I Just Want to Protect Those Two

In the aftermath of the Second Shinobi World War, Jiraiya took the orphaned children of Amegakure under his wing. His instruction served two purposes: helping them fend for themselves, and guiding Nagato in drawing out the potential of his Rinnegan. Longing for an end to conflict, Jiraiya believed that a boy who bore the same eyes as the Sage of the Six Paths might one day bring the world together the way that legendary figure had. When their teacher moved on, the orphans embraced this mission, passing their youth spreading a message against war.

Hanzō, who ruled Amegakure, read the group's growing influence as a danger to his authority and seized Konan. He then forced a monstrous decision upon Nagato: end Yahiko's life or let Konan die. Rather than let his friend bear that burden, Yahiko took his own life, pressing his blade into Nagato's grip and leaving him the charge of their shared dream. The loss shattered something in Nagato, who came away convinced that negotiation alone could never secure lasting peace.

This is chapter 446, collected in volume 48 as part of the Pain's Assault arc. Viz Media released it in English under the title I Just Want to Protect Them. It first appeared in Weekly Shōnen Jump issue 24 of 2009, dated May 25, 2009.