Hanzo of the Salamander paused briefly before continuing:
"I chose Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan as my successors not only because of their talent and potential—each of them has the capacity to reach a level comparable to my prime…"
"But there is another, more important reason."
"Nagato, step forward."
At Hanzo's gesture, Nagato walked up and stood beside him.
The Rain Shinobi in the conference room all turned their gazes toward him, curiosity written across their faces. They wondered what this "main reason" could be.
Tenyu widened his eyes as well, staring intently at Nagato.
Having already heard some rumors, he wanted to confirm for himself what kind of existence those legendary eyes truly were.
"Nagato, lift your head. Let everyone see your eyes."
Nagato nodded. He raised his head and brushed aside his hair, revealing his distinctive ripple-patterned eyes to the crowd.
"—!!"
A collective gasp filled the room.
Those ripple-patterned eyes resembled the gears of fate itself, radiating an irresistible authority and oppressive presence.
Anyone who met that gaze felt a tremor deep within their soul—as if their own insignificance and fragility were laid bare before it.
"W-What is that? A Sharingan? Or a Byakugan?"
"Idiot! The Sharingan is red with tomoe, and the Byakugan is pure white!"
"Then what is it? I've never seen eyes like this before… It feels like my very soul is being seen through!"
"Wait… do you remember that legend?"
"What legend?"
"The Three Great Dōjutsu spoken of throughout the shinobi world! One is the Sharingan, another is the Byakugan—both kekkei genkai of Konohagakure's Uchiha and Hyūga Clans…"
"And the last one is—"
"The Rinnegan!"
"The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths!"
"—!!"
Shock rippled through the room as realization dawned.
Even the core members of the Akatsuki were stunned—they, too, were only learning about Nagato's eyes at this moment.
"That's right," Hanzo confirmed. "These are the legendary Rinnegan—the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths."
The room fell into stunned silence.
Hanzo's decision to reveal Nagato's Rinnegan was not made lightly—it was born of necessity.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan lacked both seniority and sufficient strength. If they were to establish themselves quickly within Amegakure, extraordinary measures were required.
The Sage of Six Paths held a near-divine status in the hearts of the people.
And those who lacked something the most often longed for it the most.
The people of the Land of Rain, ravaged endlessly by war, had always yearned for a savior—someone like the Sage of Six Paths.
By invoking that legend, Nagato's image would instantly be elevated, earning him authority and reverence.
With the Rinnegan, he would naturally become the Sage's representative in their eyes. Over time, their faith in the Sage would transfer onto him.
With careful guidance, he could even be elevated to a godlike figure in their hearts.
Of course, neither Hanzo—nor Uchiha Ren behind the scenes—intended to truly turn Nagato into a "god."
This was merely a transitional measure to help the trio gain a firm foothold in Amegakure.
"Wait… wasn't the Sage of Six Paths just a legend? Did he really exist?"
"Idiot! He's the progenitor of ninjutsu—the god of creation! If he didn't exist, where did shinobi come from?"
"But… it's still just a legend…"
Murmurs spread again as some Rain Shinobi voiced their doubts.
It wasn't that they distrusted Hanzo—rather, the Sage of Six Paths belonged to an era so distant that his existence couldn't be verified.
Seeing his supposed successor standing before them felt unreal.
"No need to doubt," Hanzo said firmly. "I have verified it many times—the Sage of Six Paths truly existed."
"And Nagato's Rinnegan contains immense power."
"I can guarantee this: once Nagato fully masters these eyes, he will surpass me—he may even surpass the founder of Konoha, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju."
With Hanzo's authority backing the claim, the doubts gradually faded.
The way they looked at Nagato began to change.
Hanzo continued:
"Since the establishment of the 'one country, one village' system decades ago, the Great Ninja Wars have come and gone. After each war, the great nations enjoy periods of peace to recover."
"But the Land of Rain…"
"Has always been their battleground."
"In times of war, our land becomes their battlefield."
"In times of peace, it becomes their arena for shadow conflicts."
"Peace has never come to the Land of Rain."
"And war has never left it."
A heavy sorrow filled the room.
Nearly everyone present had grown up in the flames of war.
Parents dead, families torn apart, loved ones lost…
There were scarcely any whole families left in the entire country.
"We have endured this—and yet, we have never stopped resisting!" Hanzo's voice deepened.
"And we never will."
"This world should not be like this. The Land of Rain should not be like this!"
