Because of Jiraiya

The moment the engraving of Konan was completed, Issui immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turned deathly pale, and all the surrounding scenery disappeared, returning to its original state.

Konan stared in surprise at Issui's expression. Why was he suddenly like this? He was perfectly fine just a moment ago. How could he have changed so drastically now...?

"Cough, I finally made it through. If it had been a little longer, things would have been different, haha..." Issui was pale, but he was still very excited. In fact, his body had long since given out, but he had been holding on. The reason he only gave Konan five seconds to think was because he didn't have that much time left.

Konan said with frustration, "So you were lying to me. Sigh, if only I could have held on a little longer."

Issui said smugly, "All's fair in war, don't you understand that principle? Now you can't back out. Once you're struck by my Ice Soul Seal, you're essentially mine. Your soul is now etched with my name. Even if you die, your soul will return to my soul space. Forbidden techniques that can create and change the world are no simple things; they put a huge burden on the body. If I had held on any longer, my blood might have been drained. But forbidden techniques are indeed forbidden techniques; they're incredibly powerful. They even managed to subdue you. Well, in that situation, anyone would be afraid."

Konan felt immense anger and resentment. She had been deceived by a mere teenager, and now there was no way to back down. She could indeed feel the suppression of the soul of the Issui spirit, and if she resisted, the consequences would be unbearable.

"Alright, you can go back now. Let's pretend today's events never happened. I won't interfere in your affairs too much. A gentleman's word is his bond. I will do what I say. Until Tobi's true colors are revealed, our relationship remains one of adversarial. I believe Tobi won't remain silent for long. When he truly reveals himself, I will deliver a heavy blow." Issui said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Well, I'll still be the same person I always was. I'll do whatever you say now. But you seem trustworthy, so I'll try to believe you for now. That person is also an enemy of Nagato and me. I was never comfortable with that person from the start," Konan said.

"Alright, it's getting late, it'll be dawn soon. You should go back, I need to go back to Konoha too..." After saying Issui, Yishui started walking back along the path she had come from.

Konan watched Issui walk away and sighed helplessly. Originally, she wanted to clear the way for Nagato's dream, but now it seemed that not only had the path not been cleared, but she had also gotten herself into trouble. Fortunately, Issui wasn't a bad person, otherwise, things would have been terrible. Perhaps he was the one who could truly change the world, full of confidence, sunshine, and fearlessness, with a personality somewhat similar to Yahiko's. Using overwhelming power to rule the world's order, creating wars to collect Tailed Beast, making everyone suffer, and then creating a new world—perhaps that's not a good method. Just like he said, if there really is a curse, then just try to break it.

A pair of pure white paper wings stretched out from her back, fluttering as she flew into the distance. Konan had actually gained something from her visit today. She had found a boy whose personality and ideals were similar to Yahiko's back then. This boy not only possessed strength but also wisdom. If he could truly change the world, then why shouldn't she help him? From the beginning, she hadn't held any hope for Nagato's choice; the waters inside were too deep. Only by using real power to change the world would there be hope.

After daybreak, Issui, Shikamaru, and Kiba headed towards Konoha. This time, they did very well, defeating two formidable opponents, Kakuzu and Hidan. Their First of power is beginning to take over from the elders.

The three of them, without stopping, moved with incredible speed, arriving in Konoha in less than half a day. However, upon their Konoha, they discovered an unusual atmosphere. What was going on? Konoha had been in this state since Asuma's death a while ago, but the news of Issui killing Orochimaru had brought everyone back to life. Yet, Issui and his group had only been gone for a few days, and now this had happened again. Who had died this time?

"This atmosphere is off. People shouldn't be like this. Sigh, why are there so many things happening lately? It's giving me a headache..." Shikamaru said, frowning.

"Well, let's Hokage and see what happened. There's no use just worrying here," said Issui, then leaped forward and quickly headed towards the Hokage, with Shikamaru and Kiba following closely behind.

"Thump..."

After the three arrived at the Hokage, Issui knocked on the door first, but there was no response from inside. However, he was anxious at the moment and couldn't care less about that, so he pushed the door open.

Upon entering the office, Issui noticed Tsunade with her back to them, gazing out the window. Shizune stood silently to the side, and from Issui's angle, a faint sadness could be seen on Tsunade's profile, which was quite heartbreaking.

