"…What's the meaning of this?"
Konan's voice trembled as her eyes snapped open, confusion written across her face as she stared at Daemon.
Why…? Why would he kill Nagato just to help him? What twisted logic could justify this?
"Swish—"
Daemon said nothing. With quiet precision, he lifted Konan and walked toward Nagato's lifeless body, carrying her like she was weightless.
"Na…Nagato…"
The moment her eyes landed on the mangled, dismembered corpse, Konan's breath hitched.
The grief hit her like a tidal wave. Her knees felt weak, and her lips parted, but no sound came out. Only silence, heavy and mournful.
Then—before she could speak—Daemon raised his sword again.
"Schlik—"
With a swift, precise motion, he drove the blade into Nagato's face.
"No…!" Konan's voice cracked.
As blood spilled, Daemon calmly retrieved two glowing orbs from Nagato's skull—his Rinnegan.
"You—You actually gouged out his eyes!?"
Konan's shriek echoed in the open space.
Even though some part of her had known the eyes couldn't be saved, seeing it—seeing it—was too much.
Her beautiful, furious eyes locked onto Daemon, but the glare was powerless. Like a kitten hissing at a lion.
Daemon chuckled. "Don't be so worked up. These eyes… weren't his to begin with."
Konan blinked, stunned by the calmness of his tone.
"What do you mean they weren't his? Nagato had the Rinnegan since he was a child!"
Daemon shrugged.
"Sure. But you've heard the legends, haven't you? These eyes—the Rinnegan—are said to belong to the Sage of Six Paths himself. They aren't just some mutation."
He stepped closer, voice smooth and deliberate.
"But here's what you never knew—these eyes are the result of the fusion between the bloodlines of Indra and Asura."
"That's Uchiha and Senju, in case you forgot. Now tell me… how do you think Nagato, a mere Uzumaki, got them?"
Konan's breath caught in her throat.
"…You're lying," she muttered weakly, but the doubt was already spreading through her mind like ink in water.
Daemon smiled knowingly.
"You already suspect the truth, don't you? Uchiha Madara didn't die during his last battle."
"He used Izanagi—the forbidden Uchiha technique—to fake his death. Then, he grafted cells from Hashirama Senju into his body."
He leaned in, whispering coldly near her ear.
"And after years of waiting… he finally awakened the Rinnegan. But when death came for him again, he needed a pawn."
"A vessel. So tell me, Konan—why do you think Nagato was chosen?"
Her body trembled. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her mind spun with questions she didn't want to answer.
"…So all this time…" she whispered.
"He was just a vessel," Daemon said softly.
"A container. Nothing more than a backup plan for Madara's resurrection."
Konan covered her mouth as the truth sank in.
She had heard of the Rinne Tensei—a resurrection technique that used the Rinnegan to bring others back to life at the cost of one's own.
At the time, she thought it was just a legend. Or at worst, something Nagato would never use without reason.
But now…
Now it was all too clear.
That technique wasn't meant for helping others. It was designed solely for Madara's return.
"Nagato…"
Her knees hit the ground, and tears streamed silently down her face.
"You were… used. All this time…"
Her sorrow twisted into rage.
"Uchiha Madara!!"
She clenched her fists, teeth bared as her hatred found a new target.
—
[Group Chat – Live Feed]
Uchiha Madara (soul): …I mean, yeah, I did all that, but… did you have to expose me so harshly!?
Kasumigaoka Utaha: This is Mr. Daemon we're talking about—gentle on the outside, savage when it counts.
Tohsaka Sakura: Big Brother Daemon is always kind to girls! Unlike some people who just use them!
Uchiha Madara (soul): You're blaming me for everything!? He just murdered your friend and ripped his eyes out!
Aizen Sosuke: Impressive. He redirected the hatred away from himself entirely… and even gained the sympathy of the girl whose comrade he dismembered. That's not ordinary charisma. That's tactical charisma.
Uchiha Madara (soul): So I'm the villain now? Again?
Uchiha Miyuki: Well, technically, yes. You did implant your eyes into a child so he could one day die for your resurrection. Sounds kinda evil to me.
Uchiha Madara (soul): Tch. Fine. But now that the truth's out, Obito's gonna be in trouble. The Akatsuki will fall apart without Nagato backing it.
Uchiha Miyuki: Obito? Oh no, is this around the time Rin becomes a Jinchūriki? He's about to lose it.
Uchiha Madara (soul): Exactly. Rin's the trigger. Once she dies, Obito turns into my most loyal pawn.
Uchiha Miyuki: RIN! No! I must save her!
