in serious trouble if I inhaled it! You... uh?!"

His words came to an abrupt halt, as if he had been choked.

Because, in the thick poisonous fog, those figures walked out step by step unharmed!
Pain of the Deva Path, Pain of the Asura Path, the two hellhounds, and the giant bird showed no signs of corrosion and moved without slowing down, as if the deadly poisonous fog was nothing more than ordinary water vapor to them!
"No... Impossible! How could Ibuki's poison gas... fail?!" Hanzo's surprise instantly turned into utter shock and incomprehension; this completely overturned his understanding!
His most powerful trump card... failed?!

Pain, with his Rinnegan, stared indifferently at the distraught Hanzo, like a god judging a fallen mortal. His cold voice pierced through the rain, reaching Hanzo's ears clearly:

"Hanzo the Salamander... You once fought to the death to drive foreign ninjas out of the Land of Rain, and were revered as a guardian deity by the people of this country, and honored as a 'demigod'."

His voice was completely flat, yet it carried a chilling indifference that seemed to know everything.

"However, look at you now. To consolidate your power, you didn't hesitate to collude with Danzo of Konoha, betraying and ambushing the Akatsuki organization, which once saw you as hope and was committed to domestic peace." "After feeling threatened, you cowered like a coward in your lair, only daring to rely on the sacrifices of your subordinates to maintain your crumbling rule, even going so far as to release this indiscriminate poison in your own village..."

Pain slowly raised his hand.

"You, who only cared about saving your own life and had long abandoned the Land of Rain and its people... no longer deserve to be called a 'demigod'."

"You are just a pathetic, cowardly... good-for-nothing."

These words were like the sharpest knife, cutting deeply into Hanzo's heart.

Looking at that lifeless face that belonged to Yahiko, he felt for the first time an unprecedented pressure and fear that came from the depths of his soul.

It wasn't fear of power, but fear of one's own beliefs collapsing and one's life's work being completely negated.

"No... I..." Hanzo wanted to refute, but found himself speechless.

Just then, Pain's outstretched hand suddenly generated a tremendous suction force!

"All things are attracted by heaven!"

Hanzo felt an irresistible force grab him, violently pulling him off the head of the Salamander, and sending him flying involuntarily toward Pain!

"Ugh!" Hanzo struggled in terror, but to no avail.

The instant he flew to Pain's side, Pain's Asura Path also moved!

The huge, high-speed rotating saw teeth on his back suddenly pierced out!

Pfft——!
With a sickeningly painful sound of flesh being torn apart, the sharp serrations easily pierced through Hanzo's body!

Blood splattered instantly, staining Pain's mechanical arm and the rainwater beneath his feet.

Hanzo's body stiffened abruptly as intense pain swept through his entire body.

He lowered his head, staring in disbelief at the blood-stained saw teeth that had pierced his chest, then struggled to raise his head to look at the face of Yahiko so close to his.

Yahiko... that boy who was once full of ideals and vigor, who was willing to sacrifice himself for his comrades even when he was ambushed by himself...

In a daze, Hanzo's thoughts drifted back to a long time ago.

He recalled the passion and high spirits he felt when he was young, challenging half the ninja world to save the Land of Rain from its tragic fate of becoming a battlefield for powerful nations.

From his initial solitary existence to the growing number of Rain Ninja following him, his power has become undeniable, regardless of whether it be the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, or the Land of Fire.

He recalled how, years ago, under Danzo's sweet talk and lure of power, he had orchestrated that bloody ambush against the Akatsuki...

An indescribable emotion, a mixture of regret, sorrow, and profound irony, overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, only a stream of blood mixed with bubbles spilled out of the gas mask.

The light in his eyes quickly dimmed, his head drooped limply, and he completely lost his life.

This once-renowned "demigod" of the ninja world, the ruler of the Land of Rain, ultimately ended his complex and contradictory life in such a dramatic and tragic way.

With Hanzo's death, his summoned beast, the Salamander Ibuki, let out a low, mournful cry, turned into a wisp of white smoke, and disappeared.

The Asura Path of Pain coldly retracted his serrated blades and casually held Hanzo's corpse in his hand.

This body may have other uses in the future.

Pain slowly turned around, casting the gaze of his Rinnegan towards the area where Jiraiya had disappeared.

While he was dealing with Hanzo, the split hellhounds did not stop their search.

The beastly Pain, hidden in the chameleon, continued to lurk in the shadows, while Konan flew in the air like a white angel, her gaze sweeping over the broken walls and ruins below.

Just then, Xiao Nan's gaze suddenly sharpened, locking onto a particularly dark alleyway filled with abandoned pipes.

There came clear, unhurried footsteps.

The wooden clogs creaked and groaned on the wet ground, their sound unusually clear amidst the unusual silence of the rain, which was made even quieter by the temporary pause in the fighting.

Along with the sound of footsteps, two rather elderly-sounding, yet robust, voices came from the room.

An old woman's voice, filled with obvious dissatisfaction and complaint, said, "Little Jiraiya, every time you summon us, it's in such a noisy and smoky place! Honestly, he doesn't know how to be considerate of an old man like us!"

The other old man's voice was gentler and more amiable, and he chuckled as he tried to smooth things over: "Oh dear, wife, don't say that. Little Jiraiya must have encountered a very troublesome enemy and had no choice but to summon us, right, kid?"

The old woman immediately retorted, "You're always protecting your child, husband! Honestly, at your age, you still have to come to a place like this to fight..."

At that moment, Jiraiya's apologetic voice rang out: "I am truly sorry, Fukasaku Sage, Shima Sage."

"It's been so long since we last met, and I'm already troubling you two like this. But this time, our opponent is no ordinary foe."

"They... possess the Rinnegan, the legendary 'Eyes of the Sage of Six Paths'."

"What?! The legendary Six Paths Eye?!" The old toad woman, known as the Hermit Shima, exclaimed in surprise, her displeasure instantly replaced by solemnity.

Fukasaku's voice also turned somber: "The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths... It seems we're really in big trouble this time."

Under the shocked gazes of Konan and the invisible Animal Path Pain from afar, a figure completely different from before slowly emerged from the shadows of the alley.

He still had that wild white hair, but the comical paint patterns on his face had disappeared, replaced by red lines around his eyes, like toad eyeshadow.

His nose bridge also seemed to have become wider, faintly resembling a toad's features.

Most strikingly, on his left and right shoulders, sat two small old toads, each radiating powerful natural energy fluctuations!
The old toad on the left has eyebrows that extend to behind its ears and sharp eyes; the old toad on the right has a topknot-like head, purple lipstick, and a serious expression.

At this moment, Jiraiya's aura was perfectly integrated, resonating subtly with the surrounding natural energy, exuding a profound and powerful sense of oppression!
He raised his head, his toad-like eyes gleaming with a sharp light, calmly meeting Xiao Nan in the air and the seemingly empty area in front of him, his fighting spirit soaring!
Sage Mode, Jiraiya, here I come!
[PS: I forgot this is a double monthly pass period, please give me some monthly passes! There will be another update tonight to make up for yesterday's.]

(End of this chapter)