Seeing the daylight again, Tsunade stared at the slugs beside her. Her eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. "Sakura…"
No one could blame her for losing her composure—this whole situation was beyond absurd.
Sure, she could do something like this too, but using it even once would completely drain her Yin Seal's chakra, leaving her aged and weak. And recovery? That depended on luck.
But Sakura didn't even have a Yin Seal—so how had she managed to pull this off?
Jiraiya stood there, dumbfounded.
Even though Fukasaku and Shima had already left, his Sage Mode was still active for the moment. The burst of Senjutsu chakra just now had completely stunned him.
As far as he knew, only Naruto and Sasuke in Konohagakure were capable of using Senjutsu at this level. But… weren't they both still away from the village?
"Who…" Jiraiya turned his gaze toward the distance. The massive Senjutsu chakra stood out like a beacon in the dark, impossible to miss.
The slug finally snapped out of its own daze and immediately looked at Tsunade, its voice full of disbelief. "Tsunade-sama, when Sakura activated the technique just now, she was using Senjutsu chakra! And not just any Senjutsu chakra—it was stronger than even young Jiraiya's."
"Senjutsu…" Tsunade turned to Jiraiya, trying to keep her voice steady. "Hey, Jiraiya, did you ever teach Sakura Sage Mode?"
"No." Jiraiya shook his head blankly.
Then, a second later, realization hit him. "Wait—you're saying the person who cast that technique was Sakura?!"
Tsunade nodded heavily. "Yes."
Her hands trembled slightly. "Earlier, when you created that opening for me, I was planning to activate 'Strength of a Hundred Healing Jutsu.' But there wasn't enough time. At most, I could've only saved fewer than a hundred people."
"But just as my chakra linked with Lord Slug, an even greater chakra suddenly surged through the summoning contract. A moment before I could activate my technique, that chakra took over and expanded the effect to cover every single person in Konohagakure."
"Sakura… when did she become capable of using 'Strength of a Hundred Healing Jutsu' on such a massive scale?"
Tsunade's voice was filled with confusion.
Tendo looked at the two of them—one in shock, the other in disbelief. His clenched fist loosened slightly.
"So… it seems even you don't know who used that technique to protect you."
Hearing the voice, Jiraiya and Tsunade suddenly turned their heads.
Only then did they remember—there was still one more enemy here.
Jiraiya clenched his fists, his face filled with anger.
"Nagato! You actually…"
He *really* hadn't expected this.
Nagato had gone *this* far.
That jutsu just now wasn't just meant to kill them. If it weren't for Sakura, barely anyone in Konohagakure would have survived.
Even *he* had felt completely powerless against it.
If Nagato had only been targeting his enemies, that would have been one thing.
But now—he had dragged *innocent* people into this.
Jiraiya's anger carried a deep sense of disappointment.
"I never thought you'd become like this. Death in battle is part of a ninja's life, but no matter what, you *shouldn't* have involved innocent people."
Had he forgotten why Yahiko founded the Akatsuki in the first place?
He hadn't forgotten.
Tendo (Deva Path) closed his eyes.
It was *because* he hadn't forgotten that he had made this choice.
But right now, that wasn't what mattered most.
After using *Super Shinra Tensei*, the massive chakra drain had caused a malfunction in the link between Nagato and Tendo.
For a while, he wouldn't be able to control Tendo in battle.
It was like a system overheating from an energy surge—if he pushed any further, Tendo would collapse from chakra overload.
Nagato didn't care about the others.
But Tendo…
Tendo was Yahiko.
And that—he couldn't ignore.
Tsunade was furious.
While Nagato was still thinking about how to retrieve Tendo, she suddenly charged forward.
Her chakra exploded without restraint.
Her punch *shattered* the air as it smashed down on Tendo.
"Crap!"
Nagato's eyes widened.
The chakra overload had delayed his control—Tendo *should* have dodged, but the command had lagged.
By the time the signal finally went through—it was too late.
Nagato slammed his palm against the chair, his expression dark.
On the battlefield, Tsunade was just as surprised.
Her attack actually *landed*.
There was no time to dwell on it.
She *fully* unleashed her monstrous strength—
For the first time in days of fighting, her fist struck the enemy head-on.
The ground collapsed again.
The sheer force of the impact left Tendo completely unable to react.
The immense chakra within him erupted.
His body was slammed into the ground.
Tsunade landed beside the massive crater, frowning.
"This guy…"
Something felt off.
Jiraiya didn't hesitate.
The moment Tendo was pinned, he flashed forward, weaving hand seals.
A sealing jutsu activated as his palm pressed against Tendo's body.
Black sealing symbols spread across Tendo's bloodstained body.
The next second—
The light in his eyes vanished.
He collapsed like a corpse, lying motionless on the ground.
Jiraiya let out a deep breath and stood up.
"Nagato… You took a heavy hit trying to protect Yahiko's body from Tsunade's fists, didn't you?"
Almost the moment Jiraiya spoke, Nagato—hidden in a Genjutsu—suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His already pale face turned even weaker.
But the killing intent in his eyes only grew stronger.
The next moment, Konan rushed in.
She was panting heavily, sweat covering her exhausted face, but she still made her way to Nagato first.
She looked at him with deep concern.
"Nagato, are you okay?"
Nagato shook his head.
With his right hand—so badly wounded that the bone was visible—he pushed Konan away.
"Jiraiya took Yahiko's body. He used a seal. I can't control it through the Rinnegan anymore."
Frustration burned inside him.
All Six Paths of Pain had been defeated.
He couldn't move.
And after that last burst of power, even his chakra was nearly drained.
Konan was exhausted too—she had no strength left to reclaim Yahiko's body.
"Yahiko…"
Pain flickered in Konan's eyes, but she understood.
"Yahiko would probably… rather be with Jiraiya-sensei."
Nagato froze.
The coldness on his face softened just a little.
He didn't respond.
He wanted to take Yahiko's body back.
But deep down…
He had to admit—Konan was right.
If it were Yahiko—
Rather than being used as Tendo to carry out actions that went against everything he stood for…
He would be happier with Jiraiya-sensei.
Nagato's killing intent slowly faded.
Defeat and exhaustion settled over him.
"You're right…"
His gaze dimmed.
---
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