The thick smoke cleared.
The scene was horrific. Everything within a hundred-meter radius lay in ruins, and the wooden house where Naruto had been was reduced to ashes.
Deva Path surveyed the surroundings. "Now... you should behave yourselves a little, shouldn't you..."
"King of Hell!" Naraka Path pressed one hand to the ground, and an enormous head-shaped creature with the character for "king" carved into its forehead emerged from underground.
The King of Hell opened his great mouth. A purple tongue shot out, dragged the shattered Asura Path back inside, and chewed him over and over.
Soon, Asura Path walked out without a scratch, fully restored.
The Six Paths of Pain were complete once more.
"Pain, you went a little too far. What if the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki got caught in that..."
Konan's voice suddenly came from the sky.
Pain looked up at Konan, who had appeared at some point, and said softly:
"It's fine. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is unharmed. With that man here, he won't die so easily..."
Just as he finished speaking, a muscular figure walked out of the crater.
"Heh, Konan, so you're still alive. I thought you had died too..."
Konan looked toward the voice. She knew it well-it was Jiraiya's.
But this Jiraiya looked unfamiliar to her. His face had changed considerably.
On his shoulders sat two old toads wearing clothes.
"Little Jiraiya, why do you always summon me when I'm cooking! Last time it was the First and Second Hokage. What trouble have you run into this time?"
"Ma, stop complaining. You know what Little Jiraiya is like. He wouldn't summon us unless he ran into someone especially difficult."
Listening to the two Sages grumble, Jiraiya wore an apologetic smile and said quietly, "This time, our opponent has the Rinnegan..."
"!!"
At his words, Fukasaku