Uchiha the Madman: He embodies truth and obliterates reality.

After listening to what Pain and Konan said, Jiraiya immediately understood. "I see. So you want me to persuade Konoha to cooperate with Akatsuki?"

“That’s right! That’s exactly what I need from Jiraiya-sensei.”

Pain pointed at Jiraiya and slowly said, "Teacher, as one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, you have a great reputation in the village. If you were to take the lead, Akatsuki's negotiations with Konoha would go much more smoothly."

At this point, Pain continued, "Jiraiya-sensei, I said I would break the curse on this ninja world. I will bring peace to this world as a god."

"You are... Nagato..." Upon hearing this, Jiraiya instantly realized the identity of Pain before him.

"But why... do you have Yahiko's face? Where is Yahiko?" Jiraiya's pupils widened, deeply puzzled as to why Nagato had Yahiko's face.

“Yahiko is gone…” Payne shook his head, his face still expressionless.

"what happened?"

Jiraiya felt a pang of pain in his heart. He was equally impressed by his optimistic and cheerful disciple, Yahiko. But he never imagined that while his two disciples were alive, his other disciple, Yahiko, was dead.

Payne shook his head slightly. "The story behind this is a long one. Please don't worry about Jiraiya-sensei. That's all in the past. Now we need to focus on the future."

"Our top priority is figuring out how to survive the impending meteorite impact crisis." Payne shifted the topic to the meteorite impact crisis, unwilling to say much about Yahiko.

Talking about it... only brings pain! It only adds to the sorrow.

"Yeah..."

Jiraiya lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before saying, "I can agree to cooperate with you, but I cannot guarantee that Konoha will cooperate with Akatsuki. To be honest, they do not trust Akatsuki and are skeptical of your so-called solution to the meteorite impact."

“I’m glad to see you on our side, Jiraiya-sensei.” Pain nodded.

Then, Pain said to Jiraiya sincerely, "As a god, my wish is to save this world. If there are other ways we can try, Akatsuki will definitely try them."

"Transferring some people to another dimension before the meteorite falls is considered our last resort."

Chapter 78 Confessing Everything

“Originally, we planned to wait until all five great nations learned of this news before attempting to make contact and establish cooperation. We yearn to reach a consensus with all nations of the ninja world and cooperate with Akatsuki to face the crisis of the meteorite impact.” Pain did not hide the truth; he told Jiraiya everything about Akatsuki.

"But after learning that Jiraiya-sensei had arrived, I changed my mind. I wanted to let Jiraiya-sensei know as soon as possible about Akatsuki's determination to save the world."

The reason Pain told Jiraiya everything without reservation was not only because of the bond between master and disciple, but also because he wanted to gain Jiraiya's trust.

After all, who was Jiraiya? He was one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, a highly respected figure in the village.

With Jiraiya vouching for them, how could Akatsuki not gain Konoha's trust?

Although Nagato harbors many grievances against the Five Great Nations, the problem he now faces is no longer about overthrowing them, but about surviving the impact of the meteorite.

Nagato harbored deep hatred for the five great nations, including Konoha. He believed that the root cause of the Shinobi World War was the greed of these five nations.

Once they lose something, they plunder it again; once they plunder it, they are still not satisfied and want to get more.

This is the essence of the Ninja World War.

His parents were killed by Konoha ninjas, and Konoha also played a role in Yahiko's death. For the greater good, Nagato was willing to give up his hatred for Konoha and the Five Great Nations.

With the meteorite about to fall, all other problems and conflicts must take a backseat. After all, the world is about to be destroyed, and it would be ridiculous for humanity to be preoccupied with internal strife.

Even as a god, Payne had to learn to yield and compromise, instead of blindly killing and conquering.

It is not advisable to make people submit simply by having great strength; one must also persuade them with reason and emotion.

With this thought in mind, Pain lowered his head slightly and pleaded with Jiraiya, "Please, Master, as your disciples, we need your help."

After hearing Konan and Pain's words, Jiraiya, bathed in the rain, chose to believe them. These two were his most prized disciples; what reason did he have not to believe them?

Looking at the two of them, Jiraiya nodded heavily. "I understand the seriousness of the matter. I will agree to cooperate with you and do my best to persuade the higher-ups of Konoha to cooperate with Akatsuki."

After hearing Jiraiya's agreement, Pain and Konan exchanged a glance, both relieved.

With Jiraiya's help, Konoha will likely be more inclined to cooperate with Akatsuki. Akatsuki still needs the assistance of the Five Great Nations to accumulate resources. And the Five Great Nations will also need Akatsuki's help when Akatsuki publicly announces that they possess a method to avoid meteorites.

This is crucial to whether the village's livelihood can be preserved.

Payne couldn't figure out why the five great nations refused to cooperate with Akatsuki.

"Speaking of which, Jiraiya-sensei. You and Konoha seem to know about this, so... may I ask if the public knows that the meteorite impact is real?" Pain seemed to have thought of something and asked Jiraiya.

Jiraiya shook his head; his reaction said it all.

Payne's expression turned grim. "The people have the right to know the truth! Does Konoha, as a great power, possess the magnanimity befitting one?"

"Konoha has many things to consider, and we also have to consider the public's reaction for the sake of stability," Jiraiya replied, bowing his head.

"But have you considered this? If the people aren't prepared, they will pay with their lives when the crisis strikes!" Payne's gaze turned cold. "Without mobilizing the people, how many underground shelters can Konoha build?"

