Within the Flower Realm.
Upon a table woven from blossoms and timber, Kanon lay flat on her back. Her long hair cascaded down like a dark waterfall, its jet-black luster contrasting sharply against her pale skin.
Her scarlet Sharingan spun, yet her vision was a void of absolute darkness. Kanon was now blind. Her long eyelashes fluttered gently, as if she were caught in the middle of a sweet dream.
"This might hurt a little," a voice whispered.
"After everything I've been through to get here, pain is nothing," Kanon replied.
"Do it, Konin."
Konin nodded solemnly. Beside him lay an array of surgical tools and two jars containing Mangekyō Sharingan, each etched with a unique, intricate pattern.
…
In the Hidden Leaf Village.
Naruto remained pinned to the ground, skewered by black receivers.
"Why... why would you do something like this?" Naruto gritted out, staring up at Pain's Deva Path.
"Things just happen. As for why... even if you ask me that," Pain replied evenly, "even if I told you my reasons, nothing would change."
The Deva Path stood up. The other five paths of Pain withdrew into the background, leaving only the lead entity looking down at Naruto.
"However, I suppose there is no harm in explaining it to you one last time."
"I have nothing to say to you!" Naruto snarled.
"My goal is to fulfill the legacy that Jiraiya-sensei could not," Pain continued. "As I said before, I seek to bring forth peace and achieve justice."
Naruto's expression twisted in agony. "Peace? Justice? Don't make me laugh!"
"Don't you dare joke around! After what you've done to everything around me... how can you talk about peace?!" Naruto clenched his fist against the dirt, his pierced palm bleeding as he struggled.
"Then tell me, what is your goal?"
"I'm going to take you down! Then I'm going to stop Kanon! I'm going to bring peace to this ninja world myself!"
Pain merely stared back, his voice devoid of emotion. "Is that so? A noble ambition, truly. That, indeed, is justice."
"However," Pain countered, "I will ask you the same thing you asked Kanon. My family, my friends, my village... it was you shinobi of Konoha who turned them into what this village is now. You have no right to preach about peace and justice."
"What are you talking about...?" Naruto's pupils trembled as he looked at Pain.
"The Land of Fire and Konohagakure have grown too powerful. Though they appear glorious on the surface, darkness lurks in the depths of Konoha. Kanon Uchiha became what she is because of that very darkness."
"A Great Nation managed to drive a young girl to such extremes, and you, as her friend, truly knew nothing at all?"
Naruto lowered his head. He really didn't know. Kakashi and Jiraiya clearly knew something, but they had never breathed a word of it to him.
"You really are an inadequate friend," Pain remarked coldly. "She had already endured the massacre of her clan, witnessing her own brother kill their parents with her own eyes. At the age of six, when she most needed someone to lean on, when she was at her most vulnerable... think about it."
Naruto bowed his head in guilt, unable to offer a single word in his own defense. Seeing that Naruto had fallen silent, Pain shifted his tone.
"As the strongest Hidden Village, Konoha felt it necessary to secure the prosperity of its nation through wars between Great Powers. Without that, the country and the people of the village would starve."
"But the battlefields for those wars were always small nations like ours. Every time a war broke out, our country was left in ruins. After several wars, the Great Nations stabilized, leaving us with nothing but endless pain."
"You, I, and even Kanon desire the same thing. We all want to achieve the peace Jiraiya-sensei spoke of. You and I are no different; we both act according to our own sense of justice. The justice I am meting out to Konoha is exactly the same as what you want to do to me."
"The pain of losing something precious is the same for everyone. The three of us, all disciples of Jiraiya: you, Kanon, and I, understand that pain."
"You fight for your justice, Kanon for hers, and I for mine. We are all just ordinary men, driven to seek vengeance under the guise of justice. But if vengeance is called justice, then that justice will only breed even more hatred... triggering a cycle of hatred."
"Living in this world, knowing the past and predicting the future, one realizes that this is history. Humans are incapable of truly understanding one another."
"The world of shinobi is ruled by hatred. But you, to achieve your justice, how would you confront this hatred?" Pain asked softly. "I would like to hear your answer."
"I... I don't know..." Naruto muttered, his head hanging low. In this battle, his will and convictions had been shattered by Kanon and Pain alike.
Pain looked up calmly.
"Interestingly enough, do you know what Kanon's answer was when I asked her about justice? She didn't hesitate for a second."
"What did she say?" Naruto's eyes were clouded with complex emotions.
"She said... only the victor can be called 'Justice.' Only the one who wins everything gets to set the rules and realize the justice they envision."
