Is it Over?

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Konoha

Every important action deserves an equally important planning session. Of course, the second part won't be remembered in the same manner as the first but that doesn't mean it's not necessary. So before setting out to face the remaining members of the Akatsuki we had to strategize; devise a plan beyond simply sneaking in and knocking heads. Said planning session took place in the hokage's personal home under an assortment of seals that provide much better security than what I have in my own home.

For now, that is.

"Is that everything then? Have we accounted for all the factors we can reasonably control?" Tsunade glances from Jiraiya to me, the only ones in the room with her. "Well?"

"I certainly think so." Jiraiya nods somewhat indulgingly. "We can start this mission knowing at the very least that we planned to the best of our ability."

"Yeah, this is definitely better than what he and I had in mind." I have no issue admitting that because while my own plan had a number of contingencies to it, the majority of them were focused on actually taking down Nagato and Konan since I saw that as the biggest hurdle. These additions by Tsunade can be easily slotted into my master plan to great effect.

"Of course it is, I made it." Uhm, I'll ignore that one. Even if only because she's more stressed out about this mission than either of us. Being relegated to the backseat where she can't provide any immediate aid is really weighing on her. "If nothing needs to be changed then we can do another run-through. Naruto, you do it."

Definitely stressed out. And yet I go along with it, putting myself into the mindset that I'm running the mission already and outlining each step in the order that we'd take them. I tap specific points on the map spread atop the table as I go and patiently answer each probing question sent my way.

When you take away all the specifics and look at it on the surface level, our plan isn't all that complicated. Jiraiya and I will sneak out from the village under the cover of darkness using one of the many anbu-restricted paths and after taking evasive maneuvers to lose any tails make our way westward to the Hidden Rain. We will sneak past our own border patrol – their numbers are doubled for the duration of this mission – and that of Rain after crossing over. Before we reach the border, however, I'll arrange for a clone to be reverse summoned by Fukasaku while Jiraiya will summon the toad who will ferry us into the Hidden Rain when the time comes. We decided on doing this step before entering enemy territory to lessen the chance that someone might notice the spike in chakra usage.

So we sneak out of our village and into the Rain village with none the wiser. Due to a lack of good intel, our plan for once we're inside is less comprehensive and relies more on smart ground decisions. We'll move fast to locate the Akatsuki's base and confront the leader and his partner. If at any moment we should find ourselves on the backfoot then we retreat. No debate. Tsunade has made that clear.

And there you have it, an outline for the upcoming mission. One shaping up to be as black tape as Itachi's. The type of thing that will never go on file and will never be shared. The only people who will know the full details are sitting in this room. And just why is that the case? It's quite simple-no, simple isn't the right word here. The opposite really seeing as how this situation we've found ourselves in is full of layers and different factors to consider.

Jiraiya wants to redeem the three orphans who in his mind he abandoned in a war-torn village. He wants to knock some sense into them and have them renounce their old ways. I don't know what would happen to them after that but I do realize Jiraiya doesn't want to kill his old charges unless it's the final resort. Yet if he does succeed in getting through to them, no one can know about it. And when I say no one, I mean absolutely no one. If it leaked out that the Leaf had contact with the Akatsuki leader, the group of rogue ninjas who successfully captured several jinchuriki and stole their tailed beasts, then there would be hell to pay. The various hidden villages would call for their heads and I suppose it would be within their right to do so. Even though they contributed nothing, leaving the Leaf to take down the other six – Itachi doesn't count and no one will know about Black Zetsu – members of the organization.

I don't imagine Jiraiya would take kindly to such a demand so Tsunade would have to make a hard decision: bend to the other kage or tell them off. Disregarding the question of which choice would be the right one, it isn't impossible that conflict could break out in such a scenario. A conflict that none of us want.

Would be a real shame to try so hard to prevent one war only for another to break out over something I participated in.

So the best way to prevent that outcome is to be discreet. No one will know when we leave and no one will know what we're up to, not even those making up our contingencies. It will be annoying having to sneak past the hyper-vigilant border patrol but that's the price to pay to have them both close by yet unaware of our infiltration into Rain. Of the toad clan only a select few knew where we planned on going and they were well accustomed to ninjas by this point and didn't put up a fuss as to what we would be doing there. They simply agreed to be our escape option should we need it. To get the clone to the toads I'll be using the method devised by Naruto during the Pain invasion, only in reverse. The clone equipped with a dual end scroll will be summoned away by Fukasaku and be our middleman.

There's a brief moment of silence after I wrap up in which Tsunade stares at the map in thought. We watch her sigh a final time before she looks up to pin us with a heavy stare. "I've stalled long enough I suppose, it's time. I can't come with you nor can I send someone in my place so I'm trusting you two. Come back home."

"We won't let you down hime," Jiraiya promises with one of his smaller smiles. Very different from the overdramatized gestures that make up his public persona. "Just you wait, we'll be back in no time."