Payne's words created a tense atmosphere on the court.

Seeing the tense situation, Konan quickly advised Payne, "Calm down, Payne. Think about the bigger picture."

Listening to Nan's advice, Payne gradually calmed down.

"Excuse me for my rudeness, I hope you won't take it to heart, Jiraiya-sensei." Pain sighed and said, "The current situation is dire for the world, and we have less than fifty days left to prepare."

"I only hope that after we reach a cooperation agreement, the public will have the right to know the truth about the meteorite fall."

Jiraiya did not agree to Pain's request this time, because it involved too many issues, and he had no right to make the decision on behalf of Konoha.

Seeing Jiraiya's silence, Nagato behind him understood that his teacher and Jiraiya were not on the same path.

So be it! So be it! As long as we can cooperate with the five major powers to overcome this crisis, it doesn't matter if the public doesn't know the truth about the meteorite fall. Everything is for the sake of the overall situation.

"Putting the previous topic aside, I think I need to know something."

Jiraiya changed the subject, looking up at Pain and asking, "As far as I know, there's a masked guy in your Akatsuki organization who could very well be the legendary Uchiha Madara. I wonder if that's true or not."

"Furthermore, he also stole Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan. I don't know what that masked man is after." Jiraiya's expression hardened.

Upon hearing this, Nagato, who was standing behind him, was startled.

Nagato knew, of course, that the masked man was Uchiha Madara. He also knew of Konoha's Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi, but what Nagato didn't expect was that Madara would actually try to steal Kakashi's Sharingan. What was Madara trying to do?!

Madara already had the Sharingan, so why did he still try to steal Kakashi's Sharingan? Logically, Madara should have taken some Sharingan when the Uchiha clan was massacred!

But why... did Madara still target Kakashi? What was he thinking?

A host of mysteries lingered in Payne's mind.

“I need you to tell me, Nagato.” On the field, Jiraiya looked at Pain with a serious expression and asked.

Pain returned to reality, exchanged a glance with Konan, and then stepped forward to answer his teacher Jiraiya's question.

Pain spoke up, saying, "To be honest with Jiraiya-sensei, that Uchiha Madara does exist. He is still within the Akatsuki organization."

This news struck Jiraiya like a bolt from the blue, creating a ripple in his heart.

"Unbelievable, someone like Madara Uchiha is still alive."

Although Jiraiya was somewhat prepared, he still couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine upon hearing the news that Madara Uchiha was still alive.

There's no other reason than that the name Madara Uchiha was simply too famous in the ninja world.

Madara Uchiha... He was the founder of the Uchiha clan and a figure who existed from the very beginning of Konoha's founding. After such a figure defected from Konoha, not a single person chose to follow him; he was utterly abandoned by everyone.

Madara Uchiha then sought revenge against Konoha. In the battle at the Valley of the End, he challenged the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Madara was ultimately defeated and killed.

It's common knowledge that he was defeated by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. But... why is he still alive?

Chapter 79 will be left aside for now.

Jiraiya looked at Konan and Pain, "Have you ever seen Madara Uchiha's true face?"

Xiao Nan didn't react; she lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.

After careful consideration, Payne replied cautiously, "He always hides himself behind a mask and never shows his face."

Jiraiya questioned, "Since none of you have seen his true face, how can you be so sure that the masked man is Uchiha Madara?"

Nagato, who was behind the scenes, also found this strange. If the masked man was the legendary Uchiha Madara, there was no reason for him to be hiding in the organization! With his abilities, he had no need to worry about such things!

The masked man's public explanation was that the name Uchiha Madara was too famous, and it would be troublesome if the world knew that Uchiha Madara was still alive.

Nagato knew perfectly well that the masked man seemed to be wary of something, which was why he hadn't mentioned Uchiha Madara's name yet.

But if he wasn't Madara Uchiha, none of this makes sense! That masked man knew far too much, and he was so knowledgeable about his Rinnegan.

If he weren't Madara Uchiha, it would be impossible to explain why he knew so much.

However... it's no longer important to investigate these things now. Regardless of whether the masked man is Uchiha Madara or not, they now need Uchiha Madara's abilities to help them overcome the crisis of the meteorite impact.

Therefore... the masked man must not be moved, at least not until the crisis of the meteorite impact is over.

"He is Uchiha Madara! There is no need to discuss his identity any further."

Having figured this out, Pain looked directly into Jiraiya's eyes and said in a deep voice, "Although I don't know Madara's purpose in taking Kakashi's Sharingan, we do need his abilities right now."

"That Uchiha Madara who harbors hatred for Konoha is in Akatsuki. This will be a problem for Konoha, you know that?" Jiraiya's face darkened. He could trust his own disciples, but he couldn't trust the masked man who stole Kakashi's Sharingan at all.

Not to mention, regardless of whether the masked man is Uchiha Madara or not, it is certain that he harbors hatred towards Konoha. It can be said that Uchiha Madara committed various crimes against Konoha as a rogue ninja.

Jiraiya even suspected that the Nine-Tails' rampage several years ago was related to this masked man.

"We need Madara Uchiha's abilities to avert the impending meteorite impact."

Pain's calm voice rang in Jiraiya's ears, "Madara is the person in the organization I mentioned who possesses the ability to transcend dimensions. Without his dimension, our plan to avoid the meteorite impact would fail. I hope you can understand the importance of this matter, Jiraiya-sensei."