The dense forests on the Land of Fire Border are gradually being replaced by the Eternity gloom of the Land of Rain.
The sky hung low, and the cold rain fell silently, enveloping everything in a gray silence.
Chiyo, Minato, and Obito trudged through the mud and headed straight for the direction Chiyo had indicated.
However, when they arrived, all they saw was a desolate wasteland forgotten by time.
The cabin that once sheltered three war orphans is now rotten, its rooms completely swallowed up by rampant weeds and slippery vines.
Only a few sections of dark wooden plaques remain, standing alone inside.
Is this the place?
Minato's voice was very low, as if afraid of disturbing the silence. He found it hard to connect these ruins with the "old friend" Chiyo had mentioned.
"Um."
Chiyo's response was devoid of any emotion; his gaze swept over the desolate ruins without lingering for a moment.
"Let's go. Straight to Amegakure."
Looking at this devastated Obito, Obito couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
Judging from these dwellings, they must belong to people whose past was torn apart by war and who were forced to flee.
The three turned around.
Walking towards the vast Amegakure, shrouded in the rain and barely visible in the distance, composed of countless towering steel spires.
The closer they got, the more suffocating the atmosphere became.
The streets were deserted, with only a few pedestrians hurrying by, their clothes tightly wrapped around them, their gazes wary yet indifferent.
Surveillance cameras are scattered throughout the steel structure, and an invisible pressure permeates the humid air.
This place doesn't resemble a village; it's more like a cold, harsh military fortress.
The presence of the three of them was like a drop of water falling into a hot oil pan, instantly shattering a certain balance.
Almost as soon as they stepped into the core area, several auras carrying killing intent locked onto them from all directions.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Seven or eight figures emerged like ghosts from the shadows and eaves of the buildings on both sides, landing silently and instantly forming an encirclement.
They were dressed in the standard attire of the Amegakure Anbu and wore eerie breathing masks.
The Kunai and short sword in their hands gleamed with a cold, tempered light; their movements were perfectly synchronized, exuding a ruthless aura born of rigorous training.
"Intruder! State your identity and purpose!"
The Anbu's voice, muffled yet undeniably threatening, came through the mask.
Chakra subtly fluctuated, poised to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.
Minato Namikaze Namikaze's azure eyes narrowed slightly.
He took a half step forward, his seemingly casual stance cleverly protecting Chiyo to his side and behind. He still wore that gentle smile, but his tone left no room for doubt.
" Konoha Ninja, visiting an old friend."
" Konoha?"
The leader of the Anbu's eyes instantly sharpened like knives, and the killing intent of the other Anbu around him also suddenly increased by a level.
" Amegakure and Konoha are not close! Whom did you visit? What proof do you have?"
The tense atmosphere was almost ready to erupt at any moment.
Just then, a clear, cold female voice, filled with urgency and disbelief, pierced through the rain.
"Stop!"
Upon hearing the sound, the Anbu paused, quickly sheathed their weapons, and bowed slightly to make way.
The three of them quickly emerged from the passageway of the nearest tower.
The man in the center, with short orange hair, a resolute face, and a steady gait, is none other than Yahiko, the leader of Akatsuki. His eyes are sharp, filled with scrutiny and solemnity.
To his left, the red-haired man was breathing slightly heavily, his Rinnegan rippling with immense energy and a barely perceptible purple glow—it was Nagato.
On the right, there's the woman with long blue-purple hair.
Her face was beautiful, but the moment she saw the person who had arrived, her pupils dilated suddenly, her steps faltered, and her slender hand instinctively covered her lips.
Chiyo Uchiha!
That figure, buried deep in her heart, a figure she never dared to hope to see again.
At that moment, I stood there abruptly and realistically in the cold rain.
He wore a black robe and had black hair. His posture was as upright as a pine tree, and his calm gaze seemed to pierce through all the fog.
It's still the same as before!
The overwhelming shock and complex emotions instantly shattered her composure, making her almost forget to breathe.
" Chiyo... sir?"
Yahiko also recognized the newcomer, and the shock on his face was no less than that of Konan.
But he quickly composed himself, transforming his emotions into deep vigilance and doubt.
The Fourth Hokage of Konoha arrived at Amegakure without warning, which is no ordinary occurrence!
Nagato remained silent, his Rinnegan staring intently at Chiyo.
" Yahiko, Nagato, Konan."
Chiyo spoke, his voice steady yet carrying an air of authority that commanded the entire situation, instantly making him the center of attention.
