"Yup, that's probably it!"
The more Seimei thought about it, the more it made sense.
But, as always, knowing the other party's ultimate goal meant he didn't need to sweat the details of their schemes or little tricks. No matter what they were up to, things would eventually play out in his favor.
After all, he held three and a half tailed beasts in his grasp. If they wanted to achieve their goal, they'd have to come to him eventually.
When that time came, he'd be the one calling the shots.
A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind. Seimei pondered for a moment, then decided it was time to leave.
But just then, as if sensing his presence, a terrifying pressure surged up from below.
Seimei focused his gaze, using the Byakugan's x-ray vision to spot a figure rocketing toward him.
The figure wore a black robe with red clouds, and their eyes were an eerie purple with concentric black rings—the legendary Rinnegan.
But something about those eyes felt… off. They didn't seem real.
Drawing on memories from his past life, Seimei quickly realized this was likely one of Nagato's puppets—specifically, one of the Six Paths of Pain, and probably the strongest one, the Deva Path.
With that in mind, he prepared to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport away.
But just before he activated the jutsu, he paused.
It wasn't that someone stopped him. He wanted to meet this person, to get a close-up feel of the legendary Rinnegan.
As for the risk of exposing his identity?
After a quick thought, Seimei used the Transformation Technique to casually morph into an ordinary-looking person.
Then, he dispelled Wind Release: Wings of Wind, his Chakra Cloak, and Earth Release: Ultra-Lightweight Rock Technique. Using only the Byakugan's gravity manipulation, he kept himself floating in midair.
Sure, this might be a bit of self-deception, but as long as there was no concrete proof he was himself, it wasn't a big deal.
He figured even if Nagato later guessed his identity, he wouldn't blab it to others.
After all, what would Nagato gain from that?
And even if he was wrong and Nagato spilled the beans, it wouldn't matter much. People might not even believe him.
And even if they did, so what?
With his current strength, Seimei wasn't worried about anyone coming after him.
Besides, why did he train day in and day out, constantly pushing to grow stronger?
It was so he could have the freedom to make his own choices when things went down.
If he had to tiptoe around everything, what was the point of all his effort to grow stronger? He might as well just kick back and give up.
So, after a brief moment of thought, Seimei followed his gut and stayed.
Whoosh~
The rain clouds below parted, and a figure appeared directly in front of him.
The two stood about ten meters apart.
Seimei studied the newcomer. Though he didn't know Yahiko, the aura and appearance of the figure screamed Deva Path Pain.
But he didn't focus much on the figure's appearance. Instead, he poured most of his attention into those eyes.
Even if they weren't the true Rinnegan, as a projection of it, they still held some of its mystique.
They gave him a glimpse of the Rinnegan's power.
While Seimei sized up his opponent, the other was doing the same.
When Nagato, through the puppet, saw Seimei standing in midair, he didn't seem fazed.
Flying ninja were rare, but not unheard of in the ninja world.
But when he sensed the gravity manipulation surrounding Seimei—eerily similar to his own—his expression shifted, even through the puppet.
No doubt about it—this was the first time he'd encountered someone with abilities akin to the Rinnegan.
How could he not be shocked?
Without hesitation, Nagato used the puppet to channel the Rinnegan's power, closely observing Seimei.
Seimei noticed the scrutiny but didn't shy away.
The more he was observed, the better he could sense the Rinnegan's mystique.
At the same time, Nagato's gaze locked onto Seimei's forehead.
Clearly, despite the Transformation Technique and the Hidden Leaf headband, Nagato had noticed something off.
The two locked eyes for a moment before Nagato spoke first. "Who are you?"
His voice was calm, but Seimei could hear the weight behind it.
Clearly, Nagato was on high alert.
And why wouldn't he be? He'd just secretly taken control of a village, and within a month or two, a stranger shows up, wielding powers similar to his own. Anyone would be on edge.
For all Seimei knew, Nagato was already plotting how to take him out.
"Heh," Seimei chuckled lightly, then said in a casual tone, "Shouldn't I be asking you that? If I remember right, the leader of the Hidden Rain Village is supposed to be Hanzō. So, who are you?"
He paused deliberately, locking eyes with Nagato. "Tch, Sage Eyes, huh? That's pretty surprising!"
Nagato's brow furrowed slightly at Seimei's words. He wasn't shocked that Seimei recognized his eyes.
After all, Seimei had been staring at them since he arrived, clearly showing some familiarity with the Rinnegan.
What bothered Nagato was Seimei's attitude toward the Sage Eyes and his tone.
Though Seimei acted like he didn't know him, Nagato's gut told him this guy probably knew exactly who he was.
That left him deeply puzzled.
As for Seimei's attitude?
Anyone who knew about the Sage Eyes would typically show shock or greed when seeing them.
But Seimei?
He'd been staring for a while now, yet showed none of those emotions.
How could that not puzzle Nagato?
Could it be…
A thought struck him, and his gaze returned to Seimei's forehead.
Maybe only someone with the same eyes wouldn't covet mine.
Eager to test his theory, Nagato didn't hesitate. He raised a hand and unleashed Almighty Push, attempting to pull Seimei closer with gravitational force.
But Seimei casually raised his hand, releasing an identical repulsive force to counter it.
His effortless response left Nagato speechless.
Sure, both the Rinnegan and the Tenseigan could manipulate gravity and repulsion, but their focuses were different.
The Rinnegan leaned more toward controlling life and death. While it could manipulate gravity and repulsion, its strength in that area was limited, better suited for precise control.
Even Madara Uchiha, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, used the Rinnegan's gravity manipulation to summon two meteors with Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star, not to painstakingly drag them from outer space.
In contrast, the Tenseigan could directly manipulate planetary orbits—a whole different league.
So, even though Seimei's Byakugan hadn't yet evolved into the Tenseigan, its gravity and repulsion control was more than enough to handle Nagato's puppet-driven gravitational pull.
Not convinced, Nagato waited a moment before unleashing another wave of gravitational force, trying again to pull Seimei closer.
But Seimei, with the same effortless ease, countered it once more.