The light seemed to return as Nagato stood up directly from his wheelchair. With a motion of his hand, he manipulated gravity and ascended into the sky.
His Rinnegan flared, and waves of terrifying chakra pulsed from his eyes.
At this moment, the legendary dōjutsu revealed its true might.
The Rinnegan present in the Six Paths of Pain was merely a projection, a remote conduit. It could never compare to the true body housing the Rinnegan.
Ever since summoning the Gedo Statue, Nagato's physical condition had deteriorated greatly. To conserve chakra and life force, he refrained from using the Rinnegan except to maintain the Six Paths.
Uchiha Kiyo's Sharingan sent waves of warning through his mind, highlighting the immense disparity in ocular power between them.
"So this is the true Rinnegan," he muttered. "Its chakra pressure completely eclipses the Mangekyō."
Despite the strain on his own eyes, Uchiha Kiyo did not deactivate his Sharingan. Instead, he activated his Mangekyō, focusing intently on every detail of Nagato's movements. He recorded each intricate chakra flow, every shift in hand seal, and the essence of Nagato himself. With the Sharingan's copy ability, he attempted to etch it all into his mind.
However, the Reanimation Jutsu—more precisely, the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique—was immensely complex. Even Uchiha Kiyo couldn't memorize everything in one glance.
He was unsure if he could ever perform the jutsu himself, but such a powerful resurrection ability warranted deeper study. The seals, chakra nature, and activation method might still hold valuable insights.
There were numerous hand seals involved, yet Nagato's hands moved with practiced speed, completing the technique in mere seconds.
A few seconds in battle passed in a blink.
As Nagato completed the final seal, a surge of chakra rippled out. Across the ruins of Konoha, the corpses began to stir. Broken bodies healed, blood returned to circulation, and lifeless eyes blinked open with confusion. One by one, the dead sat up, unsure of what had happened.
Witnessing the resurrection of so many, Nagato let out a weak, yet relieved smile.
Uchiha Kiyo watched, frowning.
This man must have lost his mind. He was clearly dying, and yet he spent his last moments reviving the very village he'd tried to destroy.
What was he thinking?
Still, Uchiha Kiyo's main focus wasn't on Nagato's motivations. His attention remained on the technique.
Compared to standard Reanimation techniques, the Samsara of Heavenly Life transferred life force far more subtly. Rather than sacrificing the user's entire vitality, it seemed to draw from another source—likely natural energy.
It was a technique far beyond the capabilities of ordinary shinobi.
This only emphasized the terrifying power of the Rinnegan.
Uchiha Madara, after reviving himself using Izanagi, awakened the Rinnegan in old age and directly accessed these techniques. Nagato must have inherited them through the Rinnegan as well.
"So the Rinnegan itself serves as a repository of inheritance," Uchiha Kiyo analyzed.
"All Mangekyō Sharingan have rule-associated abilities. The Rinnegan likely connects to a far greater set of cosmic rules. There must be a specific 'Reincarnation Rule' tied to the Rinnegan, holding these jutsu within. The deeper one's resonance with the eye, the more techniques one can access."
As for who etched these rules into the eye, Uchiha Kiyo surmised it had to be either the Otsutsuki clan or the Sage of Six Paths himself.
"If it's a legacy of the Sage... then everything changes."
Uchiha Kiyo believed the Sage of Six Paths held multiple rules—Yin Release, Yang Release, and possibly more.
He remembered how the Sage granted Naruto and Sasuke the powers of Yin and Yang Release respectively. That meant he could bestow rule-based powers. He couldn't have done so unless he had complete control over those rules himself.
But Uchiha Kiyo doubted the Sage was self-sacrificing out of altruism. No, such a dangerous act—giving power to others—must have had deeper intentions.
Nagato fell to the ground, lifeless.
Uchiha Kiyo didn't move.
Konan and the others were still nearby. Even if he could take them, it would come at a cost.
