Chapter 3: Honest Conversations

"Nagato's Rinnegan ..."

Naruto turned around slowly:

"It seems that I should adjust the order of the narration a little bit. First of all, the Samsara Eye is not the eye opened by Nagato. The real owner of this pair of eyes is the ancestor of the Uchiha clan of Konoha... Uchiha Madara!"

"The one who opened the Rinnegan Eye not Nagato, but Uchiha Madara!? This is impossible!"

The shock of having her beliefs overturned was too much for Konan to accept. Naruto continued to shake her worldview: "Oh, the Madara I'm talking about isn't that masked man from the Akatsuki. He called himself Madara and tricked you all..."

Konan, disheartened, replied, "One of you says he's Madara, the other says Madara is someone else. Both of you are liars. I trust no one anymore!"

Naruto sighed, deep in thought. He absentmindedly tapped his fingers on the desk.

It's worth mentioning that during his battle with Sasuke in his previous life, Naruto lost his right arm. Although he replaced it with a prosthetic, he had developed the habit of using his left hand and had become a left-handed person by nature.

As his soul crossed time, the habit of using his left hand remained with him.

Naruto searched his mind, trying hard to find something that would convince Konan.

The time was so distant, it took him quite some effort to recall it.

"By the way, you prepared everything to kill that masked Madara, right? Hmm, I remember it was 60 billion—no, wait, 600 billion Explosive Tags, am I right?"

"How do you know!?" Konan's face instantly turned pale.

Her backup plan had been prepared in secret, and no one knew about it—not even Nagato. "Did you... look into my memories?" Konan could only think of one possibility.

Naruto smiled helplessly. "Hey, I don't know anything about Genjutsu! Without the help of the Yamanaka clan, how could I have done that?"

He had learned about Konan's 60 0billion Explosive Tags from seeing Obito's memories during the Fourth Great Ninja War when he extracted the Ten Tails from Obito.

Seeing Konan still unsettled, Naruto pressed on, "So, does that prove I'm not just making things up?"

Konan tried to calm herself, regaining her usual cold expression. "Even if you know this secret, it doesn't prove that everything you say about Madara is true."

Naruto responded calmly, "That's true. Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but before you decide, can you at least let me finish what I have to say?"

By revealing Konan's biggest secret, Naruto had gained a significant advantage.

Konan half-reluctantly said, "Alright, go ahead. Let me hear it."

Naruto continued smoothly, "This goes back to when you were very young. After Madara was defeated by Senju Hashirama, he obtained the power of his former rival and awakened the Rinnegan. The ultimate evolution of the Sharingan is the Rinnegan, and it requires both the Senju and Uchiha powers to unlock. [To reduce the amount of information, Naruto purposely avoids mentioning the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura.]"

"When Madara awakened the Rinnegan, he was on the brink of death and couldn't fulfill his ambitions, so, when Nagato was still a child, he transplanted those eyes into him. Nagato is a descendant of Senju, with Uzumaki blood, and his red hair, just like my mother, Uzumaki Kushina, is the best proof. Madara was certain Nagato could control those eyes."

"Madara gave the eyes to Nagato in preparation to revive himself. The Rinnegan is a technique for resurrection, and Madara planned for Nagato to be the one to carry it out."

"So, the real Madara is already dead."

Konan, following Naruto's words, naturally asked, "Then who is the man in the mask who calls himself Madara?"

Naruto answered honestly, "Uchiha Obito. He was a hero of the Uchiha clan who died in the Third Great Ninja War at the Battle of Kannabi Bridge. Madara chose him, saved him, and assigned him to guide Nagato in resurrecting Madara. Obito is the true mastermind behind the Eye of the Moon plan..."

Konan's heart sank. He even knows about the Eye of the Moon plan... Could it be that everything he's saying is true?

But she still couldn't bring herself to believe that the ideals they had upheld for so many years were nothing more than a lie someone else had woven.

Seeing Konan's disappointment, Naruto couldn't bring himself to say… Black Zetsu was the one hiding the most!

