"Surrender or run?"
Konan shook her head. Brushing back the strands by her ear, she said resolutely, "I won't surrender, and I won't run. I'll fight alongside you until I die."
Nagato felt warmth in his heart at her words, then said, "One of us has to survive. Otherwise, Amegakure will be annexed by the other great nations. But that's the worst-case scenario. It's not certain that I'll lose to the Masked Man."
After a pause, Nagato continued, "Go keep an eye on Sasori and the others first. I'm worried they'll take this opportunity to cause trouble."
With that, Nagato left the Amegakure office. Protected by the Six Paths of Pain, he headed outside the village. The Masked Man's target was undoubtedly the Rinnegan. As long as he stayed away from Amegakure, the village would be safe.
Watching Nagato's departing back, Konan seemed to make up her mind about something and vanished into the rain.
Before long, Nagato and the Six Paths of Pain arrived at an open space outside Amegakure. Through the Rinnegan's perception, they locked onto Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu as they emerged from the forest.
Nagato did not know Madara Uchiha, but he knew Black Zetsu. He said coldly,
"Zetsu, even you have betrayed the Akatsuki and sided with the Masked Man? You should know that the Masked Man cannot possibly defeat me. The Rinnegan's power is beyond anything the Mangekyo can match."
Black Zetsu glanced at the Deva Path, then sneered. "Nagato, what makes you think your Rinnegan belongs to you?"
"What do you mean?" Nagato sensed that something was wrong.
Black Zetsu continued, "Have you never wondered why a descendant of the Uzumaki could awaken the Sage of Six Paths' eyes? If those eyes truly belonged to you, why couldn't your parents even defeat