Land of Fields – Border.
Uchiha Natsuki took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.
"Madara thought he understood the truth. In order to ensure his own resurrection, he chose someone with a special constitution to nurture the Rinnegan. That person… was you, Nagato."
Natsuki clearly sensed a jolt in Nagato's spirit, though there was no visible reaction on Pain's face.
Natsuki ignored it and continued:
"He had Zetsu transplant the Rinnegan into you when you were a child."
"Then, at the right time, orchestrated the death of your parents, to trigger the awakening of the Rinnegan."
"By the time you'd grown up, Madara was already dead, but Obito had become the vessel of his will."
"Which is why Obito impersonated Uchiha Madara and came to manipulate you."
"Because of Yahiko's existence, you rejected Obito."
"And precisely because of that, Obito and Zetsu plotted Yahiko's death, driving your heart completely into darkness…"
Suddenly, Pain shouted, cutting Natsuki off:
"Impossible!!!"
His expression twisted with rage.
He refused to believe it.
He refused to believe that his entire life had been manipulated, that his fate, his dreams, even the very eyes with which he saw the world… were never truly his.
How could he possibly accept that?
The one thing he had always believed in was the Rinnegan.
Its awakening was, in his mind, a divine gift, proof that he was chosen.
Before dying, Yahiko had told him: "You are the savior of this world."
Nagato had carried on Yahiko's dream as his own.
Now, someone stood before him and declared, it was all a lie.
The dream he fought for all these years was fake.
That Madara's identity was a sham… that Obito was pushing the Eye of the Moon Plan!?
"How do you know all this? How can you prove what you're saying is true!?"
Pain's face contorted, disbelief written across his features, alongside a faint trace of fear that even he didn't notice.
Natsuki thought for a moment. Right now, Nagato was clinging to the Rinnegan like a drowning man to driftwood.
Even if Natsuki played him actual footage through genjutsu, he would probably still think it was fake.
Saying he could see the future wouldn't help either.
Nagato was in a mindset of "not turning back until he hits a wall."
So Natsuki spread his hands.
"How I know these things, I won't explain. But you can go verify it yourself."
"Surely you've met Kyosuke. You already know that Yahiko's death had deep connections with Obito."
"At the very least, Kyosuke, Daibutsu, and the others, they were killed by Madara and Zetsu."
Pain's expression kept shifting. Natsuki's words struck him like thunderclaps.
He couldn't bring himself to believe Natsuki.
But the evidence, the fragments of what he did know, made Natsuki's claims terrifyingly plausible.
Konan looked at Pain, concern etched on her face. Natsuki's words had clearly shaken her as well.
Having dealt with Natsuki before, she believed there was truth in what he said.
"We've already met Kyosuke," Konan said quietly.
At that moment, Pain steadied himself and asked:
"Why are you telling us this?"
He would eventually verify it himself, but why was Natsuki giving them this intel so freely?
Natsuki stroked his chin.
"I won't lie, I actually admire you."
"Admire me?" Pain was stunned. He had thought of many possible reasons, but this?
Natsuki nodded.
"Yes. I agree with your ideal."
Pain's eyes widened.
"You know!?"
At this stage, the Akatsuki was still in its dormant phase. Aside from Obito's actions in the Land of Water, the organization was mostly recruiting and gathering funds.
To the outside world, they were just a powerful bounty-hunting group.
No one knew Pain's true ideology, not even most Akatsuki members.
"Peace," Natsuki began. "It does indeed require sacrifice."
That first sentence made Konan's heart tremble.
"Things like mutual understanding between people, they don't create real peace."
"That's outdated idealism. It doesn't reflect reality."
Pain's expression shifted. Wasn't that exactly his belief?
"Whether the pain you've experienced was manipulated or not, this kind of tragedy will always exist in the world."
"You are not the only one who has suffered."
Pain's face twisted as names flooded his memory, his parents, Yahiko, Kyosuke, Daibutsu, Komame…
"Yes, that's right! Too few people know what pain truly is! Only when more people feel pain, can true peace be achieved!"
"I will become the god of this world!"
Natsuki watched Pain, so riled up he was almost trembling, and sighed deeply.
Nagato's life had been filled with tragedy, his parents slaughtered, raised as a war orphan, his best friend dying in his arms…
That's why he once said to Naruto in battle:
"My pain is greater than yours."
And the root of that pain… was all a fabricated scheme.
Natsuki had never intended to carry this secret to his grave.
Now that he had come to this world, with a system to aid him, he felt responsible for correcting past regrets.
In his previous life, Nagato had died without ever learning the truth.
The Rinnegan was so rare, did anyone believe Madara would simply entrust it out of shared ideals?
Natsuki didn't believe that for a second.
He suspected that Nagato had been branded with a control seal.
But he couldn't undo that.
What he could do, was ruin Obito's plans.
Expose Obito's identity. Shatter his carefully kept secrets.
Force Nagato to confront him early. Delay the capture of the Tailed Beasts. Give the promising young talents in his faction more time to grow.
And when Madara returned?
He'd be buried under a mountain of Susanoo.
Pain returned from his spiral of thoughts, eyes glowing with conviction.
"Since you share my ideals, Natsuki, join us."
Natsuki didn't respond. Instead, he emphasized:
"Let me say this again, your Rinnegan cannot make you a god."
Pain froze.
Natsuki continued:
"In my eyes, whether it's your Rinnegan or my Mangekyō, they're just tools."
"Tools are never greater than their wielder."
"Even if you followed Obito's so-called vision, standing atop the world, turning Tailed Beasts into weapons of deterrence… destroying any country that steps out of line…"
"There's a huge flaw in that logic."
Pain couldn't help but ask:
"What flaw?"
Natsuki raised one finger.
"Even if your Rinnegan isn't the product of some conspiracy, even if you do capture all the Tailed Beasts and create war machines, there's one hurdle you can't overcome."
"You'll die."
"Once you're dead, the world will return to its original state."
"Everything you built will vanish like a dream."
Pain had considered this before.
"I can find a successor."
Natsuki shook his head.
"After you're dead, you won't know anything. How can you be sure your successor's heart will remain the same?"
"What Yahiko believed, does it still match what you believe now?"
Pain placed a hand over his chest, over the wound Yahiko had given himself in death.
"Those who experience pain don't necessarily learn compassion. People grow from suffering, but not always in the direction you hope."
Pain's gaze flickered. He was lost in thought.
Konan asked softly:
"Then, Natsuki-san… what do you think is the way to achieve peace?"