Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thanks for sticking around for another chapter! If you've been following the events, even though they're not in the cannon order, then you know that we are at the Pain Arc! There are a few parts of this story that I dread writing, and this is one of them. However, just like the rest of the story, a lot of these events are not cannon nor do they follow the order. So, bare this in mind as we continue to push forward in this story. However, I do have some great news before we dive into the next chapter.

I am happy to announce we have a winner of the first reviewer contest! CONGRADULATIONS Zutale! I have sent you an email regarding your prize! The next contest will be from October 27, 2019 to November 30th, 2019! So, all reviews from today until than will be considered for the next contest! Remember, ANYONE can win! Good luck!

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Chapter 44: A Sensei's Redemption

Normal P.O.V

Two figures sprint at top speed towards their destination. Rain pelting them hard. The harsh wind chilling them to the bone. However, with their determination in mind, the rain doesn't bother them. In the far distance, their target lies ahead: The Hidden Leaf Village. Pounding hearts and racing blood fills their ears as sandaled feet beat against the ground with each step. However, this is as far as they go. Both stop when a powerful chakra hits their senses. Both close their eyes to evaluate the chakra.

"Do you feel that?" the female swan asks

"Yes. It seems The Hidden Leaf has sent an opponent to stop us. A strong one at that," a fox with short orange hair says.

"Doesn't something seem familiar about this chakra signature?"

"Yes, but that was from ages ago,"

"You don't think it's him, do you?"

"It doesn't surprise me that the old man is still bumming around after all these years. I think it's a nice that The Hidden Leaf would send him of all people to try and stop us,"

"I say this shall be an interesting reunion," the female swan smirks.

"Then we shouldn't be rude and keep our sensei waiting, eh Konan?"

The woman known as Konan nods her head before the two of them take off towards their target again. The thought of their "reunion" weighing heavily on their minds.

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Earlier that day, with only a few hours of sleep, Jiraiya gets dressed without waking a sleeping, drunk Tsunade. With one last, longing look in his eyes, the Toad Sannin gives his mate a final kiss.

"Don't forget me," he whispers into her hair before leaving the room.

While standing just outside Tsunade's front door, Jiraiya summons Gerotora from inside of himself. The toad jumps from Jiraiya's mouth but turns to look at him with a glare and his arms folded.

"What the hell do you want now? I mean summoning me at this hour? This better not be about Naruto's training?" Gerotora grumbles.

"Sorry, I know you're not an early riser, but I need you to do something for me,"

"A task? That's what you summoned me for? Couldn't this have waited?"

"I'm afraid not. I'm going into battle against some tough opponents and need your help with something,"

"Hn. For you to have summoned me before going into battle must mean these are some really tough opponents. Are you planning on coming back alive?"

Jiraiya bites his lower lip before offering a fake smile, "Don't you worry about me. You know Old Jiraiya can handle anything," he lies.

"Hn. Why don't I believe you?" Gerotora grumbles warily.

"Because you've always been paranoid. Now, listen up. I don't have much time. Open up, I need to press the Open Storage Release Seal now,"

Gerotora stares at Jiraiya with doubt before reluctantly opening the scroll. Jiraiya observes the scroll to make sure everything is in order before adding chakra to his fingertips and pressing them one the scroll.

"There we go. That outta do it,"

Gerotora closes the scroll before refolding his arms, "So, how long is this gonna take? I'd like to go back to sleep sometime soon, ya know,"

"Shouldn't be too long. This is part of the reason I summoned you. I need you to go store yourself inside of Naruto,"

"Are you out of your fucking mind, dipshit?! You do realize that the key that corresponds to Naruto's seal and that was entrusted to us by Minato, Naruto's father and the Fourth Hokage, is transcribed on my belly, right? I mean, not even you can be that stupid,"

"I'm well aware of that, Gerotora. But, right now, Naruto needs this. He's on Turtle Island, training in the Fall of Truth to merge with the Nine-Tails,"

"What?! Alright, now I know you've gone insane. Who's candied ass idea was that? The Nine-Tails'?"