"Listen to the old man for once, we got this." I throw in. "Matter of fact, make a note somewhere that when I get back I want some downtime. All this Akatsuki business is giving me grey hairs."

Her lips quirk, "Hmph, I'll see what I can do. Take care of yourselves out there. Take care of each other." That last part seems to be aimed at me more than Jiraiya so I nod when her eye catches mine; one way or another we'll both be coming back.

That, I promise.

-GoS-

Ame

There's a reason the toad summons are held with such high regard and it's not because of their size. Well, their sheer bulk does play a role but I personally like their versatility more. Take for example the hiding in a toad technique which does...exactly what it says.

It is utilized in conjunction with a toad which can alter its size from that of a regular, non-summon toad to the proportions of a small house. Throughout that process, the toad can carry passengers who seemingly shrink and grow along with it when in actuality their absolute size doesn't change. The toad hides the chakra of its passengers making the technique extremely useful for infiltration purposes.

Makes sense that an infamous spymaster like Jiraiya would have a couple of techniques like that hidden in his toolkit. With it breaching the heavily isolated village became a relatively simple process.

I exit the toad first, that odd squeezing sensation making its way down my body as I slowly creep out and balance on top of the water. My gaze falls onto the industrialized village off in the distance and I can't help but wonder whether Nagato sensed us already or if we'll have to make landfall before that can happen. Neither option discounts how remarkable his ability to sense chakra through rain is, I wouldn't even know where to begin creating a technique like that.

A movement to the side lets me know Jiraiya is fully out meaning it's safe to look now. It's squeamish of me yet something about a man his size popping out of a tiny toad's mouth makes me feel sick. "So this is the new Hidden Rain huh?"

"Different from when you last saw it?" Times like these remind me just how old this guy is.

"Very. Let's take a closer look and see just how much has changed." I let him take the lead as we leave the water and slip into the crowd of pedestrians going about their day as if the downpour doesn't affect them. I suppose when it rains more often than not one adapts quickly enough.

We approach a stand of sorts and in almost no time Jiraiya engages the elderly woman selling her baked goods and gets her to talk about the goings-on in the village.

What we learn from her and others as we navigate the streets makes for a thought-provoking picture. Nagato, known as Pain to these people, and Konan are essentially seen as divine figures due to a combination of their power and the good they've done for the people since overthrowing Hanzo the Salamander. If the villagers were to discover our purpose here they would turn on us, rightly seeing us as agents of the great nations here to kill their leaders and take away the stability and peace of mind they've established over the years. As if this village needs more reason to hate those who used their home as a battleground. The realization that I could very well be the villain gives me slight pause but I harden myself and pray once more that everyone walks away from this encounter alive.

The best-case scenario for many.

With Jiraiya focusing on gathering intel it leaves me to monitor the response to our infiltration. I reach out with my sensing abilities in an attempt to anticipate any ambushes before they happen. As the minutes go by and we get more mentions of God's Tower I start to realize that Nagato's rain technique might not give him an exact location for intruders as otherwise, he should- ah, spoke too soon.

I almost didn't catch it, the barest hint of chakra sweeping around us. If they didn't contain part of her conscious, and therefore her emotions, Konan's little paper relays would have gone unnoticed. As it is, I pick up on the telling mix of surprise, regret, and then resolve. And having already grabbed my attention I feel her chakra signature becomes stronger somewhere above and to the left of us. Likely as a result of her coalescing from her previous state of scattered sheets of paper. Mentally brushing aside how useful a technique that must be I catch Jiraiya's eye and blink meaningfully. Three seconds count and I blink again. The message thus conveyed and received we continue on our way.

She follows us of course. Traces of paranoia are picked up by my senses as we approach an area devoid of other life. Once sufficiently isolated the signature that had been trailing her finally makes itself known by dropping down before us. The black and red cloak around his form is all too recognizable even if his face isn't. The designations of the various paths were never important to me so I don't exactly recall which is which but I'm certain this one is the animal. The name came from its ability to summon multiple kinds of animals as well as summoning the other paths.

Wherever this one shows up the others can as well.

In the air above the animal path floats God's Angel on motionless wings. Her appearance is just about what I remember: hair a unique shade of blue with a paper flower attached to it, skin fair and blemish-free, and a completely blank expression. The Akatsuki cloak is a given.

"Konan." Taking a step forward Jiraiya addresses his old students for the first time in decades, "And Nagato? Is that you? Your face has changed completely but I could never forget those eyes."

Hopefully Jiraiya wasn't expecting a happy reunion because there is nothing fond about the look the path fixes on him. Total apathy actually. "You shouldn't have come here, Jiraiya-sensei. There is nothing here for you." I don't need to look to know Jiraiya didn't take that well.

"Don't give me that Nagato! You were all my precious students, how could I not come here after getting news of your survival?" Is his heated reply before softening his voice, "Where is Yahiko? Is he part of this too?"

