Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

"Art is an explosion!"

Deidara shouted excitedly, and with a series of loud "bangs," the earthen objects in the sky transformed into dazzling fireworks that exploded one after another.

These explosions signaled the start of another fierce battle between the combined forces of Konoha and Sunagakure and the terrifying Akatsuki organization.

Gaara, who had been standing with his arms crossed, snorted coldly. He was quite dissatisfied that his hometown had been raided.

Having finally found such an excuse, he naturally wanted to vent his frustrations.

Suddenly, a cloud of yellow sand rapidly gathered above everyone's heads, and in that instant, Gaara automatically altered the composition of the sand, cleverly mixing in metal.

The metal and sand bonded together to form a sturdy barrier that easily withstood the explosion created by Deidara, successfully creating a situation where there was no damage despite the attack.

After being resurrected, Gaara deeply felt the inadequacy of his own power.

After all, he was captured by the Akatsuki organization in the previous battle, and the One-Tailed Shukaku was extracted from his body, causing severe damage to his body. Now he only has a little bit of residual power left.

So these days, he has been working hard to study, not only delving into the art of manipulating sand, but also developing the Magnet Release technique he inherited from his father, Rasa.

Although he still controls Rasa's power, to him, this power is only for protecting those who are important to him, and there is no distinction between justice and evil.

What he protected was Sunagakure and his friend Naruto.

Even though this power comes from Rasa's Magnet Release, he doesn't feel any psychological burden when using it.

"I can't stand that arrogant guy anymore! I'm going to rush up and kill that bastard who hurt Gaara!" Naruto's eyes widened in anger, his blood boiling, and he was about to charge forward.

"Naruto, calm down!" Gaara reacted quickly, reaching out to pull the impulsive Naruto back and looking at him with concern.

Naruto wanted to say something more; he desperately wanted to avenge Gaara and was also deeply worried about Gaara's safety.

But clearly, Gaara was more worried about Naruto acting impulsively.

The yellow sand at his feet surged rapidly, like a strong rope, firmly binding Naruto to the ground, rendering him unable to move.

Then, beneath Gaara's feet, a sandstorm cloud formed, carrying Gaara slowly upwards.

"Naruto, I'll take care of this guy. It'll be a good opportunity for me to rehearse the previous battle."

Previously, Gaara faced many restrictions when fighting Deidara to protect Sunagakure.

Chapter 190 Mother and Child Connected

Moreover, after repeatedly using large-scale Sand Release techniques, his chakra consumption had reached an extremely serious level, which was undoubtedly a contest with a huge disparity in strength.

Gaara now seems to have figured out an effective way to deal with aerial combat, and through diligent training, he has gained new insights and understanding.

Therefore, he is not afraid because he was once defeated by Deidara.

Compared to Sasuke's unfounded and inexplicable confidence, Gaara appears more rational and composed.

His decision to act at this moment suggests he has a certain degree of confidence.

Moreover, he is probably the only one who can fly freely in the air on this battlefield.

"Go for it, Gaara! You have to defeat that guy!"

Naruto didn't rush to help as usual, which shows the unique bond between them. He chose to trust Gaara without reservation.

Just then, a series of noisy sounds came from the battlefield, which was about to be dispelled by the sandstorm.

"Hey, wait for me!"

Kakuzu snorted and slowly followed, his mind preoccupied with the tempting bounty.

Immediately afterwards, two more Akatsuki members, dressed in black robes with red cloud patterns, rushed into the battlefield one after the other.

It was Kakuzu, who was only thinking about making money, and Hidan, who was carrying a scythe and chasing after Kakuzu like a fool.

"You guys are here too? It seems the leader intends to seize the Nine-Tails directly." Kisame grinned, revealing a set of sharp, knife-like teeth, and said excitedly.

"Well, it seems we don't need to retreat now. We can have a good fight! The leader has arrived too. Itachi, you were right. Let's prepare for battle."

Itachi Uchiha was already plotting in his mind what opportunity he should find to betray his teammates.

If the people of Konoha seize the opportunity, the Akatsuki is actually planning a group battle this time. It seems that his undercover career is coming to an end.

“That’s right, our leader Payne has also come.”

Payne descended slowly from the sky like a god.

Itachi felt that, given his current state, if he didn't find an opportunity to take action against the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the core strength of Konoha and the future of Konoha would likely be lost on this battlefield.

It wasn't that he looked down on Jiraiya; he was well aware of Jiraiya's immense strength. However, he was also keenly aware of just how terrifying the organization's fighting power truly was.

If they were defeated one by one, that would be fine, but if they all rushed in at once, he didn't think that would be enough to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Moreover, there is also Uchiha Madara lurking in the shadows, and it is unknown whether he has already quietly arrived on the battlefield.

At this moment, almost all the Akatsuki members on the battlefield were present, except for the missing Sasori and the intelligence member Zetsu.

Moreover, their timely arrival must have been due to the considerable assistance provided by Kakuzu and Hidan along the way. Furthermore, these two are truly formidable opponents for ninjas unfamiliar with their information.

"They're not doing anything productive, just messing around with useless things. This operation absolutely cannot fail!" Kakuzu muttered under his breath, his eyes revealing an extreme desire for the bounty.

