Nagato stared fixedly at the kunai embedded in the ground, then raised his head to glance through the gaps in his red hair at Konan and Yahiko, who were being restrained by Root.
Jiraiya knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, one hand barely supporting him against the ground and the other wrapped around his stomach. His features were twisted. It was the first time Nagato had seen his powerful teacher Jiraiya in such pain.
Finally, Nagato gazed deeply at the Konoha forehead protector on Danzo's brow, gleaming in the lightning.
Shnk!
He gripped the kunai's handle tightly with both hands, then wrenched it free of the ground with a sudden heave. Nagato put all his strength into it, so much that the recoil sent him staggering back a step.
With the Rinnegan's extraordinary powers of observation, Nagato could even see the dried blood in the kunai's crevices.
Was this where it all ended?
He had barely had any good days with Konan and Yahiko...
And there was Jiraiya-sensei...
Nagato pointed the sharp end of the kunai at himself, his teeth chattering and his two small, young hands trembling incessantly.
"Mmph... mmph..."
Orange-haired Yahiko struggled constantly. The chakra he had only recently learned to use suddenly erupted, actually pushing the Root ninja's hand slightly away from his mouth.
He bit down hard on the Root ninja's palm and could feel a metallic sweetness spreading through his mouth.
Unfortunately, the Root ninja had no room for unnecessary emotions and coldly carried out Lord Danzo's orders.
As though he could not feel the pain in his hand at all, he even pushed his palm farther into Yahiko's mouth, letting Yahiko bite down more firmly.
Yahiko felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head, and