"Actually, yes. Right now, we're trying to prevent a war from occurring. But, with he way things are going, it looks like the Fourth Shinobi War will be on our hands soon,"

"Damn, things have really gone to shitsville, huh?"

Jiraiya nods, "Yes, and this battle I have to go into will be one of the main factors to make ore break this war. Despite what other know or believe, Naruto and the Nine-Tails as a parent-child kind of relationship. Afterall, it did care for Naruto for the first couple of years of Naruto's life. Plus, I have confidence that Naruto has become powerful enough to bond with the Nine-Tails and wield its chakra,"

"Hn. I still think you're insane. Every year, that seal on Naruto's stomach, placed by Minato himself, weakens. What's transcribed on my belly is the key to retighten the seal! To place the lock and the very key to said lock within the same host is ludicrous! Even if you believe that Naruto is strong enough to complete that ritual, what makes you think the demon itself won't use this to escape from Naruto?"

"Because of their relationship. As I have said before, their bond goes beyond that of demon-vessel. I truly believe that The Nine-Tails wanted Naruto to complete this ritual to help him gown in strength. In fact, Naruto has already started growing more tails to match his power level. According to Naruto, every time he reaches a certain power level, he will gain the corresponding number of tails. It's a status symbol towards him being an alpha and it's a clear indication of his link with the Nine-Tails. However, it seems that he would not be able to progress further until he completes this ritual. Hence the reason I'm sending you to him. Your job is to store yourself inside of Naruto and help him complete the ritual. After all, it was meant to be returned to Naruto anyway,"

"How do you figure that?" Gerotora asks.

"Well, when Minato sealed the Nine-Tails inside of Naruto, he sealed the Yang power inside of his son while sealing the Ying inside of himself. Eventually, Minato knew that, for Naruto to be able to control the Nine-Tails' chakra, he needs both parts,"

"Be that as it may, I know you didn't forever the last time you sweet talked me into loosing the seal. Naruto's chakra was pushed aside, and he was completely taken over by the Nine-Tails' chakra. Who's to say that won't happen this time; especially with the key within that demon's arm's length?"

"This time though, we have a secret weapon: Sasuke Uchiha,"

"You mean the youngest Uchiha brat is with Naruto? But how?"

"They're mates after all. They weren't meant to be apart from each other for long. And plus, Sasuke has also grown in strength himself. With his Sharingan and their mated bond, Sasuke can bring Naruto back no matter how far he goes. The plan may seem reckless, but there's more factors to make it foolproof,"

"Tsk. Well, you're right in saying that it's reckless. But, if you have that much confidence in both Naruto and Sasuke, then I guess I have no choice but to trust your judgement. I just hope you're not wrong. Besides, it's not like there's no one strong enough to summon the Nine-Tails anyway,"

"Well, there was one… Madara Uchiha,"

"Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! Now I know you've lost your mind! Madara Uchiha has been dead for years!" Gerotora laughs.

"That's where you're wrong. He's back and heading this war we're in now,"

Gerotora's immediately stops as dread fills him instead, "He's alive? But how is that possible?!"

"From my understanding, Obito Uchiha reconstructed him to lead them into war against The Hidden Leaf. So, he's one of the main opponents we must face now,"

"This really is a fucking mess you guys have gotten yourself into," Gerotora sighs while running a hand over his face, "Alright Jiraiya, even though I still don't agree with your plan, I'll play my part. I'll go to Naruto right away and help him complete this ritual quickly," Gerotora turns away from Jiraiya, but stops just before taking off, "Hey Jiraiya… you better come back, you hear me? Don't make me be the one to tell Tsunade or Naruto that you're no longer here,"

Jiraiya stares at the empty spot where Gerotora once stood with a grim expression on his face. With a heavy sigh, Jiraiya adjusts his scroll on his back before taking off to the village's gates.

"Don't hate me, old friend,"

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A great distance away from the village, a lone man with short brunette hair walks calmly through the rain. Suddenly, white pieces of paper surround him and cover his body. A swan woman with short blue hair appears ready for an attack. But she is caught off guard by Jiraiya appearing from the shadows.