"He died long ago." The news is delivered in the same tone one would talk about the weather. Konan remains silent in her position in the air, a pulse of negative emotions being the only clue she cares for the subject at hand. Although very distantly, I can sense a bit of Nagato's feelings through the path. His own grief was overshadowed by anger. Definitely not as apathetic as the path's face would have you believe.

"…I see. I had hoped you all survived but it seems it wasn't meant to be and for that I am sorry. I shouldn't have left you all behind; it was a foolish and heartless decision on my part." His head dips into a sad bow before rising after a moment, "Yet that does not justify what you're doing. Tell me Nagato, what happened? How did Yahiko die and how did you become like this?"

"Nothing happened. There was just war. War and all that it brings." The path informs us, "What you see before you is the result of that. Suffering so profound that it marked the death of that which you once knew. Yahiko is no more, Nagato is no more, there is only Pain now. Pain that I will share with the world."

"Pain huh? That's your reasoning for what you've done over the years, Nagato? That's why you created the Akatsuki and raised tensions among the villages? To have everyone suffer the way you did?" Jiraiya shakes his head in disappointment. "And you Konan, why go along with this? You were such a sweet girl, the calmest of you three, how could you condone this let alone participate in it?"

Even then she doesn't speak, making my ability to read people a godsent at this moment. Instead, the moving corpse takes the opportunity to talk down to us some more.

"I would not expect you to comprehend it Jiraiya-sensei, encumbered as you are. The actions of a god are rarely understood by mortals."

"You think yourself to be a god?" A hint of something creeps into Jiraiya's voice while the path doesn't bother with a response, "A god and this is what you do? Kill those who haven't harmed you all in an attempt to spread pain? I don't know how you've been led astray like this but those are not the actions of a god. It's wrong, and I hope you can see that. You have the power to do good Nagato; instead of leading rogue shinobi and creating strife, focus that power on helping others instead. Violence doesn't solve-"

"Enough." The volume doesn't change yet it's clear the path did not like where Jiraiya was heading, "Let me enlighten you sensei. You speak of helping others yet the constraints of your mortality prevent you from seeing the truth. For all your efforts and time spent on solving the issue of world peace, you are no closer to a solution today than you were all those years ago. It is clear that such an endeavor is beyond you, beyond any one person. That is why I have taken up the burden of finding the answer. As a god, I can accomplish what you have failed to do. I will create the peace this world needs."

I step forward to stand beside Jiraiya in facing down the path, "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"By showing the world pain." The path begins its reveal, "Through the assembled tailed beasts I will create a new forbidden jutsu that with a single use will wipe out an entire nation. Tens of thousands will die leaving the people terrified. They will know pain and only then will they learn the value of peace and seek it out. As the God of Peace, it is my duty to guide the world along this path. The path to true peace."

"A path paved in blood and fear." I rebuttal. "You'd be damning hundreds of innocents for this."

"The ends would justify the means." It responds without care which sets off Jiraiya.

"No, they would not. True peace, a peace that would last, is not established on the graves of innocents. Your actions would only lead to fear and resentment which would perpetuate this world of violence and hatred. No Nagato…" He slowly pulls out a scroll from his pocket and unravels it. "This path will only lead to ruin. Of yourself and of those around you. I won't let you do that. As your sensei, it's my duty to stop you here before such horrors can come to pass."

"And as I informed you earlier, you shouldn't have come here sensei. All you've done is forfeit your life and contribute another component to my plan for world peace."

So it finally acknowledges who I am.

"I'm sorry Nagato, but your plans end here."

The two Akatsuki members don't have the right vantage point to see Jiraiya slip a piece of paper onto the seal matrix of the scroll and seemingly store it away. On the other hand, he and I clearly see the path clasp its hands together and then the puff of smoke that momentarily blocks our vision. As the smoke slowly dissipates I feel the shift in Jiraiya's body as the clone he'd left outside the village transfers over the natural energy it'd collected. At that same moment, I activate my own sage mode via Kurama.

The smokescreen is gone by that point revealing what the path had summoned: the other five paths. Where there was only one now stand six figures in Akatsuki cloaks and rinnegan eyes. I'd been expecting such a sight before this even started. Jiraiya, not so much.

"Yahiko…" Comes his shocked whisper. "But how? Nagato said… how do you all have his eyes?"

"Yahiko. Nagato. Neither means a thing. We are Pain." Says the favored path, the one using Yahiko's body. "We are God."

And at this point, I've had enough of the talking. I know for a fact Nagato won't listen to a thing we say until we've proven ourselves. Proven through violence, amusingly enough.

