Jiraiya's eyes burned with anticipation.
Naruto said softly, "Resurrection, huh?"
"If she really can do what you say…"
"Then, for the sake of what you've done, and for Jiraiya-sensei's sake—it's not out of the question."
What intrigued him more was the concept of "resurrection."
In the Soul Society, there was no such thing as resurrection.
But here—
What would it look like?
"Thank you." Nagato lowered his head, trying to conserve energy.
He gathered his thoughts. "Uchiha Madara, huh?"
"He's a very mysterious man."
"Though he claimed to be Madara, had the Sharingan, and even the Mangekyō Sharingan…"
"Yahiko once suspected he wasn't truly Uchiha Madara—just someone from the Uchiha clan using that name."
Naruto interrupted, "Let's confirm something first."
"The person you're talking about… does he wear a spiral mask?"
Nagato nodded. "Yes."
That matched what Naruto knew. He motioned for him to continue.
"The first time I saw him…" Nagato's expression softened with a touch of nostalgia. "It was shortly after Akatsuki was formed."
"He appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be Uchiha Madara."
"He told me I was the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths' will, and that the Rinnegan was proof."
"We didn't accept him at first."
"But after Yahiko died…"
"I accepted him into Akatsuki. It was his idea to collect the Tailed Beasts."
He paused, his tone distant. "Looking back now, Yahiko was right all along—he was just using me."
If it hadn't been clear before—
Now it was obvious, watching from the sidelines, as the man disappeared the moment the tides turned.
"But collecting the Tailed Beasts wasn't just for their power." Nagato's voice deepened. "It was to complete another Rinnegan technique."
"That thing is powerful."
"It's a vessel called the 'Demonic Statue of the Outer Path,' and it needs the power of all nine Tailed Beasts to be complete."
Naruto had a realization. "The Ten-Tails?"
"You know about it?" Nagato was surprised. He glanced toward the two foxes. "Did the Nine-Tails tell you?"
"At the time, I was so consumed by the Rinnegan's power that I didn't see his true intentions."
"I was a fool."
"If it had been Yahiko, he would've seen through it instantly."
Naruto didn't respond, still processing the information.
That so-called "Uchiha Madara" was after the Ten-Tails.
Was his goal to obtain the origin of chakra?
"His Sharingan has a strange power," Nagato continued. "A technique called Kamui that lets him phase through attacks."
"You can see him…"
"But no attack can touch him."
"However… the technique has a flaw—he can only phase for five minutes. After that, he must become tangible again."
"That's all I know about him."
A space-time ninjutsu that phases the user…
"That's not Uchiha Madara," the Yang Nine-Tails spoke firmly. "I've seen his Mangekyō—it didn't have that phasing ability."
Naruto looked at him. "You fought Madara before?"
Both foxes' faces darkened.
Karin nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds like you got beaten up."
"Shut up!" the Yin Nine-Tails bared its teeth.
Karin giggled and reached out to pinch its ear.
"So he wasn't Madara…" Nagato chuckled bitterly. "Looks like I've been deceived all this time."
"Is there anything else you want to know?"
"If not, I'll—"
He pressed his hands together in a prayer gesture.
"That beast that can resurrect puppets—what is it?" Naruto asked. "It seemed like a deity of this land."
Nagato shook his head. "I don't know. It's a Rinnegan ability."
"In the Rinnegan, it's called King of Hell."
Even a Rinnegan user didn't know its origins?
"Then your eyes—what's the story behind them?" Naruto pressed, pointing.
Nagato froze, confused. "If you want to know everything about the Rinnegan, once you inherit—"
Naruto shook his head. "I mean, how did you obtain them?"
"I'm from the Uzumaki clan too, and in my search for history, I've learned…"
"Our ancestors may trace back to the Sage of Six Paths."
"But the Uzumaki's bloodline came from Asura, who didn't inherit the Sage's eye techniques."
"More importantly—"
"True inherited power doesn't cause such side effects."
"You're suffering because of the Rinnegan."
Nagato thought. "Maybe it's due to my mixed bloodline?"
