A while later, after some more discussion with Tsunade and Kanae, they moved Nagato and Konan into the same room.
Konan had already regained consciousness, but she kept her eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep. Ryusei noticed, of course, but said nothing.
He simply waited outside, leaning against the wall, waiting for Nagato to wake so they could talk alone.
Ryusei always saw further than others in this world.
He had seen firsthand how much potential Nagato possessed, potential that had been wasted, in his opinion, by the very Rinnegan that had once elevated and ultimately ruined him.
It was ironic, really. The boy's true strength had come not from those eyes, but from what he already was.
All Uzumaki and Senju carried traces of the Sage Body, Hagoromo's legacy, but Nagato's was perhaps the purest since Hashirama himself, even greater than Ryusei's own natural inheritance before his enhancements.
So no, Ryusei didn't see a cripple. He saw material. A foundation. Someone who could still become a powerful subordinate, or even a weaponized experiment.
He already had Hashirama's cells in his possession, and he had long known that the Slug Sage Mode could permanently not only heal but also strengthen the body far beyond natural limits, if one survived the transformation. Katsuyu had confirmed it in the past, explaining the process in Shikkotsu Forest. Ryusei had discussed it with her several times, preparing himself for the right moment to attempt it. His body was maturing fast, the micro-quake pulses accelerating his internal development, and at fifteen, he was nearing the threshold for it. Within six months, given how the world was changing, and with Hagoromo's gaze still fixed on him, he planned to undergo the procedure himself, no matter the risk.
But before that, he needed data. Real, living observation. And Nagato was the perfect subject.
Watching him undergo the dangerous Slug Sage Mode process, more a gamble on a powerful rebirth than a simple temporary "mode", as the case was with other Sage Regions, as Ryusei understood it, would give Ryusei all the beneficial insights he needed for his own "turn" in Shikkotsu Forest a few months later.
As for the Hashirama cells, Nagato was ideal for that, too.
Kiyomi had already reached her peak, undeniably Peak Kage-level. Her Susanoo could theoretically reach its 'Perfect Stage', though attempting it in reality was still too dangerous and unstable.
Without Eternal Mangekyō or Hashirama's cells to sustain the strain, the backlash would destroy her body and those same eyes.
Her two unique Mangekyō abilities had also evolved immensely, but her progress had plateaued.
The only way forward was through enhancing her Yang essence, which would let her wield her matured powers more freely, for longer, and with fewer long-term consequences.
Pakura, meanwhile, had been pestering him for months about the Hashirama cells as well, eager to get them before exacting her revenge on Sunagakure. But the procedure was risky; one mistake, and it could kill even the strongest subject.
That's why Nagato was so valuable now. He was the perfect trial case to refine the process safely and completely.
Uzumaki and Senju shared the closest lineage, and his physiology was nearly identical to Hashirama's own, perhaps.
Pakura's lineage was too foreign, and Kiyomi's Uchiha genetics made her a dangerous risk for cellular rejection.
Nagato, though, his chances of survival were far higher, and if successful, it could restore the vitality he'd once lost, together with proper Hashirama's cells fusion.
And if those cells took hold properly, maybe even awaken Wood Release.
Combined with the Slug Sage Mode, he could easily rise to peak Kage-Level power again, or more.
Ryusei's lips curved faintly at the thought. Another piece added to the board. Another weapon reforged.
And Ryusei would need more of them if his current greatest goal and wish were to succeed.
After just witnessing the brilliance of the Tenseigan firsthand, how could he not be tempted by it even more?
But taking it from someone who was no weaker than him, perhaps even stronger, would require pieces of enough strength to tip the balance.
That was also one of the reasons Ryusei had made sure not to appear during that battle.
Why reveal himself to his greatest future target?
It was far better to work in the shadows and strike once, decisively and without warning, just as his narrow-eyed, scheming face suggested he would.
After all, it's always the punch you don't see that knocks you out.
Now that he had "downloaded" the man's chakra signature, tracking him would be far easier, thanks to his ever-increasing sensory range and the clone network.
For a sensory master like Ryusei every little detail counted. No matter where that treasure trove of raw power went on the globe, sooner or later, Ryusei would be able to find him.
However, it looked like Nagato was starting to wake up, so Ryusei pushed thoughts of that cosmic show-off aside for now and went to check on this half-dead Uzumaki and his newest investment.
...
Ryusei stepped into the dim room.
Nagato stirred at the sound, his breathing uneven.
Even blind, he could sense the chakra presence entering, calm, steady, and too composed to be anyone ordinary.
His fingers twitched weakly against the bed.
"Who's there?" His voice was rough, cautious, but not panicked.
