Chapter 202
(Present Time)
When Jiraiya and Tsunade were knocked back, Tendō tossed aside a fallen teammate like trash. Tsunade's fists clenched in fury, as if she might rush in and fight to the death at any second.
But it was Jiraiya who looked even more stunned. He stared at Tendō's face and struggled to match it with the boy from his memories.
Scraps of paper floated through the air, swirling until they formed Konan's figure beside Tendō. Jiraiya could no longer deny the truth.
"Yahiko... Konan..." His voice was filled with mixed emotions. He couldn't understand why the war orphans he'd raised—his own disciples—would create the Akatsuki. Their goals completely contradicted the peace he'd taught them to seek.
"Sensei Jiraiya, only through pain can people truly understand peace," Tendō said calmly. "If they've never felt the suffering of war, they'll never understand one another. That's why... I'll bring pain to the world. Let the world feel what I've felt. Only then can true understanding exist... only then can peace be real."
Tendō had no regrets. He believed this path—spreading pain—was the only road to peace. And he would walk it to the end.
"Yahiko, no matter what you say, I won't let you destroy Konoha. As your master, it's my duty to bring you back to the right path."
White smoke billowed at Jiraiya's feet, and a massive toad appeared—wearing a shirt, holding a pipe, and gripping a blade. Without hesitation, it slashed at the muddy three-headed dog.
"Tsunade! Go treat the wounded! Their target is Naruto!" Jiraiya shouted, worried she might lose control and charge straight into the fight.
Tsunade's fists slowly relaxed. She turned and summoned a massive white slug, which split into countless smaller slugs that scattered across the battlefield, tending to the wounded.