Question 4: Excuse me: The Immortal Toad, Jiraiya, was ultimately killed by which of the following during an investigation?
A: Disciple Minato Namikaze
B: Disciple Naruto Uzumaki
C: Disciple Nagato Uzumaki
D: Disciple Obito Uchiha
---
"I died?"
Within the suspended space, Jiraiya was momentarily stunned before the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. Unlike everyone else in the Akatsuki, he had already been mentally prepared for the possibility of his own death.
In the ninja world, gathering intelligence was the most dangerous job.
The likelihood of dying during such missions was far greater than when going undercover.
Upon seeing the outcome—his death—Jiraiya felt only a trace of regret.
He had yet to discover the Child of Prophecy the Great Toad Sage had spoken of.
Tsunade hadn't accepted his feelings yet, and he hadn't exposed Danzo's schemes...
Wait a minute!
Jiraiya's gaze shifted to the multiple-choice answers—and landed on the leader of the Akatsuki: the man in the wheelchair.
"Nagato?"
"Nagato!"
Jiraiya's voice grew more confident. From the start, he'd felt a vague familiarity with Nagato and Konan. But with so many people possessing Rinnegan eyes here, he hadn't drawn the connection.
Until now—upon seeing the name Uzumaki Nagato in the question—he finally recalled the three war orphans he had once taken in at Amegakure.
"Nagato… Konan… Yahiko?"
Waving casually, Jiraiya called out. As Pain turned his head, Jiraiya looked straight at Nagato and Konan, his voice tinged with joy and bittersweet surprise.
He hadn't expected to see his former students here.
Especially now—they had become such powerful shinobi.
That alone stirred pride and comfort within his heart.
Nagato's eyes widened slightly.
Hearing the name "Yahiko" from Jiraiya's mouth triggered a flood of buried memories. For a moment, Nagato was lost in time—back to those innocent days when the three of them trained under their master.
If Jiraiya hadn't left...
...maybe everything would've turned out differently.
But the God of Amegakure could not allow himself to be shaken.
Suppressing the emotions in his heart, Nagato responded in a voice devoid of warmth:
"That man is long dead."
---
"Wait—Nagato Uzumaki was Jiraiya-sama's student? Then what about Uchiha Obito? Was he his disciple too?"
"Poor Jiraiya-sama… To think two of his disciples ended up like this."
"But it's still impressive. To produce more than one disciple of that caliber... he truly deserves the title of one of the Legendary Sannin."
In front of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki stared blankly at the eccentric white-haired man hovering in the space above.
He didn't hear the chatter around him. Or perhaps... he was simply used to pretending not to hear.
He didn't know who this man was—but that wild hair, that unrestrained expression, and indescribable charisma…
It all gave him a strange, powerful impression.
As if… his entire life had been waiting for this man to appear.
"He... is going to be my master?"
Upon seeing his own name among the choices, Naruto smiled.
If this man was to be his teacher… then he swore not to slack off. He'd train seriously.
"Wait… does that mean that guy, Uchiha Obito, would have to call me 'Uncle'?"
Naruto glanced at the figure curled up in humiliation, still suppressed by the mysterious space.
He was too young to truly grasp the pain Obito was experiencing, but if that man was supposed to be his nephew—
Then he would definitely stand up for him!
"Nephew Obito, when I become Hokage, I'll avenge you properly!"
His words drew glares from surrounding shinobi.
Several older villagers almost snapped at him—until they turned and saw who had spoken.
Their expressions shifted through several phases before they all kept their silence.
Even the Genin nearby, who normally bullied Naruto, were stopped by their teammates.
"It's different now. His teacher is one of the Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya-sama."
Their faces were filled with frustration, but none dared to speak further. They turned back toward the village.
They were just regular civilians and Genin—people who didn't know the full story.
All they remembered was that that night, many of their parents, children, or lovers had died.
And the monster responsible… was him.
---
"Heh… things really have changed."
Naruto clenched his fists.
A moment ago, he'd thought they were going to beat him again.
But not only did they walk away—they even gave him a reluctant smile.
He remembered what one of them had said as they left:
"Jiraiya-sama… did you bring all this change into my life?"
---
Orochimaru scoffed coldly.
"Jiraiya, you're still the same naive fool."
He pointed toward the third option on the list.
"Look closely. You might die at his hands."
Unlike the others, Orochimaru had realized the truth.
He hadn't expected the leader of the Akatsuki to be that child—the one he'd once nearly killed himself.
Nagato…
In hindsight, Orochimaru was glad he'd been cautious when he joined the Akatsuki.
If he had provoked Nagato, old grudges combined with new ones might've led to a miserable death.
He remembered his first encounter with Tendo Pain. After his failure, Orochimaru had begged to join the Akatsuki—just to stay alive.
He had sensed how terrifying the Rinnegan truly was.
And now, there were multiple Rinnegan users in the space.
Even Orochimaru felt his scalp tingling.
---
"No way. My disciples would never kill me."
Jiraiya snapped back at Orochimaru—but his eyes wandered toward Uchiha Obito.
"I… I don't think any of my students or their descendants would do that…"
Even as he spoke, doubt crept into his voice.
---
"We can eliminate Option A—Minato Namikaze. He's already dead," said Kakuzu flatly.
His knowledge of bounties made that clear.
Minato had once had a massive bounty—but it was removed after his death.
And that bounty… was one even Kakuzu didn't dare chase.
---
"And D, Uchiha Obito, can also be ruled out."
Uchiha Itachi finally spoke.
"He's not strong enough to kill Jiraiya."
Itachi knew well that Obito's Mangekyo power allowed him to use space-time ninjutsu.
But it wasn't powerful enough to defeat a Sannin. It was mainly used for evasion and sneak attacks—not lethal force.
---
"That leaves only B and C—Naruto Uzumaki… or me."
Nagato's Rinnegan flared as he looked toward Jiraiya.
"Uzumaki Naruto… who is he?"