Back in Amegakure, Sasuke retrieved the discarded white cloak from his earlier White Cursed Seal State Three release. He wrapped it around his bare torso. His gaze lifted to the tallest tower piercing the rainy sky.
The Six Paths of Pain were remotely controlled. Keeping the main body at the highest point for optimal chakra transmission was basic logic.
Nagato might deviate from convention, of course. But Sasuke's infiltration was sudden. Unplanned. That meant Nagato was almost certainly in that tallest tower.
Whoosh!
Cursed wings unfurled. He shot towards the tower's peak, landing on the outstretched tongue of a demonic carving. The wings vanished into his back. He stepped into the darkness.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hurried footsteps. Konan stood in his path.
"Konan, stand down." The voice echoed from the shadows behind her, resonant and commanding. "He defeated the Paths of Pain alone and reached me. He's earned the right to speak."
Konan hesitated for a fraction of a second. Then, she slowly moved aside.
Sasuke looked past her. And finally saw Nagato's true form.
A shock of vivid red hair—the mark of Uzumaki lineage—framed a gaunt, skeletal face and body. Confined to a mechanical cart due to his crippled legs. Dozens of black rods protruded from his spine like a grotesque fan, conduits for controlling the Six Paths.
Seeing it firsthand… it was hard to believe. The man who had once controlled the Six Paths of Pain and nearly obliterated Konoha in his past life looked so… fragile.
Even with Uzumaki blood, forcing a transplanted Rinnegan to this level of power exacts a terrible price, Sasuke mused. A twinge of something like pity flickered. If I weren't the reincarnation of Indra… I probably couldn't handle those eyes either.
Nagato broke the silence first. "Your expression… the surprise upon seeing my true form. It grounds you somewhat in my perception. It seems you are not omniscient. At the very least, I can rule out you possessing a truly god's-eye view of all things."
Sasuke's lips curved slightly. He gave the damp hem of his cloak a light flick, scattering droplets. "Of course I don't have that view. After all, I've never called myself a god."
Nagato's eyes narrowed. "Is that mockery?"
"Hardly." Sasuke's tone was flat. "By the standards of the shinobi world, the power you hold is… divine."
"Uchiha Sasuke. You seem to know many secrets." Nagato's voice was measured. "As the one who overcame Pain, it would be discourteous for me to interrogate you outright. Very well. You may ask the first question."
My goal here is to assess Nagato. See if turning an enemy into an ally is possible. Sasuke's mind raced. To do that, I need to understand his past. What shaped him.
He let the cloak settle. "Nagato. Tell me your story. As Jiraiya's student… what led you to seek to dominate this world with 'Tailed Beast Weapons'?"
"Hah… interested in my past?" A dry, humorless sound escaped Nagato's lips. "Fine. Since you ask, I will tell you."
And so, just as he had to Naruto in that other life, Nagato laid bare the two pivotal tragedies that warped his worldview.
The death of his parents.
And the death of Yahiko.
"Yes. I have witnessed too much death. The agony of those losses… it forged me. Tempered a mere human into a god." Nagato's voice grew fervent. "Every life born into this world carries a purpose. A mission. I believe this utterly."
"And I… the awakener of the Rinnegan. What is my mission?" His gaze burned. "After witnessing the true nature of mankind, I have seen the cruel truth. Humanity is incapable of true change. It cannot repent."
"My mission, as a god, is to stamp a seal of ceasefire upon this war-torn world!" His words echoed in the chamber. "In an era of endless conflict between nations… how does one bring about instant peace? The answer is simple. Grant each warring nation a Tailed Beast Weapon. The holders will use its power. Hundreds of millions would perish in an instant. And that… that terror would be felt by all. People, nations, the entire world would know pain. That fear… that dread… would become a deterrent. War would cease to exist!"
"In a sense, this world is already moving toward stability. Toward peace. Pain makes the world grow. Just as it made me grow. For the world to mature, for its thinking to evolve… it requires the guidance of a god. This world is but a child. And to make a child grow… you must teach it the meaning of suffering!"
Sasuke listened to the entire speech without interruption. He was thinking.
Loss. Immense power. A decision to remake the world in his own image. In a way… he's a mirror of who I was. The catalyst for his change even came from the same man.
He could almost picture it—Naruto, in his place, thumping his chest, making impassioned promises, his face a canvas of earnest emotion.
Noticing the ambiguous smile that had crept onto Sasuke's face, Nagato frowned. "What? Do you find my words… laughable?"
"No." Sasuke's expression smoothed into neutrality. "I'm just summarizing. Your grand philosophy boils down to… 'ending war with greater war.' Correct?"
Having his lofty ideology reduced to four words clearly irked Nagato. "And what of it? Is there a flaw?"
A self-perception born from psychological trauma is deeply entrenched. Sasuke analyzed coldly. His thoughts have crystallized into a theoretical framework. It's rigid. Exclusionary. Trying to dismantle it with pure logic is nearly impossible.
Naruto's approach—emotional, empathetic negotiation—had a strange effectiveness against this.
But… playing the emotional card is beyond me. Trying to mimic Naruto would just come off as awkward. Forced.
So… how to convince him?
Only one method comes to mind.
—Use an overwhelming, factual shockwave to crack the foundations of his belief system.
Under the combined gaze of Nagato and Konan, Sasuke lifted his eyes. "Nagato. Setting aside the merits of your view for a moment… you spoke of 'mission,' didn't you?"
"Indeed. Mission." Nagato's voice was firm. "The preordained path every being is born to walk. I awakened the Rinnegan—the same eyes as the Sage of Six Paths. Therefore, I bear a mission equal to his! The mission I have chosen is to use these eyes to guide the world's growth!"
Sasuke's gaze turned fathomless. "And if… those eyes were not awakened by you?"
The words hung in the air like a physical blow. Nagato and Konan froze.
"What… did you say?"
Sasuke delivered the truth with surgical precision.
"Uchiha Madara. Not the masked impostor. The real one. He is the one who awakened those Rinnegan. Who conceived the 'Eye of the Moon Plan.' To resurrect himself, he chose you—a bearer of Uzumaki blood—and transplanted those eyes into you when you were a child."
"Before his death, Madara instructed Uchiha Obito to approach you. To guide your development of the Rinnegan. All so that one day, you would use the 'Rinne Rebirth' technique to bring him back. To let him personally complete his plan."
—"Nagato. From beginning to end… you have only ever been Uchiha Madara's pawn. A piece on his board, meant for his own resurrection."
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