"I'm not a pure-blooded Uzumaki. Part of me is from the Senju clan."
"When I was little, my eyes were normal."
"But one day, Konoha ninja raided our home for food and killed my parents. That day, I awakened the Rinnegan."
The Yin Nine-Tails shook its head. "The Senju have never had eye techniques."
Nagato was deep in thought and slowly shook his head. "Is that so?"
"Then I'll leave it to Naruto to investigate."
"But let me warn you—the Rinnegan puts immense strain on the body and lifespan."
"Even I lost life force using its stronger abilities."
"If you want this power, you'd better—"
"I'm not transplanting those eyes," Naruto cut in decisively.
"That's not power—it's a curse."
Nagato stared at him, slightly dazed.
"You're just like Yahiko," he smiled, pressing his palms together. "In front of power most people couldn't resist, you made a firm choice."
"Maybe that's the difference between us."
"Is there anything else you want to know?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Thank you," Nagato whispered.
He formed a seal. The Rinnegan began greedily drawing his life force.
"Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique."
Naruto turned around.
A surge of chakra pulsed outside Amegakure.
He vanished in a flash, appearing on a rooftop.
"King of Hell" had been summoned.
It opened its mouth. A soul emerged.
From a pile of rubble—
A bluish-purple body glowed faint green. The soul returned, and life was restored.
Naruto frowned.
He didn't understand how this world defined "life" and "death."
In another world…
The soul and body were connected by "Chains of Causality."
A soul leaving the body didn't mean death.
Only when the chain was cut did true death occur.
Once severed, the soul could never return.
But here—
Just stuffing the soul back into a body revived it?
Could anyone be revived, if he did this before the Sage of Six Paths?
The line between life and death was too blurry.
In the wasteland—
Konan slowly opened her eyes, pain shooting through her chest and body.
She had returned from the Pure Land, back to the living world.
"Nagato…" she murmured the name from her lips.
As someone who had spent years with him, she knew exactly why she was alive again—
And what it had cost.
But…
She no longer had the strength to feel anything about it.
Naruto returned to the room.
After casting the "Heavenly Life Technique," Nagato had disconnected the feeding tubes sustaining him.
He couldn't wait to leave the world.
Jiraiya silently watched.
Naruto stepped forward and removed the Rinnegan from Nagato's eyes, sealing them away.
Three days later—
The rain that had poured endlessly over Amegakure finally stopped. Sunlight touched the village again.
Nagato and Pain's funerals were simple.
Only Naruto, Karin, Jiraiya, and Konan attended.
"What are your plans now?" Jiraiya looked at Naruto, then at Konan.
"Akatsuki is gone." Konan stared at Naruto with a numb calm. "I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to stay."
"Amegakure is our home. It needs someone to lead it now."
"And I want to stay with them."
Naruto said nothing.
Konan paused, lowered her head, and glanced at her robe. "Can I still wear this?"
"What defines a person isn't their clothes," Naruto smiled. "They're just marks left by time."
Konan whispered, "Thank you."
She didn't mention the Rinnegan.
Even though it was Nagato's legacy—
Such power would attract too much attention, and neither she nor Amegakure had the strength to protect it.
"Naruto, you—" Jiraiya started.
Before he could finish—
Naruto pulled out a scroll and handed it to him. "Jiraiya-sensei, please spread this information to every nation."
"Everything written there remains in effect—until the mission is done."
Jiraiya nodded.
Naruto left with Karin—without a second glance.
Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
Tsuchikage Ōnoki frowned at the report delivered by the Anbu. "How terrifying…"
"To think we were once cooperating with such an organization."
The report said—
That "Pain" had destroyed a forest the size of a ninja village.
"What's even scarier is… that entire organization was brought down by one person." A short-haired female ninja beside him added, placing a scroll before Ōnoki. "This just came from Konoha."
She paused.
"It was sent by Jiraiya."
"Most likely, at the request of that man."
Ōnoki immediately snapped to attention and carefully picked up the scroll.
(End of chapter)