"An interesting answer, wouldn't you agree? It was one I had never heard before. That is why I formed the Akatsuki, to put an end to this cycle of hatred. Because I am destined to be the victor, my word will be law."
"To that end, I require the power of the Nine-Tails. By using the power of all the Tailed Beasts, I will create a Tailed Beast Weapon dozens of times more powerful than the force that leveled this village. A power great enough to destroy an entire nation in an instant."
"A Tailed Beast Weapon?" Naruto asked, confused.
"Exactly. To let the world know true pain. The fear of that pain will deter war, guiding the world toward stability and peace."
Naruto stared at Pain, horrified by the scale of the plan. "But that kind of peace... it's just a lie!"
"Humans are not such intelligent creatures," Pain replied. "Without this, peace cannot be created. Decades later, that pain will eventually heal. The deterrent will weaken, and people will start wars again. Then, they will use the Tailed Beast Weapon on themselves to experience true pain once more. And thus, a temporary peace will return."
"In this endless river of hatred, a brief peace is born from the convergence of pain. That is my wish..."
Deep within a hollowed tree, Nagato opened his Rinnegan and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Nagato, don't push yourself too hard... you've already used so much chakra," Konan said worriedly.
Nagato gasped for air, spitting out more blood. He nodded weakly, his expression turning cold.
"Peace is within reach."
…
Meanwhile, Team Taka finally arrived at Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
A Kumogakure shinobi was sent flying backward, slamming into a chain-link fence. Suigetsu, clad in his Akatsuki cloak, grabbed the man by the throat.
"Spit it out. Where is the Eight-Tails?"
"Don't underestimate our clan... I won't tell people like you anything!" the man spat. "The Yotsuki clan never betrays a comrade! That is—"
Sasuke's voice cut him off as his Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin slowly.
"A heart full of fear," Sasuke said flatly, "is a heart full of openings."
The man was instantly caught in the genjutsu.
"Suigetsu, let him go," Karin said. "He's already under Sasuke's spell."
"Tch. And here I thought we were going to have some fun with an interrogation," Suigetsu grumbled.
Sasuke spoke with cold indifference. "Tell me the location of the Eight-Tails."
"He is... training at the Valley of Clouds and Lightning..." the man muttered, his consciousness fading.
"What does he look like?"
"He carries eight swords... and has a bull horn tattoo on his left cheek..."
With that, the man collapsed. Sasuke pulled up the collar of his Akatsuki cloak and began walking toward the valley. Jūgo, Karin, and Suigetsu followed close behind.
However, Karin watched Sasuke with a heavy heart. Had he truly parted ways with his own sister forever? If that were the case, Karin would have much preferred to follow Kanon's path. But with Kanon's fate unknown and Sasuke remaining silent on the matter, a deep sense of unease gnawed at her.
Inside the Valley, Killer Bee stepped out carrying a notebook.
"The sun is shining bright! Is it noon already? Bakayaro! Konoyaro!"
"Training since the morning, stomach's feeling thin. I'm a rap-loving man, so for lunch... sukiyaki is a win! Yeah!"
As he walked down the stairs, he spotted the four members of Team Taka waiting on the training platform.
"Are you the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki?" Sasuke asked coldly.
"No, you should say, 'Are you the Great Lord Eight-Tails, sir?' That's how you say it. 'Are you the Jinchūriki, sir?' That's the way, right here!"
Listening to Killer Bee's rap, Sasuke's patience finally snapped. He began to coordinate his team. "Suigetsu from the right, Jūgo from the left. Karin, stay behind me."
Suigetsu Hōzuki immediately lunged, swinging the Executioner's Blade at Killer Bee.
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the platform.
"Hey, didn't the Akatsuki tell us not to kill the Jinchūriki, Suigetsu?" Jūgo reminded him.
"Relax. I can still sense his chakra."
"That was one hell of a flashy distraction," Karin muttered.
In the center of the battlefield, Suigetsu looked on in shock. His Executioner's Blade had been caught bare-handed by Killer Bee.
"This guy..."
"The only one who can rush this Master is me! Get lost, bakayaro, konoyaro! Or taste my fist!"
With a sudden burst of strength, Killer Bee disarmed Suigetsu!
Jūgo had seen enough. "Suigetsu, back off," he commanded.
Killer Bee's next move was bizarre; he slid the circular hole of the Executioner's Blade over his own neck and began to spin it like a prop. As Jūgo moved in to throw a punch, the spinning blade caught him square in the face, sending him stumbling back.
Infuriated, Jūgo released his Cursed Seal and wrenched the Executioner's Blade away. But that very movement left him wide open. Killer Bee drove a fist forward, and Jūgo collapsed to the ground.
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