Just as Ya was about to speak, Issui quickly stopped him. "Can't you see she's feeling sad? Let her think for a moment. Interrupting her thoughts now? Aren't you just asking for a scolding?"

Time passed second by second, and Shizune did not make any move. After a long time, the legs of the three of Issui were numb from standing, and only then did Tsunade turn around.

"You're back. How did things go? Issui, you tell us..." Tsunade looked at Issui hopefully, hoping to hear some exciting good news. She didn't want to be disappointed anymore. Today...

Issui slowly said, "This mission went very smoothly. Kakuzu and Hidan are both dead. Shikamaru and Kiba did a great job this time. They worked together to eliminate Hidan, which was a great help to me."

Upon hearing the news, Tsunade and Shizune both smiled, but it was only a forced smile, because a greater sadness was buried behind it, and they were in no mood to smile.

"Oh, very good, you've really worked hard. Actually, after you went out, Jiraiya also went to investigate the secrets of Amegakure, but this morning we received very bad news: Jiraiya the battle of Amegakure..." Tsunade said bitterly. She had advised Jiraiya to venture out alone, but he said he wanted to see what kind of person his disciple Nagato had become, why he had created such an evil organization as Akatsuki, and that if only she could stop him, it would be him. But now, one of the legendary Sannin, the Jiraiya the Wild Demon, had actually died at the hands of his own prized disciple. It has to be said that fate played a huge joke on him.

"What?"

Shikamaru and Kiba both let out different sounds of shock. No matter how much they cried out, they never expected that the arrogant Jiraiya was actually dead. Was it really true?

Issui was slightly surprised. He hadn't cared much about Jiraiya's death, but the fact that it happened earlier than expected was quite unexpected. Perhaps his arrival in this world had had some impact on the world. Judging from this, the Fourth Shinobi World War was probably about to break out. It seemed he should prepare for the upcoming war. He guessed that Akatsuki was almost finished separating the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, and the Six-Tails and Seven-Tails would be soon, followed by the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails. Signs of war were already beginning to appear, and they couldn't wait any longer.

"However, it's not like we have no intelligence at all. Jiraiya died, he brought back information about the leader of Akatsuki, 'Pain,' through the Toad of Myōboku Cave. The Intelligence Division is currently reviewing it. We can't just sit here and wait to die. Everyone, train hard during this time. I will issue a note to all countries as the Hokage, convening an unprecedented Five Kage Summit to deal with this sudden event. A great war is about to begin, and our Konoha will not yield!" Tsunade slammed her right hand on the table and said solemnly.

"Yes, we won't let this go so easily. Lord Jiraiya won't die in vain. As long as we work together, we're sure to defeat them," Kiba said excitedly.

Shikamaru remained silent, deep in thought. They had gathered enough information about Five Great Nations to make their move the best possible outcome.

Issui smiled inwardly. Now was not the time. Although the Five Great Nations had suffered some losses, no one had yet witnessed the true terror of Akatsuki. Holding the Five Kage Summit was a bit premature at the moment. However, Akatsuki was about to make its move against the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki of Raikage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha. When everyone truly understood the danger Akatsuki posed, they would put aside their past grievances and sit down together to wage war.

On a tall tower in Amegakure.

"You're back..." Pain looked at Konan, who flew up with her pure white paper wings. He could clearly feel Konan's weakness. Had she failed? Sure enough, that person was not easy to deal with. He knew Konan's strength. Now that she had returned defeated, it meant that the boy was very powerful.

"Well, the mission failed. He's very strong. I'm sorry..." Konan didn't dare to look at the sideways eyes because he felt guilty. Although he was still officially employed by Xiao Zhong, he was slightly biased towards Issui.

Pain shook his head after hearing Konan's words and said, "No need to apologize. Actually, you've already succeeded. From the extent of your injuries, I have a rough idea of his strength, which gives me some confidence. Besides, we don't need to say those kinds of things between us; we're comrades."

"Um, oh, by the way, did anything happen in the village after I left?" Konan asked.

"Yes, do you remember Jiraiya- sensei? He came here today." Pain nodded.

Konan asked in surprise, "Jiraiya- sensei? What's he doing here? What happened between you two?"

Pain said calmly, "It's nothing. Jiraiya- sensei has known about our organization's leader for a long time, and he knows our organization very well. He even gave me a lecture. But for our dream, I kept him here. Because from the moment Yahiko left, once we embarked on this path, Jiraiya- sensei was no longer an ally, but our enemy..."