Secret Meeting

"The weather is fantastic!"

The climate in the Land of Hot Springs is mild, not much different from the Land of Fire. However, further north, in the Land of Frost, it's a completely different story—a freezing, icy wasteland.

The convoy had arrived at Land of Hot Springs Town, the southernmost town in the Kaitian Town. Since it was almost evening, they decided to stay overnight in the town, otherwise they would have to camp in the wild. After booking a hotel and having dinner, Kushina took Otome out for a stroll.

The task of protecting her fell entirely on Katsuki's shoulders.

However, Katsuki did not express any objection to this. He was very averse to shopping, especially when accompanying his older sister. Hehe, even the streets of a foreign country could not arouse his interest.

"It's almost dark, how did you know it was so great?"

The Otome made a sarcastic remark with a blank expression.

"Let's go over there, the shops over there look pretty." Kushina excitedly pulled Otome along, completely ignoring Otome's complaints.

"······"

Hostel.

Sitting on the soft, large bed in the room, he released his senses, enveloping the entire inn. Before long, three streams of Chakra appeared within the inn, rapidly ascending the stairs and closing in...

"Knock knock!"

"Come in!"

The door creaked open, and Orange's head poked in.

"Come in, come in. Yahiko, are you sneaking around like a thief? Let me make this clear first, I'm dirt poor. My sister took my wallet, and the only valuable things I have are two scrolls."

"Haha, I was just afraid of going to the wrong door, right? Speaking of which, you freeloaded on food, drinks, and lodging last time, hmm... you get the picture, right? I'm too lazy to waste words." Yahiko pushed open the door and walked in, beckoning with his right hand with practiced ease, clearly a seasoned debt collector.

Katsuki: "..."

"Just kidding, just kidding, you didn't actually take it seriously, did you?" Yahiko glanced at the only two chairs, then walked to the window... sat on the windowsill, and dangled his legs back and forth.

Konan closed the door behind her and walked in with Nagato. They each dragged over a chair and sat down, forming a semicircle with Kanzuki sitting on the bed at the Katsuki.

"... What's going on? I'm under a lot of pressure!" Katsuki squinted and looked the three of them up and down.

"It's nothing, just chatting and asking a few questions. Don't worry, the debt collection stuff is all a joke, just a joke." Yahiko smiled brightly.

Katsuki rolled her eyes upwards. "Damn it, if it's a joke, stop repeating it over and over. It's not funny at all."

"I've come to ask a few questions," Nagato said, his gloomy voice sounding very unpleasant.

Looking at the gloomy Nagato, Katsuki's lips curled into a smile. It seemed that this guy wasn't completely stupid after all; his words had achieved the desired effect.

"Ask away, as long as it doesn't involve village secrets, I'll tell you everything... Wait, let me set up a barrier first."

His ten fingers danced like blooming lotus flowers, then he slammed his hand hard on the bed sheet.

"Spirit Severing Barrier"

An invisible ripple spread out, and subtly, the entire room seemed to be creating a discordant and surprising atmosphere with the outside world.

"Now we can speak with peace of mind. This is an ancestral Barrier Ninjutsu of my Uzumaki Clan, used to prevent eavesdropping. It can block the transmission of sound and we don't have to worry about anyone sneaking in."

······

Nagato lowered his head, seemingly considering his words, while Yahiko and Konan both wore serious expressions.

"Uh... if you want to ask, you should do it sooner rather than later. It'll be very troublesome once my sister gets back. It's best not to expose your eyes before you grow up." Katsuki said helplessly, dreading the sudden silence that followed.

"What did you mean by what you told me back then?" Nagato finally asked his first question.

"You're so direct right off the bat... Well, how should I put it..." Katsuki crossed his arms over his chest, pondered for a moment, and didn't answer the question directly. "Let's talk about your eyes first. The Rinnegan, the foremost of the Three Great Dōjutsu in ninja legends, the unparalleled Dōjutsu possessed by the Sage of Six Paths... The Uzumaki Clan doesn't have this thing."

He curled his lip.

"What do you mean?" Nagato's deep voice rose slightly.

"This means that although the Uzumaki Clan is one of the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, they did not inherit the Rinnegan, Dōjutsu. To be precise, the Sage of Sage of Six Paths' descendants each inherited different powers from him, and theoretically, the Rinnegan is virtually impossible to reappear..."

But it appeared, didn't it?

"That's right, the impossible happening to the impossible... Although I used a double negative, it's not a certainty!" Katsuki glanced at Yahiko who had interrupted, and continued, "Besides, Nagato, your eyes can't be closed, can they?"

"... Can it be turned off?" Nagato asked, taken aback.

Katsuki pressed her temples hard. "..."

" Of the Three Great Dōjutsu, the Sharingan and Byakugan can be deactivated because activating Dōjutsu consumes Chakra, so they are not normally activated," Katsuki patiently explained. "Although there aren't many records of the Rinnegan, I believe they should be similar in this respect."

"I'll try..." Nagato closed his eyes, then opened them again after a long while, shaking his head. "It won't work, but it doesn't consume much Chakra, I can afford it."

"Of course, the other party specifically targeted the physique of our Uzumaki Clan to transplant those eyes into you. Without our powerful physique, we simply wouldn't be able to withstand the drain on those eyes. Anyone else would have been sucked dry long ago. Besides, we are, after all, descendants of the Sage of Sage of Six Paths, and our bloodline is compatible with those eyes..."

"Transplant?"

"Transplant!!?"

Nagato's voice was drowned out by Yahiko's high-pitched scream.

"Don't rush me, okay? Sit down and listen carefully, I'll tell you everything I know."

Under Katsuki gaze, Yahiko sat back down on the windowsill.

"What do you mean by transplant? Are you saying these eyes aren't natural?" Nagato pointed to her eyes beneath her bangs.

"It means exactly what it says," Katsuki replied.

"This is impossible, this is impossible. I have no memory of this at all. How could I not know about a transplant...?"

"Of course you don't know. Back then, you were just an ordinary person, and the person who performed the transplant surgery on you was probably a top master of Genjutsu. It wouldn't have been difficult for them to fool an ordinary person like you." Katsuki's powerful aura overwhelmed Nagato's rebuttal.