Even if he could live forever, so what? In the end, he was still just one tiny person. Even the Shinobi World gradually receding into the distance was just as tiny when seen against the whole universe.
"It really is spectacular."
Nagato smiled faintly. "Konan and I were incredibly shocked the first time we came here too. It went beyond everything we knew. We'd never really thought carefully about what might exist beyond the Shinobi World."
Jiraiya sighed. "I was still wondering before what kind of person could possess the power to change the entire Shinobi World, who could so easily turn a place mired in war year-round into somewhere peaceful."
"And now that I've seen a scene like this, I finally understand just how great the gap is between my strength and his."
"I called myself a sage, but in the end, I'm still far too insignificant."
Jiraiya felt somewhat defeated, but even more than that, he felt motivated. Having witnessed a higher level of power, there was no one who would not want to climb upward.
"That's right, Teacher Jiraiya. We're all too insignificant, but since we're insignificant, we only need to do insignificant things well."
"For example, managing a country well, governing a village well—those are already very great things for us to accomplish."
"If you pursue something too grand too obsessively, you'll only drive yourself into a dead end."
Jiraiya looked at Nagato. "Not bad, kid. Looks like you've grown quite a lot over the years. You're not the child you were back then anymore."
Nagato felt deeply ashamed. He had only recently come to understand this himself. Before, he had almost set foot on a path of no return.
"It was all thanks to your teachings, Teacher. Without you, there naturally would be no Nagato