"Hope you've been well?"
Konan suddenly came to her senses, a barely perceptible blush rising on her cheeks.
Suppressing his wildly beating heart and churning emotions, he turned to the side and whispered.
" Lord Chiyo... no, Hokage..."
"... Please, please come with us."
Her gaze, however, was drawn to Chiyo as if by a magnet, unable to look away.
Chiyo and his group silently traversed the intricate Steel Corridor Bridge filled with pipes, entering the interior of the tallest and most imposing Iron Tower.
Finally, they arrived at a sealed room made entirely of thick metal, completely isolated from all sound.
The heavy iron gate slammed shut, completely shutting out the wind and rain from the outside world, leaving only the pale light from the overhead lamps illuminating the various expressions on everyone's faces.
As the host, Yahiko took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and spoke in a deep voice.
"The arrival of the Fourth Hokage brings great honor to Amegakure."
"I wonder what brings you here today?"
His tone was polite, but his underlying wariness was obvious.
Without any pleasantries, Chiyo's gaze pierced Nagato like a sharp sword, Opening Gate.
"I have come here because I need Nagato to do one thing: summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."
" The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?!"
Yahiko and Konan spoke in unison, their faces filled with bewilderment.
They had never heard of this word before, but combined with the word "golem" and Chiyo's solemn tone, they instinctively felt a sense of foreboding.
Nagato's reaction, however, was far more violent!
It was as if a thunderbolt had struck him directly on the top of his head!
His body shuddered violently, and he staggered backward, his back slamming heavily against the cold metal wall with a dull thud.
His face turned deathly pale in an instant, and his Rinnegan contracted wildly due to extreme shock.
He stared intently at Chiyo, his lips trembling.
How could he possibly know?!
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path! This was his greatest secret, the source of the incurable pain and the abyss of power that these eyes had brought him!
He should be the only one to bear this burden!
Ignoring Yahiko and Konan's astonishment, Chiyo fixed her gaze on the nearly collapsing Nagato, her voice icy, each word like a heavy hammer blow.
"You might be wondering how I know about this kind of thing!"
"Actually, I know more than just about the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. I also know that your Rinnegan, which is considered the 'Eye of God,' doesn't belong to you at all!"
It originated from Madara Uchiha! It was secretly transplanted into you when you were young and at your most vulnerable!
"Boom!!!"
The power of this statement far surpasses anything before!
The color drained from Yahiko's face instantly. He abruptly turned to look at Nagato, his eyes filled with disbelief, horror, and immense worry, and exclaimed in disbelief.
" Nagato?! Is... is this real?! Your eyes...?"
He couldn't imagine it.
The eyes of a close friend, a source of strength, even bearing the weight of destiny, actually belong to someone else?
Was it forcibly installed?
Konan was struck dumb, frozen in place, her beautiful eyes wide open, her pupils reflecting Nagato's pale face and Chiyo's cold expression.
She felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, making her feel icy cold all over.
"No! Impossible! Brother Chiyo!"
You must have made a mistake!
Nagato's eyes... those are... those are his innate power!
How could it be... a transplant?
She spoke the last two words with immense difficulty, as if they were tinged with blood.
The air inside the sealed room seemed to freeze, so heavy that it was hard to breathe.
Nagato lowered his head, his Rinnegan filled with confusion.
The beliefs that sustained him over the years, all the pain and strength he endured.
Is it all built on a giant lie and conspiracy?
I was just one of the chosen ones...
container?
Chiyo looked at the three people who were on the verge of collapse, his voice still calm to the point of cruelty, and continued to drop bombshells.
The Rinnegan is known as the " Eye of Life and Death," the highest level of Dōryoku.
Those who possess the Rinnegan can automatically master the transformations of the five chakra natures and control yin and yang, possessing extraordinary abilities.
Chiyo paused, then looked at Nagato.
"For ninjas, the conditions for awakening the Rinnegan are extremely demanding."
Only those who are the reincarnations of Indra's chakra can awaken the Rinnegan by transplanting the body or cells of those who are the reincarnations of Asura's chakra, and the awakening process is extremely slow.
" Madara Uchiha was the reincarnation of Indra's Indra's Chakra. He awakened the Rinnegan after a long period of waiting, by transplanting the body of Senju Hashirama, the reincarnation of Asura's chakra."
Upon hearing this explanation, it wasn't just Yahiko, Nagato, Konan who were surprised.