A thrilling and suspenseful battle is about to erupt on this battlefield.

"Go and find it properly!"

Payne glanced at all the members of the organization and spoke in an unquestionable tone.

"Masaka! That face... could you be Nagato?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened as he looked at his trembling face as he turned to the side and shouted at his Akatsuki comrades who were giving orders behind him.

He had always believed that all his disciples had died in the turmoil of the Rain Kingdom, and he was heartbroken for a long time because of it.

Seeing Pain's familiar yet unfamiliar face this time, Jiraiya's feelings were naturally extremely complicated.

"Hey, you lecherous immortal, what's wrong with you?"

Naruto Uzumaki found it strange; he couldn't understand why his master had such an excited expression when he saw the leader of the villains on the other side.

As he spoke, he instinctively stepped to the right to block Naruto, but did not retreat.

Jiraiya just stared blankly at the face in front of him. Although it was very similar to Nagato in his memory, the temperament was completely different.

If it were someone else, he would at most feel a strange familiarity, and wouldn't directly associate it with Nagato.

But the moment he saw Pain, he immediately thought of his three disciples from the Land of Rain.

"It's been a long time, Jiraiya-sensei." Pain turned around immediately upon hearing Jiraiya's shouts and said coldly.

“Teacher…” Naruto looked at Jiraiya in disbelief.

The Akatsuki members were also somewhat surprised, as many of them were learning for the first time that their leader and Jiraiya had this relationship, and they immediately became very interested.

"Why are Nagato's eyes here? Answer me, Nagato!" Jiraiya shouted.

“They’re dead,” Payne said coldly.

"What?" Jiraiya's heart skipped a beat.

Back then, they poured their hearts into Konan, Nagato, and Nagato, just as much as they did into Naruto.

Because of Nagato's unique eyes, he always believed that Nagato was the savior of the ninja world and the future ruler of justice.

They drowned in the naive dream depicted by Jiraiya more than a decade ago.

Ultimately, people can never truly understand each other, and the chain of hatred can never be broken. Those who have never experienced suffering can never appreciate the value of peace.

This is the harsh reality.

Pain simply stared coldly at Jiraiya and spoke indifferently, as if he were telling his long-lost master about his understanding of reality, while also being prepared to kill Jiraiya with his own hands.

Nagato did not want to kill Jiraiya unless absolutely necessary.

But now the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is Naruto, a disciple whom Jiraiya cherished. So he knows Jiraiya too well, and the teacher will definitely risk his life to protect his disciple.

Moreover, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is a crucial fighting force for Konoha and an important figure symbolizing the future of the younger generation of Konoha.

Even if Naruto Uzumaki wasn't Jiraiya's beloved student, Jiraiya, who deeply loved Konoha, would still protect him with his own life.

Therefore, no matter what, Jiraiya is an obstacle that he cannot avoid in collecting the tailed beasts.

Having made up his mind more than a decade ago, he was already prepared to face his teacher in the future.

"Nagato, what exactly are you plotting? Why do you want to collect the Tailed Beasts?" Jiraiya fell into deep thought. From Pain's words, he roughly understood that his disciple's personality had changed drastically.

Having experienced the baptism of war, he naturally understood that under these circumstances, saying anything to Nagato in the short term would be useless.

Nagato was no longer the innocent and adorable disciple he once knew, but as Nagato's once astute master, Jiraiya felt he had to figure out what Nagato's true intentions were.

He wanted to protect Naruto and see if there was any way to turn things around.

If he could, he really didn't want to fight against the disciple he once loved.

He also wanted to understand Nagato's true thoughts and mental state.

“Peace, I will have true peace,” Payne said firmly.

Since Jiraiya also wants to know, let him and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki understand it thoroughly, satisfying his last desire to survive before he dies.

In Jiraiya's view, both Konoha and the Allied Forces of Sunagakure had suffered casualties on the battlefield.

As a result, the tense and hostile atmosphere between the two sides has eased temporarily, and the tension has been somewhat relieved.

Right now, only Gaara and Deidara are seriously fighting. They are exchanging blows in the air, creating a huge spectacle with dust and smoke constantly exploding and the roaring sound never ceasing.

"What? Nagato?" Jiraiya felt something was off when he heard that.

He originally thought that Nagato, after a sudden change in mood, planned to collect the tailed beasts and destroy the world as revenge on society.

What kind of behavior is it that he creates chaos, disaster, and terror in the name of peace, sacrificing countless lives?

"Stop talking nonsense, you bastard! You murdered Asuma-sensei, wantonly destroyed Gaara's village, and took other people's lives. What right do you have to talk about peace here?"

Naruto Uzumaki could no longer contain himself and jumped out, angrily roaring at his senior brother whom he had never met before, his emotions running high.

Pain glanced at the agitated Naruto Uzumaki, ignoring the impulsive and naive brat, and turned to Jiraiya, saying, "You mortals will never understand true peace."

I have transcended mortals amidst infinite suffering, ascending from mortal to godhood, as a god who upholds order.

My responsibility is to let the world feel real pain, think about pain, accept pain, remember pain, and then find true peace in pain.

I will transform into a great sun and illuminate the entire ninja world.