"It's me," Ryusei said casually, pulling up a chair beside the bed.
Nagato went still, his head turning slightly toward the sound. "You… saved me?"
"You could say that," Ryusei replied. "Dragged you out before the vultures finished picking you clean."
Nagato's expression tightened, his blind eyes lowering toward the floor. "The statue… It's gone, isn't it?"
"Gone," Ryusei said, his tone even. "At least for you."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Nagato exhaled slowly, a mix of fatigue and acceptance crossing his face. "Then it's over," he murmured. "Everything… was for nothing."
However, his breathing grew heavier as the memories began flooding back in the foolest, overwhelming chakra, the crushing pressure, that blinding cyan light.
The realization hit him all at once. That wasn't the backup he had hoped for.
That was betrayal. Zetsu, the one closest to "Madara", had turned on him in the end.
His head turned sharply. "Konan…" he muttered, searching for her presence.
His hands twitched against the sheets until he sensed her faint chakra nearby.
He turned toward it and heard the soft sound of breathing from the next bed.
She was there—alive, just stirring.
Relief flickered briefly across his face.
Then his focus shifted to the unfamiliar chakra in front of him. "Who are you exactly?"
"Ryusei Senju," came the calm reply.
The name made something stir in Nagato's mind; he'd heard it before, whispered across nations.
A name that carried weight, rumor, and danger in equal measure.
As proven by the fact that he had somehow managed to slip through that chaos unnoticed and still pull both him and Konan out alive.
Outwardly, though, he wasn't grateful. Just confused. "…Why save me?" he asked quietly.
His tone was flat, almost lifeless. "I've lost my powerful eyes. My body's clearly finished. I have no use left."
He turned his face toward Konan's bed again. "But, if you saved her… that's enough."
Ryusei leaned forward slightly, his voice calm but direct. "Let's forget about the rest. Do you remember what happened after you lost your eyes?"
Nagato frowned, thinking for a moment before shaking his head faintly. "No… the moment they were taken, I was cut off from the Gedo Statue. My body went into shock instantly. The last thing I remember was another overwhelming presence appearing on the battlefield near me… something massive."
Ryusei looked at Nagato for a moment before saying evenly, "That presence you felt, that was the real Madara Uchiha."
Nagato froze. "...What?" His voice was quiet, disbelieving.
"You've always been following a fake," Ryusei continued. "The man you knew as Madara was just an impostor, one of his pawns. The real one has been plotting behind the scenes the entire time."
Konan, who had quietly opened her eyes and turned her head toward them, frowned, her voice low but sharp.
"You're saying… everything we did was under a lie?"
Ryusei nodded. "More than that." He paused briefly, then dropped the next truth with surgical calm.
"Those eyes, the Rinnegan, they were never truly yours. They were his. Awakened by him originally. Implanted into you when you were young so your body could keep them alive until he needed them again after his biological death. You were just a vessel, Nagato. Your Uzumaki vitality was perfect for it. When the time came, they planned to use you to bring him back from the dead and take them back again."
Nagato's hands clenched weakly at the sheets, his face pale. "That's… not true."
"It is," Ryusei said without hesitation. "Think about it. If those eyes were truly yours, why did your body break down just trying to use them constantly? Why did you need to use those machines to function in the first place? Why could you only channel their power through many layers of artificial support?"
He leaned forward slightly. "If they were really yours, you would've adapted, grown stronger. Able to contend with that attacker just like the real Madara Uchiha did after you passed. But they crippled you instead and capped your potential. You were never their master, Nagato. You were their caretaker."
Nagato's breathing quickened, his expression a mix of anger and disbelief. "No… I was chosen. The Sage's successor… To achieve the true peace... That's what—"
Ryusei cut him off. "Chosen by who? The same impostor who hid his face from you the entire time? Who used you to build their true cause, then abandoned you when you outlived your purpose?"
Konan's lips trembled slightly, her usual composure fading as she looked at Nagato's shaking hands.
"Nagato…" she whispered, but he didn't respond.
Ryusei's tone softened slightly, though still cutting. "You wanted peace. That's fine. But the one you ultimately served never wanted that kind of peace, just control. You were always meant to die the moment he didn't need you anymore. And that's exactly what happened. Albeit a bit earlier than they planned, probably, thanks to that powerful attacker."
Silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of Nagato's strained breathing.
His expression had gone empty, shock, fury, and despair all tangled together.
Konan lowered her head, her voice barely audible. "…We really were just tools."
"You were used and discarded, sure," Ryusei said evenly. "But if you're still breathing, it means you weren't completely worthless to fate. So use that."