"Why must our children grow up without parents? Why must our civilians lose their homes and wander? Why must our country serve as nothing more than a battlefield for the great nations?!"
"When I declared war on three great nations during the Second Great Ninja War, it was to make the world hear our voice!"
"I failed—but that does not mean I was wrong!"
"The truth is, I was not strong enough!"
"I could not save the Land of Rain like Hashirama Senju did in his time!"
"And our nation, weakened by endless war, lacked the foundation to stand against the great powers."
"But that failure only strengthened my resolve!"
"Peace sought through compromise will lead to its loss. Peace secured through struggle will endure!"
"If we continue to yield, they will only see us as weak and easy to bully!"
"Only through resistance can we show that the Land of Rain has its own will!"
"Only through struggle can we make them fear us—and think twice before waging war on our soil!"
"I will devote my entire life to this cause!"
The sorrow in the room vanished, replaced by burning determination.
"And now—he has arrived!"
Hanzo stood and placed a hand on Nagato's shoulder.
"He comes bearing the will of the Sage of Six Paths!"
"Heaven has not abandoned the Land of Rain!"
"The Sage has not abandoned us!"
"He has bestowed his eyes upon our land—and through them, true peace will come!"
"Five years!"
"Give me five years, and I will raise Nagato into the next Hashirama Senju—the next God of Shinobi!"
"Then the Land of Rain will rise with overwhelming power, and the entire world will be forced to hear our voice!"
"No longer will Konoha, Iwagakure, the Land of Wind, or any great nation ignore us!"
"No one will freely trample our land!"
"No one will turn our country into their battlefield!"
"No one will disregard our people!"
"I also ask all of you—hold fast to your convictions, fulfill your duties, improve yourselves, and build our future!"
"If Nagato is the torch that shows us the way—then you are the sparks that will ignite a prairie fire!"
"The future of the Land of Rain cannot be built by one person alone—it requires all of us!"
"Even a single spark can shine in the darkness… and together, those sparks become a galaxy!"
"Everyone—the future of the Land of Rain rests in your hands!"
Hanzo bowed deeply.
"We would die for you, my lord!"
Tenyu and Kanzo were the first to rise, shouting with fervor.
"We would die for you, my lord!"
The entire room stood as one, voices filled with fanatic resolve.
Hanzo straightened and spoke again, his tone turning sharp:
"There is one more thing."
"You are all pillars of Amegakure. I trust you—that is why Nagato stands before you today."
"But he is not yet strong."
"Everything about him must remain absolutely secret."
"If any information leaks…"
"Do not blame me for showing no mercy."
Everyone nodded solemnly—they understood the gravity of this.
Even without the warning, they would have buried this secret deep within themselves.
"This meeting is adjourned."
"Return to your posts immediately."
"Tenyu, Kanzo—coordinate resources. Send additional supplies to those stationed at the borders. Also, make arrangements for the Akatsuki members—they are now one of us."
"Yahiko, Nagato, Konan—you three come with me."
Hanzo looked over everyone one last time.
"May heaven bless the Land of Rain!"
"May heaven bless the Land of Rain!"
Their unified voices roared upward—so powerful it seemed to tear open the perpetual clouds above, letting rays of sunlight spill through.
Inside Hanzo's office.
The same man who had just delivered a rousing speech now sat slumped behind his desk, head lowered, eyes vacant.
Meanwhile, Yahiko, Nagato, Konan—and Uchiha Obito, who had just emerged from Kamui—stood with burning intensity in their eyes, all focused on the figure behind Hanzo:
Uchiha Ren.
Ren stepped forward with a faint smile.
"What did you think of the meeting?"
Yahiko spoke first, unable to contain his excitement:
"Big Brother Ren, that was incredible! 'Let each person shine with whatever light they have—even fireflies can come together to form a galaxy!'"
"Even now, I can't calm down—I just want to go out and do something for the Land of Rain!"
Yahiko, already hot-blooded by nature, was completely fired up.
Even Konan, usually calm and reserved, felt the same.
Ren shook his head slightly.
"I only said half of that line."
"Huh?"
The four of them froze.
Obito asked curiously, "Teacher Ren… what's the other half?"
Ren didn't keep them in suspense:
"Let each person shine with whatever light they have—even if it's just a firefly, it can still glow in the darkness. There's no need to wait for a torch."
"And if, in the end, no torch appears…"
"Then I will be the only light."
The four of them instinctively widened their eyes.
A shiver ran through their bodies.
The deeper they thought about it, the more they felt the overwhelming weight behind those words.
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