Naruto quickly discovered that the village's warehouse was stocked with a vast array of weapons.
Naruto paused briefly atop a high-rise building. Suddenly, he noticed a figure soaring through the air.
"Damn, she's too fast..."
He realized he had already been spotted, but if he eliminated this person swiftly and kept moving forward, he might still remain undetected.
She hadn't raised the alarm yet—that would be her downfall.
The cold wind caused his hooded cloak to flap violently until the hood slipped from his head, revealing his hair. He yanked off his mask.
A flurry of projectiles shot toward Naruto.
Naruto dodged the attack. When one of them lodged into the rooftop where he stood, he realized those projectiles were actually paper.
Naruto ran his finger along the edge—sharp as a razor.
Immediately, he redirected his attention back to his opponent.
She hurled a barrage of paper shuriken. Naruto unsheathed his sword and sliced them midair.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Ten clones burst into existence around Naruto, instantly moving to shield him as he advanced.
He sprinted to the edge of the rooftop and leapt toward his airborne foe.
[Wind Release: Gale Blast!] A powerful gust erupted beneath his feet, giving him a momentary foothold to spring upward once more.
Naruto swung wide, before clinging to the side of a nearby building.
Up close, he recognized the woman clad in an Akatsuki robe.
She flew past him with paper wings, launching paper shuriken at him. Her ninjutsu technique was unlike anything he'd seen before.
Crouched on the wall, he pushed off hard, returning to the rooftop where his clones awaited. Instantly, he formed hand seals:
[Lightning Release: Lightning Shuriken!]
Weapons rained down like a storm, forcing her to evade.
Turning, Naruto found the woman standing firm on the rooftop, facing him directly.
Her gaze was resolute:
"Naruto Uzumaki. My name is Konan."
She extended her hand, and a paper sword materialized from her sleeve as she charged.
She fired a series of paper shuriken.
Naruto slashed through the paper sheets in front of him, while the remaining ones shredded his cloak. He ripped off the tattered cloak and flung it toward Konan.
The cloak was sliced into ribbons by Konan's paper blades, blinding her momentarily and giving Naruto the opening to strike from her left.
Naruto slashed through the hastily conjured paper wall she erected, spotting her forming a giant paper plane and launching into the sky.
He quickly sheathed his sword and clung to its back as it soared.
Naruto's weight made flying difficult.
With one hand, Naruto formed a rapid sequence of hand seals:
[Wind Release: Gale Palm!]
He infused the plane with enough upward force to stabilize its descent.
Lying flat on the plane, Naruto saw a sword coming toward his face. He leaned back to avoid it—barely missing his nose. Naruto punched her, and her form burst into a shower of paper scraps, reforming behind him and attempting to pierce his body.
Naruto rolled off the side of the paper plane, kicked Konan, and launched himself to the plane's opposite wing.
She reshaped her wings using the paper of the plane itself and soared away, leaving Naruto to free-fall.
"Damn it! You're insane!" Naruto screamed as he continued flying forward.
"Crap! Slow down—now!"
There was no way for him to change course; he was moving far too fast to use Wind Release. His only option was to try minimizing the impact.
[Wind Release: Rasengan!] Naruto created a Rasengan infused with Wind Release chakra and slammed it into the building he was about to crash into, blasting a hole through it before plummeting inside.
Konan hovered nearby, watching him motionless amid the rubble.
"Don't think I'm dumb enough to fall for a fake death trick."
Todoroki~~~
An explosion forced Konan to fly even higher to avoid it.
******
##Jiraiya - Before the battle between Naruto and Konan begins##
Jiraiya moved swiftly through Amegakure, searching for any trace of Naruto.
As he scouted, he heard a massive noise and screams of panic from people in the streets.
Suddenly, a large fireball erupted, and a radiant red figure plummeted from a high floor, colliding with someone hovering mid-air.
"Is that Konan?"
"Angels are fighting?"
"Who would dare provoke God's and his angels' wrath after doing something like that to Hanzo?"
"It doesn't matter. God won't let that man survive long anyway. It wouldn't make any difference regardless."
"Damn it," Jiraiya growled through clenched teeth, then made his way toward where they had fallen.
Suddenly, a voice called out to him:
"It's been a long time, Teacher Jiraiya."
Jiraiya looked up and saw a man standing atop a nearby pillar, staring at him.
A long orange braid, piercings lining his nose and face, a slashed Amegakure forehead protector, and wearing a dark Akatsuki cloak adorned with red clouds.
Jiraiya stared at the man for a long time before finally speaking.
"You've changed… but those eyes… You're Pain, aren't you? Nagato?"
The man gave no response.
Jiraiya continued.
"You didn't grow into the person I hoped you would. What exactly happened?"
Pain stared coldly at Jiraiya.
"You don't need to know. After all, you're just an outsider."
Jiraiya shook his head.
"You've changed, Nagato."
Pain formed several hand seals.
"For the better? [Summoning Jutsu!]"
A massive armored creature appeared amidst a puff of smoke.
[Water Release: Ephemeral Projectile Stream!] The armored beast fired a wave of foam. Jiraiya jumped aside and leaned against a wall.
Jiraiya formed his own hand seal.
[Wild Lion's Mane Technique!]
His hair shot out and coiled around the armored beast. Then the strands morphed into lion heads, devouring the armored creature before surging toward Pain.
Pain evaded the initial strike but was soon ensnared by Jiraiya's lashing hair.
Jiraiya gazed sadly at the man he had captured.
"Nagato, there's so much I need to ask you… How is Yahiko? I know Konan is currently fighting against Naruto."
"Yahiko..." Pain said. "I remember there was someone by that name. He died a long time ago."
Jiraiya flinched at those words.
"What happened between you and Yahiko?"
"Nothing really happened," Pain answered calmly. "It was just a fight. Too many people died here. Their suffering helped me grow. Even the most innocent child will eventually mature after experiencing true pain."
Jiraiya scoffed.
"You think giving up on the love of your friends is the way to grow?"
"Teacher," Pain said in a flat tone, "you're still only human. But I, living at the center of endless suffering... have become something greater."
Closing his eyes, he continued,
"I transformed from a man into a god. As a god, what I say and what I think becomes divine law. But you're still only human, teacher. I don't expect you to understand me."
A storm of emotions crossed Jiraiya's face.
"I can't believe you're the same child I knew years ago."
"What I couldn't comprehend as a human, I now clearly see as a god. And I also know that, as a god, I am capable of things I could never have dreamed of before."
"What exactly do you plan to do here?" Jiraiya asked.
"I will bring an end to this wretched world and its ceaseless wars. This shall be an act of God."
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