"Then what's the difference between you and those who start wars?" Naruto suddenly spoke, his voice calm but piercing to the heart. "You inflict pain on others, and in essence, you are the same as those you hate, those who bring pain. You've merely become a more powerful 'war' itself."
Nagato sharply looked at Naruto, a flicker of emotion in his Rinnegan.
Naruto's words seemed to touch something deep within him.
Jiraiya seized the opportunity to continue, "Nagato, you once—you were a child who believed in the bonds between people. Do you remember? We trained together, ate grilled fish together, discussed the future together—has that heart that believed in comrades and believed in the future been completely devoured by hatred?"
"Yahiko—"
Konan also sobbed softly, remembering her deceased comrade.
Nagato fell silent.
Jiraiya's words and memories pierced through the high wall of hatred he had built, like sharp swords.
He looked at Teacher Jiraiya, who had almost been killed by the Six Paths of Pain, at Naruto's calm expression, and then recalled Yahiko's smile and entrustment before his death—could everything he had done truly bring Yahiko peace?
Or had he already lost his way on the path of power?
The intense internal struggle made Nagato's already weak body even more overwhelmed. He coughed violently, his breath growing weaker.
He could feel his life flickering like a candle in the wind; even if he didn't die immediately, he wouldn't last much longer.
After a long while, he slowly raised his head. The fanaticism and madness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a deep weariness and—a hint of relief.
"Perhaps—you are right—" Nagato's voice was so faint it was almost inaudible. "I—I failed. I lost not only to power—but also to—my own heart."
He looked at Naruto. For the first time, there was no hostility in those Rinnegan, only a complex scrutiny and—
A final entrustment.
"Uzumaki Naruto—you possess a power I cannot imagine—even surpassing these Rinnegan." Nagato said with difficulty, "I—I don't have much time left. These eyes—this power hailed as the 'eyes that control life and death'—perhaps in my hands, it will only bring disaster—"
He took a deep breath, as if using his last ounce of strength: "I am willing—to give these Rinnegan—to you."
Konan gasped, "Nagato!"
Nagato waved his hand, signaling her not to stop him.
"But—before I offer it," he stared intently at Naruto, asking the question that had plagued him his entire life and was the root of all his actions, "Tell me—Uzumaki Naruto—facing this Ninja World full of hatred and war—what different method do you—have? How do you—intend to achieve that—dream that even we could not achieve?"
The entire underground space fell silent, leaving only the faint hum of instruments and Nagato's heavy breathing.
Jiraiya and Konan also held their breath, looking at Naruto.
They all wanted to know what answer this young man, possessing revolutionary power, would give.
Naruto met Nagato's gaze, filled with final hope and doubt, and did not answer immediately.
He was silent for a moment, and countless memories seemed to flash in his eyes—Iruka's recognition, bonds with friends, Gaara's change, Jiraiya's teachings, and even experiences from other worlds—
It was clearly impossible for humans—the Ninja World—to achieve true peace through love or mere talk.
Finally, Naruto's deep blue eyes suddenly changed!
A crimson base appeared, and three black tomoe rapidly spun, connected, and transformed, forming a complex, demonic pattern emanating cold and powerful ocular power—the Mangekyo Sharingan!
"What?!" Nagato's Rinnegan widened sharply, his emaciated body trembling violently from extreme shock.
"Sharingan?! And Mangekyo?! This is impossible! How could you—"
He could not, by any means, connect the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki with the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Konan was also horrified, instinctively stepping in front of Nagato again, paper fluttering, but her eyes were filled with disbelief.
How could the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan appear on Uzumaki Naruto?!
Even Jiraiya, sitting to the side, was instantly dumbfounded, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg, his mind a blank: "Naruto—your—your eyes—when—what exactly is going on?!"
This scene completely overturned their understanding!
Naruto maintained his Mangekyo Sharingan, looking at the three people, especially Nagato, who were beyond shocked, and slowly uttered three words:
"Kotoamatsukami."
These three words, like a thunderclap, once again exploded in Nagato's ears!
"Uchiha Shisui's—the strongest genjutsu—capable of subtly altering others' wills—without being detected—" As the leader of the Akatsuki Organization, Nagato naturally had some understanding of the Uchiha Clan's forbidden jutsu. His voice was filled with horror, "Could it be that you—"
"That's right." Naruto affirmed their guess, his tone calm but carrying undeniable power. "In the Akatsuki Organization, the Uchiha you thought were difficult to control, were already affected by my Kotoamatsukami many years ago. And Orochimaru, the seed of reverence has also been planted deep within his soul."
These words were like a bombshell, completely freezing Nagato and Konan.
They had always thought that they were manipulating the Akatsuki Organization from behind the scenes, but they never expected that the true mastermind had long been infiltrated and influenced by the golden-haired youth in front of them using Kotoamatsukami!
Jiraiya was even more dumbfounded, feeling his worldview, built over decades as a Ninja, crumbling.
How many shocking secrets was this disciple of his still hiding?!
Nagato fell silent. After the immense shock came a deep sense of powerlessness and—a hint of absurd hope.
If Kotoamatsukami was truly so powerful, then—
"But—" Nagato spoke with difficulty, pointing out the crucial issue, "Kotoamatsukami—is said to have a cooldown period of more than a decade—it cannot be used on a large scale at all—"
"That was before."
Naruto interrupted him, the pattern in his Mangekyo Sharingan subtly shifting. "My physique, my Chakra, or rather, you can call it 'Naruto Cells,' possesses Yang Release vitality and fusion capabilities that even surpass the First Hokage. The cooldown time of Kotoamatsukami, for me, can be shortened to—half an hour."
"Half—half an hour?!"
Nagato gasped, even his Rinnegan slightly contracting from extreme shock!
This was simply unheard of!
To shorten a decade-long cooldown to half an hour?
What kind of terrifying vitality and ocular power supported this?!