"Fire Style: Fire Bom!"

The woman dodges in enough time to save herself.

"Toad Subjugation: the art of shadow manipulation. Impressive, sensei,"

"I can same the same about you, Konan. You've honed your jutsu magnificently, Konan. And what a beauty you turned out to be. It's good to see you again," Konan just stares at Jiraiya silently. You know, it was to my understanding that all of you had died. Who would have though you'd turn into sheets of paper?" he half-heartily jokes.

"Have you come to stop us?" Konan asks.

"Yes. I never thought it would be you. When I learned the names of the remaining Akatsuki, I never would have guessed you were the same Konan I taught all those years ago. What a shame. Now, tell me who this Pain person is,"

Konan doesn't say anything. She just stares into Jiraiya's eyes with slight confusion.

"You really don't know who Pain is, do you?"

"Should I?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter anyway. It's none of your concern. I'm your opponent now, with strict orders from God Pain to kill you. As his Angel of Death, I shall complete that order,"

Paper wings form on her back and lift her into the air. She shoots out a wave of paper towards Jiraiya. He jumps back to summon another fire ball. The attacks meet between them until Jiraiya's fireball burns her paper. With the air clear, Jiraiya summons oil to spit on her. Konan tries to block but, but she ends up being completely covered in the oil substance before Jiraiya's hair extends to capture her,

"You're trapped now. I've covered you in oil, so you can't pull apart. It's a shame, really. You were the kindest out of you three students of mine. So, tell me Konan, what happened to the other two: Nagato and Yahiko? What became of them?" Konan doesn't say anything as they continue to stare at each other, "Hn. So, since that rumor about the three of you being dead was just that, and especially with our short interaction today, I can only assume one of them became this God Pain, eh? So, which one of them was it?"

"What is it that you desire, sensei? It's been years since we've seen you and now you appear before me? Just what is it that you want, Jiraiya-sensei?"

"I never wanted things to come to this. After hearing that you three died, I was torn apart for years. I only recently came over that. But, now knowing that you guys are apart of the Akatsuki, I~" Jiraiya trails off with sorrow in his voice,

"Do you regret not killing us like Orochimaru suggested?" Konan calmly asks.

"Of course not! You three were my students! I could never regret saving your lives no matter how the three of you turned out! I taught you ninjutsu for survival. You were orphans of war. It almost rarely turns out well, but I knew the three of you were special. You know, this makes me sad, Konan,"

She raises a perfectly arched brow, "How so?"

"After everything that happened between us. You guys were undoubtedly my students. I would have died for all three of you. And now, to attack me without so much as a greeting truly wounds my heart, young one,"

"You know nothing about what we went through after you left."

"You're apparently right about that. But what I don't understand is why mix yourselves up with the Akatsuki? Why involve yourselves with Obito and Madara Uchiha and bring about this war and destruction?!"

"Because, this was our decision, Jiraiya-sensei,"

Jiraiya turned towards the deep voice with a glare, "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes. Your appearance has changed quite a lot, but you're still the same. Hn, it's interesting to see you still have the Rinnegan, especially with all the negative side effects of its constant use, Nagato,"

"I'm glad to see you recognized me after all this time, sensei,"

"I'm not glad to see how far you've strayed from the path of goodness. What happened to you? To all of you?"

"That's not for you to know. We're not the same children you once knew, Jiraiya-sensei. Now if you excuse us, we have a Nine-Tails vessel to capture,"

"You're here for Naruto? Tsk. I should have known. Well, you won't get him. You'll have to go through me first,"

"We had heard that he was your newest student. What a shame to see you truly have your favorites. No matter, we have a mission to accomplish and will do so, no matter who stands in our way," Pain performs some hand signs before a large summoning mark appears behind him, "Summoning Jutsu!"

A large crustacean creature appears, and shoots foam out of its mouth. It covers Konan and washes away the oil. Jiraiya manages to jump out of the way to avoid it.

