Removing the Rinnegan? That idea is out of the question.
What are the Rinnegan? The eyes of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki—the Sage of Six Paths.
How many have longed to wield such power? Among the Akatsuki alone, at least two did: Orochimaru and the masked man claiming to be Uchiha Madara.
Orochimaru has long since left the organization; as for the rest of Akatsuki—they're all S‑rank missing‑ninja. If Pain lost his Rinnegan, who knows what they'd do?
Konan stared at Naruto, fearing he'd seize the Rinnegan for himself.
But Naruto remained calm. "Then let's talk about the second option," he said.
"Absorb the chakra of one tailed beast."
In the Shippuden storyline, Edo‑Tensei (Reanimated) Pain did exactly that with the Eight‑Tails, regaining vitality and even healing as the Tailed Beasts' chakra restored him.
Pain's current condition results from using the Outer Path and retaining the Rinnegan. If he could fix his chakra, he could return to peak form.
Pain and Konan both shouted, "Impossible!"
For Pain, tailed beasts are weapons for his vision of peace, not personal fuel. Konan, too, worried: "Pain…" she began anxiously, but he shook his head firmly: "I've made my decision."
Naruto's understated voice held a hint of regret. "Without a strong body, you can't create real peace like Hagoromo."
He paused, and finally said, "Then we use the third method."
A third method? Pain blinked. Konan gasped.
Naruto smirked confidently, as though with this one move he could resolve everything. "After all, I'm also called the 'Reanimation Soul‑Chaser.'"
Pain murmured the name softly. "The Reanimation Soul‑Chaser…"
Indeed, he'd been an ancient, thousand‑year‑old Uzumaki.
Konan, wide‑eyed, whispered: "I don't quite understand… but it sounds powerful."
Naruto circled them, feigning deep thought. "I'll return in three days. We'll need some preparations."
"Understood!" Konan said, eager. Pain offered Naruto a rueful look.
Naruto would be traveling to the Land of Lightning, Earth, and Wind—easy with his Body Flicker Technique.
---
Meanwhile, in the Land of Earth…
Inside Iwagakure's Stone Shadow HQ, Ōnoki and his son Yōdo spoke in hushed tones about recent changes since the Great Shinobi War.
"So the Akatsuki did several missions for us…" Ōnoki mused, unfurling a scroll. He hovered just above his chair—his "Light‑heavy Earth Release" technique—similar to Naruto's Body Flicker, but it did reduce strength.
His son Yōdo, a mountain of strength, ventured, "Are you saying we shouldn't assign missions to Naruto's group anymore?"
"Fool!" Ōnoki barked, tapping Yōdo's head with the scroll. "It's simple! We pay them 70% for tasks—they handle them flawlessly and we keep 30%!"
Yōdo scratched his head sheepishly. "Father is always so thorough."
Despite appearances, Yōdo is the real powerhouse of Iwagakure—even the Four‑Tails Jinchūriki can't match him. If he could learn Ōnoki's techniques… he'd be Stone Shadow.
Just then, a stone ninja stumbled in. "Stone Shadow, sir! Our ancestor's tomb has been dug up!"
Both Ōnoki and Yōdo froze.
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