Hanzō had left, and Obito's breathing was also slightly labored. Trading blows with Hanzō at his peak was nowhere near as easy as he had imagined.
To guard against the genjutsu of the Sharingan, Hanzō had kept an enormous distance between them from start to finish, which made it difficult for Obito's left eye's long-range Kamui to achieve precise focus at this stage, forcing him to rely on Susanoo to use the Kamui Shuriken, and the consumption from that was immense.
Without Hashirama's chakra to sustain him, he would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
But this battle had also made Obito more certain of one thing: the potential of these Mangekyō eyes was tremendous.
With just the Second Form of Susanoo, he had gained the upper hand against Hanzō, who bore the name of the apex of the ninja world. Hanzō had not fought with full force, and neither had Obito.
'The Third Form, the Tengu Susanoo. Who in the world right now could make me actually use it?'
Swoosh! Susanoo dispersed, and the rain that had been blocked came pouring down again.
Behind him, Nagato stared at Obito with fervent eyes: "Unbelievable. You actually managed to wound that Hanzō."
Obito did not turn around. He did not want Nagato to see his slightly weary state at this moment. Only by maintaining absolute mystery could he smoothly carry out the plan he intended to set in motion.
"If you could master the true power of the Rinnegan, you could do the same, and even surpass what I did."
Obito said in a deep tone.
"The Rinnegan. Its true power?"
Nagato's pupils trembled.
Obito raised his head toward the sky, spread both hands open, and welcomed the rain as he said in a heavy voice: "Yes. One who possesses the Rinnegan can not only summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path but also wield the abilities of the Six Paths. What you have occasionally managed before, such as deflecting surrounding attacks and absorbing part of the force of ninjutsu, all falls within the domain of Six Paths power. If you were to grasp these precisely and extend them with direction, you could enter the realm of the Six Paths."
Nagato raised a hand and pressed it over his own eyes, his gaze filled with longing: "You understand my eyes better than I do myself. If only I had met you sooner, perhaps Yahiko and everyone in the Akatsuki would not have had to die."
Hearing this, Konan, who stood nearby, lowered her pale blue eyes, and her expression was filled with grief.
Obito was silent. Whether he had come sooner or later, those who were meant to die would still die. Yahiko had to die. Without his death, Nagato could not experience that pain.
The Rinnegan had evolved from the Sharingan, and the way its power was awakened was similar: it required an intense emotional shock.
But Obito was still glad he had come after Yahiko's death. Nagato at this stage was more sensitive, more helpless, and more desperate for power, making him far easier to control.
Nagato said despondently: "My dream was once to protect Yahiko and Konan. Later, as a member of the Akatsuki, I sincerely wanted to fulfill Yahiko's wish and bring peace to this war-torn Amegakure, and to the ninja world as a whole. Yahiko, Konan, and everyone in the Akatsuki sincerely believed in me, but it was not until Yahiko died before my eyes that I began to doubt whether I truly had the ability."
"It is not too late now. Yahiko can be revived, and the ninja world will see peace, all through the power of your Rinnegan."
At this moment Obito finally dropped his bombshell.
"What did you just say?"
Nagato's pair of Rinnegan eyes went wide, and even Konan beside him raised her head and stared at Obito in disbelief.
Obito turned around and looked directly at Nagato: "The Outer Path power of the Rinnegan can attain a strength that even transcends life and death."
"Is what you are saying true?"
Nagato could barely breathe.
"Absolutely true. However, it requires one's own life as the price."
Obito had no intention of concealing this.
Upon hearing this price, Konan's expression fell.
Unlike Konan's reaction, Nagato appeared unusually excited: "Then can I use that power right now?"
It seemed he was already desperate to revive Yahiko, even if it meant offering his own life.
Obito thought to himself: 'Nagato, your spirit is commendable and I admire it, but unfortunately, whether it is Kishimoto's script or mine, you are destined to meet a tragic end.'
He looked deeply at Nagato and said: "You can."
"Then."
Obito cut Nagato off: "But think about it. If Yahiko lives and you die, can he truly accept this gift of yours with a clear conscience? Yahiko and everyone in the Akatsuki placed their hopes on you, the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths who possesses the Rinnegan. If you were gone, who would realize Yahiko's ambitions and ideals? The time to revive Yahiko is not now. At the very least, you must wait until you have fulfilled Yahiko's wishes, and only then decide for yourself."
Nagato awoke as if from a dream: "You are right. Then how do I bring peace to the ninja world?"
With the groundwork laid, Obito moved to the heart of the matter: "First, you must master the Six Paths Jutsu of the Rinnegan with full command. This will place you in an undefeatable position, and on that foundation you can rebuild the Akatsuki organization, collect the power of the tailed beasts, and make use of it."
"Tailed beasts? Those legendary enormous chakra monsters? I know there are nine tailed beasts in this world, and Konoha possesses the mightiest of them, the Nine-Tails."
Nagato said.
Obito continued naturally: "Yes. The nine tailed beasts were originally one. The Sage of Six Paths divided their power before his death, hoping that someone in future generations would be able to harness that power and bring peace to the world. You are the reincarnation of the Sage, you possess the Rinnegan, and from the moment of your birth you have carried this responsibility upon you. If you are interested, I can tell you more."
"I am interested. Please, tell me everything."
Nagato said without a moment's hesitation.
Beneath the mask, a faint smile crossed Obito's lips: "Come with me. I will tell you both everything about this world."
Swoosh! The Kamui spiral appeared and drew Nagato and Konan into it.
Several days later.
Outside Amegakure, atop a tall tower, Nagato stood within a chakra transmission device with black rods inserted all across his back.
Creak. An iron door opened.
Konan walked in, dressed in the Akatsuki's flame-cloud robe, and beneath her pale lips was a black lip piercing.
Beside him walked a young man with a sharp and handsome face, his expression cold and merciless, also dressed in a flame-cloud robe, with black rods distributed across his nose and ears. This was the Deva Path of Pain, and his original form was Yahiko.
"I truly never expected to be able to fight alongside Yahiko once more. Mr. Raito, this is all thanks to you."
Nagato looked toward the shadow beside him.
There, Obito rose and draped a black cloak over his shoulders: "It is nothing. This arrangement compensates for your lack of mobility and also protects the safety of your true body. Now then, I should be on my way."
"Mr. Raito, I wish to forever honor you as the shadow leader of the Akatsuki!"
Nagato called out fervently toward Obito's retreating figure.
"Mm."
Obito's footsteps paused briefly as he gave a light reply.
Watching Obito leave, Nagato turned to the Deva Path of Pain: "And the one who will always stand as the public leader of the Akatsuki, that is you, Yahiko."
"What is our next course of action?"
Konan asked.
The Deva Path of Pain said: "Just as Mr. Raito advised. We begin by gathering rogue ninja from every nation, regardless of origin or background, looking only at ability. We will reshape the Akatsuki into a cross-border mercenary organization, accumulate wealth and strength, and when the time is right, we begin collecting the tailed beasts."
Boom boom boom boom!
Through the oppressive clouds, muffled thunder rolled, as if the sky itself were letting out a mournful cry.
Obito stood in the rain, looking back in the direction of Amegakure, and murmured: "This small nation that weeps throughout the year is the most fitting place for darkness to take root. This day, Pain is born."