Naruto: Reborn in His Younger Self

.

---

Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village).

Tendo Pain stood atop a high platform, his Rinnegan scanning the rain-soaked village below. His expression remained unreadable as the continuous downpour concealed the streets beneath a misty haze.

"Konan, once the rain stops, use your technique to locate the intruder," he ordered calmly.

Behind him, Konan nodded, already forming the necessary hand seals. "Leave it to me," she replied.

With that, Tendo Pain began weaving signs, dispelling the Rain Tiger at Will Technique that had been covering the entire Hidden Rain Village.

This jutsu was a large-scale sensory technique that allowed Pain to monitor every chakra signature caught in the rain. The moment someone entered the village, their presence would be instantly known.

The instant Jiraiya emerged from the toad's mouth beneath the water, Pain noticed him. A powerful and unfamiliar chakra signature had appeared within the village, confirming his suspicions.

Thus, he halted the rain, allowing Konan to use her unique abilities to track the intruder.

With a final seal, the rain ceased.

"Here we go," Pain murmured.

Konan immediately leapt into action. The Dance of the Shikigami began.

Her body dissolved into countless sheets of paper, each fluttering in the air before folding into intricate origami butterflies. The moment the rain stopped, these paper butterflies swarmed outward, spreading across the entire village like a silent, all-seeing eye.

---

Meanwhile, Jiraiya had taken refuge inside a makeshift tavern, an illusion created using Toad Transformation Technique. Acting as a bartender, he had already captured two Amegakure shinobi, binding them for interrogation.

One of the captured men, stubborn and defiant, refused to speak. Jiraiya sighed dramatically before using the Toad Gourd Prison technique.

With a poof of smoke, the unfortunate ninja was transformed into a small, wriggling frog.

His companion—a nervous-looking man wearing a turban—stared in horror as his ally croaked helplessly.

Before Jiraiya could even lift a finger, the terrified shinobi broke down, spilling everything he knew.

Through the interrogation, Jiraiya discovered something shocking: Hanzo the Salamander, once hailed as a demigod, was dead.

Hanzo—the man who had nearly crushed Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade in their youth, granting them the title of the Legendary Sannin—had been killed by Pain.

The turbaned ninja spoke with awe. "Lord Pain is a god. His power is absolute. His will is unshakable."

Jiraiya frowned, absorbing this information. Hanzo was no pushover. For someone to not only surpass him but completely overthrow him…

This Pain was no ordinary enemy.

Despite pressing for more, the captured ninja knew little else. He was just a grunt.

Jiraiya made his decision.

Before confronting this self-proclaimed god, he had one last thing to do.

Leaving the illusionary tavern, he headed to a hidden shrine within Amegakure. There, he unsealed a scroll from within his stomach—a precautionary measure he'd taken before entering enemy territory.

Inside the scroll was the Key to the Nine-Tails' Seal.

Summoning Gerotora, the scroll toad, Jiraiya imprinted his chakra onto it. If things went south, he wanted this key to be delivered to Naruto.

"Take this back to Konoha," Jiraiya instructed. "Find Ibiki. He already knows what to do."

Gerotora nodded. "Are you sure about this, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya simply smiled. "Just in case."

The toad croaked before diving into the water and disappearing.

With that final precaution taken, Jiraiya turned his attention back to the village.

It was time to meet this so-called god.

---

Jiraiya, still in disguise as the turbaned ninja, moved carefully through the streets. His plan was simple—blend in and get closer to Pain's headquarters.

But he wasn't alone.

From the shadows, Konan's paper butterflies trailed behind, silently watching his every move.

High above, Konan materialized from the darkness, her unreadable gaze locked onto her former master.

"It's him," she murmured. "It's Jiraiya."

Beside her, a man with long, auburn hair listened in silence before closing his eyes. When he spoke, there was a trace of something almost nostalgic in his voice.

"Jiraiya-sensei… it's been a long time."

Konan's expression didn't change. "What should we do, Pain?"

The long-haired man's eyes opened, Rinnegan shining coldly in the dim light. His voice was devoid of hesitation.

"He's no longer our ally. There's nothing left to discuss. Kill him."

Konan gave a small nod. "Understood. I'll fight him first. You can finish him off when you arrive."

Pain's voice was calm, yet absolute. "If you can kill him yourself, do so."

With that, he leapt into the night, following Konan's paper trail.

---

Meanwhile, Jiraiya's cover was blown.

As he walked along a deserted alleyway, thousands of paper fragments suddenly surrounded him. In an instant, they wrapped around his controlled puppet—the turbaned ninja—binding him completely.

From within the swirling paper storm, Konan emerged.

With a flick of her wrist, the paper folded into razor-sharp spears.

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "So, you were following me all along, huh?"

Without hesitation, Konan attacked.

"Die, Jiraiya."

Her paper blades shot forward.

But at the last moment—

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

A burst of searing flames erupted from Jiraiya's mouth, engulfing the paper weapons mid-air. The flames spread rapidly, licking at Konan's form and forcing her backward.

She landed against the alley wall, her expression still unreadable even as the fire burned away some of her paper. Smoke filled the narrow street.

From behind, Jiraiya emerged, stepping out from the ground itself.

"Toad Flatness Shadow Manipulation Technique."

Konan immediately recognized the jutsu.