Jiraiya and Naruto both possessed Sage Mode, Tsunade had unleashed her Yin Seal, Konan had access to her Paper Ocean—an ultimate jutsu with over 600 billion explosive tags—and the two Great Toad Sages from Mount Myōboku were present as well.
Six against three. Not even his clone techniques could turn the tide.
Thus, Uchiha Kiyo didn't speak or act. He simply vanished.
Jiraiya waited, confused, until he realized that Uchiha Kiyo had already disappeared, along with the two other members of the Immortal Organization.
"Konan, take Nagato's body," Jiraiya instructed at last.
Staring at his former student, he felt no hatred—only sorrow. He couldn't bring himself to strike.
"And be cautious around Uchiha Kiyo," he warned. "He didn't show up here just to stop you. He must be after the Rinnegan. But he's not ready to make his move."
Konan nodded silently and carried Nagato's body away from Konoha.
Everyone saw through Uchiha Kiyo's intent, though they didn't understand his sudden intervention.
But Konan had an idea.
Uchiha Kiyo had acted only after Tobi (Obito) appeared. The others may have thought the Akatsuki were unified, but Konan knew otherwise—Tobi also desired the Rinnegan.
So when Tobi made his move, Uchiha Kiyo was forced to interfere.
That explained why Kiyo acted so suddenly, then withdrew. He hadn't fought directly afterward. It was clear he had a plan, but Tobi's appearance forced an improvisation.
Konan returned to the Land of Rain with Nagato's body. On her way back, she encountered no attacks.
However, Uchiha Kiyo was secretly trailing her.
He didn't act—not yet. He planned to wait for Obito to make his move. After all, no one wanted to face 600 billion explosive tags.
He only followed to observe and ensure he wasn't outmaneuvered. In the original timeline, Obito acted post-Akatsuki dissolution. But here, events diverged.
In the battle just now, Uchiha Kiyo had done nothing to truly harm Obito. The latter retained half of White Zetsu's body, had ample chakra, and was far from exhausted.
Back in Konoha—
After seeing Konan off, Jiraiya and the others returned to the ruins of the village. As he surveyed the destruction, a deep sadness weighed on his heart.
Still, the fact that the dead were revived brought solace. Buildings could be rebuilt. Lives could not.
Strangely, no one brought up removing the "Sin" marker on the village barrier. Perhaps they had grown used to its presence, or perhaps they feared that wiping it away would invite another attack from Uchiha Kiyo.
Until he was dealt with, the mark remained—a symbol of unfinished business.
Of all those grieving, Yamato seemed the most distressed.
His workload had already been overwhelming. He had just reconstructed the village a few days ago. Now, it had to be done all over again.
"I can't take this anymore," he muttered under his breath.
After establishing the initial recovery efforts, the village's leaders gathered in the Hokage's office. Tsunade summoned the heads of every clan for a critical meeting.
"You've all seen what happened," she began. "The leader of the Akatsuki, Pain, attacked Konoha to capture the Nine-Tails. But he failed—and now he's dead."
"But I didn't call you here just for that. There's a more urgent issue."
"From the intel we gathered during this attack, Akatsuki has already captured at least six tailed beasts."
"Their leader may be gone, but the organization persists. A hidden hand still operates from the shadows."
No one questioned the source of her intelligence. Tsunade's tone left no room for doubt.
The gravity of her words settled over the room like a storm cloud.
Another war was coming.
And it wasn't between nations. It would be against Akatsuki—and the true mastermind pulling its strings.
The older shinobi, veterans of the Third Great Ninja War, were especially affected. Memories of that brutal conflict resurfaced.
Tsunade continued.
"Uchiha Kiyo also played a role in this battle. He did not strike against us—but that doesn't mean we're allies. We cannot afford to let our guard down."
"His past actions may have been vengeance-driven. Regardless, we will not reward or recognize him."
"But we will not provoke him either. If you see him outside the village—do not engage. Avoid conflict unless absolutely necessary."