Konan's heart trembled as well.
"Jiraiya Sensei, this isn't your fault..."
Jiraiya interrupted her.
"When I took you three children to the battlefield, I thought I had taught you how to survive in a chaotic world and how to live through it. Unfortunately, there were many things I failed to teach you..."
"I didn't teach you about the deceit, chaos, and filth of this world. I let you hold on to your dreams, but I failed to prepare you for the schemes and wickedness of evil people."
"I didn't teach you how to cope with pain and suffering. So, after losing Yahiko, you fell into despair and darkness, and everything that happened afterward followed from that."
"I didn't teach you that war and peace cannot be achieved overnight in the Ninja World. Because of that, you developed extreme and twisted ideas and tried to use them to deal with the entire world..."
"These are all my mistakes as a teacher."
"This was due to my incompetence..."
Nagato's eyes widened in surprise.
"Jiraiya Sensei..."
Naruto was equally moved.
However, he didn't believe that this was the Perverted Sage's fault.
The things Jiraiya was talking about weren't lessons that a teacher could simply teach. They were things one could only truly understand through personal experience, awareness, and maturity.
Nagato remained silent for a long time.
"Whether I was right or wrong, these were my own choices. They have nothing to do with you, Jiraiya Sensei."
"At this point, whether I was right or wrong doesn't matter anymore..."
"Because I can't go on."
He glanced at Naruto.
"Jiraiya Sensei, being defeated by you and your young student... Perhaps this, too, is a twist of fate."
"Uzumaki Naruto, no matter how you look at me or how much you hate me, I'm still your senior student."
"Since my path has reached a dead end, I entrust the future to you, my junior."
"Perhaps you can fulfill the dreams of Jiraiya Sensei and Yahiko..."
"Perhaps you are the one who can bring peace to the Ninja World."
Naruto shook his head.
"I haven't thought that far ahead."
"Right now, all I want is to fulfill my dream and protect the people who matter most to me."
A faint smile appeared on Nagato's wrinkled face.
"Is that so?"
"I used to think the same way."
"But later, I started thinking about things more and more, and perhaps I eventually forgot my original intention..."
"Naruto, you're right. Maybe it really was that simple, and we were the ones who overcomplicated everything."
"We were wrong."
"Then go your own way..."
A smile appeared in Jiraiya's eyes as well.
"Nagato, the fact that you can say that means the person you once were hasn't completely disappeared."
"Is that so?"
"Is this the person I once was?"
"Perhaps he will continue to live on through Naruto..."
Nagato suddenly coughed violently, and a large amount of blood gushed from his mouth.
"Nagato, stop talking. I'll heal you..."
Konan immediately rushed over.
But Nagato stopped her again.
"Konan, we've reached the end of our road."
"I... I must go and atone for my sins against Yahiko..."
"Nagato..."
Konan tightly held his weak, withered hand, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
"Since we're talking about this, don't you think Naruto resembles Yahiko?"
Konan looked at Naruto through her tears and shook her head.
Nagato gave a final smile.
"Then I will entrust everything to you..."
"Naruto..."
"Ah, right. Perhaps I can still do one more thing."
Nagato gently clasped his hands together and performed his final Ninjutsu.
"Rinne Rebirth."
Finally, his exhausted eyes closed completely.
"Nagato!"
Konan's tears flowed endlessly, like the relentless rain of the Hidden Rain Village.
Beside them, Deva Path Pain, which had lost control after Nagato's Rinnegan could no longer sustain it, was unable to protect itself. Its body collapsed to the ground beside Nagato.
At that moment, the silhouettes of those three children once again appeared in Jiraiya's eyes.
Nagato was dead.
Yahiko's body also lay beside him.
Konan's tears flowed silently.
Jiraiya and Naruto quietly watched as everything unfolded before them.
Konan wiped away her tears and released countless pieces of paper from her body. The pieces fluttered through the air like dancing butterflies, surrounding the bodies of Yahiko and Nagato before lifting them into the sky.
"Jiraiya Sensei, Naruto..."
