Ideals

Land of Fields, Border Region

Natsuki sipped his tea, his voice calm as he began to speak again.

"Madara believed he understood the truth. For his grand plan of resurrection, he chose someone with a unique body—a vessel to nurture the Rinnegan. That person was you, Nagato."

Natsuki could sense Nagato's spirit waver at these words, though the stoic expression of Pain's outer body revealed nothing.

Without pause, Natsuki continued, his tone steady:

"He had Zetsu implant the Rinnegan into you during your childhood."

"Later, at the right time, they orchestrated the death of your parents to trigger your Rinnegan's awakening."

"When you grew up, Madara was already dead, but Obito took over his will and became his substitute."

"That's when Obito impersonated Madara and tried to manipulate you."

"But because Yahiko was there, you rejected Obito."

"And that's why Obito and Zetsu plotted Yahiko's death—to plunge you into darkness completely…"

Before Natsuki could finish, Pain interrupted with a furious roar.

"Impossible!!!"

Pain's expression twisted with rage, his face full of disbelief.

He couldn't accept it.

He couldn't believe that his entire life, his decisions, and even his dreams had been controlled by someone else.

Even the eyes he relied on to see the world weren't his own.

How could he accept this?

He had always trusted his Rinnegan as his greatest gift, a divine blessing.

Before his death, Yahiko had told him, "You are the savior of this world."

Nagato had taken Yahiko's dream as his own, striving to fulfill it.

And now, someone was telling him that everything—his dream, his mission—was a lie.

The idea that "Madara" was a fake and that Obito sought to carry out the Moon's Eye Plan left him reeling.

Pain's voice trembled with both anger and a faint trace of fear he didn't fully recognize. "How do you know all this? How can you prove it's true?"

Natsuki tilted his head thoughtfully. He knew that Nagato was too attached to his Rinnegan to easily accept the truth. Even showing him the literal truth, perhaps through genjutsu, would likely fail.

At this stage, Nagato seemed like someone determined to run into a wall before believing it existed.

Shrugging, Natsuki replied, "How I know doesn't matter. But you can verify it yourself."

"You've met Juzo by now, haven't you? You must already suspect that Yahiko's death has connections to Obito and Zetsu."

"Even Juzo and Daibutsu's deaths—those were orchestrated by Madara and Zetsu."

Pain's expression shifted as the weight of Natsuki's words hit him. He was torn between disbelief and the growing possibility that what Natsuki said might be true.

Konan, standing nearby, glanced at Pain with worry. She, too, was shaken by Natsuki's words. Having dealt with him before, she found his demeanor sincere, and that unsettled her further.

Quietly, Konan confirmed, "We've met Juzo."

Pain, now more composed, asked, "Why are you telling us this?"

Though he planned to verify the information later, he couldn't understand Natsuki's motivation for sharing such crucial intelligence.

Natsuki rubbed his chin and replied casually, "Honestly? I admire you."

Pain blinked in confusion. "Admire me?"

He had expected many things but not this.

Natsuki nodded. "Yes. I respect your ideals."

Pain's eyes widened. "You… know about them?"

At this point in time, the Akatsuki was still in its early stages. Aside from Obito's mischief in the Land of Water, the organization was largely focused on recruitment and accumulating resources.

The Akatsuki was still just a powerful bounty organization at this stage.

Most members didn't know what Pain's true ideals were.

"Peace must indeed be built upon sacrifice," Natsuki began, his calm words causing a shiver to run through Konan.

"People understanding each other doesn't create real peace," he continued. "That's outdated idealism, far removed from reality."

Pain's expression shifted. These were his own thoughts exactly.

"No matter whether the suffering you've endured was orchestrated or not, such things will always happen in this world," Natsuki said. "You're not the only one who has suffered pain."

Pain's mind drifted to memories of his parents, Yahiko, Juzo, Daibutsu, and Shōboten. His expression twisted. "Yes, you're right! Too few people truly feel pain. Only when more people experience it can real peace emerge!"

"I will become the god of this world!"

Seeing Pain's impassioned declaration, Natsuki sighed deeply. Nagato's life was nothing but tragedy—his parents murdered, his childhood spent wandering, and his best friend dying in his arms.

This was why, during his battle with Naruto, he said, "My pain surpasses yours."

But all this pain stemmed from a single conspiracy.

Natsuki had no intention of keeping this truth buried forever. Since arriving in this world, with the help of the system, he wanted to right some of the wrongs of his past life.

In his previous life, Nagato's suffering had been endless, and he died never knowing the truth.

The Rinnegan was too valuable—there was no way Madara would entrust it to Nagato simply out of shared ideals.

Natsuki didn't believe it for a second.

He suspected that Nagato had been implanted with some kind of control seal as well, though he couldn't confirm it.

Still, he had no intention of letting Obito get away unscathed.

Exposing Obito's identity, tearing apart his façade, and disrupting his plans to manipulate Nagato—all of this would delay their hunt for the tailed beasts, buying time for Natsuki's allies to grow stronger.

By the time Madara re-emerged, Natsuki intended to overwhelm him with a sea of Susano'o users.

Pain, snapping out of his memories, looked at Natsuki with expectation. "Since you agree with my ideals, Natsuki, why not join us?"

Natsuki didn't answer but instead emphasized, "Let me say this again: your Rinnegan will not make you a god."

Pain froze, his expression stiffening.

Natsuki continued, "To me, whether it's your Rinnegan or my Mangekyō Sharingan, they're just tools."

"And tools cannot surpass their user."

"Even if you follow Obito's ideology, standing at the top of the world and using the tailed beasts as weapons to enforce peace, there's a glaring flaw in your plan."

Pain couldn't help but ask, "What flaw?"

Natsuki raised a finger. "First, let's set aside whether your Rinnegan is part of someone else's scheme. Even if you capture all the tailed beasts and turn them into weapons of war, there's one thing you can't avoid."

"You will die."

"When you die, the world will revert to chaos."

"All your efforts will crumble into nothing."

Pain had thought about this before. He replied, "I'll find a successor."

Natsuki shook his head. "Once you're dead, you won't know anything. How can you guarantee your successor will stay true to your vision?"

"What was Yahiko's original dream? And what is in your heart now?"

Pain's hand reflexively went to his chest, where a scar from Yahiko's self-inflicted death remained.

"People who feel pain don't necessarily treat others kindly. Experiencing pain might lead to growth, but not in the way you imagine."

Pain's gaze flickered as he pondered Natsuki's words.

Konan broke the silence. "Then, Natsuki-san, what do you think is the way to achieve peace?"