"The Five Great Countries are doomed to fall," Pain declared confidently. "The strategies they've relied on for so long to maintain their dominance will ultimately lead to their downfall, as long as the smaller villages no longer fear them."
He walked with his Six Paths of Pain toward the edge of the tower, stepping into the rain. "And I will grant them the strength to face it without fear. Tell them that the one who inherited the power of the Sage of Six Paths will answer their pleas and help them break free from their suffering."
Watching the Six Paths of Pain vanish into the rain, Konan couldn't help but clench the fists she had hidden beneath her sleeves. "So… you're really planning to start a war? Have you truly forgotten our original dream, Nagato?"
******
On Mount Myoboku, the long and intense battle between Naruto and Jiraiya had finally ended.
The frogs who had been hiding and secretly observing cautiously peeked out from behind their father's back. "Is it over?" Gamatatsu, the young frog, asked timidly. The audience of frogs gathered earlier along the ridge had already fled in haste, realizing that even being up high wouldn't keep them safe from the chaos of the fight.
Gamakichi leapt down from the ridge and made his way toward the two fighters. "I'll go check things out. I'll be right back."
As he spoke, he made his way across the battlefield littered with wreckage. Almost everything was destroyed except for the Oil Waterfall and the statues around it.
It was clear both fighters had deliberately avoided damaging those areas to prevent further destruction.
Eventually, Gamakichi found Naruto and Jiraiya lying unconscious inside a massive crater, while Fukasaku and Shima stood watch nearby.
"Hey, are you two still alive? After fighting this hard, at least one of you should've died by now!"
Jiraiya coughed a few times and shakily sat upright with Fukasaku's support.
"I… It's been a long time since I got beaten up like this… And that last fight with Pain doesn't even count… Strictly speaking, I only defeated half of his body."
"And then he ripped your arm off," Naruto added. His Sharingan had reverted back to its normal blue color, though traces of the battle still remained on his face.
"On top of that, you and the two elders helped heal my injuries during that fight. You're truly tough, Master Jiraiya," Naruto said, which made Jiraiya chuckle slightly.
Gamakichi hoisted the injured Naruto onto his back and sighed thoughtfully.
"Naruto-niisan, after watching this fight, I feel like I need to work even harder. Maybe I should start learning Sage Art too?"
Naruto nodded, even though Gamakichi couldn't see him.
"Sage Art is just too powerful… I feel so drained… More exhausted than I've ever been. It's not just about getting beat up."
"That's one of the side effects of using Sage Art for too long, kid," Jiraiya explained, pointing to the visibly drained elder frogs who had expended a tremendous amount of Sage Chakra to maintain Sage Mode.
"Once the Sage Chakra fades, you'll feel completely drained."
"Nine-Tails, how are you holding up?" Naruto asked inwardly. The Nine-Tails had been channeling chakra into Sage Mode the entire time, and just like them, Naruto's techniques were draining more and more chakra.
To evade Jiraiya's strikes, he kept launching Rasengan, and with Sage Mode, its power was amplified drastically.
"I'm not as fragile as you humans," the Nine-Tails scoffed. "Do you really think that pathetic trickle of chakra can affect me at all?"
"Is that so?" Naruto replied in his mind, but only received laughter from the fox. He shoved those thoughts aside for now and turned to Jiraiya. "So, is my training over? Can I go back now?"
A satisfied grin spread across Jiraiya's face.
"Yes, your training has been completed. It's time to go home."
Shima watched as Fukasaku struggled to lift Jiraiya onto his back. Although he was only a small frog, yet he had astonishing strength.
"Alright then, I'll whip up something for us to eat before you head out," Shima offered.
Naruto and Jiraiya shared a look of pure horror, then simultaneously pushed away their respective frog assistants and helped each other stand upright.
"No no no, there's no need to go through the trouble, Lady Shima!" Jiraiya quickly said, waving his hands as Naruto did the same. "We should head back to Konoha immediately! Who knows what kind of chaos could've broken out while we were gone!"
With that, both hobbled off into the distance, doing their best to hide their injuries.
Fukasaku stared at them blankly, then sighed helplessly.
"Well... I guess I'll have to return first using the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to prepare for summoning them back to Konoha." With that, he grabbed his wife and left without looking back.
******
Inside the Mizukage's office in Kirigakure, Chojuro stood stiffly before Mei Terumi, clearly uneasy about being summoned alone.
"Why did she call me here specifically? What could've possibly happened?" He thought uneasily.
"Chojuro, look at me, okay?" Mei spoke gently, trying to calm him down.
This boy always became tense, afraid of messing everything up—especially in front of her.
The reason he'd been chosen as a member of the new Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist was due to his extraordinary talent, but talent means nothing without confidence.
And it seemed she was the only one who could bring out his best.
"This matter is serious. Our village's intelligence outposts have been hit—one after another—and not a single soul survived. Nine attacks—nine massacres."
Chojuro swallowed hard and gave a solemn nod.
"So… you want me to investigate this?"
"Precisely," Mei confirmed. "I need you to lead the investigation team to track down the culprit. I chose you because you're currently the most promising of the Sword Bearers. You've already mastered the Released Form of Hiramekarei, and you possess the finest swordsmanship talent in the village."
"Why me?" Chojuro had always doubted his ability to lead, yet without hesitation, he accepted the mission.
"Do we have any information on the attackers? Why was I chosen as the best person for this mission?"
Mei Terumi nodded and picked up a file from the table, then handed it to him.
"These are photos of the wounds sustained by the attacked Ninja."
She watched closely as Chojuro flipped through the photos. He adjusted his glasses, beginning to understand why he had been selected. "Do you see now?"
Chojuro nodded silently, his expression unchanged.
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