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"Hmm, this—"
Naruto heard Nagato's question and tried hard to organize his thoughts, preparing to tell a grand story about the Sage of Six Paths and the Rinnegan.
However, he quickly realized his knowledge was fragmented.
In the end, he sighed.
"Alright… the Nine-Tails told me."
Failing to show off properly, Naruto suddenly felt a bit deflated.
"Nine-Tails?"
Nagato looked puzzled.
"Why would a Tailed Beast know about the Rinnegan?"
"Because the Tailed Beasts were created by the Sage of Six Paths."
Naruto raised his hand and pointed at the massive statue behind Nagato.
"They're essentially his 'children,' so they naturally know about his eyes."
"That thing behind you is called the Ten-Tails."
"It was once a monster that ravaged the world, but the Sage of Six Paths subdued it and sealed it within himself, becoming its Jinchūriki."
"Later, when he was nearing death, he feared no one would be able to control it after he died."
"So he extracted its chakra, split it into nine parts, and created the nine Tailed Beasts."
"Then, he sealed the Ten-Tails' shell on the moon to prevent it from reuniting with that chakra."
"The Ten-Tails… sealed on the moon…"
Nagato's eyes flickered with confusion.
He had never heard anything like this before.
His understanding of the Rinnegan came entirely from the eyes themselves.
The knowledge within them felt… pre-sealed.
He could only access what someone had intended him to know.
Everything else—
He was completely ignorant of.
After a moment of silence, Nagato spoke again.
"But you still haven't answered me."
"Why can't these eyes be mine?"
"Because you don't meet the conditions to awaken the Rinnegan."
Naruto looked at him seriously.
"The Rinnegan is a bloodline ability left by the Sage of Six Paths."
"Only his direct descendants can awaken it."
"And you… are not one of them."
"…I see."
Nagato fell silent again.
Then he asked quietly,
"Then where did my Rinnegan come from?"
"And who do they really belong to?"
"The Nine-Tails believes your eyes were left behind by the Sage of Six Paths."
Naruto paused briefly before continuing,
"And he also said… you shouldn't have brought the Ten-Tails' shell down from the moon."
The Tailed Beasts hadn't spent much time with the Sage.
Their knowledge was limited.
Even regarding the Ten-Tails, they only knew it was their origin—and extremely dangerous.
"So these really are the Sage's eyes…"
Nagato raised his hand and touched his own face.
"And the Gedo Statue… is the Ten-Tails' shell?"
He frowned slightly.
"I didn't summon it from the moon."
"When I found it, it was already on the ground."
At this point, Nagato had already begun to accept that these eyes were not his.
A new suspicion formed in his mind—
Someone had deliberately given them to him.
And now, the purpose seemed obvious:
To use him to gather the Tailed Beasts and revive the Ten-Tails.
But—
Who?
"Naruto… touch his eyes."
The Nine-Tails' voice suddenly sounded.
"I feel something is wrong."
"Something wrong?"
Naruto was puzzled, but still looked at Nagato.
"The Nine-Tails wants me to touch your eyes. He says something isn't right."
"…Something isn't right?"
Nagato's expression turned serious.
"What do you mean?"
He nodded.
"Go ahead."
Naruto stepped forward.
A faint orange chakra gathered at his fingertips.
He gently touched Nagato's Rinnegan.
"Naruto—these are NOT the Sage's (Sage of Six Path) eyes!"
The Nine-Tails' voice rang out immediately, firm and certain.
"…Not the Sage's (Sage of Six Path) eyes?"
Naruto was startled.
"You mean… someone else awakened the Rinnegan and implanted these into Nagato?"
"Exactly!"
The Nine-Tails' tone turned grave.
"And now that I've touched them… I know who they belong to."
"Who?!" ×2
Naruto and Minato spoke at the same time.
"…Uchiha Madara!"
The Nine-Tails' voice turned cold.
"I may not understand why their form has changed…"
"But I would never mistake that chakra!"
"Uchiha Madara?!"
Naruto and Minato both frowned.
"Why is it him again?" Naruto muttered.
"Who even is that guy?"
"An extremely troublesome bastard!"
The Nine-Tails growled.
"…Though I hate to admit it, he's incredibly powerful."
"Other than Konoha's First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—no one could match him."
"…But how did he awaken the Rinnegan?!"
Naruto fell silent for a moment.
Then he looked at Nagato.
