Unfortunately, Nagato's resolve was not firm.
Or rather, his conviction stemmed more from his obsession with his fallen friend, Yahiko. Deep down, even he wasn't certain whether his path was right or wrong.
And so, in the end, he was swayed by Naruto Uzumaki's words.
The road to peace was abandoned halfway.
As for Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito—who treated Nagato as nothing more than a pawn—their philosophy of peace was even more extreme.
If the problem cannot be solved, then eliminate those who raise it.
If war cannot be stopped, then eliminate those who wage it.
If everyone is dead… then naturally, no one will start wars anymore.
From a purely logical standpoint, their reasoning was flawless.
But the cost was something no one could accept.
After all, it is better to live miserably than to die.
As long as one lives, there is still hope.
Even a harsh life is better than no life at all.
That is why their path was destined to be rejected by the entire world.
A sharp light flickered in Uchiha Ren's eyes, like blazing flames.
He would dispel the dark clouds over this land and bring it light.
Not just this country—
But this entire world.
There was no grand reason.
Nor was one needed.
He simply wanted to do it.
In the past, Ren saw himself as nothing more than a beast of burden. Yet someone once called him the rising sun of the morning.
Now that he had the chance to act—
He would not disgrace the name of the sun.
He would shine with everything he had.
Taking out a map from his pouch, Ren confirmed his position while his mind raced.
At present, Sunagakure had already withdrawn from the Land of Rain battlefield.
Meanwhile, Konohagakure and Iwagakure still maintained camps within the country, locked in a tense standoff.
Though no large-scale battles had occurred recently, both sides continuously deployed small squads to skirmish and gather intelligence.
At the same time, Amegakure had also dispatched numerous patrol units to monitor both sides, occasionally getting dragged into the fighting.
Then there was the organization founded by Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan—
Akatsuki.
They remained active on the frontlines, calling for an end to the war.
The Land of Rain had become utter chaos.
Rogue ninja, bandits, and opportunists flooded in, hoping to profit from the turmoil.
"The top priority… is to locate that old fox, Danzō Shimura."
Ren muttered to himself.
The positions of all major forces were clear and easy to find.
Only Danzō lurked in the shadows, stirring trouble.
To prevent the situation from worsening, he had to be dragged into the open first.
However, Danzō's operation was highly covert. The shinobi accompanying him were all from Root, bound by the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
Ren's intelligence network managing to learn that Danzō had left Konoha was already impressive.
Tracking his exact whereabouts? Nearly impossible.
"…Looks like I'll have to wait at Amegakure."
In the original story, Danzō led Root operatives through the Land of Rain, disguising themselves as shinobi from other villages to ambush targets and escalate tensions between Konoha, Iwagakure, and Amegakure.
During one such ambush—while posing as Iwagakure ninja attacking Akatsuki members—Danzō discovered Nagato's Rennegan, sparking his desire to seize it.
However, lacking confidence in defeating Nagato alone, he sought out Hanzo of the Salamander.
Initially, Hanzo had a favorable impression of Akatsuki, a new organization that shared his vision of peace. He had not interfered with their activities.
But under Danzō's manipulation and slander, Hanzo came to believe Akatsuki was merely using peace as a pretense to seize power.
To protect his authority, Hanzo turned against them.
Thus began Akatsuki's tragedy.
And from that point on, Hanzo lost his original ideals—becoming a dull blade, destined for downfall.
"…Danzō Shimura truly lives up to his title as the darkness of the shinobi world."
After confirming his direction, Ren flickered forward, heading toward Amegakure.
A faint orange-red glow flickered in his eyes as he moved stealthily, avoiding all human presence. It took him most of the day to reach the outskirts of the village.
Amegakure was under heavy guard.
Armed patrols were stationed everywhere, and the streets were nearly deserted, filled with a tense, oppressive atmosphere.
Combined with the dark, overcast sky, it felt as if the entire village was being crushed beneath looming storm clouds.
"Summoning Technique!"
Ren bit his finger and formed hand seals, summoning a black ninja crow.
Within the Uchiha Clan, contracts were typically made with either ninja cats or ninja crows.
The ninja cats specialized in forging tools and gathering intelligence—serving as the clan's primary resource network.
Ninja crows, on the other hand, excelled at reconnaissance, communication, and combat support.