They shift, and I launch into action, a set of kunai dropping into my hands and going airborne a fraction of a second later. So ingrained is the combination that I barely think about it and my chakra responds, turning half a dozen projectiles into a dark cloud seeking to impale their targets. The Yahiko path – deva? – chooses the easiest method of handling the swarm of kunai and sends out a burst of gravitational force dispelling the cloned weapons and sending the real ones flying. I had planned for this naturally so even before the deva acted I was reaching out and infusing the air around me with chakra which I then grasped and sent into a rotation leaving Jiraiya and me in the eye of the sudden twister. I keep a tight grip on it, making the winds spin faster and faster as I count in my head. Once I reach three seconds I unleash all that force outwards in an omnidirectional blast.

It might seem pointless to throw a technique like that at an opponent who can absorb chakra but I have my reasons. It targets and covers a wide area meaning the path can only absorb so much of the technique while the others would need their own protection. The twister has a few kunai, random debris, and a considerable volume of water flying around at high speeds which at the least impedes their vision and should serve to make them scatter further. And most importantly, the deva path just used its signature ability meaning it's on a countdown before it can easily disperse this technique as well. Taking all these factors into consideration, the tiny amount of chakra I spent to create this diversion was worth it as now I have an extra second to analyze the situation.

There are six paths before me in various states of disarray and a certain few require a specific plan of action when facing them. From just the few seconds I had to observe their appearances before they attacked I was able to differentiate some of them. The deva path, the one with the gravity techniques, took a direct hit and is yet to hit the ground. The animal path is also reeling back but it seems it was able to summon a large panda to take some of the blow and therefore didn't go flying as far as the deva. There is another path near the animal but I don't recognize that one. Same for another one further off to the side. One I can confirm however is the technological path - its bald head is distinctive surrounded by all that bright hair - which wasn't able to obtain cover. And finally, there's the one that can absorb chakra; it was able to stand its ground with both arms outstretched in front of it. I can faintly see the distortion around it as the energy is absorbed.

By process of elimination, out of the two that I can't visibly place, one must have the healing ability and the other the ability to rip out souls. So one's annoying and a high-priority target while the other is dangerous and will be matched with a clone. Since I can't tell which is which, both get clones.

Stolen story; please report.

These observations and thoughts run through my head at lightning speed and don't interfere with my ability to simultaneously create six clones. They act without any verbal commands from me: one stays behind to cover Jiraiya while the others join me in splitting off and taking a path each. I don't attack my target head-on, choosing instead to take a roundabout approach and come in from the side. Or I try to anyway. It raises a hand and I feel a force grab me and yank me forward. The move might have disoriented an unaware opponent but in this case, it's easy to use aero-step and pivot mid-air, neatly avoiding the black chakra rod it tried to stab me with. I land lightly and channel chakra into my soles to bleed off the momentum before closing the distance between us.

I slip around a couple of attempts to skewer me and slam a natural energy-infused palm into the rod which shatters it. Redirecting that hand I aim it towards the path's face in a jab that it just barely avoids by tilting its head to the side. 'Just barely' however, isn't enough when taking into consideration the invisible yet powerful aura around the limb. Said glancing blow snaps its head backward and momentarily disrupts its sight of me; something that is used to my advantage. I punish it with a spinning kick that practically folds the corpse before physics does its job sending it flying into a metal structure.

That brief engagement confirms my suspicions regarding Nagato's paths. His ability to split his attention between six different vessels is impressive, very much so, yet at the same time, I remember that canon Naruto only really struggled against one of those paths and that was after all the others were incapacitated. The assumption then is each path can only reach its maximum potential when Nagato is focusing all of his attention on it. Certainly explains why the deva can't put up a fight against me while its ability recharges. And speaking of that, it's been five seconds already.

I materialize a rasenshuriken in each hand and get ready to end this.

-GoS-

JIRAIYA POV

There was a time when he thought he would never get to see his old students again. When he received news of their apparent deaths his days afterward had been nothing but grief and self-loathing. He'd had no excuse for leaving them in Rain and therefore their deaths could be traced back to his actions. But to be a shinobi is to endure so he'd pushed that moment of weakness to the back of his mind and focused on his duty to his village. Said focus was tested over and over again throughout the years and it all came to a head when Naruto discovered that the Rain orphans might have survived. Much more than survived; they'd grown into competent ninjas and made a name for themselves.

If only that name hadn't been associated with a group of international criminals.

As he watches Nagato proclaim his desire to bring peace to the world using terror and violence with Konan silently supporting him, he feels something inside of him crumble.

How did it come to this?

Why his precious students?

Vaguely he wonders if this is what sensei felt when Orochimaru's crimes came to light. If so it's not a very pleasant feeling. Even worse than having a comrade go rogue, it feels like he had a hand in this outcome. He failed as their sensei.

So it's only right that he take responsibility and resolve this. Even if it means raising his hand against those who were at one point his children.

He braces himself to do what has to be done, collecting the natural energy his clone had stockpiled, when he appears along with four others.

