Nagato gently touched his eyes.
The usual, constant drain he had long grown accustomed to was gone. There was no overwhelming consumption of chakra, no dull ache behind his sockets. Instead, there was an unfamiliar lightness—almost comfort.
Lowering his head, he let out a self-mocking chuckle.
"Perhaps I should've realized long ago that the Rinnegan were never truly my eyes. Their daily toll on me was immense… so immense that now, after replacing them, I can barely feel any abnormality at all."
"Nagato…" ×2
"Yahiko, Konan, there's no need to say anything. Maybe it's because I've lost the Rinnegan, but I feel… relieved. As if a heavy burden has been lifted. My mind has never been clearer. Please—continue."
Despite his words, the sorrow and self-ridicule in his voice were impossible to conceal.
Seeing this, Nagi continued calmly.
"Although Madara Uchiha awakened the Rinnegan, I already mentioned that he was in his old age at the time. Carrying out his plan personally would have been beyond him."
"A plan? Don't tell me—it's…!"
"Yes. The same plan the man who claimed to be Madara told you about. But that plan had flaws from the start. To avoid alerting certain forces, I'll only explain his original intention.
"His objective was to use the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path after absorbing all nine Tailed Beasts to cast an immense genjutsu over the entire world. A world of illusion that would satisfy every individual's deepest desires. In that dream, everyone would live in happiness.
"And if everyone were immersed in such a world… wouldn't that bring peace?"
The three rejected the idea almost instantly.
Yahiko spoke first.
"A world of genjutsu is ultimately false. Even if it could achieve peace, the price would be the end of life in the Shinobi World as we know it. It's nothing but escapism—placing all hope in someone else."
Once the leader of the Akatsuki, Yahiko had grown up amidst relentless hardship. As a youth, he was filled with ambition to change the world—only to fall victim to Hanzō of the Salamander's scheme.
Yet neither betrayal nor death had crushed his resolve.
Having experienced both, he understood one thing clearly: placing all hope in others invites destruction when betrayal inevitably comes.
Nagato burst into laughter.
"Ha! To think even Madara Uchiha could be so naïve. It's nothing but running from reality.
"The darkness of this world is endless—the arrogance of great nations, the suffering of small ones. The powerful never spare a thought for the weak. My Tailed Beast weapon plan may have caused countless deaths, but it would have forced the world into temporary peace.
"Even if that peace is fragile—even if it's built on blood—I will continue pursuing it. I will face the darkness of this world head-on, not abandon it out of despair and retreat into some empty illusion."
After Yahiko's death, Nagato had lost faith in the peace Jiraiya once spoke of. To him, it felt like the compassion of the privileged—well-meaning, but detached from the suffering of the poor.
Dreams were dreams. Reality was cruel.
Konan followed softly.
"Even if my dream world contained Nagato and Yahiko… they wouldn't be real. I will move forward with the real Yahiko and the real Nagato."
Her resolve was simple and pure. In her life, those two were everything. Even if they were gone, she would protect the peace they had chosen.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Nagi applauded them.
"Even after betrayal and death, you've never wavered in your convictions. You inspire others without even realizing it. Yahiko—you are a born leader.
"In this cursed world where true peace may not exist, you face the darkness directly and carve out light with your own hands. Nagato—you are a true man.
"And in such a cruel world, to nurture a flower of friendship and silently protect it… anyone would be fortunate to have a friend like you, Konan."
The three were stunned.
Am I really like that?
Are we truly that worthy?
Yahiko scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well… you're giving us too much credit. We're not that great. In the end, the Akatsuki still…"
Nagi shook his head.
"Heroes are not judged by victory or defeat, nor by personal preference.
"In this twisted, brutal Shinobi World, the fact that people like you exist is already something precious.
"You are the ones truly pursuing peace.
"And tell me—have you truly failed?
"Wildfires may burn the plains, but spring winds bring life anew.
"Nagato and Konan carried on the Akatsuki's name. You never forgot your original dream."
"We…"
"This…"
For the first time, it felt as though someone truly understood them. Acknowledged them. Recognized their struggle.
The hostility Nagato and Konan had held toward the fox-masked man diminished greatly.
[Tsunade]: "A twisted and brutal Shinobi World, huh? Heh. Nagi , you're far more mature than Jiraiya ever was."
[Jiraiya]: "Tsunade, what's that supposed to mean? I've traveled the world. I understand its cruelty."
[Nagato]: "No, Jiraiya-sensei… you don't. Your understanding is partial. You haven't seen the true darkness of the Shinobi World. Neither have I—but I believe Nagi has."
[Konan]: "Nagato, you…"
[Nagato]: "Nagi never speaks without preparation. If he believes he can persuade me, then he must know something about this darkness that I do not."
[Madara Uchiha]: "Hmph. The brat speaks correctly. True darkness is unseen. Even I have yet to fully grasp it."
[Izuna Uchiha]: "What?! Brother—even you…?"
[Madara Uchiha]: "Izuna, I understand the darkness within human hearts. But the darkness that perpetuates this merciless Shinobi World… there is always a hidden hand pushing it forward."
[Hashirama Senju]: "Hey, Madara… if even you couldn't see it, isn't that going too far? And didn't we already expose Black Zetsu?"
[Madara Uchiha]: "I'm not speaking of Black Zetsu. I mean the force that continually breeds darkness within this world."
Nagi clapped once more.
"Let's continue. For his plan, Madara needed two people.
"One would be his successor—the man within your Akatsuki who claims to be Madara Uchiha.
"The other would be a host for the Rinnegan. Someone capable of nurturing the eyes until the day he could resurrect and reclaim them.
"And finding such a host was no simple matter. After all, Nagato knows better than anyone how overwhelming the Rinnegan's chakra consumption truly is."
Nagato nodded.
He understood more than anyone the toll the Rinnegan had taken on both his chakra and his life force.
Yahiko and Konan nodded as well. One glance at Nagato's gaunt frame said it all.
Courtesy asked: "Nagato, are you still alive?"
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