Ren had contracts with both.
"Caw… caw…"
"Crow Concealment Technique!"
The crow, highly intelligent, understood his intent with just a glance. It opened its beak.
Ren formed hand seals and, in a ripple of distortion, slipped into the crow's body.
This was a common shinobi technique—hiding one's body inside an animal to evade detection.
Much like Orochimaru hiding within snakes, or Jiraiya within toads.
Different methods, same principle.
"Caw—!"
With a cry, the crow took flight.
After circling in the air, it descended, chasing a sparrow as both passed through an invisible sensory barrier and entered Amegakure.
The crow lingered along the outskirts before heading toward the center of the village.
"Crimson Eye—activate."
The crow's dark pupils expanded, transforming into a three-tomoe Sharingan, spinning as they emitted a faint orange glow.
Its vision dimmed—then filled with clusters of glowing heat signatures.
This was a unique dōjutsu Ren had developed by combining the Sharingan with the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit.
It converted vision into a thermal perception field, enabling long-range and even penetrative observation.
The stronger Ren's perception and mental strength, the farther and clearer he could see.
Chakra—being the manifestation of physical and spiritual energy—appeared especially bright in this vision.
The more chakra, the brighter the glow.
In terms of reconnaissance, this "Crimson Eye" was no weaker than the Byakugan.
With a single sweep, the crow quickly located the most intense chakra signature in Amegakure.
Surrounded by numerous other signatures—
That had to be Hanzo.
The crow immediately flew toward it.
Moments later, it arrived above a massive estate.
The compound was enormous, with over twenty courtyards—comparable only to the Hyūga Clan compound in Konoha.
Security was extremely tight.
Guards stood at every key point, and patrols moved continuously.
The crow didn't land immediately.
After memorizing all positions, it deactivated the Crimson Eye.
This technique was best suited for reconnaissance. In combat, its drawbacks outweighed its benefits.
Acting naturally, the crow flew past, lingered elsewhere, then returned and descended into a secluded courtyard.
It appeared to be a storage yard—occasionally patrolled, but currently empty.
Landing in a shadowed corner, the crow opened its beak.
Ren emerged.
"Infiltration…"
Crouched low, his expression suddenly shifted.
"…failed."
He slowly raised his head.
Not far ahead stood a tall, heavily armed figure.
Long yellow-gray hair, a dark armored outfit, a black cloak—and in his hand, a chained sickle.
A distinctive respirator mask covered his face.
"…Hanzo of the Salamander."
Ren wasn't surprised.
If anything—this outcome made perfect sense.
"A shinobi of Konoha…"
Hanzo's gaze was calm as he glanced at Ren's forehead protector, then at the Uchiha crest on his sleeve.
"Uchiha Clan… or an attempt at framing?"
Ren had made no effort to hide his identity.
Not out of carelessness—but because it was pointless.
His abilities were too distinctive. Anyone who saw him fight could trace his identity.
And besides—
He intended to be straightforward.
"How did you detect me?"
Ren asked, genuinely curious.
Hanzo was known as the Demigod of the Shinobi World. His experience and methods were beyond ordinary comprehension.
Yet Ren was confident he had left no trace.
He had even accounted for past failures—ensuring crows naturally inhabited the area so his summon wouldn't stand out.
And still—he was discovered.
"…Poison."
Hanzo answered plainly.
"My estate is saturated with toxins. Leaks occur from time to time."
"Even with cleanup, residue remains. Over time, it seeps into the soil."
"Eventually… even birds and insects avoid this place."
This wasn't intentional.
As a child, Hanzo had a salamander's poison sac implanted into his body—turning him into a living toxin source.
Every breath he took carried poison.
To avoid harming others, he relied on a respirator mask to filter the air.
But daily life made complete containment impossible.
Eating, breathing, bodily functions—trace toxins always leaked.
Unless the estate was cleaned constantly, the poison would never fully disappear.
"I see."
Ren nodded seriously.
"I was too hasty. I didn't properly assess the environment before infiltrating."
"No matter."
Hanzo slowly raised his hand.
"You'll pay a price you won't forget…"
He paused slightly.
"For now, I'll call you… a Konoha Uchiha."
The moment his voice fell—
Hanzo vanished from where he stood.