Nagato's raw strength far surpassed Obito's. That was the source of his confidence, and he was the only person in the shinobi world who could sustain the chakra consumption of a pair of Rinnegan.
Even if someone else obtained the Rinnegan, they could not sustain both eyes at once.
Once he made up his mind, Nagato immediately notified the nearby Akatsuki members and headed toward Konohagakure.
As time passed, Kakuzu, Zetsu, and the others gradually joined the group. In a rare move, Nagato even explained his plan: they would seize the opportunity while the Five Kage were still in Amegakure to capture Konoha's Nine-Tails.
After spending several days skirting one Konoha reconnaissance squad after another, the Akatsuki silently appeared on a stretch of high ground near Konoha.
Standing on the high ground, Nagato and Konan gazed at Konohagakure in the distance, their eyes narrowing slightly.
Konohagakure's peace and tranquility were rare in the shinobi world. The faces of the former Hokage were carved into a towering cliff. The two had only heard about them from Jiraiya before, and now they finally had a chance to see them.
What stirred even more complicated feelings in them was that Jiraiya, the teacher who had taught them for three years, was there at that very moment.
The former teacher and students would finally face each other in battle because of their differing ideals. They simply did not know whether Jiraiya regretted what he had done all those years ago.
Just then, White Zetsu returned from gathering intelligence, emerging from underground. "A Sensory Barrier surrounds Konoha, but Jiraiya, Tsunade, Danzo, and the others haven't left Konoha over the past few days... There's also a whole group of elite jonin."
Ever since its founding, Konoha had been a cradle of powerful shinobi. Even with the