Minato Namikaze was utterly mortified, cold sweat pouring down his face. He thought to himself: Obito, why did you have to snap out of it right now, of all times? Why did you have to make such a scene in front of the First Hokage-sama and the Second Hokage-sama?!
This problem can't be solved. Solve it, and your teacher is done for.
"Hahahaha, if you put it that way, it's true that the Fourth Hokage's seniority is higher than mine and Tobirama's."
But alas, beside him stood the First Hokage, who was backstabbing him... For heaven's sake, check Tobirama-sama's expression before you speak!!
Just revived via Edo Tensei, Jiraiya tilted his head.
"Minato, what's with the cryptic talk?"
"This explanation is a bit complex," the Edo Tensei Fourth Hokage said. "Simply put, Naruto is likely the reincarnation of the Sage of the Six Paths' son."
"!!!!"
Jiraiya, along with Yahiko and the gathered Konoha ninjas, all turned to stare at Minato Namikaze. Seeing their shock, Minato hastily waved his hands.
"I have absolutely no connection to the Sage of the Six Paths. I certainly couldn't be his reincarnation. Don't misunderstand."
Yahiko gasped in shock.
"Then isn't it just a legend? The Sage of the Six Paths actually existed?!"
The Edo Tensei Fourth Hokage nodded.
"Although I never saw him myself, it seems to be true." The one who had actually seen the Sage of Six Paths was Minato from the Kannabi Bridge parallel world.
Deep within the distant fake paper tree, Nagato spoke to Naruto Uzumaki.
"Jiraiya-sensei once believed I was the reincarnation of the Sage of the Six Paths. He held great expectations for me, hoping I could lead humanity toward peace."
"Then, Jiraiya-sensei left. With Yahiko as our leader, we began our activities in the Land of Rain. Back then, we were utterly naive in our belief that peace could be built without relying on force—yes, just as naive as you all are now."
Naruto Uzumaki: "..."
"But as the organization grew, it drew the attention of Hanzō of the Salamander."
"Attention ...?" Naruto asked.
Nagato: "He feigned telling me he had found a way to facilitate peace talks between Konoha, Suna, Iwa, and Ame—four major powers."
"But this time, the negotiations required our organization's help..."
"Back then, we were roughly the same age as you are now—still just a bunch of kids blinded by dreams and ideals, oblivious to the harsh realities."
"....." Naruto's expression darkened.
"What exactly happened that day?"
Nagato: "There was no peace talk plan at all. It was all a conspiracy by Hanzō of Amegakure and Danzo of Konoha!"
"Danzo?" Naruto exclaimed urgently. This man was one of the Hokage's advisors, who had always looked at him with contempt, as if he were some kind of animal. Naturally, Naruto harbored no fondness for Danzo.
"On the day of the negotiations," Nagato continued, "we weren't met by Konoha, Suna, Iwa, or Ame—no, the four major powers. Instead, we were ambushed by Konoha's ANBU and Danzo's men."
"They threatened me and Yahiko with Konan's life, forcing us to fight each other! To protect me and Konan, Yahiko threw himself onto my kunai..."
"He took his own life."
Naruto's expression darkened as he listened.
"So Deva Path Pain used Yahiko's body, right?"
"Correct."
"Before he died, Yahiko told me and Konan to live on. He said I was the savior of the ninja world."
"But!"
Nagato's tone shifted abruptly.
"Compared to me, Yahiko was Akatsuki's core! Whether it was me, Konan, or everyone else in Akatsuki—we all acted according to Yahiko's will! Yahiko is our sun!!!"
After delivering this intense speech, Nagato's breathing sounded like an old blower, wheezing and gasping for air.
Far away in Konohagakure, Yahiko and Jiraiya listened in silence.
Moments later, Yahiko once again requested to meet Nagato.
But as expected, the Second Hokage rejected the request.
