BOOM! BOOM!

The roar of two violent explosions ripped through the canyon almost simultaneously. Under the terrifying assault of the sage art, the bodies of the Preta and Naraka Paths were completely shattered, disintegrating into countless irreparable pieces.

"Success!" Sage Shima cried out in relief.

However, in the moment Jiraiya focused all his power to destroy the two Paths, he left himself wide open—a fatal flaw.

The Deva Path raised his hand indifferently. "Universal Pull!"

A powerful, irresistible suction force suddenly took hold of Jiraiya, pulling him uncontrollably toward the sky.

"Not good!" Jiraiya tried to fight against it, but the pull was too strong. At that same moment, the Asura Path suddenly broke through the three toads' assault, his arms morphing into a huge, serrated blade, slashing fiercely at the helpless Jiraiya as he was pulled through the air.

SCHLICK!

A spray of blood arced through the rain. Though Jiraiya had twisted his body desperately at the last second, his left arm was still severed at the shoulder by the Asura Path's cruel, serrated sword. The searing pain almost made him black out. Blood gushed from the wound like a fountain.

"Ah!" Sage Shima screamed in horror.

"Little Jiraiya!" Sage Fukasaku immediately sprayed out a stream of oil to block any follow-up attacks.

Jiraiya crashed heavily to the ground, his face instantly paling from the massive blood loss. He endured the agony, quickly using what little chakra he had left to seal the wound and stop the bleeding, but his ability to fight was now gone.

"That is enough, Jiraiya-sensei." The Deva Path slowly flew up, looking down at him condescendingly, the cold ripples of the Rinnegan still swirling in his eyes.

The three great toads tried to rush back to support him, but they were hopelessly entangled by the endless stream of beasts summoned by the Animal Path and the fierce barrage of firepower from the Asura Path. They themselves were already covered in grievous wounds. An atmosphere of utter despair began to spread across the ruined battlefield.

Jiraiya watched the Paths of Pain approach step by step, then glanced at the toads who were still fighting so desperately for him. A final, unbreakable resolve formed in his heart.

"Boss Fukasaku, Big Sister Shima…" Jiraiya's voice was hoarse with weakness and pain. "Help me buy one last moment… I must… I must get the information about the Rinnegan back to the village… back to Minato…"

He knew now that he would not be leaving this place alive. But even in death, he had to send back what he'd learned about Pain's abilities—especially the secret of the resurrection and the key fact that there was no "real body" among them—back to Konoha.

"I understand…" Sage Fukasaku looked at Jiraiya's resolute eyes, understood his final intention, and tears welled up in his own.

"Kids, fight!" Sage Shima screamed in grief and fury, beginning to concentrate all her remaining effort into her sage chakra, preparing to unleash one final genjutsu to buy Jiraiya time.

"Sage Art: Toad Confrontation Chant!"

Fukasaku and Shima put everything they had left into the attack, launching the frog song illusion once more. The sound waves spread. Without the Preta Path, it could not be absorbed, but the remaining Paths seemed prepared. Though their movements were affected, they did not stop completely.

The Deva Path shouted coldly, "A desperate struggle! Shinra Tensei!"

A powerful repulsive force burst out, instantly dispersing the genjutsu's sound waves and blasting the two sages off Jiraiya's shoulders. The force also slammed into Jiraiya, sending his already grievously injured body flying once more, breaking through the rock wall and plummeting toward the dark water below.

The cold of the rain and the river water instantly enveloped Jiraiya. His consciousness was fading rapidly, his body growing heavy and cold. The severe pain in his severed arm seemed to be going numb.

I'm going to die…

Jiraiya's consciousness began to blur, and memories of his past slowly began to appear before his eyes, like images in a turning kaleidoscope.