Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Figures descended from the sky, landing beside Neji.
Hikari, the Fourth Raikage, Killer B, Yugito, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shisui had all arrived.
With reinforcements on the scene, Neji felt confident. He shed his disguise, entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode, and floated into the air, facing the Deva Path.
The Deva Path's deathly face had an air of an overconfident big shot.
Neji was wrapped in blue chakra, and he, too, exuded a lofty, divine presence.
The Akatsuki Organization members didn't dare make a move. They stood at a distance, on guard.
Just then, Jiraiya looked at the orange-haired man floating in the air, dressed in a Black Cloak with Red Clouds.
His face was deathly pale, and several black rods were embedded in it.
Tsunade and Orochimaru stared at the Deva Path, wide-eyed. They couldn't reconcile him with the three kids they remembered.
Jiraiya had been as close as a father to Yahiko and the others, so despite the Deva Path's drastic change in appearance, he recognized his former student at a glance: the orange-haired man with the unconventional look was Yahiko.
"Yahiko, is it really you?" Jiraiya said, excitedly trying to approach. Orochimaru was quicker, immediately grabbing him and saying flatly, "Fool. Yahiko is already dead."
"..."
Before the operation, Neji had told Jiraiya everything about Nagato and the other two. But in his excitement, Jiraiya had momentarily forgotten. Only after Orochimaru reminded him did he come to his senses, an unbearable sorrow settling over his face.
The truth was right before him.
His student was dead, after all.
And on top of that, Yahiko's corpse had been turned into a puppet by Nagato.
That alone showed that Nagato's mental state was more than a little troubled.
Neji saw Jiraiya's grief-stricken expression and chose to hold back,