Yahiko. The most charismatic of his old wards. He looks to be alive, which Jiraiya should be pleased about, yet something is off with the group in front of him. Using the sensory ability of sage mode, he notices that beyond the shared piercings and rare dojutsu, their chakra is similar to the point of being identical!

"You sense it don't you? Their chakra?" Asks the clone of Naruto who'd stayed with him while the others faced down the group of 'Pain.'

"They're all the same," He acknowledges. Instead of leaping into the fray like he wants to, he moves to keep Konan in his line of sight while also observing Yahiko and who he'd first assumed to be Nagato. "They all have the same chakra and the same eyes, there has to be a connection somewhere."

"That's what I'm thinking. Remember Team Kakashi and Gai's report of their mission in the Sand? About the technique Itachi and Kisame used to puppet those bodies?"

"Oh? Something similar, perhaps? Then…"

"Then one reason they all have the rinnegan and the same chakra signature is that Nagato is controlling them from somewhere." The clone finishes the thought for him.

"Meaning Nagato is alive while Yahiko truly is dead as he said," Jiraiya concludes with a grimace. It felt as if the world had decided to play with his hopes regarding Yahiko. Dead, to alive, to dead, to seemingly alive, only to be actually dead.

"Most likely. And if God's Tower really is their base then the real Nagato might be there hiding behind some sort of seal barrier because I'm not picking up anything."

Jiraiya focuses on the direction of that odd tower and notes he likewise can't sense anything odd. Either there's a barrier or Nagato is further than they can sense. "Then that's our next target."

While they were talking the clones of Naruto had been busy dismantling Nagato's puppets. One was crushed to pieces revealing mechanical parts inside of it while another transformed into a petrified toad meaning its ability to absorb chakra extended to natural energy as well. It's when Naruto – assuming that's the original – kicks Yahiko's body into a wall that Konan, who had seemed fine with playing a spectator role, tries to intervene.

Pieces of paper from her wings detach and shoot towards Naruto's back but a strong gust of wind from the clone beside him throws off their trajectory. Acting himself, Jiraiya exhales a stream of flames into her direction and feels his attack be impeded before it can reach her. Cutting off the technique and quickly rolling to the side he watches as sheets of paper slice into the ground where he'd once stood. He realizes right away that she used her paper to counteract his flames, meaning those things were resistant to a degree.

He feels a burst of poorly timed pride at that. Fire-resistant paper. No one can say his students weren't talented.

Before either of them can attack again a clone appears in the air and lands a kick on Konan's back sending her plummeting to the ground. As someone who's been subjected to the blonde's preference for kicks, he has to give respect where it is due when she makes to rise from the crater her impact created. Jiraiya extends his hair between them to wrap around her but she bursts into loose pieces of paper and escapes back into the air. A wily one.

She doesn't get far, however. The clone in the air buffets the scattered paper with a column of wind which pushes them back down. Another column of wind comes in from the side via a free clone and strikes her general location. A third clone moves around and launches an attack perpendicular to the second and effectively sets up a cross-stream that pins the papers from flying away. Seeing Konan taking her shape again under the onslaught of pressure makes Jiraiya move in, forming hand seals as he goes. The streams of wind let up right when he gets to her and plants a chakra restricting seal on the bare skin of her neck. He makes the decision to tap a nerve cluster and knock her unconscious, grabbing her body before she faceplants.

Her face softens then, looking so innocent compared to her previous stoic expression. With a sigh, he lifts her up and onto his shoulder. That's one wayward student accounted for.

Feeling the blonde approaching, Jiraiya turns to face him. A quick scan shows not a single scratch on his person. The only sign he'd been in a fight moments prior is the body he's carrying. Yahiko's corpse. Minus the black body jewelry, he'd seen it totting earlier. Why did Naruto take them out?

"I figured I should keep his remains as intact as possible so I hit it with a controlled rasenshuriken. It turned the metal pieces to dust." Naruto explains to which he nods in understanding. Millions of microscopic wind blades would do that. "How is she?"

"Fine. Cut off from her chakra and unconscious but fine. We need to get to that tower as fast as possible; would you mind…?" He gestures to Konan resulting in a clone stepping forward to take her from him. He didn't know what opposition they would face going forward so it was best if his hands weren't occupied.

"Right, no time to waste." He watches with a heavy heart as Naruto pulls out a free scroll from his litany of storage seals and seals away Yahiko's body. Another casualty of this cruel world. "Let's go."

They depart then.

…

As Jiraiya had expected, their fight against Nagato's puppets had not gone unnoticed. No one had interfered because of the Rain shinobi setting a perimeter around the battleground. Seems as if they believed their God and his Angel would be victorious without support from them. Misplaced faith in this instance.

