Everyone Was Still Alive

Shamu's words sent Jiraiya into deep thought.

Indeed, Amegakure had never truly known peace.

One reason was its harsh environment; the other, naturally, was its unstable regime.

During Hanzo's era, Amegakure had prospered for a time. But when Hanzo grew old and muddleheaded, it began to decline.

Afterward, Nagato killed Hanzo and took control through absolute military force.

Though the Land of Rain was isolated, its people still managed to get by.

Once Nagato was gone, however, the Land of Rain descended completely into chaos.

Seeing Jiraiya lost in thought, Shamu smiled unconcernedly.

"Though a country like the Land of Rain suffers rain year-round, it isn't without its advantages."

"The abundant rainfall allows certain vegetables and fungi to grow exceptionally well. It's just that no one has ever cataloged or studied them properly."

"So people can only dig some up for themselves to eat."

"The Land of Rain also has abundant water resources, which can be fully utilized."

"After we win this war, we'll be rewarding and punishing certain countries as needed. The Land of Rain will be the best place to start."

"It will also serve as the first intervention by the Celestial Organization I established into the shinobi world."

Shamu had decided long ago that the organization created to resist those from the heavens would be called the Celestial Organization.

Once this war ended, it would begin intervening across the entire shinobi world.

This was also the first time Shamu had revealed it.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow slightly. "How do you plan to intervene?"

Shamu shrugged. "That'll need to be considered carefully. We'll talk about it after this war is over."

"Either way, there's no real need for the Land of Rain to continue existing. Merging it into neighboring countries would only give its people better lives."

Nagato and the other two all agreed with Shamu. They had watched Hidden Radiance Village develop with their own eyes.

They had complete faith in Shamu's strategic vision.

Yahiko spoke up at that moment.

"Shamu, we want to know... if you hadn't intervened, would Nagato and our teacher have ended up in a fatal conflict?"

Shamu looked at Jiraiya, then at Nagato, before finally shifting his gaze to Konan.

He said something seemingly unrelated. "Did you turn your sign back over when you returned?"

Konan nodded slightly. As expected, Shamu knew everything.

"Looks like all of you returned to the place where you were once happiest."

Shamu felt somewhat emotional. Back when he had seen Jiraiya die, he had not been overly saddened. But when he saw Konan get killed—

When Konan's bloodstained paper flowers drifted back to the house they had once shared—

That was when he truly felt it was such a terrible shame.

The three of them had devoted their entire lives to their ideals.

Yet in the end, they had died to a conspiracy.

Fortunately, all of you made it back alive.

Shamu lowered his eyes, recalling the past.

"If I hadn't been there, Nagato's Akatsuki would have captured tailed beasts everywhere."

"At that time, Konoha was in a transitional period, and Jiraiya was among its strongest fighters."

"To protect Naruto and Konoha, Jiraiya decided to gather intelligence on the Akatsuki."

"But the moment he entered Amegakure, Nagato detected him with the Rain Tiger at Will Technique."

"After a fierce battle, Jiraiya's left arm was severed, and his throat was torn out."

"Even after gathering enough intelligence and gaining the ability to retreat, you stubbornly refused to leave."

"In the end, you were pierced into a hedgehog by six Black Rods."

Jiraiya froze after hearing that. His expression was complicated, but he soon composed himself and asked curiously, "Why didn't I retreat?"

At that question, Shamu suddenly became irritated.

"Wasn't it because of those damn toads? Remember how the Great Toad's prophecy said you would be the one to guide change?"

Jiraiya thought for a moment. "He said I would make a major choice that would determine the stability or destruction of the shinobi world."

Shamu snorted. "Right. And you thought that was the major choice."

"So, to uncover Nagato's secrets, you insisted on going off to die."

"And before dying, you sent back a completely useless piece of intelligence."

Shamu laughed. "It was because you insisted on dying that Konoha couldn't stop Nagato."

"To capture Naruto, Nagato steamrolled Konoha, then used Shinra Tensei to kill everyone in it."

"If you had been there, whether or not you could defeat Nagato, Konoha probably wouldn't have been flattened."

Jiraiya and Nagato looked at each other, both wearing rather strange expressions.

Only Yahiko looked astonished. He already knew Nagato had used his corpse for fifteen years, so he asked Shamu, "So Nagato used my body to destroy Konoha?"

Shamu snapped his fingers. "That's right. All of Konoha was plowed into a giant crater."

As he said that, Shamu carefully examined Yahiko's hair.

Yahiko's hair had grown back by now and looked no different from the Deva Path's.

Since he had been overseas before, no one had paid it much attention. But now that he might appear before Cloud Village, it would need to be addressed.

Noticing Shamu's gaze, Yahiko suddenly covered his hair.

"No! I don't want to shave my head again! It looks awful!"

Shamu laughed despite himself. Yahiko was quite perceptive.

"Dye your hair or grow it out. Pick one."

Shamu spoke in a tone that allowed no argument.

Yahiko sighed helplessly. He knew he could not change Shamu's mind. "Then I'll dye it black."

Nagato had already composed himself and asked Shamu, "Shamu, how far did I get in the end?"

Shamu spread his hands. "That was as far as you got. After failing to capture the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, your battle with Naruto exhausted all your Vitality."

Nagato nodded thoughtfully. He knew very well how powerful Naruto was now.

Even without the Nine-Tails, Naruto still possessed enormous Chakra and powerful Vitality.

Nagato had already been drained into a husk by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, then unleashed such an enormous Shinra Tensei. It was only natural for his Vitality to be exhausted.

Shamu had no intention of telling Nagato that he had exhausted his Vitality to revive everyone in Konoha.

He considered it an ending Nagato could accept.

After all, dying in battle was the best ending for someone who had fought for his ideals.

"After Nagato died, what happened to Konan?"

Yahiko's body had nearly finished growing. In another year, he would be twenty.

He could hold a wedding with Konan then.

Naturally, Yahiko wanted to know what Konan's final fate had been.

Shamu shook his head. "After Nagato died, Obito came to reclaim the Rinnegan."

"Konan didn't know Obito had Izanagi and died in Amegakure."

"So... we all died?"

Jiraiya's gaze was complicated as he looked at Yahiko, then Nagato, then Konan.

How wonderful. Everyone was still alive.

Seeing that their thoughts had drifted far away, Shamu clapped his hands and summed it up.

"Zetsu's conspiracy made Madara devise the plan, and Obito became its executor. Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were all pieces on the board."

"And Jiraiya, you were Mount Myōboku's piece."

"You could have taken Nagato and the others away and trained them yourselves, but you insisted on leaving to search for some Child of Prophecy."

"In short, Mount Myōboku wanted you to follow the prophetic path they had laid out."

"Anyway, the final outcome was that all of you died."

The four of them looked emotional, as though they had just watched another version of their own lives.

"Thank you, Shamu," Jiraiya said sincerely.

"Thank you, Shamu." X3

All four of them sincerely thanked Shamu.

Shamu merely smiled and patted Nagato on the shoulder.

"Next, it's time to make the Allied Forces feel pain. A bag of rice, how many floors must I carry?"