Naruto said, "Sister-Konan, I know this reality is too cruel for you, but it's not too late to face the truth…"

Konan responded sharply, "No! Your perspective is wrong. The Akatsuki investigated you. You've been in Konohagakure for years and only spent the last three years traveling with Jiraiya for training. How do you know all of this?"

Sigh… So, I can't avoid it after all.

Naruto sighed inwardly, stood up, and walked over to untie Konan. Then he extended his left fist. "Punch me, and then you'll understand everything..."

Konan was doubtful, but when she looked into Naruto's right eye, seeing the intense emotions swirling there, she couldn't help but want to find out more. 

"Ha..." She took a deep breath and stretched out her hand.

Drip!

The moment their fists met, ripples spread across her heart, and various images flashed before her mind.

"This...?"

Konan's heart couldn't calm down for a long time. Her orange eyes flickered with intense light. "Is this all true?"

"Absolutely!" Naruto said solemnly. "This is the real future. I escaped from the moment of my death to come to this time. Ha, ironic, isn't it? The only reason I'm here is because of that clan's treasure. Without our own strength, we couldn't have done anything!"

"Now that I've come back, my only goal is to defeat those guys, protect this world, and for that... I need power, power strong enough to fight those guys!"

Konan had almost fully believed Naruto… After all, words could be fabricated, but the emotions in the heart wouldn't lie!

She asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Naruto replied, "I'll do whatever it takes to get stronger! I'll take action based on this premise. Let me tell you what I'm thinking right now: gather secret techniques and Kekkei Genkai from all the major ninja villages, and then integrate the power of all the tailed beasts!"

Konan said, "Secret techniques and Kekkei Genkai are the top secrets of each village. The tailed beasts are also key to maintaining the balance of power among the Five Great Nations. You're planning to make an enemy of the entire ninja world."

Naruto laughed. "That's right. To save this world, I'll first make enemies with the whole world! Who would believe such nonsense? The only person who would unconditionally trust me is someone in this world, and I don't want to drag her into this too soon..."

"Also, I have to defect from Konohagakure. Otherwise, as a Konohagakure ninja, everything I do will bring disaster to the village!"

At this point, Naruto spoke sincerely, "Sister Konan, now that you know the whole story, can you understand why I'm doing this?"

Konan asked in return, "Where is Nagato's body?"

"Follow me..."

Naruto turned and the stone chamber doors creaked open, revealing two coffins.

Konan approached to check. Nagato lay peacefully in the first coffin, his face intact except for the hollow eyes.

She then looked at the second coffin, which contained the body of Pain's Heavenly Path.

Konan was surprised by this.

Naruto smiled faintly. "That must be Yahiko, someone very important to you, Konan-sensei."

Konan gently touched Yahiko's face. "Ah, he was both my comrade and my lover..."

Naruto said, "Only such a handsome guy could deserve someone like you, Konan-sensei!"

Konan smiled sweetly, and there was no better response. She forgave Naruto.

Outside the cave, Konan looked around at the surroundings. Though there was a protective barrier, there was still a risk of being discovered.

Konan said, "This is within the Land of Fire. Konohagakure is definitely searching for you everywhere…"

"My Sage Mode can detect even the slightest movement in the wind, so I won't be easily found." Naruto pressed the bandage on his left eye. "I'll stay here until I get used to this left eye."

"Where is Nagato's right eye?"

"I've put it away. I heard the risk of transplanting the Rinnegan is quite high, so I thought I'd take it one at a time, just to be safe. I haven't felt anything unusual so far..."

"Konohagakure is unreachable. Where will you go?"

"Anywhere. The ninja world is so vast, there's always somewhere I can stay..."

Konan stayed silent for a long time before speaking, "In that case... come with me to Amegakure."

Naruto was surprised, "Sister Konan, you!?"

At last, Konan revealed her true thoughts, "You can't do Such a dangerous plan alone. You've inherited Nagato's will and eyes, so I have no reason not to fully support you... Amegakure will be your strong backing!"

Naruto's gratitude could not be expressed in words. All the emotions he felt were summed up in four words: "I can't thank you enough..."

Konan, with a calm expression, asked, "When do we leave?"

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