The Heart of the Past

In the Land of Sound, Otogakure, Itachi walked out with Karin and Jugo, only to find Shisui sparring with Kisame.

Both of them engaged in a casual fight, with Shisui refraining from using ninjutsu or genjutsu, and Kisame opting for an ordinary sword instead of Samehada for their taijutsu match.

Shisui's movements were graceful, appearing unexpectedly to launch attacks, while Kisame's every move was forceful and robust.

Although not as agile as Shisui, Kisame's strength was evident in both offense and defense.

"Ping!" Kisame's powerful attack knocked the sword from Shisui's hand.

Acknowledging defeat, Shisui rubbed his nose and conceded, "You win, Kisame."

Kisame's shark-like grin widened as he noticed a scratch on his shoulder. He knew that if Shisui hadn't stopped, he would have sustained an injury.

"Shunshin no Shisui lives up to its reputation," Kisame remarked, expressing his admiration for the technique.

Itachi then introduced Karin and Jugo to everyone.

Haku, though with a rosier complexion, still appeared somewhat thin and displayed a timid expression, reminiscent of Karin's former self.

She shared snacks from her bag with Haku, quickly establishing a friendly connection between them.

It was the first time Jugo saw Kimimaro, yet an inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over him as if he had known this person for a long time.

A sudden warmth settled in his heart. "My name is Jugo," 

...

Amegakure.

Rain continued to fall from the sky as Pain gazed out the window, hands behind his back.

Konan arranged the sacrifices and then turned to address Pain.

"Nagato, I'm going to take action."

"Um."

A subtle nuance colored Pain's deep voice.

Konan composed herself, carefully forming the necessary seals, leaving no room for error.

Having dedicated a considerable amount of time to learning this ninjutsu, she was finally ready to put it into practice.

However, the summoned earth body's abilities were limited, confined to speech alone.

She struck her palm against the ground.

"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!"

A dark wind swept through the sealed room, carrying with it the haunting cries of numerous spirits.

"Huhuhu...huhuhu..."

A circle illuminated around the living sacrifice on the ground, and countless talismans covered the surface.

The previously unconscious victim awoke, their face contorted in agony as the intense pain elicited a heart-rending scream.

The voice echoed, piercingly shrill like a ghost.

Startled, Konan took a couple of steps back, unintentionally bumping into Pain.

Having turned around, Pain witnessed the talisman gradually dissipating, revealing the figure of Kyūsuke.

Even after all these years, Kyūsuke still wore the same clothes as before. Other than the cracks on his body and face, everything appeared unchanged.

His eyes slowly brightened. "I... am I not dead?"

Then he spotted Pain in front of him. Though uncertain about the situation, he rushed over, exclaiming, "That's great, brother! You're okay!"

Pain stood there blankly, allowing Kyūsuke to embrace him.

After a moment, Jiuzuke sensed something was amiss. The Yahiko in front of him was stiff and cold, devoid of a heartbeat.

"What's going on, brother? What's wrong with you!?" Kyūsuke asked urgently. However, as he looked up, he noticed his Rinnegan.

Taking a seat on the ground, Kyūsuke uttered, "Isn't this Nagato's Rinnegan? What on earth... is going on."

Approaching him, Konan stood by Kyūsuke. When he raised his head and saw her, his eyes seemed to light up. He stood up, taking Konan's hand.

"Konan, what happened to my brother? Am I dead? Where are Daibutsu, Nagato, and the others?"

Upon hearing Kyūsuke's question, Konan's mind conjured the images of Yahiko's companions.

With a pained expression, Konan closed her eyes and spoke, "Kyūsuke, you, Daibutsu, and the others... are all dead."

"Yahiko... is also gone."

"What stands before you now..."

"I am Nagato."

Having gathered his composure, Pain finally spoke.

Kyūsuke took two steps back, bumping into the window. Only then did he notice the numerous cracks covering his body.

Raising his hand and inspecting it, Kyūsuke mused, "Really? It seems a lot happened after I died..."

...

Kyūsuke sat cross-legged on the ground and began recounting the events: "On the day when you went to negotiate with Hanzo, I received news from my companions at the Konoha border that the Konoha Anbu troops were heading towards Hanzo."

"At the time, I found the timing too coincidental, and Hanzo's words seemed too good to be true."

"Suspecting foul play, I called my companions to support you."

"Unexpectedly, we were intercepted on the way by two individuals. One had a yin and yang face with two halves of aloe vera leaves on his body."

"The other one covered his face and identified himself as Madara Uchiha."

"This Uchiha Madara prevented us from reaching you, spouting nonsense about making you see reality clearly. Then, the yin-yang face summoned a multitude of white monsters from the ground."

"The man who called himself Uchiha Madara possessed a strange jutsu. My attacks went right through him, and then he stabbed me."

"Although I attempted to use my secret skills to drag him to death, he managed to escape in the end."

Kyūsuke narrated the events leading to his demise with apparent ease. Upon learning of his short-lived resurrection, he quickly accepted the situation.

However, neither Konan nor Nagato disclosed the details about what happened to Yahiko and why Nagato used Yahiko's body.

Konan couldn't help but inquire further, "Did the man calling himself Uchiha Madara say anything else?"

After pondering for a moment, Kyūsuke responded, "I heard him say something before I died. He mentioned that for Nagato to unlock the true Rinnegan, there can be no peace in this cursed world. Nagato should forsake his current ideals and embark on a journey towards a new world."

Kyūsuke suddenly lifted his head, looking directly at Nagato. "Nagato, have you abandoned our ideal of peace?"

Pain paused for a moment before responding, "No. I simply changed my approach."

"In the past, we were too naive. People only truly grow after experiencing pain."

"He who does not know pain cannot comprehend the meaning of peace."

"I will create peace in my own way!" Pain declared firmly.

Observing Pain, Kyūsuke couldn't shake the feeling that this Nagato was vastly different. "Nagato, even though I don't understand what happened to you, the way you are now... isn't it like you're fulfilling Uchiha Madara's wishes?"

A subtle change in Pain's expression occurred, and he remained silent for an extended period.

After a prolonged moment, Pain shook his head.

Konan let out a sigh, contemplating the implications of the Edo Tensei.

Suddenly, Kyūsuke felt a lightness in his body, and his soul started to depart from his resurrected form.

Desperately, he cried out, "Nagato! Don't fall into the conspiracy!"

"As a war orphan, Akatsuki is the first hope I've ever seen in my life without a fixed place, Nagato!"

"I will always remember that morning when the sun rose."

"Our big brother named our organization 'Akatsuki.'"

"He said, 'This country has been suffering from war and crying, so we have to be the dawn that changes the world...'"

The sound of Kyūsuke's voice gradually faded until it fell silent.

Pain gazed out of the window, his chakra fluctuating violently.

Konan couldn't help but cast a worried glance in his direction.

"Nagato..."

Pain's chakra stabilized, and he spoke with cold determination, "Let's go see Uchiha Natsuki; he must know more about the hidden truths!"