Board Thread:Versus Debates/@comment-36351381-20180802192015/@comment-34194151-20180808225733

Not really, While jiriaiya ran away into the pipes and was prepping/strategizing, animal realm summoned the other pains and left them behind. The 3 origninal pains go seek out jiriaiya to see what he had planned. Jiraiya outmanuvered him and actually caught him in genjutsu, to nagato's suprise.

The reason Nagato says Jiraiya could have won in that situation is that if he knew there were 3 other pains + Nagato, jiriaiya would have been able to kill them all with frog song before nagato would be able to break free. Then Jiraiya could have went to a crippled nagato who would be under the effects of his genjutsu and finish him. But since Jiriaiya only knew there were 3, he released the genjutsu. Nagato was then able to have the other 3 paths come and blitz him.