The cordoned zone meant they were able to fight unhindered but they also had to take time evading the Rain personnel to get to God's Tower. Time in which Jiraiya's pool of natural energy ran out unfortunately enough. Having barely done anything during the previous battle and now running out of power shortly before arriving at their destination, Jiraiya counted that particular usage of sage mode as wasteful. On a slightly different note, if he didn't know better he would suspect Naruto of deliberately taking control earlier and making sure his participation was minimal. But he does know better and realizes that's exactly what the blonde did, likely as a way to lower the risk of him being harmed. And if he's seeing things correctly, then there's likely another blonde in on the plan. Probably her idea actually.

The white-haired Sanin snorts in amusement. Should have known she would get her way in the end. That woman…

They opt to scale the tower rather than use the ground entrance. Their reasoning being each village leader resides on the uppermost level of their respective buildings and Nagato is likely to do the same for various reasons. Halfway up however they discover the entrance inside the painted face's mouth and the plan changes. They go in and once past the threshold Naruto nods at him; he'd picked up Nagato's signature.

Walking through the dimly lit hallways with Naruto in the lead and the clone carrying Konan in the rear, Jiraiya notes the distinct absence of people. Back in the Hokage building one could always hear and see the activity as nin active or retired move around carrying out their tasks. Then again, in a tower this big perhaps the lower levels are where village personnel works.

Naruto stops in front of a door prompting the party to stop as well. He can't tell what the blonde is thinking but for a couple of seconds, he simply stands there before reaching out to open it. The door swings open noiselessly and after another hesitation, Naruto steps inside followed by everyone else. Jiraiya almost stumbles mid-step.

"So this is how it ends?" That voice!

"Nagato…?"

Indeed, before them is his old student. Or rather what remains of him. Beneath the red hair is an unhealthily gaunt face with a thin neck leading to an emaciated body. His ribs are easily visible and there is almost no meat on his arms. His hands and lower body are attached to a contraption that Jiraiya assumes is to support him, if his legs look anything like his arms then his body likely needs all the help it can get to remain upright. The most horrifying part of this image is the various rods seemingly sticking into his back. The fact that he can see two ends of them from the front has worrying connotations as to how far into his body the rods go. How is he still alive?

"Are you here to kill me Jiraiya-sensei? Naruto Uzumaki?" Nagato's raspy voice jolts Jiraiya out of his shock. Returning his gaze to the rinnegan orb that speaks of a bone-deep weariness while also brimming with life in comparison to their owner's body. "Or perhaps capture me to face the Leaf's justice alongside Konan?"

"I want to stop you from dooming the world but I don't want to kill either of you Nagato. Please don't force me to, work with me instead." Jiraiya goes around Naruto to approach the redhead. "I want to save you."

"What is there to save sensei? You've bested me, thwarted my endeavor for peace proving my conviction insufficient. I have nothing left but my life and Konan, and you have both within your palms."

"Damnit Nagato! Stop talking like that! You can still be redeemed but only if you work with me!" Nagato didn't budge so he tries another appeal, "And if not for your sake, then do it for Konan's. Your story doesn't have to end like this and neither does hers."

Those ringed eyes move from him to somewhere behind him before blinking, "What would you have me do?"

"Help me understand you. What happened to you? To all of you?" He asks, hoping to learn what could have left Nagato in this state. Turned his students into the people they are now. "And don't you dare say 'war.' Who did this to you?"

"Does it truly matter sensei?" Why was he still hesitating?

"Yes. I want to know what happened to you all after I left. Is this the pain you spoke of?" Is this the reason he turned to the Akatsuki? The redhead stays quiet. "Nagato?"

"It was Hanzo." A soft voice speaks up, "He marked the end."

Turning around Jiraiya sees Konan kneeling on the ground with her head bowed. Behind her stands the clone who'd been carrying her and it nods when he looks at it; it had brought Konan back to consciousness.

"We were getting too powerful, beyond what he could control…" Head not rising, Konan begins to recount the events that transpired within the village after he left. The three orphans forming a group of like-minded people in an attempt to bring peace to the war-torn Rain, to try and prevent other children from being left alone like them. That was the birth of the original Akatsuki. The group grew in size and influence, grew so much that Hanzo the Salamander took notice of them and became fearful. He reached out with words of collaboration but instead betrayed them, taking Konan hostage and threatening to kill her unless Nagato killed Yahiko. Hanzo had seen Yahiko as the leader and spirit of the group and believed killing him would kill the movement. Ignoring Konan's pleas to leave her behind, Yahiko sacrificed himself on a kunai in Nagato's hands and the sight drove the redhead to rage.

Nagato saved Konan from Hanzo at the cost of his legs. Going further, he used a technique special to the rinnegan to summon a beast that killed all the troops Hanzo had brought with him. The Salamander escaped while the technique stole a great portion of Nagato's life force and left him in the state he is today. Nagato would later get his revenge on Hanzo but the Akatsuki was never the same afterward. Over time their vision shifted and with influence from a man in an orange mask calling himself Madara Uchiha, they devised a new route to peace using the tailed beasts as a weapon.

