Naruto, what kind of Hokage would you be if you didn't roll around!

Naruto was overjoyed: "In that case! Then let's summon myself and my Shadow Clone Jutsu to Konoha and Kirigakure at the same time!"

"I want--"

"Save both the perverted sage and Sasuke at the same time!"

Fukasaku the hermit and Granny Shima exchanged a glance, and both felt a glimmer of hope.

"I see……"

"Does the main body and the shadow clone fight simultaneously?"

"However, this will inevitably reduce your strength significantly, Naruto. Shadow clones divide chakra equally, so what if..."

"Nothing unexpected!"

"I will definitely save both the Perverted Sage and Sasuke!"

"This is my answer to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy!"

The immortal master Fukasaku nodded heavily.

"I understand, Naruto."

"My wife and I will go back to Konoha with you!"

"We've watched Jiraiya grow up since he was a child, so of course we're responsible for him if he's in danger!"

"As for Sasuke, I'll leave that to you!"

Naruto was overjoyed: "Great! Thank you so much, Grandpa and Grandma Sage!"

He slammed his right fist into his left palm.

Snapped!

"The perverted sage, Sasuke..."

"wait for me!"

……

At this moment.

Konoha Village.

With Jiraiya's return, Pain also sensed the change in the situation.

"Jiraiya... teacher."

Those Rinnegan eyes stared at his mentor with a cold, stone-like gaze.

Jiraiya frowned deeply: "What exactly happened?!"

"You're clearly Yahiko, so why do you have Nagato's Rinnegan?!"

Pain did not answer this question.

Kakashi Hatake said, "Lord Jiraiya, there are at least five other beings named Pain, who call themselves the Six Paths of Pain!"

"In addition, even the eyes of those summoned beasts have turned into Rinnegan..."

"Therefore, I guess it must be that man with the Rinnegan, Nagato, who used some kind of secret technique to simultaneously control the Six Paths of Pain and the summoning beasts. The sign of this is that both of his eyes would simultaneously transform into the Rinnegan!"

Jiraiya, a newcomer, only understood a little after hearing Kakashi's analysis.

Pain, the Heavenly Path, couldn't help but nod secretly.

"As expected of Kakashi Hatake, his analytical skills are truly outstanding..."

"However, it's pointless to talk about this now."

"Jiraiya-sensei, I don't want to fight you right now. As long as you hand over the Seven-Tails and Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, we can settle our grudges later."

Jiraiya laughed.

"Whether you're Nagato or Yahiko, it's ridiculous to say something like that!"

"So many years have passed, haven't you made any progress at all?!"

Pain, the Heavenly Path, remained indifferent: "Ridiculous?"

“I’m not joking, Jiraiya-sensei.”

"Handing over the Jinchūriki can at least guarantee the safety of Konoha for now."

"Otherwise, you and Konoha will face divine retribution."

Jiraiya frowned deeply: "God's punishment?"

"I never imagined you'd become so twisted..."

"Do they think they're gods?!"

Pain remained calm and composed.

"It's not that I think it is, but that it is simply how it is."

“Jiraiya-sensei, I don’t blame you for saying that, because you are just an ordinary mortal and naturally cannot understand the thoughts of a god.”

"Hahahaha! To be spoken to like that by my own disciple!"

"If that's the case, then tell me, what exactly is the mind of the gods?!"

Payne glanced around at the village, which was still engulfed in flames of war.

"If it were someone else, it would indeed mean nothing."

"But since it's Jiraiya-sensei, I might as well tell you..."

"As a deity, he will surely love the world and bestow love and peace upon it."

"After all, I am a god who believes in pacifism."

Jiraiya looked at the badly damaged village and couldn't help but sneer.

"You've become quite the comedian, Nagato."

"This is not a joke, but the truth."

"Destroying other people's villages, capturing tailed beasts and jinchūriki, carrying out various assassinations everywhere, plunging the entire ninja world into turmoil and destruction—is this the peace you seek?!"

Payne said calmly, "No, that's not true."

"These are merely necessary sacrifices in the pursuit of peace."

