"You're saying… all of those bodies are actually…"
With Haruto's reminder, Jiraiya's eyes widened as realization struck him. He turned again to look down at the various Paths of Pain.
Despite his laid-back, almost careless demeanor, Jiraiya had always proven himself remarkably reliable when it mattered. Even without Haruto's hints, he would have eventually figured out that the real Nagato wasn't among the Six Paths, and that discovery alone would have been enough to leave behind vital intel for Naruto—information that would later tip the balance in the fight against Pain.
It was proof that Jiraiya's instincts and mind were far sharper than his usual manner let on.
"Mm. But remember, this is still just my speculation," Senju Haruto admitted with a nod.
"As I thought…"
Now that he was looking more closely, Jiraiya finally recognized the body Haruto had crushed earlier—the Asura Path. That face had once belonged to a puppet master Jiraiya had encountered during his travels around the world.
"No wonder the Asura Path's body was reconstructed into a living weapon… this is exactly like Sasori of the Red Sand's human puppet techniques," Jiraiya muttered, then shifted his gaze to the Animal Path.
At first, he had mistaken this one for Nagato simply because it bore the Rinnegan. But the true Nagato was supposed to have a shock of red hair—red like Uzumaki Kushina's.
"That face…"
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, memory stirring. He suddenly recalled where he had seen it before: a member of the Fūma clan, a shinobi he had once fought and defeated, though the man had managed to escape.
And the Human Path, which Haruto had obliterated moments ago—Jiraiya remembered that one too. It had been a wandering shinobi teacher he'd met during his journeys.
"Not a single one of them… is Nagato."
Jiraiya swallowed hard, his throat tight with disbelief.
"Exactly," Haruto said calmly. "If my guess is correct, Nagato converted these people into his puppets. His real body is hidden somewhere safe in the shadows."
That was the trick.
And Haruto knew Nagato's situation well: his health was ruined, his legs crippled. If they managed to pinpoint his hiding place, there was no way Nagato could ever escape Amegakure.
Haruto understood this. And Nagato understood it too.
"…You two really are dangerous."
The Animal Path tilted its head back slightly, a flicker of shock in its expression. To think that his greatest secret—his trump card—had been unraveled so effortlessly.
That only meant one thing: he could not, under any circumstance, let Haruto or Jiraiya live.
BOOM!
The tower walls exploded outward, torn apart by brute force. Three more figures stepped into view—Tendō, Naraka Path, and Preta Path.
Haruto glanced at the reinforcements, recalling each of their abilities with ease.
Tendō could unleash Shinra Tensei and even Chibaku Tensei.
Naraka Path had the terrifying power of the King of Hell, capable of reviving any fallen Path.
Preta Path could absorb ninjutsu.
Among them, Naraka Path was the lynchpin. As long as it lived, the other Paths could be endlessly restored. That was the first one that had to go.
And Haruto wasn't about to hold back. After all, these weren't people—they were corpses, puppets. They felt neither fear nor pain.
"Seventh Gate—OPEN!"
With a sudden roar, Haruto tore through his body's natural limits. His speed and power skyrocketed.
Before Naraka Path's feet could even touch the ground, Haruto shot forward from atop the wooden colossus, launching himself like a cannonball.
BOOOOM!
The shockwave burst beside Jiraiya, the sheer sonic boom gouging a crater into the wooden construct's head.
All four remaining Paths saw it. Their shared vision tracked every detail of Haruto's movement.
But the Seventh Gate's speed was something no body could ever hope to react to. Even if they could see him coming, their flesh was simply too slow.
Haruto twisted midair, adjusted his trajectory, and drove a crushing kick into Naraka Path's chest. The body crumpled under the impact, bones shattering inward. Haruto used it like a springboard, pushing off to arc back and land neatly beside Jiraiya, closing the Seventh Gate as smoothly as he had opened it.
Naraka Path's ruined corpse plummeted like a meteor, crashing into the ground below.
Tendō, Animal, and Preta Paths hadn't even had time to react.
In his hidden chamber, Nagato himself coughed blood violently.
"Haruto…"
What truly shook Nagato wasn't just the raw power Haruto displayed, but the precision of his choices.
Haruto had deliberately bypassed the nearest targets. Instead, he struck directly at Naraka Path first—the exact one that could revive all the others.
That meant Haruto already knew their abilities.
Which was impossible.
Nagato had intended to regroup, use Naraka Path's power to revive any fallen Paths, and then combine all six together into their devastating, complementary whole. That was how Pain fought.
But Haruto had severed that plan instantly.
"How could Haruto possibly know the abilities of the Six Paths of Pain…?"
Nagato's eyes narrowed, suspicion swirling.
"Surprised, Nagato?"
Haruto's voice cut across the battlefield, mocking and sure. "I bet you're wondering why I know so much about your Paths."
"…What did you say?" Nagato frowned, using Tendō's mouth to transmit his voice. It was as though Haruto had read the exact thought from his mind.
Could it be… that Haruto already had access to all his secrets?
Maybe… Uchiha Itachi?
No. Impossible. Nagato shook his head sharply. He and Itachi had always been wary of each other, bound only by mutual need. He had never trusted him—not once. At best, Itachi was a tool, a pair of Sharingan to help gather Akatsuki members and hunt the Tailed Beasts scattered across the world.
Not even Itachi knew the truth about the Six Paths of Pain. He couldn't.
So where had Haruto's knowledge come from?
"…Why?" Nagato demanded through Tendō, his voice trembling despite himself. "Why do you understand the Rinnegan so well? Who told you all of this?"
Haruto only chuckled, shaking his head. His scarlet Eternal Mangekyō spun, shifting, morphing before their eyes.
"I don't need anyone to tell me anything."
His eyes transformed completely—becoming identical to Nagato's own.
"Because I also possess the Rinnegan."