Crack.
A faint sound came from inside the massive sealing sphere.
To everyone present, it sounded like thunder.
Crack!
The noise grew louder.
Visible fractures spread across the surface of the enormous sphere.
From the center, the crack slowly but firmly split outward—like a terrifying giant forcing it apart from within.
Boom!
The sphere split in two.
Naruto floated in midair as the two hemispheres crashed down behind him. Against the falling debris, he looked majestic—almost divine.
Pain, Konan, Obito, and Black Zetsu stared up at him.
Despair.
Fear.
Awe.
And deep down—admiration.
Reverence for overwhelming power was instinctive.
Even as enemies, even if they would never admit it, they couldn't deny the raw dominance Naruto displayed.
---
"I already told you," Naruto said calmly as he descended. "Even the Ten Tails would be nothing more than a one-handed matter for me. The thing you're chasing so desperately? To me, it's insignificant."
Pain's aura weakened unconsciously. The arrogance of the "god of the ninja world" faded.
Naruto's gaze shifted to Obito and Black Zetsu.
"And you two. Sending clones while your real bodies hide somewhere. One playing the devoted son trying to save his mother. The other scheming to drag the world into chaos for a woman. The bloodshed of the ninja world? You two carry a lot of that responsibility."
His voice hardened.
"Surrender yourselves. Your sins are heavy. There's a lot you need to atone for. If I come for you personally later, the outcome won't be pleasant."
If their real bodies were here, Naruto would have dragged them straight to the Konoha Proving Ground and made them lifelong training dummies.
Unfortunately, they were cautious.
---
"You… what nonsense are you spouting?" Black Zetsu's voice faltered.
Pain and Obito both glanced at him, suspicion flickering in their eyes.
Pain had always known the Akatsuki wasn't free of hidden agendas.
But Black Zetsu? He had seemed like nothing more than a diligent intelligence gatherer.
A "devoted son saving his mother"?
Pain's vigilance spiked.
Obito's body trembled slightly.
Wasn't Black Zetsu supposed to be the will of Uchiha Madara?
Had he been deceived too?
For the first time, doubt crept in.
As for surrender?
Obito had already fallen too deep to turn back.
Black Zetsu's thousand-year obsession was impossible to abandon.
---
Naruto sighed.
"Looks like you've chosen to walk into the darkness all the way. Fine. I'll deal with you later."
He flicked two fingers.
Two sharp streaks of compressed air sliced forward.
Black Zetsu and Obito froze.
They saw it clearly—
But couldn't dodge.
Bang. Bang.
Two puffs of smoke.
The clones vanished instantly.
Pain's eyelids twitched violently.
Konan stepped slightly in front of him.
Naruto smiled faintly.
"Relax. I'm not doing anything to you—for now."
Konan's tension eased just a little.
"Your organization hasn't even started collecting tailed beasts yet. The damage to the ninja world is still limited. There's room to salvage things."
Even Pain felt the pressure lessen slightly.
He had to admit it now.
Naruto was stronger.
Even the Rinnegan couldn't bridge that gap.
---
"What exactly do you want?" Pain asked coldly.
"Didn't I say it at the start? Let the Akatsuki join the Red Sun Society."
"And if I refuse?"
Naruto smiled.
"Refuse? Then I'll just beat you again. If once isn't enough, I'll beat you twice. Simple, right?"
Pain was speechless.
He had imagined philosophical debate. Ideological persuasion. Even a dignified standoff.
Instead—
There was only one option.
Join.
"Three…"
Naruto casually raised a hand.
Pain trembled with anger.
Konan gripped his arm and shook her head.
In the end, even gods bowed before bigger fists.
"…I'll join the Red Sun Society."
Konan nodded quietly.
"I'll join too."
Pain's voice carried bitterness and defeat.
---
"What about them?" Konan asked, glancing at the unconscious Akatsuki members.
"They're violent criminals. They need correction," Naruto said lightly. "I'll take them somewhere for reform through labor. Let them learn what consequences mean."
He tied them up again and lifted them behind him.
"Here. Drink this, Nagato. The Gedo Statue is draining you dry. Throw that thing away. It's poison."
Naruto tossed him a bottle of red medicine.
"This should restore your health. No more hiding behind Six Paths puppets."
He then gave them an address.
"After settling things in the Hidden Rain, report there. Learn. You'll understand how childish your old plan was. Peace isn't achieved by brute force alone. A Ten Tails can't fix the ninja world."
Without another word, Naruto left.
He showed no concern that they might run.
He knew Nagato's character.
Once he made a decision, he wouldn't back out.
---
"He just… left?" Konan murmured.
So decisive.
So confident.
"Nagato… do we really have to join them? We could leave. Go somewhere quiet. Live peacefully. Forget the ninja world."
"No."
Pain's voice was firm.
"I want to see it myself. If I was naive… childish… then I want to understand why. I want to see what kind of peace the Red Sun Society is building."
The Akatsuki was finished.
Perhaps it was time to see something new.
And maybe—
Just maybe—
There was another path to peace.
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