"You understand now, why my solution is the only viable one? We only wanted peace within the village, to make life better for everyone. We tried to follow in your footsteps, use your teachings, yet in the end, we paid the price for it." Nagato's face tightens, something very obvious on his frame. "You're idealistic vision of peace will never happen in this world. The people don't desire it enough."

"I, I understand where you are coming from Nagato," Jiraiya takes a moment to organize his thoughts, he won't get another chance at this, "It can be all too easy to lash out at the world when it hurts you, especially when you have the power to enact vengeance as you do. However, rarely is violence the answer. More often than not, you will find that those actions, in turn, hurt another, and that creates a vicious cycle of violence and suffering."

"The same cycle that exists currently. My plan would have broken it sensei. Once everyone had experienced pain, true pain, everyone would want it to end. They would cease the wars and violence that brought them pain. There would have been peace then."

Jiraiya shakes his head. It's a good thing Nagato is willing to engage in the exchange of philosophy but there is a disconnect between them. "Your logic doesn't account for human nature Nagato. You believe the world would see the results of your weapon and stop their ways yet although that may be the case for a while, they would eventually rebel. They would band against you and once you were gone they might go on to have some semblance of cease-fire or they might turn on each other again. What I'm trying to say is that you would kill countless people for no reason. Like many things in life, peace is not something you can force and then expect to last."

"But why? Why would they purposely do such a thing? Why make their lives harder?" Nagato asks and at that moment he sees a younger, less jaded pupil struggling to understand how people could be so cruel to one another.

"Because it's their life." Naruto responds, "Free will is important and people would rather make the wrong decision freely rather than be forced into what's best for them. You would think you're doing a good deed creating your brand of peace while to them you would be another great village doing as you want with no regard to their opinions. That's why although idealistic, Jiraiya's teachings have a certain merit to them."

"You believe people can come to embrace peace as sensei envisions?" Nagato questions Naruto. Jiraiya glances at Konan who also seems to be waiting for the blonde's response.

"I do. I can't say that it will happen in your lifetime or even mine, but I believe that if we work together towards peace, to simply change how things are today really, then each successive generation will be better." Naruto pauses and then shrugs, "That's just what I've come up with myself but I think it has potential. It won't be a quick thing but just like today people can have better lives than those who lived during the Warring Era, so too can our descendants have better lives than us. We just have to be willing to put the work in. Does that make sense?"

"Hm. And what of those who oppose the efforts for peace? What would you do with them?"

"I received some advice a couple of years back. You have to find your reason for the things you do in this life," It's phrased differently but Jiraiya recognizes the advice he'd given to Naruto after his first kill. To think it would come back like this. "There will be people like those you asked about. People who enjoy causing suffering. To whom peace is not something positive. They will force your hand when it comes to dealing with them. You'll have to resort to methods that aren't exactly peaceful and my suggestion then is to remember why you're doing what you're doing. Recognize that each life is precious but that each violent act can play a part in the creation of something better."

"A fine line to tread…" Nagato muses and Jiraiya nods to himself. A very fine line. "Konan. My oldest friend." Said friend turns to him, "I've always been so assured of my path that I never once asked you what you thought. I was wrong for that."

"Nagato…"

"So I ask you now: what do you think?"

She's silent for a long second, seemingly deep in thought, and when she does respond it's with a quiet conviction. "I would like to see this world they envision. The one in which peace is achieved peacefully."

"You think it could come to pass?" There's a certain weight to the question. As if the response is something he desperately needs.

"I would like to believe so. Even if it is not easy, I'd like to know I played a part in it. That we all did."

"I see… I was not a very good friend to you was I?" He asks rhetorically. Konan makes to argue but he shakes his head. "To have missed this all along… I'm sorry, for everything."

Jiraiya notes the finality in his tone and gets a bad feeling, "Nagato?"

"I lost sight of your teachings Jiraiya-sensei. Even now, I have doubts as to whether true peace can be established. This world we live in is simply not conducive to your vision. Yet merely because I am disillusioned does not invalidate what you believe in."

"Nagato, what are you saying?" Konan rises to stand on her feet.

"I couldn't do it but perhaps you all can succeed where I fell short. Jiraiya-sensei. Naruto. Konan. I wish to put my faith in you. Bring about the seeds of peace where I could not."

"You can help us Nagato. Renounce the Akatsuki name and take on another one, one with the original goal of the Akatsuki." Jiraiya tries but the redhead smiles sadly.

"I cannot sensei. My time in this world isn't much longer."

Seeing the state of Nagato's body, Jiraiya can take a guess as to what might be the reason for that. Konan voices what he's suspecting. "Your condition? How bad is it?"

"I hid the worst of it from you, didn't want to burden you further. That's why I hastened our timeline like I did as otherwise I would have risked the completion of our plan. I have mere months to live Konan."

"No," She murmurs, coming to stand before him like Jiraiya, "No, that can't be."

