The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant
There's no end to this awful rain...
Joking! I'm just joking!
You know, I'm grateful to you.
I'm sure Master Jiraiya is fine.
He, of all people, wouldn't...
He's not coming back...
Huh?
That's what I bet him.
And I never win my bets.
Oh, I see.
Rejection makes a man stronger.
And besides...
men aren't the ones who seek happiness.
What a poser...
When he gets back...
I won't let him keep his cool.
Pain... What are you?!
Pain...
That name is an alias that denotes all six of us.
Y-You're...!
That face...
Is that you, Yahiko?
Oh yeah... There was such a guy, wasn't there?
He died a long time ago.
What's going on? I thought you said Yahiko died!
Plus, those eyes...
You see Yahiko's image in me?
You really are his former Teacher.
But Yahiko has been dead for quite some time.
All that remains...is Pain.
Quit it with the wordplay!
Why do you possess the Rinnegan?!
What are you talking about, Jiraiya-boy?
One of my former students is among them.
Except he didn't use to possess those eyes...
What in tarnation is going on?
You saying there are two children of prophecy?
No, that's not it either...
When I saw the Rinnegan, I convinced myself that the first one was Nagato...
But he's subtly different from the Nagato I knew of...
Come to think of it, upon closer inspection,
none of those six remind me of Nagato.
On the other hand, one of them resembles Yahiko...
but possesses Nagato's Rinnegan...
Are you Yahiko...or Nagato?
Just what exactly are you?!
We are Pain...
We are god.
Retreat, Jiraiya-boy!
A god?!
Yahiko! How could you possess Nagato's eyes?!
Even if you knew that, you could not win!
Lad! Give up already!
I must find an opening to defeat them, even if it kills me!
I don't sense his presence...
This is...a barrier?
Gastric fluid?
Rasengan!
You did it, Jiraiya-boy.
Is he dead?
I barely managed to kill one...
only after dragging it into my barrier...
Are you all right, lad?
Somewhat...
My body...?!
My chakra's agitated!
Is it this?!
Their identity is a mystery, and they seem to use odd weapons too.
They're no longer mortals... They're something entirely different.
No one really knows what he looks like.
And some claim that he doesn't even exist.
That face... He is unmistakably Yahiko...
And yet, he possesses Nagato's Rinnegan...
Did Yahiko steal them from Nagato for some reason?
But...
There are other Rinnegan bearers as well...
So what's going on?
Plus...
Understanding such pain enables you to be kind to others...
That's what makes us human.
What do you mean by that...?
It's called growing up.
Growing up? What do you mean?
That, you need to figure out yourself.
Too many people die here. That pain made me grow up.
In which case, does that mean he is Nagato?
That's right! Now I remember!
This one is definitely not Nagato!
What's the matter?
This fellow before us...
I've fought him before.
He was a Fuma Clan member I encountered
right after setting out on my journey, following the Great Lord Elder's prophecy.
I gave him that scar on his forehead...
So what's a fellow like him doing here?
Now I'm even more confused about this whole Pain mystery.
You will guide that revolutionary.
The day will come when you will be forced to make a critical selection.
What must I do...?
In order to make the right choice?
In my dream, you traveled the world, writing books.
It can't be... If this is the prophecy...
I wish to go back and face them in order to confirm something...
You two please go back.
What?!
Absolutely not! You will be killed if you go out again!
They have more eyes,
and they will not fall for the barrier trap twice!
They're not on to us in here yet.
This is our only chance to make a run for it!
I may be killed if I go out there...
But I may be able to learn the truth about them.
If I let this chance slip by,
I don't think there's anyone else who could get as close to Pain.
This is our only chance to uncover the truth...
Plus...
This is the time for selection that the Great Lord Elder prophesied!
Boss and Ma'am...
please take the intel on Pain we've gathered so far,
as well as this corpse and go back.
And please tell Tsunade...
Ma should be enough for that.
But...
Just return by dinnertime.
Yup... When we're done here, I'll bring Jiraiya-boy on over with me.
Thank you...