"The Nine-Tails says your eyes belong to Uchiha Madara."
"…Even he doesn't understand how Madara awakened the Rinnegan."
"…Uchiha Madara?"
Nagato frowned.
He immediately thought of the Masked Man.
"If it's him… then why would he give me his eyes?"
Naruto instantly understood what he meant.
"The Madara the Nine-Tails is talking about… isn't that Masked Man."
"It's the real Uchiha Madara."
"The real… Uchiha Madara?"
Nagato narrowed his eyes.
"…So Tobi isn't actually Madara?"
"Tobi?"
Naruto tilted his head.
"That's his name?"
"Yes."
Nagato nodded.
"He approached me years ago under the name Uchiha Madara."
"We formed an alliance."
"After that, he hid behind the scenes using the name 'Tobi.'"
"Only Konan and I knew."
"…Though recently, he's started acting more openly."
Nagato had never seen the real Madara.
So he couldn't confirm whether the Masked Man was genuine.
At the time, it didn't matter.
To him, the man was just a tool.
Real or fake—Nagato believed he could control him.
That confidence came from the Rinnegan.
But now—
Knowing the true owner of his eyes…
Nagato felt uneasy.
If Madara truly planted these eyes—
Then he must have left something behind within them.
And as for Tobi—
Whether he was Madara or not…
He was connected.
Which meant—
He needed to be dealt with.
"You…"
Naruto looked at him carefully.
"…Are you thinking of killing him?"
"Yes."
Nagato nodded.
"…You too?"
Naruto smiled faintly.
A red glint flashed in his eyes.
"That man…"
"I will never forgive him."
"…I see."
Nagato smiled slightly.
"Then we're in agreement again."
"Heh."
Naruto clenched his fist.
"I'll kill him with my own hands."
"Very well."
Nagato nodded.
He had no intention of competing.
What mattered was that the man was eliminated.
Still—
He needed answers.
And he also knew how troublesome that space-time ability was.
Whether Naruto could actually kill him…
Remained uncertain.
"…Um…"
Konan, who had been silent, finally spoke.
She looked at Naruto with hope.
"…Can you treat Nagato now?"
"Of course."
Naruto nodded.
But he hesitated slightly.
"About the side effects… I've already explained them."
"If you fail, you'll become a man-eating demon."
"…Are you absolutely sure?"
"Of course."
Nagato didn't hesitate.
"I will not fail."
His will had been forged through pain.
He would not—
Could not—
Fail.
"…Good."
Naruto stepped forward.
"Are you ready?"
"…Do it."
Nagato's gaze was unwavering.
Naruto formed a few hand seals for appearance's sake.
He placed his hand on Nagato's shoulder.
Then—
He activated the Perfect Demon Bloodline.
Buzz—
A crimson light erupted, enveloping Nagato.
His Rinnegan remained—
But his pupils became vertical slits.
His nails sharpened into claws.
Fangs extended from his mouth.
A violent, bloodthirsty aura exploded outward.
Whoosh—
Nagato vanished.
In an instant, he appeared before Konan.
His claws pierced her shoulders.
His gaze—
Wild. Hungry.
Saliva dripped from his mouth.
And—
His legs had healed.
"Gh—!"
Konan winced in pain.
Nagato leaned closer—
Fangs bared—
About to bite.
"Stop!"
Naruto flashed forward in lightning.
But—
Konan raised her hand.
"Don't come closer!"
She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain.
"I believe in him!"
"He will overcome it!"
"…Grr—!"
Nagato trembled.
His movements slowed.
The madness in his eyes began to waver.
"Nagato!"
Konan embraced him tightly.
"Believe in yourself…"
"Yahiko and I always have."
"You can overcome this!"
"—!"
His body shook violently.
His claws slowly retracted.
The struggle in his eyes intensified.
"Will he succeed?"
Kushina's voice echoed in Naruto's mind.
Naruto gripped his sword.
"…He will."
He spoke aloud—firm and unwavering.
"I believe in him."
"…He will win."
But at the same time—
Naruto prepared himself.
If Nagato failed—
He would kill him.
His grip tightened.
"…Thank you."
Nagato's weak voice sounded.
His eyes—
Returned to purple.
Though a faint red shimmer remained.
He smiled.
A quiet, grateful smile.
He had won.
But—
He was no longer human.
He had become something else.
A being beyond mortality—
A Demon.
And the faint crimson glow in his eyes…
Was proof of it.