"Is it really that exaggerated?"
The child version of Karin blinked her large eyes, looking utterly unconcerned—almost a little smug.
"I don't think it's a big deal! If it were me, I could do it too!"
"Even if I killed someone's entire family, I could still make them devoted to me. Not only would they not hate me—they'd think I was the best thing that ever happened to them."
Orochimaru's main body twitched at the corner of his mouth, momentarily speechless.
He had nearly forgotten—he had a will-twisting little monster right beside him.
Compared to that, the "subtle guidance toward goodness" inside Naruto almost seemed… gentle.
Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, teasing lightly, "Lady Karin, didn't you just say that kind of ability was disgusting?"
Karin froze for a second, then puffed out her chest self-righteously.
"That's completely different!"
"My ability is open and aboveboard!"
"If I want to control someone or change how they think, that's my choice! Whether it works depends on my own skill!"
"Unlike that creepy thing inside Naruto—sneaking around in the dark, influencing people without them even realizing it."
"How gross is that? Not impressive at all!"
In her logic, even evil had to be done boldly.
If she ever met the thing inside Naruto, she'd show it what real manipulation looked like.
Orochimaru and Kabuto exchanged a glance. Neither had a rebuttal.
Her warped "evil must be honest" philosophy left them strangely at a loss.
Inside the Cave
Naruto did not stop just because Nagato fell silent.
He seemed to sense the crack in Nagato's resolve. His tone grew gentler—yet more certain.
"And Nagato-senpai… deep down, you're moved by what Jiraiya-sensei believed in. By the kind of peace Yahiko once pursued through mutual understanding… aren't you?"
It wasn't an accusation. It was a statement.
Naruto's blue eyes—clear, perceptive—seemed to see through the complicated emotions hidden deep within the Rinnegan.
Nagato did not refute him. He did not even offer his usual cold scoff.
He simply lowered his gaze slightly.
If he truly had no doubt in his "peace through pain," why insist on meeting Naruto?
Why recount his past at such length?
The very act of facing this boy—so similar to Yahiko—and engaging in this soul-baring conversation meant a fracture already existed in his heart.
Naruto did not press further. Instead, he spoke with disarming honesty.
"To be honest… about how to truly end hatred, how to break the cycle… I don't know either."
His admission of uncertainty made his words more genuine.
Then Naruto carefully pulled out a worn, weathered book. Its corners were frayed from use.
"But…"
He held it with both hands as though it were a treasure.
"This is one of Pervy Sage's books. Inside it are his stories. His thoughts. The road he walked—and what he believed in."
Naruto looked up at Nagato.
"I'm heartbroken because Jiraiya-sensei died. Because Konoha was destroyed. Because everyone suffered. Part of me wants to kill you right now to avenge them…"
"But I want to believe in Jiraiya-sensei. I believe in the words he wrote. In the lessons he taught me."
His voice was quiet—but it carried a strange power, like sunlight piercing through storm clouds.
"So I won't choose revenge. At least not here. Not now. In this cave, I choose… to try to understand you, Nagato-senpai."
"To understand your pain. Your despair. And the longing for peace that may never have disappeared from your heart—even if you chose a cruel path."
(Somewhere, Black Zetsu muttered: "Then you'll understand me too, right?")
"…."
Nagato was stunned.
His Rinnegan—eyes that had witnessed endless cruelty—widened in disbelief as he stared at the battered boy before him.
"You… what did you say?"
His voice was dry. Trembling.
"I nearly wiped out Konoha. So many died because of me. The village was reduced to ruins."
"And you can still… 'forgive' me? Do you truly love Konoha? Do you truly care about the dead?"
It was the harshest, most direct question.
By all logic, Naruto—who cherished his village and comrades—should hate him to the bone.
Across the shinobi world, countless viewers felt the same chill.
They understood Naruto's words individually. But taken together, the meaning felt incomprehensible.
No revenge? Understanding?
It was beyond ordinary emotion.
Some thought Naruto's compassion was frightening. Others wondered if he was fully controlled by the "thing" inside him.
And some sensed something vast—something beyond ordinary grievances.
Inside the cave, Naruto's expression did not waver.
Nagato fell silent for a long time.
Finally, slowly—painfully—he revealed a complicated smile. It held relief, release… and the faintest glimmer of hope.
"Perhaps… you, Naruto…"
His voice was exhausted. Gentle.
"You are the one Jiraiya-sensei was searching for all along. The one who can truly lead to peace. Perhaps… you are the true Child of the Prophecy."
Nagato entrusted his longing for peace—his tangled feelings toward Yahiko and Jiraiya—and his final shred of faith to the boy who chose understanding over revenge.
"My path… may truly have been wrong. At the very least, it was not the only path."
Slowly, with trembling hands pierced by black receivers, Nagato formed a complex seal—one that consumed his very life force.
Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.
"Let my sins… be repaid in this way, at least in part."
As he activated the technique, immense life energy surged from his broken body, manifesting as radiant green light.
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