Naruto: Reborn in His Younger Self

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"I originally set a trap to lure Pain, but I didn't expect you to fall into it!"

Jiraiya stood calmly, his eyes scanning the floating woman before him.

"It seems that your ninjutsu has become sharper. You've grown into quite the formidable woman, Konan." He smiled, his voice carrying a strange mix of nostalgia and disappointment. "I just didn't expect you to still be alive… and to have turned into a being of paper."

The hooded ninja, seizing the moment, shouted desperately, "You are the Angel, right? This man is an intruder! He's controlling me, Angel!"

Konan, hovering above, spread her paper wings, the two rows fanning out like the wings of a divine being. She cast her sharp gaze downward at the two figures below.

"I understand. Step aside," she ordered.

The hooded ninja wasted no time. As if pardoned from execution, he bolted from the scene.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, his gaze never leaving her. "Konan… If you've become like this, does that mean you truly are an 'angel'? And if you're alive, and you're not Pain, then that means… Nagato and Yahiko might not be dead either. If I'm guessing correctly, you're the so-called Angel, and that God, the one known as the Deva Path of Pain… he must be one of them."

Konan's expression remained cold. "What's the point of saying this now?"

Jiraiya gritted his teeth. "So it's true, then."

Konan's voice was devoid of emotion as she declared, "This is the will of God. You will die here."

Without hesitation, she activated her Paper Shuriken Technique.

The wings on her back transformed into thousands of razor-sharp paper blades, launching toward Jiraiya like a relentless storm of bullets.

Jiraiya reacted instantly, weaving signs before spewing out a torrent of flames—Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!

The scorching blaze erupted from his mouth, incinerating countless paper shurikens in midair. But the assault was relentless. He rolled on the ground, evading the remaining projectiles before flipping back onto his feet. His hands moved swiftly once again, and this time, he exhaled a thick stream of liquid—Toad Oil Bullet!

The sticky oil splattered across the battlefield, drenching Konan.

Her paper wings trembled, and suddenly, her attack halted.

Jiraiya straightened, watching her struggle with an unreadable expression. His fingers formed a quick seal, and in an instant, his long white hair extended, shooting toward her like living tendrils. The strands wrapped around her, binding her in place.

"Once you're covered in oil, your paper techniques become useless, Konan," Jiraiya stated grimly.

Konan remained silent.

Jiraiya's voice softened as he spoke again. "I remember… you were always the gentlest among the three of you. What happened, Konan? What are Nagato and Yahiko doing? Why did they create a 'god' like Pain, who only brings death and destruction?"

Konan's gaze was unreadable. When she finally spoke, there was an edge of bitterness beneath her cold tone. "Why are you appearing in front of us now?"

There was something else in her voice—an accusation, perhaps a hidden grievance.

Jiraiya didn't seem to catch it. His face darkened as he said, "If you weren't members of the Akatsuki… I wouldn't have had to come here at all. I thought you were all dead. I never imagined it would turn out like this."

Konan let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "Perhaps you should have listened to Orochimaru back then. If you had just killed the three of us, none of this would have happened."

Jiraiya's brows furrowed, genuine sorrow flickering across his face. "I never even considered killing you three." He took a slow breath. "I only wanted to teach you how to survive in this cruel world… But now, here we are. You're my students, and yet you attack me without hesitation. It's… disappointing."

Konan's expression didn't change, but her voice was firm. "You don't understand us at all, Jiraiya-sensei."

Jiraiya clenched his fists. "Then explain it to me! What happened to you? Why did you join the Akatsuki? Don't you see that what you're doing is wrong?"

"That's the conclusion we came to ourselves, Sensei."

The sudden voice came from above.

Jiraiya's head snapped up.

Standing above Konan, a tall figure loomed, his long auburn hair flowing as he gazed down at Jiraiya with impassive Rinnegan eyes.

Jiraiya narrowed his own eyes. Even though his appearance had changed drastically, there was no mistaking that gaze. That ripple-patterned eye…

"Nagato," Jiraiya muttered. "So, you really are Pain. You've taken the Akatsuki's ideology as your own… What happened to you?"

Nagato—no, Pain—remained expressionless. "You don't need to know."

Without another word, he formed a hand seal. A massive sealing formula spread across the wall behind him.

Summoning Jutsu.

With a thunderous bang, a massive crab emerged, clicking its pincers aggressively. Immediately, it spewed forth a flood of foam, engulfing both Konan and Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's instincts screamed at him. He leaped back, landing on the wall just in time. His eyes flicked toward Konan, who was now free from the toad oil.

Pain's strategy was clear. "So you used the foam to wash off the oil… Clever," Jiraiya admitted, a tinge of pride in his voice.

The crab dissipated just as suddenly as it had appeared.

Konan flew back to Pain's side.

"Konan, step back," Pain ordered.

Konan hesitated for a moment before obeying, dissolving into a swarm of paper sheets and vanishing into the shadows.

Pain wasted no time. Another seal was formed, and with another bang, a new creature emerged—a massive lobster with jagged claws, charging toward Jiraiya with deadly intent.

Jiraiya didn't flinch. His Lion's Mane Jutsu activated, his hair extending and wrapping around the beast, tightening instantly.

Boom!

The summoned creature was crushed and dissipated in a puff of smoke.

Jiraiya seized the opening.

His hair surged forward like a poisonous serpent, extending through the mist left behind by the creature. In an instant, the strands wrapped around Pain's body, restraining him.

Jiraiya's voice was urgent. "Nagato! I need to know… What happened to Yahiko?"

Pain's response was chilling. "Oh? That name… Has such a person ever existed?"

Jiraiya's heart clenched.

Nagato had once sworn to protect Yahiko and Konan, no matter what. Now, he spoke as though Yahiko had never even mattered.

Jiraiya stared at him, his mind racing.

"What… happened to you?"

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