Chapter 25: Payne’s Ritual

...
In the Sound Ninja Village, Gaara was with Naruto. Naruto lay exhausted on the ground, all his Shadow Clones having dissipated one after another, leaving him overwhelmed by a flood of fatigue and memories.

He could barely endure it, both mentally and physically.

Naruto's training was far harsher than anyone else's—downright self-torture, and entirely by his own choice.

Gaara, expressionless, stood with his arms crossed, the large gourd slung across his back.

“Is it worth it?” Gaara asked, looking at Naruto.

Naruto lay there, gasping, staring up at the sky. His cerulean eyes were calm.

“It’s worth it. This jutsu is incredibly strong,” Naruto replied.

His right hand was wrapped in white bandages—the hand that now wielded a power potent enough to suppress the entity within him.

“Do you know what this is? Wood Style! The technique of the First Hokage. One day I’ll reach that height and become the second God of the Ninja World!” Naruto declared.

Gaara shook his head. “But if Orochimaru taught you this jutsu, then he must not fear you turning against him.”

Naruto chuckled. “Do you know what Orochimaru’s weakness is?”

Gaara tilted his head in thought. “Genjutsu?”

Naruto smiled faintly. “No, it’s arrogance. He’s too conceited.

He gave me the ability to use Wood Style no matter his motives. As long as I reach the level of the First Hokage, Orochimaru won’t be my match!

Orochimaru must have realized this, yet he still let me have Wood Style. That means he’s unafraid.

The only possibility is that Orochimaru is confident he’ll become the God of the Ninja World before I do.

Only then can he dominate me at every turn, but he shouldn’t underestimate me!”

Naruto’s gaze was resolute. In his mind, a figure in a cloak appeared—the Fourth Hokage.

He now knew who his parents were. With the fall of the Leaf Village, his identity no longer mattered; the Third Hokage had told him everything.

Naruto was proud to have the Fourth Hokage as his father.

“I will kill Orochimaru and avenge the village!” Naruto murmured firmly, gazing at the sky.

...

Jiraiya sat in a tavern, deep lines etched into his face.

He no longer cared for gathering material, nor did he write his novels. He spent his days lost in idleness at the tavern.

He didn’t know what his future held. Was he supposed to kill Orochimaru and rebuild the Leaf Village?

But apart from a few, the Leaf captives had been scattered, paired off and married to other ninja or civilians.

Everyone from the Leaf was exceptional, even the civilians. Anyone associated with the name “Leaf” became highly sought after, so the captives forced into marriage were in great demand.

The ninjas and civilians of the Sound scrambled to marry a woman from the Leaf or to become the son-in-law of a Leaf man.

Orochimaru didn’t even prohibit outsiders from participating; the only condition was they had to stay in the Sound Village.

Everyone in the Sound Village was an experimental subject of Orochimaru.

Leaf villagers all possessed a certain “kindness”—once they started a family, no matter how they got along, they would always consider their partner’s well-being.

Although they still missed the Leaf, they cared even more for their partners.

Even if the partner treated them poorly.

This was the ultimate annihilation of a village. Normally, even after destruction, the Leaf might have been rebuilt.

But with this move of Orochimaru’s, in less than three generations, the name of the Leaf would vanish completely.

“Sigh.”

Jiraiya downed a large gulp of sake, his heart heavy with sorrow.

He knew there were still people like Tsunade and Naruto who sought revenge, but he truly couldn’t bring himself to kill Orochimaru.

His feelings for Orochimaru were second only to those for Tsunade and, in some ways, even stronger.

“Sigh.”

Jiraiya took another deep drink, recalling how the Great Toad Sage had predicted a Child of Destiny—one who would change the ninja world. That child, with the Rinnegan, could really change everything?

...

“Boom!”

As Jiraiya was lost in thought, a deafening explosion erupted outside, followed by a clamor.

“We’re under attack!”

“Red clouds on black robes—they’re the same group from more than half a month ago!”

“There are six of them, and they’re strong!”

“Quick, find Lord Orochimaru!”

...

Ninjas are tools of war; high-ranking ones are like nuclear weapons. When one appears, all low-ranking ninjas are mere cannon fodder, especially against elites like Pain.

Even ten thousand low-level ninjas could not stand against Pain.

Only elite ninjas can fight elite ninjas.

Jiraiya set down his cup and left the tavern. The captives from the Leaf lived in the Sound Village; he could not allow its destruction.

He wasn’t helping Orochimaru, but doing it for those captives.

Jiraiya’s expression was somber—Orochimaru had probably anticipated all this.

A terrifying man.

“Huh? That’s—!”

Jiraiya stepped out and saw the attackers—shock flashed in his eyes. One of them was Yahiko, once his own student!

But Yahiko was supposed to be dead.

And Yahiko’s eyes—six concentric circles—the Rinnegan!

Those eyes belonged to his other disciple, Nagato—the eyes of the Child of Destiny foretold by the Great Toad Sage. What was happening?

At this point, Jiraiya still didn’t know Pain’s secret.

...

Ceremony, begin!

When I arrive, it means the descent of a god; your suffering is at an end.

When I arrive, be it wind or rain, you should see only me.

When I arrive, you may die—the path of a god’s revolution is paved with blood.

The Six Paths of Pain—six Pains—attacked the Sound Village from six directions.

Fire and smoke rose ceaselessly.

Without the highest-level fighters, no one could halt the advance of the Six Paths of Pain; even if all the elites joined forces, they might not be enough.

The Six Paths of Pain—undying and immortal—were invincible because death could not touch them, their power standing at the very pinnacle.

...

“At last.”

Orochimaru, in the midst of a Blood Dragon Eye cultivation experiment, looked up as the sounds of chaos reached him. A smile curled at his lips.

“Perfect timing. The Rinnegan.”

Orochimaru licked his lips, excitement gleaming in his eyes. The Rinnegan, the supreme ocular power, so close to the power of the Divine Tree.

He already had the Sharingan, Byakugan, and Blood Dragon Eye. If he could obtain the Rinnegan as well, researching all four together would soon reveal the secrets of ocular jutsu.

The day of mass production was not far off.

He removed his white lab coat; this time, he would personally join the fray.

...

The Six Paths of Pain attacked from six directions, their purpose clear: destroy the Sound Village and retrieve the One-Tail and Nine-Tails.

The first was a warning to Orochimaru; the second had always been Akatsuki’s goal.

Tendo Pain, wielder of gravity and repulsion, was the strongest in direct combat. Wherever he passed, lives were snuffed out with a mere pull or push.

“Bang!”

After killing yet another Sound ninja, Tendo Pain was confronted by a formidable opponent—one he had not expected: Orochimaru himself.

Pain spoke emotionlessly, “I didn’t expect you to appear before me so willingly.”

Orochimaru, as slippery as a serpent, was infamous in Akatsuki’s intel not for his raw power, but for his bizarre methods and creativity.

Many ninjas considered themselves no weaker than Orochimaru in direct combat, but he had invented the Immortal Reincarnation and the Impure World Reincarnation techniques.

The former ensured his survival; the latter allowed him to summon dead powerhouses to fight in his stead.

Orochimaru’s strength was a paradox.

Powerful, because Impure World Reincarnation was too overwhelming; weak, because his true self was fragile.

But now, Orochimaru had appeared in person—was he not giving up his advantage and courting death?

Pain was deeply puzzled.

Yet Orochimaru offered no explanation, only smiled and said, “I’ve come to bring you a grand gift.”