"Old friend… I know better than anyone how close I am to death. I can see its grasp on me. It is inevitable." Silent tears roll down Konan's cheeks. Jiraiya can feel his own eyes burning, "Perhaps it is for the best. I did many things for the sake of my peace. Things Yahiko would never have done if it were him… I don't deserve to continue while they all died. This is my penance."

"You don't have to die Nagato. I don't know the specifics of what that technique did to you but I might be able to help." Naruto offers.

"And if not him then Tsunade might." Jiraiya throws out as well. The faint embers of hope flare only to die again.

"Perhaps, yet that is not to be. I've long since made peace with my fate so I can only be grateful that you stalled my hand." Nagato declines with a sad smile.

"Are you sure Nagato? Don't think you have to do this because it's your punishment." He tries again. He really doesn't want another of his students to die, not if he can help it. "We can work something out."

"Truly Jiraiya-sensei, my condition is beyond repair. It's the price for wielding the power I did."

He grinds his teeth yet doesn't continue fighting. When was anything in life ever so easy?

"If that's what you want then so be it." Naruto acquiesces when everyone else stays silent. "By the way, the man you mentioned, this Madara? If he wore a mask with a spiral design along with the Akatsuki cloak then you will be happy to hear we encountered him on a mission not too long ago. He didn't survive."

"Are you sure?" Konan questions.

"Yes. I made it permanent."

"It is for the best. He would never have stopped-" Whatever the redhead was about to say is cut off by a violent bout of coughing. Seeing the way the contractions wreck his frail body really drives it home for Jiraiya how bad his condition is. It's a hard sight to stomach.

"He's not used to talking so much in this form!" Konan flicks her hand out to no effect before turning to them, "Help me move him, please."

Right, her chakra was sealed.

Stopping briefly to undo the seal, Jiraiya steps up to help remove Nagato from the contraption and get him into a different room while Konan grabs the medicine. Vaguely, he notices how incredulously this mission ended, with him tucking in his fully grown pupil, but he says nothing of it. It isn't his preferred outcome yet it's also not the worst. Almost like the old days really. He'd do his best to cherish this second chance with them; even if it means putting one of them to bed.

-GoS-

POV RESTORED

Somehow, despite everything, I actually thought this could have ended another way. Instead, there's a dark cloud hanging over what could have been a joyful moment.

I'd always sympathized with the Rain orphans. Seeing their sad origins and how their lofty goals were torn apart really spoke to me. It made me dislike the Salamander and hate Danzo, even more, when I learned of his role in those events. In my mind, Jiraiya wasn't blameless as I believed he should have taken them with him or at the least make the offer. And after that came Obito, Madara, and Black Zetsu in the chain of deception that saw Nagato and Konan working with rogue ninjas to bring the world to its knees. It's hypocritical of me to have pitied the latter duo while disliking Obito who was also a victim but that's how I felt about it. As per the primacy effect, I was introduced to them first so even when the true villain was exposed, I still had issues with Obito. Plus he killed Konan to loot Nagato's body so there was that.

It's honestly a relief, not having to kill either of them. All those years ago when I first found myself in this situation, I'd promised myself that I would do whatever it took to end the Akatsuki and the threat they posed. If I had to eliminate all their members then that's what I would've done; wouldn't have been happy about it but I would have done it.

And isn't that a clear sign of how much I've changed from the person I used to be? Plotting another's demise when conflict was never really in my nature. Needs must I suppose.

Thankfully for me, I had Jiraiya tag along for this encounter. Without him I wouldn't have been able to connect with the two, my appeal wouldn't have carried the same weight as one coming from someone they knew and respected, even if only in the past. It's unfortunate that we managed to persuade them to try another route to the peace that they've always wanted only to find out about Nagato's diagnosis. Who could have predicted that he was already on his deathbed? I knew that statue took a great toll on his health, and he certainly didn't look well, yet I thought he would be fine. In the story he only died after using a sacrificial technique so I suppose that knowledge blinded me to the truth: he was a man with one foot in the grave already.

I should have seen it coming though. Something like this, an irreversible fatal condition, is frankly par for par regarding the outcome of people with good intentions. This accursed world isn't kind to those who seek to change it.

But that's pessimist talk and there are enough negatives for today so why not focus on something good. Like the fact that it's over for now.

This version of the Akatsuki.

The Moon's Eye Plan.

The revival of Kaguya.

They're all over and done with. No longer can they loom in the distant future and leave me restless. No longer will I have to spend time agonizing over plans and their possible outcomes. I've done my part and saw this task through to the end while saving countless lives in the process. I deserve a break now, don't I? Not a happily ever after, those are rare here, but maybe something else? Some time to myself where I can sit back and watch the sunset perhaps? A moment to live my own life not dictated to greater threats?

Yeah. That sounds perfect.

There will be more obstacles to worry over later but I'm going to enjoy this peace while I have it. Kami knows I haven't been living for myself for a while now.