"I'm taking them both back to the Hidden Rain Village."
"Don't worry. I won't have anything more to do with the Akatsuki."
"The final Jutsu Nagato used is called Rinne Rebirth. It is the ultimate forbidden technique, one that uses the life of the Rinnegan wielder to revive the dead."
"Those who died in this battle will return to life. This must be Nagato's final gift to everyone."
Naruto's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but sigh.
If I had realized this earlier, none of this would have happened, right?
Konan used her origami technique to create two flowers. She handed one to Jiraiya and the other to Naruto.
"Jiraiya Sensei, goodbye..."
"Naruto, Nagato entrusted the future to you, so I will believe in you just as he did."
"I hope that you can carry the hopes of Jiraiya Sensei, Yahiko, Nagato, and myself, and lead this Ninja World toward a better future."
Naruto's expression immediately became serious.
"Ah... I don't really know how to do that, but I'll do my best."
Konan smiled faintly before her expression became sorrowful again.
"That's enough."
"I'm sorry, Jiraiya Sensei..."
Wings formed from paper spread from Konan's back once again. Using her Origami Ninjutsu, she lifted Yahiko and Nagato's bodies into the air.
The three of them slowly flew away from Konoha and headed toward their homeland.
Jiraiya and Naruto silently watched their departing figures.
When their silhouettes finally disappeared from sight, Naruto let out a deep sigh.
"Perverted Sage... why did things have to turn out like this?"
Naruto's current strength could already be considered among the strongest in the entire Ninja World.
Yet he still hadn't experienced enough of the world, nor had he thought deeply about many of these things.
"I don't know," Jiraiya replied.
"Naruto, the more you know, the more you realize how little you actually know..."
"And the more you think about things, the easier it becomes to lose yourself in confusion."
"That's what Nagato meant before he died."
"That's why I hope you'll protect the pure heart you have now and never fall into the stubbornness and extremism that consumed him."
Naruto hesitated.
"Is there really anything wrong with staying the way I am now?"
Jiraiya smiled and gently patted Naruto on the head.
"If everyone in this world could be like you, it would have achieved peace long ago..."
Naruto tilted his head.
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Unfortunately, not everyone is like you, Naruto..."
Fukasaku and Shima looked at each other.
"Little Jiraiya, Little Naruto, although everything wasn't perfect, things were resolved without any major problems. It's time for us to return to Mount Myōboku."
"Alright. Thank you, both of you."
Naruto waved his hand.
"Grandpa Sage, Shima, my training isn't over yet. Maybe I'll return to Mount Myōboku for more training in the future. When that happens, I'll be counting on both of you!"
Sage Fukasaku smiled faintly.
"Little Naruto, your training has already surpassed ours. Even if you're not at Mount Myōboku, you can continue training wherever you are."
Shima added, "However, whenever Little Naruto wants to eat my cooking, he's always welcome!"
"Didn't you say you really liked it?"
Naruto hesitated.
"Ah... when it comes to that..."
Fukasaku and Shima smiled before disappearing in two clouds of smoke.
Jiraiya couldn't resist teasing him.
"Shima's cooking sounds delicious, doesn't it?"
"Naruto, are you serious?!"
Naruto scratched his head.
"...Sometimes, when I eat too much, I really do think that."
"So you've really left your teacher behind..."
"..."
The master and apprentice finally returned to Konoha.
Tsunade and the others were already waiting at the village entrance.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the two had returned safely. Cheers of joy erupted like the roar of mountains and crashing waves as the villagers welcomed the heroes who had saved the village.
Naruto was both surprised and delighted.
"Everyone..."
Tsunade smiled.
"Jiraiya, Naruto, well done!"
"I don't know why, but beams of green light suddenly appeared, and the dead ninjas and villagers came back to life. Was this your doing?"
Jiraiya told her the truth.
Tsunade frowned slightly.
"Really?"
"I didn't expect that man to ultimately make such a choice..."
"But regardless of what happened, you and your student are both heroes who saved the village."
________________________________________
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