"If things go as planned, you should be able to see him again soon," said Tobirama Senju. "If he survives, he should return to Konoha afterward. If not... I will release you from the Edo Tensei Reincarnation technique and allow you to meet him in the Pure Land."
Yahiko froze. He couldn't imagine any way to survive in the current situation.
The Akatsuki was already notorious, and both he and Nagato had signed their own death warrants across all major ninja villages. In this scenario, was there really any way out?
Nagato's words alone could never capture the depth of despair they had felt in that moment.
He had awakened Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in.
He had summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
When he failed to absorb it, it exposed his Rinnegan, leading to the annihilation of everyone present.
That kind of despair was perhaps most understood by the "masked man," who had experienced something similar.
The sly pair, Hanzō of the Salamander and Danzō, had escaped. Their subordinates, however, became the short-lived victims of this miscalculation.
"Yahiko was my savior. He was my dream, the god I believed could save us. He was the one I was willing to risk my life to protect!"
Yahiko: ...
Jiraiya: ...
Konoha ninjas: ...
Young Obito Uchiha: This familiar formula... this familiar taste.
Nagato: "The moment Yahiko died, after this painful lesson, I finally saw through the system of this ninja world, saw the pitiful nature of humanity! I saw that mutual understanding doesn't truly exist between people..."
"Only terror and fear can bring peace to this world."
"Do you understand now? Your hypocritical peace in Konoha comes at the cost of our Amegakure's sacrifices!"
"This is the narrow-minded peace you know."
"What you call peace is actually violence, aggression, sacrifice, and the endless agony of losing those dear to us!"
Hearing the conversation between Nagato and Naruto relayed by Katsuyu, the Konoha ninjas couldn't help but wonder: how would Naruto respond to a man like Nagato?
If it weren't Naruto speaking, but themselves, how would they respond to this chain of hatred?
"I still can't forgive you."
Naruto Uzumaki spoke.
Nagato: "Then let the fighting continue."
Naruto: "But..."
Suddenly, Naruto shifted his tone. "The Pervy Sage entrusted everything to me, so I intend to try believing in what he once held so deeply."
What Nagato and Konan couldn't understand was why Naruto pulled a book from his ninja pouch.
Katsuyu relayed this information in real-time: "Naruto has taken out a book—The Legend of Gutsy Ninja. I remember it's the one Jiraiya wrote in the genjutsu."
Edo Tensei Minato Namikaze: "Correct. Naruto's name originates from that very book."
"What is Naruto doing pulling out my book at a time like this?" Edo Tensei Jiraiya also seemed puzzled.
Yahiko froze in the darkness: "Jiraiya-sensei's book?"
Within the shadowy Sacred Paper Emissary Jutsu, Nagato muttered: "The thing Jiraiya-sensei believed in so deeply?"
He assumed Naruto was referring to Jiraiya's belief that Naruto was the Child of the Prophecy.
"Are you kidding me?! Is that your answer? You want us to abandon the peace within our grasp and just wait? Wait for you, some clueless kid, to figure out the path to peace?!!"
"Naive! At this point, would you still believe Jiraiya-sensei's words?!! True peace doesn't exist! As long as we live in this cursed world, that thing is impossible!"
"Then..."
Naruto's sudden retort left the distant Edo Tensei Minato Namikaze, Edo Tensei Jiraiya, Edo Tensei Yahiko, and the present Nagato completely frozen in place!
"Then, I will break this curse."
"If peace truly exists, I will grasp it firmly in my hands!"
"I will never give up!"
...
"This... these lines!!"
The white-haired Toad Sage, brought back through the Edo Tensei Reincarnation technique, was overcome with excitement! He could hardly believe it—the conversation between Nagato and Naruto... Wasn't it—
"It's Naruto's lines!" Minato Namikaze said. "The protagonist of The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi! These are words Naruto once spoke to his enemies."
"Exactly. All of our dialogue comes straight from this book."
Naruto lifted the book in his hands. The poorly-selling Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi was the Pervy Sage's debut novel—a work he later became too embarrassed to talk about.
