"Master Jiraiya." Nagato slowly raised his head and said, "Sometimes, I wonder whether there is some connection between the Rinnegan and the Sharingan."
Jiraiya could not help but freeze, unable to understand why the other man had linked the Rinnegan with the Sharingan.
As though he knew what Master Jiraiya was thinking, Nagato gently stroked his right eye and continued, "The process of fully awakening my Rinnegan was extremely similar to the Uchiha awakening their Sharingan. Both required experiencing the utmost pain.
"If I hadn't been born with these eyes, I might really have thought the Rinnegan was related to the Uchiha Clan."
Those words instantly resolved a question Jiraiya had pondered for many years without understanding.
No wonder Nagato had awakened the Rinnegan back then and could briefly wield its power during moments of emotional upheaval, yet once he calmed down, Jiraiya had been unable to help him awaken it again.
After teaching him for a while and seeing that he still could not use the Rinnegan's power, Jiraiya had even begun to doubt whether the records in the books were true.
After all, his eyes had already awakened, yet he could not even use the most basic ocular techniques. "So, to completely master the Rinnegan's power, one has to undergo repeated, intense emotional upheavals?" Jiraiya murmured. Then he looked up at Nagato, recalling what the other man had said not long ago.
"Your legs were crippled while saving Konan. And after experiencing extreme pain, you awakened the Rinnegan's power."
"Yahiko?"
Jiraiya thought of that disciple who had always worn a smile, then recalled Deva Path Pain, who had looked so much like Yahiko when he first arrived on the battlefield. His gaze immediately dimmed.
"We became your disciples, we founded Akatsuki, and just when everything was moving toward