It's just as I thought!
They're all ninjas that I've encountered before!
That's it!
I've figured out who Pain is!
My throat...
Jiraiya-boy!
You were too late in figuring it out...
I must let Boss know...about Pain's true identity.
Hang in there, Jiraiya-boy!
It's no good... My throat has been crushed.
Damn it... At this rate...
It's useless... I'm passing out...
Am I...going to die?
Have I failed...?
It's not how you live,
but how you die in the ninja world...
A ninja's life is not measured by how they lived
but rather what they managed to accomplish before their death.
Looking back, my life has been nothing but failures...
Continually rejected by Tsunade...
Unable to stop my friend...
And unable to protect either my student or my mentor...
Compared to the great deeds of the Hokage,
my actions are trifling, insignificant things indeed.
I wish I could have died like each of the Hokage.
A tale is only good as its final turn of events, the plot twist.
Failures must be seen as mere amusements!
They are trials, which hone your skills. I lived believing that...
And in return, I swore I would accomplish a deed so great
that it would obliterate all of my failures...
And I'd die a splendid ninja!
At least, that's how it was supposed to go...
But...with my plot twist...
My tale, ending like this...
The Great Lord Elder prophesied that I would guide that revolutionary.
A person who will make a great choice
that will bring either stability or destruction to the ninja world.
I thought I would defeat Pain, stop the Akatsuki,
and save the ninja world from destruction...
But in the end, I failed in that selection too.
How pitiful...
that this will be the twist to "The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant."
What a worthless story...
No, I don't think so. This tale is wonderful!
Each chapter reads like one of your numerous legendary exploits.
It's almost like an autobiography.
The main character of this book...
I thought his determination to never give up was really cool...
He's a lot like you, Sensei.
Y-You think so...?
So I was thinking.
Huh?
I really hope my unborn child
can become a ninja just like this main character!
Which is why I'd like your permission to name my son after him.
H-Hey! Are you sure?
It's just a random name that I thought up while eating ramen.
Naruto...
It's a wonderful name.
Kushina...
Cripes... So that makes me his godfather?
Are you really sure about this?
You are my sensei!
And you are a great ninja who possesses the true talent of a ninja!
There's no other like you.
Yes...
That's right...
I gave that child...
I'm gonna become the Hokage!
A Hokage that surpasses all previous Hokage!
I never go back on my word... That's my ninja way!
Naruto...
Now that I think about it, Naruto,
you are just like that novel's main character.
You've inherited Minato and Kushina's wishes, their hopes...
And yet...I...
You are my sensei!
And you are a great ninja who possesses the true talent of a ninja!
There's no other like you.
A ninja is one who endures, one who stands brave.
Let me teach you one thing...
The most important attribute of a ninja
is not the number of jutsu he masters.
The most important thing is...
the guts to never give up!
Never go back on your word and never give up...
Naruto, if that is your ninja way...
Then as your mentor...
I have no business whining.
For everyone knows that a student inherits his ninja way from his teacher!
Isn't that so, Naruto?!
He fought his way back by sheer will?!
Jiraiya-boy!
I was sure his heart had stopped.
Got it!
Never give up...
That was the true choice I was supposed to make!
Quite obstinate, isn't he?
Let's finish him off.
All right! Message received!
A dying message... He wrote it in code, eh?
Naruto... You are the child of prophecy, I'm sure of it now.
I entrust you with the rest!
The frog...got away.
"The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant"...
Now it'll end a bit better I hope.
The final chapter will be...
"The Frog in the Well Drifts Into the Great Ocean."
Not bad... Not bad at all...
Now... It's about time I put down my pen...
Ah, that's right! What should I name the sequel?
Let's see...
"The Tale of Naruto Uzumaki."
Yes... That has a nice ring to it...
Itachi Uchiha... You haven't changed, have you?
But I'm no longer the same as before.
You don't know anything about me...
Of the hatred I carry towards you...
And how it helped me become stronger...
Next time on Naruto Shippuden: "Banquet Invitation"
Don't miss it!