Chapter 69: Disguise
Jiraiya, Nagato, and Konan were truly stunned when they saw Ayaan's current appearance.
"This... you want to disguise yourself as Nagato?" Jiraiya was the first to react, speaking in surprise.
Ayaan nodded, then blinked. His originally black-and-white eyes instantly turned purple, with six concentric rings appearing—his eyes had transformed into the Rinnegan.
Nagato's expression shifted slightly. As the former wielder of the Rinnegan, he could clearly feel the overwhelming power in Ayaan's eyes—far beyond what he himself possessed when he first awakened them.
Although he had sensed the Rinnegan had untapped potential, back then, he was already overwhelmed. The chakra and life force required just to sustain the Rinnegan had nearly destroyed him.
Moreover, the yin and yang attributes of Ayaan's Rinnegan were perfectly integrated. Unlike Nagato's own experience, where even the basic activation of pupil abilities was murky and exhausting, Ayaan's control appeared effortless. This was why Nagato had kept his Rinnegan in a constant active state—it was too taxing to toggle on and off.
Nagato didn't know the truth—that his Rinnegan originally belonged to Uchiha Madara. As it wasn't truly his, control was never seamless. If not for his Uzumaki lineage, the eye would have completely drained him long ago.
But the Rinnegan Ayaan now possessed had been absorbed and refined via the Baku Baku no Mi, becoming as compatible with his body as if it had grown there naturally. Even if Uchiha Madara himself were to reclaim this version of the Rinnegan, it wouldn't respond to him as completely as it did to Ayaan.
Then, as the black mist behind him faded, a massive golem emerged. The chakra and presence were indistinguishable from the original Outer Path Golem.
That made sense. After all, it was the Outer Path Golem. The chakra receivers embedded in Ayaan's back were mostly cosmetic now, but because his understanding of the Rinnegan far surpassed Nagato's, his control over the Gedo Statue was equally—if not more—refined.
Nagato and Konan were still struggling to understand the reason for Ayaan's actions, but Jiraiya had already pieced it together. It was obvious—Ayaan saw value in the Akatsuki's future and intended to take control of the organization.
Once Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu had recruited all the key members, Ayaan could eliminate them and inherit the entire Akatsuki—fully staffed and ready.
Jiraiya, having heard the future from Ayaan , knew the truth. Not all members of Akatsuki were purely evil. Many were powerful and idealistic in their own right—useful assets in the right hands.
Currently, Ayaan had immense power but no influence in the ninja world. If he could claim control over both the Rain Village and the Akatsuki, he could very well become the one who rewrites the rules of this world.
Nagato, still puzzled, asked, "What's the point of pretending to be me? Do you want to take over the Rain Village? But you don't need to use my identity for that."
Ayaan shook his head. "I'm not targeting you—I'm targeting the entire Akatsuki. While it may look insignificant now, with Black Zetsu's manipulation, it will eventually become the most powerful rogue ninja organization in the world."
And that was true. Akatsuki's ability to gather S-rank rogue ninjas wasn't just due to Nagato's charisma or strength. It was thanks to Black Zetsu and the White Zetsu army, which had tirelessly gathered intelligence, tracked targets, and orchestrated encounters.
Without such detailed support, even with Nagato's Rinnegan, he could never have recruited such elusive and dangerous individuals. These rogue ninjas were skilled at hiding, and even the great Hidden Villages, including Konoha, struggled to keep tabs on them.
"You seem confident in Akatsuki... No, I should say, you're confident in those two mysterious men?" Nagato asked, still surprised.
Ayaan didn't answer him directly. Instead, he looked at Jiraiya. "I don't want to repeat myself—explain it to them."
Jiraiya scratched his head, then, adopting a sincere tone, began recounting the truth to Nagato—everything about Black Zetsu, the lies, the manipulation, and the truth behind the Rinnegan.
"...So, all of this was a scam? I was just a pawn? Even the Rinnegan wasn't originally mine? And Yahiko... he died because of them?!" Nagato muttered, his face darkening with pain.
Ayaan glanced at him. "You're doing better than Jiraiya. At first, he thought I was making it all up."
"Because I thought you had no reason to tell the truth. But now... it makes sense. We're already in your hands. Besides, this kind of lie would be easy to expose with time. If you really were lying, we'd know soon enough."
Nagato sighed, then asked, "But you weren't in the original timeline... So this future you speak of—it didn't include you, did it?"
"Correct," Ayaan replied. "Under normal circumstances, I would've died in the Third Ninja World War. Just another nameless genin, cannon fodder. But I encountered something unexpected… something that changed everything."
"In this world, most who reach Kage-level already showed signs of greatness in their youth. Even so-called late bloomers like Naruto or Obito had obvious potential. Real cannon fodder doesn't survive—let alone rise."
Ayaan paused for a moment before continuing. "I was just a nobody. No clan, no special abilities. Just a poor soul lucky enough to stumble onto an opportunity."
Jiraiya, Nagato, and Konan all stared at him with newfound curiosity.
They knew how rare such a rise was. People like Might Duy, who trained in obscurity and bloomed late, were outliers. Most strong ninja had clan backing or immense talent from childhood. For someone like Ayaan to reach this level without either… it was beyond rare—it was unnatural.
And that made them all wonder: just what kind of "chance" had Ayaan encountered?
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