"You won, but I still don't agree with your reasoning."
Nagato looked at Goku in front of him, his eyes somewhat complicated:
"I admit your power is strong, strong enough to surpass mine even with the Rinnegan. But that doesn't mean your power is great enough to change this era."
He was very confident in his power, even believing he had surpassed mortals and become a god-like existence. But at the same time, he understood that he was not invincible.
Just because he possessed the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, his body could hardly bear it, showing how vast the gap was between him and the Sage of Six Paths.
He dared to attack Konoha because he knew that besides Tsunade, Konoha currently had no other capable fighters.
If he possessed the power to single-handedly sweep through the Five Great Shinobi Villages, he wouldn't have bothered forming Akatsuki or carrying out the Tailed Beast weapon plan.
"Then what kind of power do you think could change this era?"
Goku didn't rush to finish off Nagato, but asked with some curiosity.
He had originally thought Pain's true form would be stronger, which was why he rushed over to prepare for another fight.
But seeing Nagato looking like he wouldn't last much longer, his interest vanished instantly.
He wanted to fight stronger opponents to improve himself, not beat up a cripple.
"At least the power of the Sage of Six Paths, I suppose,"
Nagato sighed softly.
Having Goku find his true form, he had already lost this battle.
He never cared about his own life or death, but he didn't want Konan to be harmed. Therefore, he was willing to answer Goku's question calmly.
"The Sage of Six Paths, the one you mentioned who created the moon?"
A look of interest appeared on Goku's face. It seemed there were indeed more powerful beings in this world, but he hadn't found them yet.
The Sage of Six Paths was clearly one of them.
"Yes, he is the progenitor of the ninja world, the creator of the ninjutsu system.
Some say he was a creator god sent by heaven, and others say he was a demon who destroyed everything.
My Rinnegan is the same as the eyes of the legendary Sage of Six Paths, which is why it possesses such terrifying power..."
Nagato recounted what he knew about the Sage of Six Paths. Goku grew increasingly interested:
"Do you know where he is now? I want to spar with him."
"Spar with the Sage of Six Paths?"
Nagato paused, then shook his head:
"It seems you're quite confident in your power.
But I don't know. Maybe he's dead, or maybe he's left this world for somewhere else. Who knows?"
The boy before him was indeed terrifyingly strong, but he didn't believe the boy could defeat the Sage of Six Paths.
Goku felt a pang of regret:
"That's a pity. By the way, if your body recovers, will you be even more powerful than controlling six puppets in battle?"
"Of course. If I were to fight using my Rinnegan in my true form, you might not be able to beat me."
Nagato's tone held more confidence.
If it weren't for the fact that he had summoned the Gedo Mazo before fully mastering the Rinnegan to avenge Yahiko, thus overdrawing his body...
He no longer needed to rely on the Six Paths of Pain to use the power of the Rinnegan.
While the Six Paths of Pain were powerful, they had dispersed all his abilities, significantly reducing the power of each individual power.
Furthermore, even if he controlled six bodies with perfect coordination, it wouldn't be as powerful as him using those powers in his own body.
It's like the limbs and brain of a person; each has its function individually, but only when they come together as one person are they at their strongest.
Unfortunately, even the best medical ninjutsu in the world couldn't restore the life force he had exhausted due to the Rinnegan.
"I see!"
Goku's eyes lit up instantly.
Without hesitation, he took a Senzu Bean from the box and flicked it precisely into Nagato's mouth.
"Gulp!"
Nagato swallowed instinctively, then suddenly his eyes widened.
The next second, his emaciated, seemingly terminally ill body appeared as if reborn.
Looking at Nagato, whose complexion had instantly become rosy, skin smooth and elastic, and body youthful and healthy,
Konan, whose expression had remained consistently cold, was so astonished that her mouth formed an "O."
"Boom!"
Nagato, his body restored to normal, slightly activated the power of the Rinnegan, breaking free from the machine sustaining his life.
Feeling the vibrant life force within him, he couldn't help but murmur:
"A single bean could completely heal my body; it's truly incredible."
Then he looked up at Goku:
"I'm very grateful that you healed my body, but even so, I won't waver in my beliefs. I will continue the Tailed Beast Weapon Project; at most, I won't kill you for a while."
He could clearly feel the immense power within him now, far exceeding that of the Six Paths of Pain he had created before.
So he was confident he could fight Goku, and even if he couldn't win, he could at least escape with Konan.
"That's perfect, let me see your full strength!"
Goku assumed the starting stance of the Turtle Hermit Style.
Nagato destroyed the tree hole with a wave of his hand and slowly flew into the air.
"Alright, let's experience the true power of the Rinnegan!"
Five minutes later.
Goku picked up the "falling asleep" Nagato and Konan, who was bound by magic, and teleported back to Konoha.
"He's stronger, but that's about it. Sigh, I wonder where the Sage of Six Paths is. I really want to spar with him."
Meanwhile, on a small mountain two kilometers away from the tree hole.
A figure resembling a pitcher plant slowly emerged from the ground and asked the masked figure standing beside him, "Aren't you going to save him?"
"Of course I'll save him, but not now."
The masked figure's Sharingan eye was filled with solemnity.
He hadn't expected that with Jiraiya absent and Konoha's troop strength dwindling, Nagato had personally led Pain and Konan to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
And yet, they had failed and been captured by Konoha.
"Damn it, when did Konoha acquire such a powerful ninja? There wasn't a single clue beforehand. Zetsu, what kind of work are you doing?"
It wasn't that he hadn't considered rescuing Nagato now; after all, the subsequent plans still needed Nagato's assistance.
He still acknowledged Nagato's management skills and personal charisma.
Even if he didn't save Nagato, he would definitely retrieve Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan.
Without those Rinnegan, he couldn't complete the "Eye of the Moon" plan. However, after witnessing the battle between Goku and Nagato, he understood that if he went to save Nagato now, not only would he fail to save him, but he himself might also perish.
Even with his Kamui dimension, which allowed him to escape immediately upon touching someone, it was still extremely dangerous.
Goku's speed and reaction abilities were terrifying. He feared he wouldn't have time to activate his Kamui intangibility before being struck first.
Therefore, he decided to wait. Since Goku and Nagato couldn't stay together indefinitely, he could wait until dawn, when Konoha was less vigilant, and quietly take Nagato away.
Nagato possesses the Rinnegan; as long as he doesn't reveal it, Konoha's intelligence department cannot forcibly access his memories.
Therefore, information about him won't be leaked.
Konan is also an expert in this area, so it shouldn't be a problem in the short term.
As for capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, we'll have to find another way.
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