"Tsk. Leave it to my students to know my weakness. This will be tougher than I thought,"

"Konan, continue onward to The Hidden Leaf, I will take care of our sensei,"

"Oh no, you don't!" Jiraiya forms some hand signs to capture both Konan and Pain within his hair, "Nagato! What happened to Yahiko?! Where is he?! What happened to you?!"

"Nothing. Nothing happened. Nothing, except the war. We watched too many people die because of the war that it forced me specially to grow up. But it was worth it in the end,"

"So, abandoning one's love for his friends is what being a man is about to you?" Jiraiya glares.

"Oh sensei, you're still only a man. You still think and behave like a regular, mortal man would. I, however, have allowed all the pain to evolve me pass a mere mortal man. I have now become something far beyond that of you; I have become a God!"

"You've truly become so twisted. And it's all my fault. I should have checked more into that rumor about the three of you being dead. Maybe than~"

"Do not think this is your fault. For without you, my view would continue to be cloudy. I should be thanking you. But, then again, it's not your fault that you don't understand,"

"What do you plan to do with Naruto and the Akatsuki. Tell me!"

"Peace. Peace is what we strive for. For far too long, mankind has torn apart our homes for selfish reasons. I will put an end to it, all of it,"

"And how does the Nine Tailed Beasts play into your plan?"

"We have developed a new jutsu that will put an end to war and destruction. With the Tailed Beasts, we will use them as the ingredients for our forbidden and magnificent jutsu,"

"I don't understand! How can they help end war? The Tailed Beasts are considered weapons to win wars, not end them. Won't that only cause more conflict and chaos between the two nations?"

"I will hand each nation one of the forbidden jutsus. They will be forced to use them and create pain upon the world. Pain is what makes the world evolve as it has done me. The world is still developing, but it needs pain bring about peace. Tens of thousands of people will perish, bring about said pain. I, being the God that I am, have an obligation to deliver the world from itself. And I will do so by giving birth to more pain,"

After Pain finished his speech, Konan and his clones disappeared from Jiraiya's hair and off to the side, "We're over here, sensei,"

Jiraiya chuckles at seeing his students standing on top of Pain's summoning.

"We'll it's interesting to know that you believed to have evolved into a God. For you see," Jiraiya uses his hands to summon Gamaken, "I have also evolved. I have now gone from a Sannin to a Sage. I, Jiraiya: Hermit Sage of Mount Myoboku will stop you from completing your "vison","

Pain and Konan look down at their sensei standing on top of his summon. With a wave of his fingers, Pain dismisses Konan, "Go, I will finish our dear sensei off,"

"Are you sure, Lord Pain?"

"Do you doubt me, Konan?"

"Of course not. I just wanted to make sure toy did not need me for anything else,"

"No, we must obtain the Nine-Tails' vessel as quickly as possible. Now go,"

Konan nods before taking off with her paper wings.

Jiraiya tsks as he watches Konan take off. Not being able to worry about her right now, Pain is the only worry he needs to focus on.

"Jiraiya, what is going on?" Gamaken asks.

"We have an old student to school,"

Gamaken hums as he looks ahead, "I take it that's him?"

"Yeah and he's grown extremely strong since we last met,"

"This must be a hard battle if you summoned me,"

"I'm going to be honest, there's a slim chance that we may not make it out alive,"

"Hn. Have you said your goodbyes, then?"

"I've made my peace. Our job is to give The Hidden Leaf, Naruto and Tsunade time to defend themselves. If they only need to deal with the woman, then that's fine. But, he's the one we have to prevent from getting to them," Jiraiya says calmly.

"Hn. Alright than. Let's get things started. I hope you're ready for this, Jiraiya,"

"Your summon is right, sensei. I hope you're ready for the pain you're about to suffer for your precious student and village," Pain says from across the field.

"Don't smart mouth me, kid. I, Master Jiraiya, will school you in the art of battle!"

"I know I won't live through this battle, but at least I can buy them some time. Naruto, it's up to you to finish what I have started,"

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To Be Continued…