"Hahahaha! What a necessary sacrifice!"

"What's the point of peace if it's achieved through such sacrifice?!"

Pain said, "Master Jiraiya, you only see the trees and not the forest."

"Whether it's Pain or the Akatsuki, capturing tailed beasts and jinchūriki is merely a means, not an end."

"The ultimate goal is to fuse the chakra of all nine tailed beasts into one, creating a true tailed beast weapon, and using this ultimate power to achieve ultimate peace in the ninja world."

Jiraiya's expression grew even more grim.

"How could something like that possibly bring peace?!"

Payne said, "It's very simple."

"Once the major powers go to war, our Akatsuki organization can join one side as mercenaries and activate the ultimate tailed beast weapon, unleashing power capable of destroying the world."

"That's a force that could destroy an entire village and a country in a single blow."

"With such power, thousands, or even millions, of humans could die instantly."

"Therefore, both humanity and nations will truly perceive what fear and suffering are..."

"Amidst endless fear and suffering, the war will be forced to stop, and the ninja world will be able to enjoy temporary peace."

"Until humanity forgets the pain, forgets the history, the Tailed Beasts will be activated again, making the world feel pain once more..."

"Thus, amidst the continuous suffering, the ninja world will experience intermittent peace."

Jiraiya and Kakashi Hatake exchanged a glance.

"This is absurd."

Kakashi couldn't help but say, "What's the point of peace if it's achieved by killing millions of people?!"

"That is more cruel and brutal than war itself."

Pain glanced at him coldly.

"Kakashi Hatake, your views are nothing but the foolishness of a mortal."

"Just like this world, you will never grow without experiencing real pain..."

"Just like a child who, once he knows the pain of being burned by fire, will never try to touch it again."

"This world is still a child, and only by knowing pain can it grow."

"And God's duty is to make this world feel pain and grow."

Jiraiya was dumbfounded.

"What a twisted theory!"

"Is it really necessary to make such huge sacrifices time and time again for your so-called 'making the world grow'?!"

Pain didn't take it seriously.

"Without experiencing the pain of childbirth, there can be no new life."

"Only by breaking down the old can we build the new; only by knowing shame can we be courageous; only by experiencing pain and hardship can we know true happiness."

"The same principle applies: only by understanding war can we achieve peace."

"Only by knowing the pain of war can we know the preciousness of peace."

He paused and continued, "Therefore, for the sake of peace in the ninja world, the tailed beasts and their jinchūriki must be sacrificed."

“Jiraiya-sensei, if you could understand this, you would realize that your actions are hindering peace in the ninja world and preventing the people of this world from achieving happiness.”

Jiraiya angrily retorted, "Don't spout such nonsense, Nagato!"

"How did the gentle you of yesteryear become so extremely twisted?!"

"What exactly happened to you?!"

Payne asked, "What have you been through?"

"It must have been painful."

"Gods were originally human, and they too could only grow after experiencing suffering. However, Gods' growth was different from that of humans. They surpassed them, stood above them, and grew infinitely, finally transforming themselves into high and mighty, compassionate deities."

Jiraiya was speechless for a moment.

This is like dealing with a madman.

But he turned out to be an incredibly powerful, stubborn, and insane madman.

All words seemed to have lost their power.

Kakashi Hatake, however, seemed to be deep in thought.

He finally spoke up: "No, you're wrong, Payne."

"Even if your saying that one can only grow after knowing pain, and understand the value of peace after knowing war, has some truth to it, there is no need for so-called tailed beast weapons at all."

"Because such a thing already exists in this ninja world."

For the first time, Pain showed a hint of hesitation.

"Oh?"

"What is it?"

Kakashi Hatake said in a deep voice, "The Ninja World War."

Jiraiya was also startled.

He immediately understood what Kakashi meant.

“That’s right, Nagato, your so-called deterrent effect of tailed beast weapons is essentially no different from the Fourth Shinobi World War.”

"It's all just a series of wars triggered by unequal distribution of benefits, followed by unbearable casualties and losses, before being forced to achieve a brief period of peace."