« The Great lord Elder prophesied that I would be the one to guide the revolution. A person who would make a great choice that will bring either peace or destruction to the world of the shinobi. »
An epic moment that we decided to immortalize through the realization of a 1/8 HQS statue by Tsume, paying tribute to the heroic legendary ninja! Very dynamic, the statue emphasises the intense emotion felt in the heart of the action, like a freeze frame: that of one ultimate heartbeat, a last will that will change the course of the future …
The scene takes place in Nagato’s original village : Ame, the Village Hidden in the Rain. Indeed, behind the rock plate where Jiraiya is agonizing, we find imposing line pipe and grids, covered with a metallic paint mixing copper, brown, black and gray shades for a realistic rendering. Under the effect of the 5 ninjas’ powerful attack, the water in bluish transparent resin is unleashing, creating scum. The legendary ninja begins what he thinks to be his ultimate fight: the time of his great choice has come! Determined to unmask Pain, he recognizes Yahiko, one of his former students having lost his live. As Tendô, he wears Pain’s violet ring on his thumb and takes the role of leader, being above the 4 other ninjas.
These former shinobis were all once defeated by Jiraiya. They wear the long black robe with the Akatsuki symbol, painted with black, gray and dark red shades, then covered with a matte varnish to be faithful to the license. Their hair is painted in a gradient of light and darker orange while their barred headband indicates that they have deserted the Village Hidden in the Rain. Their pupils are formed of gray and purple concentric circles … The dōjutsu Rinnegan … Nagato! The dozens of metal piercings implanted in the corpses of the ninjas, serve as emitters and receivers of chakra, allowing Nagato to remotely control them … While Jiraiya finally gets his answer, 5 spears pierce his back, staining his long white hair with blood. Lying in a pool of his own blood, in reddish and varnished transparent resin, the condemned ninja remembers Naruto’s unwavering determination … A memory allowing his heart to beat one last time to finally carry out his mission. Grimacing with his bloody mouth, showing a glassy but determined look, he uses the chakra in bluish transparent resin emanating from his fingertip, to engrave a coded message on Fukasaku’s back. Here, we notice his arm pierced by the spear of the 6th Pain he killed. The toad, just like Jiraiya, shows an expression of both pain and obstinacy: it became the key to stop Pain, ready to deliver this crucial message … While Jiraiya is slowly dying, the 5 Pain pounce on him to put a definitive end to his life, their robe thrown back due to the speed of movement.
His duty accomplished, the legendary ninja lets himself be serenely dragged to the abyssal depths. Jiraiya’s last thoughts are about his next novel, which he decides to call “The Story of Naruto Uzumaki”, because he is absolutely sure now : here is the Child of the Prophecy!
Trivia
The Akatsuki symbol, consisting of red clouds, is a reference to the “wars that rained red on the Village Hidden in the Rain”, Ame, whose Pain is the leader, until his death.
The statue comes with a numbered plate and a certificate of authenticity.
© 2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO / 2007 SHIPPUDEN