Uchiha Madara (soul): …Wait, why are you—? You're a woman, why are you simping for Rin? This is weird even by Uchiha standards.
Uchiha Miyuki: Better than simping for Hashirama like you do, old man.
Uchiha Madara (soul): WHAT!? I don't simp for him! He was my rival, not my—
Yamamoto Mei: Let's be honest, in the original timeline, you literally fused your body with his.
Kasumigaoka Utaha: Sounds pretty romantic if you ask me.
Tohsaka Sakura: Yeah! Thank goodness Big Brother Daemon likes girls.
Nakiri Erina: So this is like one of those BL doujins…? In the ninja world, even love is tragic.
Uchiha Madara (soul): Stop! None of that happened! Don't listen to them! Hashirama and I were just—
—
At that moment, Konan suddenly looked up at Daemon, her voice steady but searching.
"Even if Uchiha Madara used Nagato… why did you say killing him was helping him? He's still dead, isn't he?"
Daemon raised an eyebrow and replied calmly,
"The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, once created a forbidden technique—Edo Tensei."
"You may not have heard of it, but it allows the dead to return to this world. There are… restrictions, of course."
"Bringing the dead back…"
Konan murmured, stunned. Her fingers subconsciously clutched at Daemon's robe, her beautiful eyes filled with desperation.
"Please… whatever you need us to do—just say it."
"Is anything really possible?" she whispered, almost to herself.
Daemon smirked, leaning down to whisper something into her ear—something no one else could hear.
Her face flushed crimson in an instant, a rare vulnerability overtaking her usual composure.
But her eyes—clear, firm, unwavering—met his with resolve.
"No problem," she said breathlessly.
"As long as Nagato can come back, I'll do anything!"
At that moment, she looked ethereal—porcelain skin flushed, resolve shining through her expression.
She was a strange blend of strength and fragility, beautiful in a way only raw emotion could make someone.
"Slut,"
Daemon muttered under his breath, turning away and calling out,
"Uchiha Miyuki! Weren't you waving around a stack of Konoha's forbidden scrolls when you tried seducing Utaha?"
"Huh? Yeah? Why are you bringing that up now?"
Miyuki looked up, blinking in confusion as she paused from poking fun at Luo Hao and Esdeath.
"Do you know how to perform Edo Tensei?"
"Of course I do!"
she grinned smugly, tossing her hair back.
"Preparing for future ninja wars means learning the forbidden stuff, obviously."
Then something clicked. Her grin faltered, and her eyes widened.
"Wait… Your Highness, are you thinking of…?"
Daemon nodded, calm and certain.
"Use Uzumaki Nagato's remains. Summon him back with Edo Tensei."
"…Holy shit."
Miyuki stood frozen, stunned. Then, without another word, she quietly slipped into the multiverse chat group to avoid speaking openly in front of Konan.
Uchiha Miyuki: Your Highness Daemon, you're seriously something else. Kill the girl's friend, threaten her, make her fall for you… then resurrect the friend to win her loyalty? That's twisted genius.
Daemon: ??? Wasn't it you who helped me pressure Konan in the first place?
Uchiha Miyuki: Eh? I did?
Tohsaka Sakura: Confirmed. You definitely did.
Kasumigaoka Utaha: You told her: "You don't want Yahiko to die miserably or become a cripple forever, right?" You were intense.
Uchiha Miyuki: Ahem… those were just some words I picked up in my youth…
Uchiha Madara (soul): Edo Tensei… That bastard Tobirama's jutsu. But that's not real resurrection, is it?
Daemon: The soul, the mind, the abilities—they're all still there. True, there's no flesh, and freedom is limited, but that's still "alive" in my book.
Uchiha Madara (soul): Hmph… I can't even argue with that.
Aizen Sousuke: Edo Tensei? Intriguing. I wonder if it could revive a Shinigami…
Uchiha Miyuki: No clue. It's from the ninja world. We'll need to test it on someone from the Soul Society to be sure.
Aizen Sousuke: Let's talk later. I might have something to trade.
Uchiha Miyuki: Hehe, sure! I'll livestream the ritual for you all. Watch closely—this is how we bend death itself.
Uchiha Miyuki: But seriously… poor Nagato. Dies once, gets yanked back as a half-puppet, and his girl falls for the guy who killed him. Talk about tragic.
Jibril: Well, they were reckless. They picked a fight with Mr. Daemon without thinking it through.
Jibril: I've seen it firsthand—he doesn't show mercy, not even to beauties or fan favorites. If Konan hadn't shown restraint, she wouldn't be getting this… "gentle" treatment either.
