Unveiling the Truth

Naruto was seated in a dimly lit room, his shoulders tense, staring at Nagato, whose grave voice resonated through the walls.

— "Naruto, you must understand why we created Akatsuki," Nagato began, his gaze distant. "Jiraiya was our master, but his decisions caused more pain than he ever acknowledged. It's because of him that my best friend, Yahiko, was killed. It's this loss that pushed Konan and me to build Akatsuki."

Naruto listened, but he maintained a neutral expression. His instincts told him to remain on guard.

— "But Jiraiya-sensei wasn't a bad person," Naruto murmured, his eyebrows furrowed. "What you're saying... it doesn't match what I know about him."

Nagato slowly nodded, his eyes filled with sadness.

— "That's because you don't know everything, Naruto. You think Jiraiya trained you out of pure kindness? No. It was to condition you. He wanted to reinforce your loyalty towards Konoha. He saw you as a tool, a means to preserve this rotten system."

Naruto suddenly stood up, striking the table in front of him.

— "That's enough! I don't believe that! Jiraiya-sensei believed in me, he taught me to never give up."

Nagato remained calm, fixing his piercing gaze on Naruto.

— "Believe what you want, Naruto. But think about it: why do you think the Uzumaki clan has been systematically persecuted and destroyed? Why was your mother forced to bear the burden of being a Jinchūriki, just like you?"

Naruto felt his heart constrict. Nagato's questions echoed his own doubts, those he had always repressed.

— "We've freed you from that burden," Nagato continued. "Karin helped you, she rid you of that shackle. But if you don't believe me, why don't you go ask Jiraiya directly? He's in Ame right now, playing the spy for Konoha."

Naruto spent several hours ruminating on these words. He wanted to believe in Jiraiya, but doubts gnawed at him. Finally, he made his decision.

— "I have to know," he murmured to Karin.

Karin nodded, a mischievous smile on her face.

— "I knew you would make this decision. Go, Naruto. But be ready to hear truths that might break you."

Naruto left under the cover of night. The incessant rain of Amegakure seemed to reflect his troubled state of mind. After several hours of searching, he found Jiraiya in a discreet inn, busy writing on a scroll.

When Naruto opened the door, Jiraiya raised his eyes, and his face lit up with surprise and joy.

— "Naruto? By all the gods, you're alive!" he exclaimed, getting up. Then they hurriedly left the inn.

Naruto stood in the pouring rain of Amegakure, his gaze fixed on Jiraiya. The heavy silence that reigned between them was deafening, broken only by the raindrops crashing to the ground. Nagato and Karin's words were looping in his mind like an insidious poison. Anger, doubt, and pain fought for his heart.

— "Why?" Naruto murmured, his fists clenched.

Jiraiya frowned, confused.

— "Naruto, what are you talking about?"

— "What happened to the Uzumaki clan? Why was my mother forced to become the Jinchūriki of Kyûbi? Why did my father give his life for this village, and yet, I, his son, am treated like an outcast?"

Jiraiya, clearly taken aback, took a step back.

— "Naruto, it's not that simple..."

But Naruto interrupted him, his fists clenched.

— "Don't tell me it's complicated! Answer me, sensei! Were you Hanzo the Salamander's ally? Anyway, you can't lie to me, he even gave you the title of Sannin, you were like Orochimaru, ready to do anything for your own glory?"

Jiraiya seemed shocked by the accusations.

Naruto stood in the pouring rain of Amegakure, his gaze fixed on Jiraiya. The heavy silence that reigned between them was deafening, broken only by the raindrops crashing to the ground. Nagato and Karin's words were looping in his mind like an insidious poison. Anger, doubt, and pain fought for his heart.

— "Why?" Naruto murmured, his fists clenched.

Jiraiya frowned, confused.

— "Naruto, what are you talking about?"

— "Nagato! Karin! They told me the truth you've been hiding from me all along. That my mother, Kushina Uzumaki, was used as a weapon. That my father, Minato, sacrificed his life for Konoha, but that I, his son, was scorned, treated like a monster!"

Jiraiya opened his mouth to respond, but Naruto cut him off.

— "And you, Jiraiya... You knew everything, didn't you? You knew about the Uzumaki clan. You knew what Konoha did to my mother! Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Jiraiya sighed deeply, a crushing weight on his shoulders.

— "Naruto... It's not that simple. The Uzumaki clan was a target because of their power. All the villages united to destroy Uzushiogakure, and it's true, your mother was used as a jinchūriki... but it wasn't out of cruelty. It was to protect Konoha. She accepted that burden to preserve peace."

Naruto clenched his fists.

— "Protect Konoha?! And what about me? Who protected me? All I've known is loneliness, hateful looks... You used me as a tool, just like my mother!"

Jiraiya shook his head.

— "Naruto, I trained you to be strong, so that you could survive in this world. I never saw you as a tool!"

But Naruto was no longer listening.

— "And Nagato? Why did he become what he is today?"

Jiraiya averted his eyes, his expression marked by guilt and shock.

— "Nagato?! Where do you know him from?"