You, Still Not Greedy Enough?

41 days until the Shinobi World's destruction, Amegakure.

Thick storm clouds shrouded the entire village, while fine rain fell endlessly from the sky, as though the sorrow of this place could never dissipate.

Jiraiya infiltrated the depths of the village alone. His expression was exceptionally grave, his heart filled with countless complicated emotions.

The Amegakure of today was filled with an unfamiliar, oppressive air.

And his heart was even less able to remain calm, for his mission this time was to investigate the mysterious organization known as Akatsuki.

Jiraiya walked slowly through the deserted streets, sensing every faint fluctuation of chakra around him.

His instincts told him that the other side had likely noticed his movements long ago.

Sure enough, within a cold, damp tower, Nagato slowly opened his Rinnegan.

"Konan, Master Jiraiya has arrived..."

Konan stood beside Nagato and shuddered at his words.

To her and Nagato, the name Jiraiya undoubtedly represented that warm time in the past.

"Master Jiraiya..."

Konan murmured softly, her eyes becoming even more sorrowful and conflicted.

After a moment of silence, Nagato finally spoke slowly, as though he had made up his mind.

"Go, Konan. Invite Master Jiraiya here."

A short while later, Jiraiya was walking beneath the curtain of rain, continuously considering his next move when he suddenly sensed a familiar, unusual chakra presence.

He abruptly stopped and looked up at the sky. Amid the falling rain, countless white sheets of paper drifted down. They danced and spun as though alive, eventually gathering before him into a familiar figure.

Jiraiya's pupils contracted slightly, and his heartbeat quickened.

He saw the beautiful yet cold woman before him. She was Konan, one of the orphans he had once personally taught.

"Konan..."

"I never expected that after all these years, you'd become such a beautiful young woman."

Konan watched Jiraiya without showing any expression.

After a moment of silence, she said indifferently, "Master Jiraiya, Pain wishes to see you."

"Pain?"

But Konan gave him no chance to say more. She merely took a small step back as the paper behind her rapidly spread out, forming a pair of enormous wings. She floated lightly into the air. "Follow me."

Seeing that Konan did not immediately display hostility, Jiraiya relaxed slightly, though he understood that this meeting would certainly not be simple.

Steadying his emotions, he followed Konan's lead and leaped toward the tower looming ahead beneath the rain curtain.

The rain continued to fall silently from the sky, as though it intended to completely drown the entire Shinobi World.

A short while later, Jiraiya finally stopped before a tall, cold tower.

He looked up and saw a vague silhouette at its peak.

The figure stood quietly amid the rain, emanating an indescribable majesty and oppressive force.

He was Pain—or, more precisely, the Deva Path Pain controlled by Nagato.

He wanted to say something, only to realize that he could not utter a single word.

Cold rain dripped onto his face, as though reminding him that the past and present had long since been separated by an insurmountable gulf.

Deva Path Pain slowly turned around. His impassive Rinnegan gazed quietly at Jiraiya, and only after a moment did he finally speak. "Master Jiraiya, it has been a long time."

His tone... was incredibly cold...

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

"The Shinobi World is due for a thorough transformation."

Nagato's gaze was profound, and his Rinnegan seemed to contain endless compassion and resolve...

"I want to use my Rinnegan to guide the Shinobi World onto the right path."

Hearing this, an uncontrollable sense of vigilance and doubt rose in Jiraiya's heart.

"Are you Nagato or Yahiko?"

"I am Pain..."

To him, Pain's words were undoubtedly full of provocation and arrogance. It was practically a declaration of war against the entire Shinobi World.

Jiraiya frowned deeply and asked in a low, solemn voice, "Whether you are Nagato or Yahiko, do you truly think you can challenge the entire Shinobi World with your strength alone?"

However, Nagato merely shook his head lightly.

His expression was calm, carrying a measure of composure and confidence, while his voice was cold and resolute...

"I am not alone, nor do I intend to conquer everyone through force. I have my own methods, enough to make those arrogant Five Great Nations lower their lofty heads of their own accord and learn to listen and cooperate."

At this, deeper doubts immediately surfaced in Jiraiya's heart.

He recalled the intelligence he had heard from Kakashi, and his expression stiffened as he demanded in a deep voice...

"Your method... isn't it to destroy the entire Shinobi World and use disaster and suffering to force everyone to understand pain?"

At Jiraiya's accusation, Nagato and Konan exchanged glances, and both unexpectedly showed a trace of surprise and confusion in their eyes.

Konan frowned slightly and explained softly, "Master Jiraiya, it seems you have misunderstood us. We never intended to destroy the Shinobi World. On the contrary, what we want to do is save it."

"Save it?"

Jiraiya wore an exceedingly strange, astonished expression. He had never expected Nagato to give such a shocking answer.

"That's right."

"We have never entertained the thought of destroying the world. What we want is to use Akatsuki as the central force to guide the major nations of the Shinobi World into unity, so they can resist the imminent disasters and crises together."

After hearing Nagato's explanation, terror surged through Jiraiya's heart...

He had come prepared for a fight to the death, never expecting reality to be completely contrary to what he had imagined.

For a time, both sides fell into an eerie silence.

Meanwhile, outside Amegakure, a large number of Root personnel appeared. Danzo, who led them, merely stared at the massive waterfall before him.

Jiraiya...

He should have already entered Amegakure and met that Rinnegan brat, right?

Closing his eyes lightly, Danzo, who had been especially prone to dozing off lately, had another brief dream...

It was about Shisui...

The scene seemed to be from many years ago, when Uchiha Shisui was engaged in a fierce argument with Uchiha Yuan...

Shisui stared at the teenage Uchiha Yuan before him. "You're saying that I am a greedy person?"

At his words, a mocking curve formed beneath Uchiha Yuan's calm expression.

His voice was low and forceful...

"To give too much is itself a form of greed... greed for kindness, greed for affection. And to demand too much in return is greed for trust, an obsession with righteousness."

He chuckled softly, turning away and completely ignoring Uchiha Shisui...

"Uchiha Shisui, you pride yourself on being selfless, but in truth, you greedily crave the benevolence and affection of both sides. Aren't you still greedy enough?"

The atmosphere between them suddenly turned tense.

Uchiha Yuan's figure became increasingly chilling in the night...

His words pierced Shisui's long-held self-perception, leaving him unable to refute them.

"You are a Demon..."

Greedy...

Wasn't Hiruzen the same...

Returning to his senses, Danzo looked up and saw Kakashi appear...

"Lord Danzo..."

"Kakashi..."

It turned out that before Kakashi arrived in Amegakure, he had already contacted Obito.

He had learned a secret concerning the Mangekyō Sharingan...

It was the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

If this intelligence were handled properly...

Yet at this moment, as the two looked at each other, subtle changes stirred within their hearts...