"I read this book after the Pervy Sage sacrificed himself. I realized he really wanted to use it to change the world."
Naruto Uzumaki opened the book. "In the afterword, he wrote about his disciples. He said the ending of this book was inspired by one of them."
"That disciple was you..."
"—Nagato."
"!!!!"
Nagato's pupils dilated in shock. "How could that be..."
Those were the very words he had once spoken to Jiraiya-sensei—
…
'If peace truly exists, then I will grasp it tightly.'
'Compared to methods, believing in it is far more important.'
Naruto's voice cut through his thoughts.
"What I meant was, I'm willing to believe in what Jiraiya-sensei held so deeply..."
"Ah! Nagato, you've given me brilliant inspiration! I can write a great book now!"
"Eh? A book?"
"Yes, yes. Speaking of which, I need to name the protagonist."
"Naruto. Hmm, that name is perfect."
"You said it yourself: 'If peace truly exists, I will grasp it. Compared to methods, the power of belief is more important.'"
…
Naruto gazed at the emaciated Nagato before him, his words hanging heavily in the air.
Yet, Nagato's memories drifted far away, his thoughts pulled to a time long past.
'You've all worked hard these past three years! Now I can return to Konoha with peace of mind to report my findings.'
'Yahiko, don't cry—they'll think you're a coward.'
'Konan, you'll surely blossom into a beautiful woman.'
'Nagato, you've all grown. Never forget your original aspirations.'
'Let's meet again when you've grown. This country is poor, and many hardships lie ahead, but the path forward is yours to walk. Try to change this country with your own strength.'
The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi...
Wait! I've read that book myself!!
And I imagined myself as the protagonist!
"Then I shall break this curse. If peace truly exists, I will grasp it firmly and never let go."
"My name is…"
Naruto repeated the line once more. At that moment, Nagato was silently reciting it in his mind as well. Their thoughts were perfectly in sync.
When they reached the part where they spoke their names, both of them paused.
"Naruto."
Nagato suddenly realized—the one who would achieve peace.
The one Jiraiya-sensei had been waiting for, the one destined to lead, wasn't the one who had killed him with his own hands.
It was the one standing before him now…
Naruto Uzumaki.
"Why are you so unwavering? You're only fifteen years old! The future holds countless pains you may endure! When that suffering comes crashing down on you, can you still declare with such certainty that you won't change? That you won't become like me?"
Listening to the slug relay Nagato's words, the young Obito Uchiha fell silent.
The Adult Obito, who had already arrived here and was watching everything unfold from within Kamui's Dimension, felt a complex mix of emotions.
They had both once dreamed of becoming Hokage. They had both changed.
He was no different from Nagato—crushed by suffering.
Naruto: "Growing up without parents, not even knowing who they were or what kind of people they were… And because I was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails… I endured unimaginable hardship."
"The bonds I finally found were torn away by a quest for revenge, forcing him to leave Konoha."
"And Jiraiya-sensei too…"
"Sacrificed himself."
"I've tasted pain, but Father, Mother, and the Pervy Sage left me this precious name."
Naruto: "That's precisely why, no matter how much suffering lies ahead, I'll keep walking forward."
Hearing Naruto's words, Nagato suddenly felt a sense of release.
"We share the same teacher, and we might even be fellow Uzumaki Clan members. But I sense you will walk a path utterly different from mine."
"Jiraiya-sensei once spoke of the Sage's prophecy to him—that the Child of the Prophecy would bring either peace or destruction to the world."
"Now it seems, destruction is mine, and peace is yours."
"And the peace Yahiko sought to achieve... that should be peace, right? And that masked man—he calls himself Madara. Like me, he seeks to lead the world toward destruction."
"Konan, Naruto Uzumaki," Nagato slowly moved his hands, forming hand seals. "You two must be wary of these two in the future."
"Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth."
"Nagato!!"
…
Location: Konoha.