Unaware of the chaotic chatter in the group chat, Konan stood silently beside Daemon—unaware that her every desperate choice had been orchestrated from the start.
At this moment, she was staring at Uchiha Miyuki expectantly.
The forbidden technique of Impure World Reincarnation—already a marvel in the world of shinobi—was about to be used again.
To resurrect the dead, summon their soul back from the other side, and make it serve the living... that alone was extraordinary.
But what made this technique truly terrifying wasn't just its basic function.
It was the loophole in its logic—its defiance of natural law.
Even if someone had their bloodline abilities stolen or removed in life—say, the Mangekyō Sharingan or even the Rinnegan—they would still return with all of those powers intact after being revived by this technique.
It made no sense.
And yet it worked.
In the original timeline, Uchiha Obito had taken the Rinnegan from Uzumaki Nagato's body.
But when Nagato was brought back through this forbidden ninjutsu, he somehow still possessed the Rinnegan.
And not just for show—he could use its powers as freely as ever.
It was madness.
It was as if this technique generated a new pair of Rinnegan on its own. A feat only the Sage of Six Paths himself should have been capable of.
Even Daemon had to ask himself: Was this really created by Tobirama Senju? Or was it passed down to him by the Sage of Six Paths in a fever dream?
"Come out, Nagato!" Miyuki commanded.
Because Nagato's actual body was used as the medium, the reincarnation process went smoothly.
With a casual snap of her fingers, the earth cracked open and a coffin emerged, the lid slowly creaking aside.
From the darkness stepped out a man—tall, thin, pale-faced, dressed in a red robe.
The unmistakable ripple pattern of the Rinnegan gleamed in his eyes.
Uzumaki Nagato had returned.
"Success! That was almost too easy! As expected of me!" Miyuki beamed, proud of her handiwork.
"Nagato?" Konan whispered, unsure.
She looked at him anxiously, afraid—terrified, really—that the one standing before her might not truly be him. That his soul had been twisted, lost in the void.
Nagato blinked, slowly taking in his surroundings.
"Konan…? I remember… wasn't I… killed?"
His eyes swept across the landscape, eventually landing on Daemon—the one responsible for his death. His gaze narrowed. His jaw clenched.
And yet… he didn't attack.
Not immediately.
Instead, he turned to Konan, his voice low and heavy. "What's going on?"
Konan exhaled, some of the tension melting from her shoulders. "It's a long story, Nagato…"
As she explained everything—Uchiha Madara's manipulation, the truth behind the Rinnegan, Yahiko's survival but critical injuries—Nagato's expression changed.
The weight of it all hit him like a landslide.
His jaw tightened. His eyes trembled. And then he slowly lowered himself to his knees.
"…So that's it."
He closed his eyes, pain carving itself deep across his face.
"No wonder I was always ruled by emotion. No wonder I lost control."
"Maybe these eyes never truly belonged to me… maybe I was never anything but a puppet… moved by that bastard Madara."
There was regret. Shame. And guilt.
But he said no more—only watched, silent and motionless, as Daemon gently picked Konan up in his arms and began to walk away.
"Nagato's back. Yahiko can be saved. Does that mean you'll keep your promise now?"
Daemon asked, his voice almost tender.
Konan nodded, cheeks tinged with a soft blush.
The past had not been erased. But the future no longer looked so bleak. The lies were exposed. The dead returned. And Uchiha Madara would no longer use them as pawns.
The hatred she once carried for Daemon had faded. Maybe not fully—but enough to make room for something new.
Gratitude.
"Go on, Nagato."
Uchiha Miyuki's voice suddenly rang out behind them.
Before anyone could react, she stepped forward with a wicked grin, raised her hand—and plunged a kunai, etched with strange black runes, straight into Nagato's chest, just at the base of his neck.
"Wait—what are you doing?!" Luo Hao shouted.
Miyuki smirked. "What? I'm just setting up a doorman for His Highness Daemon."
The moment the kunai pierced his body, the light vanished from Nagato's eyes.
His posture stiffened. His expression froze. In the blink of an eye, he became nothing more than a hollow puppet—obedient, empty.
"I thought Nagato was the one who invited that Transmigrator, James Dickson, into the Akatsuki,"
She continued, tilting her head mockingly.
"But it turns out he was just another fool. That Transmigrator was hunted down and killed anyway."
Esdeath and Luo Hao exchanged baffled glances, still not understanding.
Uchiha Miyuki smirked wickedly.
"His good friend, benefactor… and maybe even his crush, is about to have a long 'battle' inside the house in 69 different positions."
"So I figured, why not send him outside to guard the door? Isn't that considerate of me?"
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