The screen quickly flashed through scenes: Chōji arriving at the Hokage Tower to report the intelligence to Tsunade; the sensor division searching for Nagato's main body; and the Six Paths of Pain searching across Konoha for Naruto.
But Naruto was still at Mount Myōboku training in Sage Mode, completely unaware of what was happening in the village.
Soon, the focus returned to Tendo Pain. Having failed to find Naruto, he finally arrived at the rooftop of the Hokage Tower. A circle of ANBU operatives surrounded the center, where the Fifth Hokage Tsunade was using her summoning slug to heal the villagers.
"It's been a long time, Lady Tsunade." Tendo Pain landed softly on the rooftop, the hem of his black-and-red cloak barely stirring. He made no move—only greeted her calmly, like an old acquaintance meeting again after many years.
"You are…" Tsunade's brow furrowed slightly as she stared at the face riddled with black rods.
She felt she had seen this face somewhere before.
"You are the last remaining of the Legendary Sannin. I wish to take a moment to speak with you."
Soon, Tsunade also recognized him, the young Yahiko who had blocked their path to beg for food in the Land of Rain back then. "You are that boy from back then…"
"It seems you remember me. Uzumaki Naruto… where is the Nine-Tails?"
Elsewhere, Human Path Pain had found Shizune. Its hand pressed down on Shizune's head, and her soul drifted out like a wisp of smoke. Her memories flashed through Human Path Pain's mind, and soon it learned that Naruto was training at Mount Myōboku.
Human Path Pain withdrew its hand, and Shizune's body collapsed like a puppet, unconscious.
This information was relayed to Tendo Pain through some secret connection. Tendo Pain, who had originally wanted to chat with Tsunade, immediately lost interest and turned to leave. Since his objective was to capture the Nine-Tails, and it wasn't here, there was no point in staying.
But just as he turned, he paused—with his back to Tsunade—and said he had one last question to ask.
[Here it comes, the arrogance unique to the great nations.]
[At this point, after learning that Naruto wasn't in Konoha, Nagato was already prepared to leave. But then Tsunade said, "We of the Great Nations have had our share of pain!" That single sentence provoked Tendo Pain enough to drop a full-scale Shinra Tensei on the entire village.]
[On the surface, it seems like Tendo Pain is the one losing his temper while Tsunade is running her mouth. But in reality, it's the reverse—Tendo Pain is the one delivering the verbal blow, and Tsunade is the one being provoked.]
[After all, Tsunade does have every right to say that. The Second Great Ninja War was started by Amegakure, under the leadership of Hanzo the Salamander, who initiated conflict against the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Iron.]
[The only reason the Land of Rain became the main battlefield was because it was sandwiched between several great nations. So in the end, the Land of Rain suffered the heaviest losses, and children like Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan became orphans.]
[But from Tsunade's perspective, it's even more frustrating. A small nation's leader, on a whim, invaded her homeland—resulting in the deaths of her lover and her younger brother in that very war. She herself developed a crippling fear of blood and was forced to all but abandon her life as a shinobi. Her pain was no less than Nagato's. And if not for Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu, she might still be wandering the world gambling to this day.]
[Yet decades later, the orphan she once compassionately fed in enemy territory, and who was also a disciple painstakingly trained by her teammate, who nearly risked being branded a traitor for him, not only killed his teacher, but came to Konoha and blamed everything on the great nations' invasion.]
[Like WTF?! Anyone in Tsunade's position would be dumbfounded.]
[In this situation, as Hokage, the ideal move would have been to avoid provoking Tendo Pain. But Tsunade being herself, she simply couldn't hold back.]
[And you have to realize that Konoha occupies the most fertile land in the Shinobi World. So to put it bluntly, it's the wealthy one, while other villages are the poorer ones. Which means war is absolutely the most costly thing for Konoha, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't fight back when attacked, does it?]