Even Minato Namikaze and Obito, who were following Chiyo, had eyes filled with shock.
Unexpectedly, there was such a secret within the Rinnegan.
Chiyo continued speaking.
" Madara Uchiha did this for a World-Destroying Plan called ' Moon's Eye '."
If that plan succeeds, the entire Shinobi World will be plunged into a dream.
However, because he awakened the Rinnegan too late, he was powerless to do so.
So he began his so-called plan: to preserve the Rinnegan. He found Nagato.
The one who possesses the bloodlines of the Uzumaki Clan and Senju Clan is the perfect host he carefully selected to carry the Rinnegan.
He has entrusted his eyes to you, waiting for the moment the Fruit Ripening, or he may induce you in a specific way to bring him back to life.
"Complete the Infinite Tsukuyomi that envelops the entire world, dragging everyone into an Eternity dream."
He turned slightly to the side, gesturing to Obito beside him, whose body was tense with hatred and whose eyes were bloodshot.
"Just recently, he used a similar scheme to try to catalyze Obito's eyes, create a tragedy of close friends killing each other, and turn him into a puppet to carry out the plan."
His methods have always been the same: manipulating people's hearts and trampling on bonds.
The truth, like the sharpest blade, shattered the world the three had always known into pieces.
Yahiko's face was ashen, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms.
He felt incredibly angry, not only at Madara Uchiha, but also at this messed-up world!
Even the bodies and fates of their comrades could be schemed against like this!
Konan's tears finally streamed down her face uncontrollably. Looking at the agonizing Nagato, her heart ached as if it were being torn apart.
She finally understood why Nagato often revealed such profound pain and loneliness.
She suddenly looked up at Chiyo, her voice trembling with tears and a hint of despair as she asked.
"Why? Why would Madara Uchiha do this?!"
Just for that damned plan? Does he think he can just manipulate other people's lives like that?!
"For the distorted, eternal 'peace' in his mind."
Chiyo's answer was cold and ironic.
He believed that the real world was full of suffering, and only dreams were Eternity paradise. For this, he would stop at nothing.
The secret room fell into a deathly silence, broken only by Nagato's heavy, painful breathing and Konan's low sobs.
Yahiko took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, and walked to Nagato's side.
He pressed firmly on his shoulder, conveying silent support.
He looked at Chiyo, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"You're telling us all this... and why do you want Nagato to summon that golem?"
Chiyo's gaze was like a frozen pool.
"In order to sever Madara Uchiha's lifeline."
He is now like a parasite, clinging to life by relying on the life force supplied by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Once the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path is Summoning summoned out of the mortal realm, the connection between him and the statue will be severed.
This is currently the most direct and effective way to kill him.
Kill Madara Uchiha!
This goal left Yahiko and Konan feeling suffocated once again.
That legendary figure hidden in the shadows of history, the mastermind behind all the tragedies...
Yahiko looked at Nagato, his eyes filled with struggle and trust.
" Nagato..."
He knew that this decision had to be made by Nagato himself.
Summoning that so-called golem is bound to be accompanied by enormous risks and endless suffering.
Nagato slowly raised his head, his Rinnegan filled with chaos, pain, struggle, and a hint of anger at being deceived.
He closed his eyes, breathing heavily, as if he were fighting against another version of himself inside him.
The entire sealed room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the air was so heavy it felt almost tangible.
After a long while, Nagato slowly opened his eyes, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper were being rubbed.
"I... need time... to think about it."
Each word seemed to have exhausted his immense strength.
Chiyo gazed at him, offering no pressure, but simply nodding slightly.
"Sure. But we don't have much time. After this attack, Madara Uchiha will only hide even deeper. Give me your answer as soon as possible."
He understood that this required Nagato to make a difficult break with his past self and with the imposed fate.
"... I will."
Nagato said in a low voice, his tone carrying an unprecedented weariness and heaviness.
Seeing this, Yahiko took a deep breath and spoke.
" Fourth Hokage, please rest. I will arrange rooms for you."
He needs to speak privately with Nagato and Konan immediately.
Chiyo nodded.
Thank you for your trouble.
Konan gave Chiyo a deep look.
His eyes were incredibly complex, containing shock, pain, a hint of gratitude, and an unspeakable emotion.
She finally lowered her head, silently turned around, and led Chiyo and the other two out of the suffocating secret room.
Outside, the rain continued to fall, pounding against the steel and making an endless dripping sound.