On the other side, Scorpion noticed the arrival of the leader and immediately withdrew all his puppets.
Nagato, leading Pain and Kisame Hoshigaki, walked solemnly to the forefront of the Akatsuki members. He cast a cold glance at the battered Hidan and Kakuzu before silently surveying the scene from above.
The atmosphere froze.
Below, countless shinobi raised their heads. The sight of so many figures descending upon them caused their expressions to turn grim.
A tense silence engulfed the entire village—Konoha became so quiet, it was as if you could hear a pin drop.
Jiraiya gazed at the group above, and his heart sank.
He recalled that Obito and Zetsu had excluded all participants of the Answering Space from Akatsuki's operations. Now, comparing notes, Jiraiya realized—Akatsuki was only missing Konan, Orochimaru, and Itachi Uchiha.
Could it be... that Might Guy had managed to eliminate those three?
But then—why was there only one new member?
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he locked onto the figure of Zabuza Momochi, now carried by the Naraka Path of Pain.
He hadn't anticipated Nagato would go this far.
The entire Akatsuki was here—for war.
Now, Akatsuki had descended upon Konoha en masse.
No—this wasn't just Akatsuki.
Nearly every top-tier combatant in the shinobi world was currently gathered in Konoha.
If a battle broke out now, the consequences would be catastrophic.
And worst of all, Jiraiya had only informed Hiruzen Sarutobi of Akatsuki's weaknesses.
With what Jiraiya knew of Hiruzen, the man likely hadn't shared that intel with anyone else—not even the other villages.
Jiraiya clenched his fists. He couldn't be certain of victory.
Sensing the tension, the Fourth Raikage—Ay—stepped forward with a snort.
"Akatsuki, are you trying to start a war with the entire shinobi world?"
His aggressive tone helped rally the morale of the allied shinobi forces.
But it was for nothing.
Not a single Akatsuki member even looked at him.
They weren't even listening.
Embarrassment lingered in the air like a fog.
Nagato's eyes locked on the unconscious Naruto Uzumaki below. His left hand moved slightly—an invisible force burst forth.
In a flash, Naruto was ripped away from the Root nin whose shoulder he had been slung over.
"Naruto!"
Jiraiya's expression twisted. He shot into the air with Moon Step (Geppo-style chakra launch), racing toward Nagato.
But the Deva Path intercepted him in a blur—appearing like a ghost and blocking his path mid-air.
Jiraiya grit his teeth as he found himself entangled by Pain.
Suddenly, a figure darted in from above the crowd.
She snatched Naruto from the air with one hand, and with the other, clenched a chakra-infused fist and launched it toward Nagato.
Nagato, still gripping the stone orb that sealed Might Guy in his right hand, reacted instantly. He hurled it with immense force toward the attacker.
BOOM!
The orb collided with the punch.
The woman's arm bent backward unnaturally, and she was hurled back to the ground with bone-crushing force.
"Tsunade!"
Jiraiya's heart clenched as he recognized her. Without hesitation, he forced Pain back with a powerful kick and dived to catch her mid-fall.
As she fell unconscious, her grip on Naruto loosened.
Nagato didn't miss a beat—Deva Path moved and pulled Naruto into his arms.
"Target secured: Naruto Uzumaki."
Pain's cold declaration made every shinobi below glare upward with murderous intent.
So it was true.
Akatsuki came to capture Naruto because they knew he would eventually thwart their plans.
Damn them!
The shinobi below gritted their teeth, eyes bloodshot. If looks could kill, Akatsuki would have been obliterated on the spot.
Nagato turned and addressed his comrades.
"What of Hinata Hyuga's whereabouts?"
"Still with the Hyuga Clan," replied Kakuzu.
Pain nodded.
His gaze returned to Jiraiya, who now held Tsunade protectively. Nagato casually tossed the stone orb.
"Chibaku Tensei—cancel."
The orb shattered mid-air into a hailstorm of rubble.
But from the cloud of debris, a figure exploded out, shrouded in blue steam—Might Guy.
"Kai?!" Jiraiya shouted in surprise.
He was still alive!
"Kai, Naruto is in their hands! We must get him back!"
Guy's eyes narrowed as he spotted the Deva Path holding Naruto.
His whole body trembled.
"It's YOU!" he snarled at the Akatsuki members. Rage boiled in his blood. "You tricked me...!"
His body tensed.
"The Eighth Gate of Death—K—"
But he stopped short.
The Deva Path raised his palm, glowing with chakra, right above Naruto's unconscious head.
"Move, and he dies."
"Kai, DON'T!" Jiraiya shouted.
Guy hesitated.
This moment... it felt familiar somehow.
"Master Jiraiya," Guy muttered, "if I open the Eighth Gate, I can move faster than their eyes can follow. I will save Naruto—before he can kill him."
Jiraiya's expression darkened.
"We can't risk Naruto's life."
This Nagato... was different from the one in the Answering Space.
More ruthless.
More determined.
And even stronger.
Jiraiya sighed and handed the unconscious Tsunade to Shizune, who had rushed over.
"Nagato," he asked bitterly, "what do you want?"
"Peace," Nagato replied simply.
"You call this peace?" Jiraiya's voice was laced with fury. "If this is your peace, then I was wrong to teach you. Maybe I should've let Orochimaru kill you."
Pain's eyes narrowed.
He remembered a phrase he once read.
"How can the sparrow understand the ambitions of the swan?"
He sighed.
These people were stubborn—blind to truth.
They rejected necessary change.
Couldn't they see the vision? The logic?
The loneliness of standing above the world chilled him to his bones.
But he would not be deterred.
He would bring peace.
And this... was the first step.
Nagato's gaze sharpened.
"Today, you will see that I am strong—but I convince by virtue."
From his robes, he pulled out a golden token.
Two kanji glinted in gold: Make-up Exam (补考).
A re-exam token.
The crowd gasped.
Why now?!
"Stop him!" Nara Shikaku shouted.
But it was too late.
"Open the make-up exam space!"
"Selected candidates: Everyone in Konoha—present now!"
A brilliant flash of white swallowed the world.
---
> [Re-exam Space has been activated]
[Total participants: 61,111]
[Exam Mode: Fill-in-the-Blank]
[Host: Uzumaki Nagato]