[In reality, Tendo Pain's impulsive use of a full-scale Shinra Tensei was a strategic misstep. That move put his ability on cooldown and weakened the other Paths—ultimately laying the groundwork for his eventual defeat.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Amegakure, High Tower]
The light rain gradually grew heavier, from a drizzle to fat drops of water that pelted Nagato's body, splashing into tiny sprays.
His red hair was soaked, plastered against his cheeks, his clothes mostly drenched, but he sat motionless in his wheelchair, eyes fixed on the screen, the grey sky reflecting in his purple Rinnegan.
Nagato made no comment on the screen's narration.
Yahiko was dead, and he no longer cared about who was right or wrong. His only goal was to finish what Yahiko had started—to bring true peace to the Shinobi World.
Arguments about whose suffering was greater were meaningless to him. The pain of the world was equal; everyone believed they had it the worst. But the truly worst off were already dead. The living were just comparing who had the uglier scars.
Still, Tsunade's words on the screen truly grated on him.
'We of the Great Nations have had our share of pain.' Had the great nations suffered as much as the small ones? The great nations fought their wars on foreign soil. But the small nations' homes were crushed again and again.
A cold light flickered in his eyes, then dimmed just as quickly. Forget it. There was no point in saying all these things anymore.
Nagato looked down at his own withered hands. Even someone as powerful as he was now felt a deep sense of loss after learning that the Rinnegan was not truly his.
If he had never known about the Ōtsutsuki and other Six Paths-level beings, it would have been fine. After all, ignorance is a kind of bliss; at least he could have pushed forward with his plan with unwavering conviction.
But with each revelation from the screen, with the limitations of his own power laid bare, Nagato grew uncertain about the future. Should he continue with the Eye of the Moon Plan? Should he prepare against the Ōtsutsuki? Or should he join forces with Konoha?
Entrusting the future to others was not something he was willing to do. And based on earlier intelligence, Uzumaki Naruto had not achieved true peace—he had merely done what Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, had done: suppressed the Shinobi World with overwhelming force.
And after Naruto died, the wars would resume.
Nagato closed his eyes, rain streaming down his nose and dripping onto his knees.
He refused to place his hope in any prophecy. His destiny, was his to control.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Land of Waves]
Jiraiya sat cross-legged on the ground, watching the exchange between Tsunade and Nagato on the screen, his heart heavy with emotion.
His brow furrowed slightly, his gaze drifting into the distance, as if looking far beyond the screen.
Was Tsunade wrong? No.
Was Nagato wrong? Also No.
What was wrong was the twisted Shinobi World itself. The great nations fought their wars on the lands of the small for their own gain; the small nations, in turn, invaded the great nations for theirs. Hatred snowballed, growing ever larger, with no end in sight.
At that thought, a pang of sadness struck Jiraiya.
And even Nagato's Rinnegan had all been part of someone else's plan. It seemed there was a hidden hand pulling the strings of his life. That child had never truly been free since the day he was born.
'I just hope Naruto really can change this world.'
The Child of Prophecy, the goal he had pursued all his life, the hope for peace in the Shinobi World.
It wasn't that he didn't want to pursue peace himself, but he knew his limits. His strength was only at the Kage-level, and he couldn't single-handedly take on a village like Nagato could.
And with Six Paths-level beings hiding in the shadows, he alone simply wasn't enough, so he could only place his hopes on Naruto.
'Naruto... don't let me down.'
Meanwhile, on the screen.
After Tendo Pain unleashed Shinra Tensei, the entire village of Konoha was reduced to a massive crater.
As the dust and smoke cleared, Sakura was spat out by Katsuyu, largely unharmed thanks to the slug's protection.
She braced herself on the ground, slowly kneeling up, her legs trembling, her knees weak. Then she raised her head and looked around at the devastated ruins of Konoha, her face a mask of disbelief.
"Wh-What is this? How could this hap—"
"Naruto… Hurry…"
"Please, Naruto!!!" Sakura's desperate cry tore through the air.
*****
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