Naruto: Manipulation-Chapter 142: I Want to Avenge Him in Yahiko’s Name…

At the Konoha Ninja Academy, this year's graduates had been assigned to their respective teams.

Twelve-year-old Uzumaki Naruto was quite happy to be placed in Team 7. One of his teammates was his good friend Uchiha Sasuke, and the other was the pink-haired girl he had a crush on—Haruno Sakura.

Sasuke didn't particularly care who his teammates were, but he was in a decent mood when he saw Naruto, as they had been training together for a long time.

As for Sakura...

She would occasionally steal happy glances at Sasuke and, at other times, look enviously at Naruto. After all, she had learned about Naruto's background.

His luck was unbelievable...

Once despised by the entire village, Naruto's parents were revealed to be heroes of Konoha. This revelation changed how many people viewed him.

Some even...

Felt guilty and started showing him more compassion.

Of course, a few questioned why the village leadership had hidden Naruto's lineage, but Konoha's higher-ups didn't offer much of a response. Their perspective was simple:

The Hokage's son. The son of a hero.

These titles meant nothing to Naruto.

The village elders often ignored the fact that he was only twelve years old. They judged his experiences through the lens of their own decades of hardship.

To them, a child enduring such struggles wasn't unusual.

Every Jinchūriki went through this.

In fact, so did every orphan in the ninja world.

Ninjas had to suffer, endure pain, and push through countless obstacles—only by overcoming hardship could one truly become strong.

At least...

That was how Jiraiya saw it.

Having lost his parents in war at a young age, Jiraiya's childhood was harsh. The systems in Konoha back then were far from perfect.

Now, at fifty years old, Jiraiya looked back on his youth as nothing more than an interesting Chapter in his life—one far less tragic than some horrors he had witnessed.

Compared to others, Naruto's suffering...

Was nothing but a drizzle.

In fact, Naruto's pain paled in comparison to his future mentor, Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi's life was a road littered with thorns—gaining precious things only to lose them again and again, as if fate had destined him to walk alone.

When Shigen heard Jiraiya's philosophy, he disagreed.

"You people always seem to think suffering isn't a bad thing..."

"Is that wrong?"

Jiraiya scratched his head, puzzled by Shigen's objection. "That's just how life is..."

"But..."

Shigen glanced at the Konoha Hospital, where his philosophy of medical ninjutsu was engraved for future generations. In a soft voice, he said:

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

"The true purpose of chakra should be to free people from suffering."

"I see."

Jiraiya immediately understood what Shigen meant. But as he thought about the prophecy of the Child of Destiny, he sighed.

"But Naruto... isn't just some ordinary person who needs to be freed from suffering. He's the one who can change the world. The one who can end suffering..."

Just like in Konoha, where jonin and genin had different responsibilities, different people were meant for different paths.

As one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya had his own duty—to guide Naruto into becoming the one who would bring peace.

"Tsunade."

"I need to leave the village for a while."

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, who was reclining on a chair in the hospital, writing on a scroll. He spoke in a low voice.

"I want to investigate Orochimaru."

It was the perfect time.

Naruto had just become a ninja and needed time under Kakashi to learn the basics. That meant Jiraiya had a brief window to act.

This wasn't a request for permission.

It was a courtesy—a notice to a comrade.

Jiraiya had already discussed this with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the old man had agreed, only instructing him to return before the upcoming Chunin Exams.

After all...

The Chunin Exams would be a major event.

All of Konoha's allies would be attending.

Hiruzen wanted his two students present. Three Kage-level figures would be a strong deterrent against any hidden threats.

But...

These exams would not be peaceful.

Many had their eyes on them.

Some were even working in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to turn the exams into a battlefield.

The Land of Rice Fields.

Inside Orochimaru's base.

After Kabuto retrieved a mask from the Uzumaki Clan, Orochimaru sacrificed one of his subordinates to use the mask's power—summoning the souls of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, from the Reaper's grasp.

"Finally..."

"It's time to make our move."

On Orochimaru's table lay three different samples.

Senju Hashirama's cells.

Remains of Senju Tobirama.

Remains of Minato Namikaze.

Their souls had been summoned.

Their bodies were ready.

And...

The necessary sacrifices had been prepared.

"The First, Second, and Fourth Hokage..."

Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Uchiha Obito.

"All that's left is the right opportunity—to reveal Shigen's true identity and force the three Hokage to eliminate him as a threat to the ninja world."

The upcoming Chunin Exams...

Would provide the perfect stage.

It would allow them to infiltrate Konoha and set everything in motion.

Besides...

Obito had brought an interesting piece of information.

Because of the scale of the exams, Konoha's allies—like the Sand Village and smaller nations such as Takigakure and Amegakure—would all be participating.

"A double-edged sword..."

Obito smirked coldly.

"Hanzo of the Salamander is dead. Amegakure is now under Nagato's control."

"I don't know what Nagato is planning, but according to intel from the Akatsuki, he intends to use the Chunin Exams to infiltrate Konoha and assassinate Danzo."

"!!!"

Orochimaru's expression froze.

This...

Could be either a blessing or a curse.

If they could exploit Nagato's plan, they might force Shigen to intervene—exposing him as an enemy of the ninja world.

At that point...

Shigen would be public enemy number one.

Of course, it was risky.

Shigen was already powerful.

And with Nagato...

This battle needed to be planned carefully.

Fighting two Rinnegan users was no small matter. Even Orochimaru had to consider the possibility of failure.

But...

Obito didn't care about risks.

He had waited long enough. His Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan gave him near-invulnerability, making him confident in their success.

"Our window is small."

Obito reminded Orochimaru again, hoping he understood their situation.

"If we wait too long... we lose our chance."

"Don't forget."

"To deal with Shigen..."

"You'll need the full power of three resurrected Hokage. But if we don't attack Konoha, those resurrected Hokage might not even fight for us."

"Relax."

Orochimaru chuckled, his snake-like eyes gleaming coldly.

"I'll plan this carefully."

"It has to be flawless."

"Because if we betray that man and fail to eliminate him..."

"The consequences will be his wrath."

Amegakure.

A village of steel and concrete.

At its highest tower, Pain, Nagato, and Konan gathered to discuss the Chunin Exams.

And...

The assassination of Danzo.

"Nagato."

Konan took a deep breath, worried about the risks.

"Isn't this too dangerous?"

She furrowed her brows, speaking softly.

"We should be patient. Once the Three-Tails revives, we can follow Shigen's plan to collect the Tailed Beasts and bring peace to the world..."

"Konan."

Pain gazed over the rain-soaked village, his voice cold.

"Haven't you realized yet?"

"Ninja world peace..."

Nagato, standing beside Pain, spoke gently.

"That burden already rests on Shigen's shoulders. We don't need to do more."

Now...

With Shigen, Nagato no longer needed Pain to be a god.

Now...

Nagato was just a normal ninja.

And as a normal ninja, there was one thing he had to do.

Avenge Yahiko.

"This is my decision."

Pain's voice was icy.

"This time, I will not act as Pain."

"I will act as Yahiko—and avenge him in his name."

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