Naruto: In Konoha Village, I awakened Wood Release at the start.

The land of rain.

The ceaseless rain washes over those cold, towering structures.

The sky was shrouded in thick, leaden-gray clouds, making it hard to breathe.

Chiba, dressed in a black divine robe, stood with his hands behind his back on the puddles.

Raindrops were automatically deflected by invisible chakra when they were half an inch away from his body.

Jiraiya, Kakashi Hatake, and a dozen or so elite members of the Anbu wearing animal masks followed closely behind Chiba.

Everyone's clothes were soaked through by the rain.

Jiraiya wiped the rain from his face, his expression filled with confusion and anxiety.

Chiba.

"Advancements are underway on all fronts."

"As the Hokage, why did you have to come to this godforsaken place?"

Jiraiya finally couldn't hold back any longer and questioned loudly.

Kakashi's mask was also soaked, and his Sharingan emitted a faint red glow in the rain.

He didn't understand either.

The Land of Rain is just a small country sandwiched between large nations.

Although the terrain here is complex, it is not worth the Fifth Hokage personally leading a team to conquer it.

Chiba did not turn back.

He tilted his head slightly back, looking at the raindrops falling from the sky.

"Jiraiya".

"Don't you think...?"

"If we wipe out those major ninja villages, will the ninja world truly be unified?"

Chiba's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly in the downpour.

Jiraiya was taken aback for a moment.

"Isn't that right?"

"Once we defeat the three great ninja villages, who can stop Konoha?"

Chiba chuckled softly.

That laughter carried a cold indifference that looked down upon all living beings.

"Those three half-destroyed villages..."

"Even if they were tied together, it wouldn't be as dangerous as this run-down, rainy place."

These words were spoken.

Kakashi's pupils suddenly contracted.

More than a dozen elite ANBU members instantly gripped their ninja swords.

A place that can earn such high praise from Chiba must be hiding an unimaginable monster.

"What are you talking about?"

Jiraiya's breathing became rapid.

As he looked at the rain pouring down, several familiar faces suddenly flashed through his mind.

Those were three apprentices he had taken in here many years ago.

"Jiraiya".

Do you remember Nagato?

Chiba turned around, his gaze piercing straight at him.

Jiraiya was struck dumb.

He stood frozen in place, rain streaming down his pale face.

"Nagato..."

"Didn't he die in the war a long time ago?"

Jiraiya's voice was trembling.

No way?

Is it really as I think?

"die?"

"How could someone with the Rinnegan die so easily?"

"Not only did he not die, he also established an organization called 'Akatsuki' here."

"That organization is home to the most dangerous S-rank rogue ninjas in the entire ninja world."

"Each of them possesses Kage-level strength."

As Chiba finished speaking.

Jiraiya was completely dumbfounded.

He always believed that he was secretly protecting the ninja world.

As a result, his former apprentices caused trouble right under his nose.

Why...?

Why did Nagato do that?

Jiraiya clutched his hair in anguish.

He remembered the thin, red-haired boy.

That child who always hid behind Yahiko, whose eyes revealed timidity and kindness.

"Because he thinks he is a god."

"He wanted to use suffering to make the world feel peace."

"Jiraiya, put away your ridiculous theory of the child of prophecy."

"In this world, only absolute power can bring true peace."

Chiba smiled.

But a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

god?

It's just a vessel for the Rinnegan.

It's still a container that's been misled and crippled.

To some extent.

Nagato Uzumaki's life was a complete tragedy.

"Chiba... let me go see him first."

"If we can persuade him, perhaps we can avert a disaster."

Hearing Chiba's words.

Jiraiya's knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed into the puddles.

He raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and looked at Chiba with an almost pleading tone.

He didn't want to give up on his former disciple.

I'll give you two hours.

"If Nagato does not choose to surrender in two hours."

"Then I'll have to make the choice for him myself."

Chiba held up two fingers.

He had long anticipated that Jiraiya would react this way.

He also knew very well that Jiraiya had absolutely no chance of persuading Nagato.

But he still agreed to Jiraiya's request.

Or.

He had planned everything before bringing Jiraiya to the Land of Rain.

He wanted to make Jiraiya face reality and give up his naive ideas.

Only in this way.

Only then can Jiraiya better serve Chiba in the future.

Jiraiya gritted his teeth and nodded heavily.

He transformed into a blur and sped toward the tower in the center of Amegakure.

at the same time.

Inside the tallest steel tower in Amegakure.

Nagato's emaciated body was pinned to his wheelchair by countless black receivers.

Behind him was a massive and grotesque demonic statue.

Rain Tiger Freedom Technique is his absolute perception domain.

Every drop of rain that falls on the Land of Rain is like a nerve ending to him.

The moment Chiba stepped into the Land of Rain.

Nagato's Rinnegan suddenly erupted with a blinding purple light.

"This chakra..."

Konan, the blue-haired woman standing nearby, immediately noticed Nagato's unusual behavior.

She swiftly flew down to Nagato's side, the paper rustling between her fingers.

"Nagato, what's wrong?"

Xiao Nan looked worried.

She hadn't seen Nagato show such a fearful expression in a long time.

Just then.

Two streams of dark red blood suddenly gushed from Nagato's nasal cavity.

His body reacted with rejection simply by sensing Chiba's chakra.

"The Fifth Hokage of Konoha... has arrived."

Nagato's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper being rubbed.

Xiao Nan's heart sank.

How many troops did he bring?

"Aren't Kumogakure and Iwagakure currently engaged in battle with them?"

Nagato shook his head with difficulty.

There were only a dozen or so people.

"But... that man named Chiba..."

"The chakra within him is more terrifying than that of all nine tailed beasts combined."

For the first time, a feeling of apprehension appeared in Nagato's eyes, which seemed to hold the power of reincarnation.

He always considered himself a god.

He believed that as long as he possessed the Rinnegan, he could inflict all suffering upon others.

But now.

The man standing in the rain was like an insurmountable abyss.

Nagato's intuition told him that if he made a move now, the Six Paths of Pain would be instantly crushed.

"He didn't launch an attack immediately. What is he waiting for?"

Konan crushed the paper shuriken in her hand into powder.

Nagato closed her eyes and continued to sense through the rain.

soon.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

"Jiraiya-sensei..."

"He has broken away from the group and is heading this way."

Nagato's expression became extremely complicated.

My former mentor has now become an envoy for my enemy.

This absurd reality filled Nagato with a sense of sorrow.

"Xiao Nan, go and lead the way."

"Bring Jiraiya-sensei to see me."

Nagato wiped the blood from his chin and forcibly suppressed the surging chakra within him.

He had to figure out Chiba's true intentions, or... use that to buy time.

"What if this is a trap?"

"Chiba might make a move at any time."

Xiao Nan hesitated for a moment.

"We had no choice, Minami."

Nagato looked at the dark clouds outside the tower.

He may be arrogant, but he is not stupid.

Faced with an absolute disparity in power, any conspiracy or trickery appears pale and powerless.