Scenes from the past surfaced before Nagato's eyes. Images of his meeting with 'Grandpa' kept replaying in his mind, vivid as if they had happened yesterday.
'Yes, the invincible power Grandpa was displaying now must have come at a cost. That cost was his life, wasn't it?'
Their first meeting revealed he still had clan members in this world. To heal his leg injury, 'Grandpa' hadn't hesitated to expend his own life force. And now, he was going to sacrifice his life to deal with this powerful enemy, all to leave him with more strength.
"Grandpa!" By the time Naruto finished speaking, Nagato was in tears, sobbing uncontrollably. His voice was hoarse as he screamed, "Don't!"
"Nagato, don't cry. Don't grieve for me. My sacrifice is not meaningless."
"Open your eyes wide and take a good look at him."
"There are many enemies this powerful. They might return to this world in a few years, or maybe a dozen."
"Don't forget our ideals. Don't forget our unfinished convictions."
"Lastly... take care of my descendant for me, Naruto Uzumaki. He's one of the few clansmen you have left in this world."
"Farewell, my grandson."
"Farewell, Nagato."
After Naruto spoke, Nagato and the Akatsuki members were deeply shaken. Meanwhile, inside the Seal Space, Kurama was laughing hysterically.
Kurama's grin stretched ear to ear. 'You brat, aren't you afraid the Rinnegan kid will come after you when he finds out?'
Naruto shrugged. 'I'm thinking about the future. They need some motivation, otherwise they won't even be qualified to participate in the battles to come.'
Then he said to Goku, 'Sensei, I haven't learnt it myself yet, but in my current state, can I borrow the power of that technique?'
Goku replied, 'You should think carefully. You haven't succeeded in learning it yet. If you force that move now, even with your physique, you'll be laid up for a while. You can easily handle him without using this technique.'
It was possible, but unnecessary.
Naruto thought differently. 'I want to know exactly how strong that move is. At least I can get used to it in advance.'
Goku nodded. "Alright then."
"Kaio-ken!"
The next second, Naruto, enveloped in a golden aura, was instantly shrouded in crimson.
His power doubled once again.
"Kaio-what?" Isshiki asked in confusion.
Naruto struck a classic pose toward Isshiki, a white ball of light gathering in his palms. "Ka... me..."
"Ha... me..."
"Ha!"
"Wh-why? I can't absorb this power?!" Isshiki only had time to voice his confusion before he was utterly obliterated. Not even a speck of dust remained in the terrifying energy wave.
"Grandpa!" As Nagato shouted, as the whole area was engulfed in a sudden, blinding white light.
The world fell silent.
Three days later, Naruto lay on a bed in the Ninja Medical Team's hospital room. His body was wrapped in bandages, a look of frustration on his face. Hinata was tending to him with the gentle care of a Yamato Nadeshiko.
He knew the aftereffects of using the Kaio-ken were severe, placing a heavy burden on the body. He just hadn't realized the cost of forcing the technique would be this agonizing.
Even with Naruto's recovery ability, he had been laid up for three days just to barely recover.
Thinking about it, Goku's physical recovery ability as a child wasn't much worse than Naruto's. Yet, even as an adult, after using the Kaio-ken, he still ended up in bed.
(After the battle with Vegeta on Earth, where Goku forcibly activated the Kaio-ken times four, he was also hospitalized for nearly a month.)
During this time, Naruto repeatedly considered taking that Senzu Bean, but he resisted each time.
There was only one. Once used, it would be gone for good.
*Creeeak.*
The hospital room door opened. Sasuke and Neji walked in.
Seeing Naruto wrapped up like a mummy, their trembling shoulders betrayed their true feelings, even though their faces remained carefully blank.
They were barely hiding their satisfaction.
"You've finally met your match, Big Bro Asura." Sasuke couldn't hold back a snort of laughter.
After the Itachi incident, Sasuke had found the nickname rolling off his tongue more and more easily.
Neji chimed in from the side, "I hate to say it, but it's rare to see you in such a state."
"There was no other way. I forced myself to use power beyond my current limits." Naruto didn't seem to mind. With his current level of Yang Release proficiency, a few more days of rest would see him fully recovered.
A week later, Naruto was discharged from the hospital. Though his body still ached, he was essentially fine.
--**--**
Three months later.
In just three short months, the Shinobi World had transformed completely.
After the battle with Isshiki, Kumogakure had suffered heavy losses among its elite forces. Even the 'invincible' Raikage had become one of Sasori's puppets. The village never recovered from the blow.
Somehow getting wind of this, Onoki unilaterally tore up the Peace Treaty and launched a war against Kumogakure.
The brief period of peace in the Shinobi World was over.
But before the war could truly begin, a god descended from above and single-handedly crushed the entire Iwagakure force with apparent ease.
He forcibly stopped the war.
The man called himself the Incarnation of God, codename: Pain.
According to survivors of that battle, even the two Iwagakure Jinchuriki were defeated with one hand, and the Tsuchikage himself was no match for him.
Clearly, Nagato had gained control of the Otsutsuki power contained within the Karma.
With the power Nagato now wielded, he truly deserved the title of a god on Earth.
Next, this 'God' visited the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning in the same manner, 'persuading' both Kirigakure and the remaining Kumogakure forces.
Peace returned to the Shinobi World.
Of course, Pain's actions didn't stop there. With his appearance, the Akatsuki organization officially revealed itself.
Its core membership consisted of ten individuals, each reputed to possess power surpassing the Five Kage.
Under the ideal of 'Light of the Dawn, Ambassador of Peace,' and with the mission of maintaining peace in the Shinobi World, they began recruiting globally.
Many ambitious young people became peripheral members of the Akatsuki.
It was worth noting that Black Zetsu and Obito seemed to have vanished entirely. They had disappeared from the world, making it near impossible to find them.
Naruto estimated he would have to expand his sensory range across the entire planet before he could track them down.
However, the changes in the Shinobi World continued. A month ago, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind announced they would assist in restoring the Land of Whirlpools.
The new nation would not be located in its original territory, but on the former site of Konohagakure.
This sent shockwaves through the world.
Nearly everyone's attention turned to what was once Konoha.
But the village was no longer what it used to be. Even under the scrutiny of the entire Shinobi World, it remained in a state of complete lockdown. No matter how hard outsiders tried, infiltrating to gather information was impossible.
The mastermind behind it all, Naruto, had already turned his attention elsewhere.
"Naruto, we have news on that place you asked us to investigate."
"The ruins of the Roran Kingdom, the Ryumyaku!"
These paltry Otsutsuki aren't worthy of a rice cooker.
Now I understand the horror of Boruto, a graveyard for empires.
===============
Dear Readers and Fans,
For those eager to dive into next chapters earlier before others, I invite you to join us on Patreon. By becoming our Patron, you not only gain access to exclusive advanced chapters but also help us continue this endeavour and expand it further.
https://www.pat reon.com/8Ashes8
(no space)
You can read upto 7 Chapters in advance.