The Existence of the Sage of Six Paths

"Nagato, are you going to keep resting?"

In the dim underground base, Konan, dressed in her red-cloud black robe, walked toward Nagato alone.

"There's no need." Nagato shook his head. Seeing the lingering fatigue on Konan's face, he asked, "Can't you sleep?"

After catching the look in her eyes, he understood immediately: "It seems you won't be at ease until I tell you what happened."

Konan was not the naive type. On the contrary, she was meticulous and sharp-witted; having her perspective as a reference would allow Nagato to view the situation more objectively.

Nagato rubbed his Byakugan-enhanced forehead, organizing his thoughts.

He had already used his Byakugan and chakra sensory abilities to scan the surroundings. No one was eavesdropping; at a time like this, Obito and Zetsu should be busy enough that they wouldn't have the time to monitor him.

"I suddenly changed our original plan because I encountered a very serious situation in Konoha," Nagato said, recalling the events.

Konan watched him quietly, signaling that she was listening.

Whether it was the influence of her cool, detached temperament or the soothing sound of the familiar raindrops outside, Nagato felt his train of thought gradually clearing.

"All this time, our plans have been based on the premise that the Sage of Six Paths is dead. The Rinnegan are the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths; they bring us hope, will realize peace for Amegakure, and even change this world. That is what we have all believed."

Konan frowned. Seeing Nagato mention the Sage of Six Paths with such sudden coldness, she felt a foreboding sense of dread.

"However, this time in Konoha, I saw the Sage of Six Paths inside Naruto." Nagato spoke softly, recalling the scene. "Thinking back on it now, it shouldn't have been the Sage of Six Paths himself, or his chakra, but rather a will left behind by him in this world."

"A will?" Konan repeated. Her mood didn't lighten at the news that it wasn't the Sage himself; instead, she grew more anxious. "Are you certain it was the will of the Sage of Six Paths?"

Nagato nodded firmly: "I am. I could see his Rinnegan."

A complete pair of Rinnegan was the hallmark of the Sage of Six Paths. Whether it was the ninjas of this world or a transmigrator like Nagato, everyone accepted this as fact.

At the time, he had instinctively assumed the Sage of Six Paths was stopping him from killing Naruto, but looking back, that wasn't the case. If he had truly wanted to kill Naruto, Pain could have done so long ago. The only reason Naruto was still alive was that he hadn't dealt the killing blow. If the Sage of Six Paths had truly cared about Naruto's life, he should have appeared much sooner.

"The will of the Sage of Six Paths... why would it appear?" Konan's tone grew heavy, a shadow falling over her face.

"Likely to stop me from obtaining Naruto's chakra," Nagato speculated.

He had figured out what happened. His goal at the time wasn't to kill Naruto, but to extract the chakra within him. Just as he pulled out Naruto's soul and attempted to extract the soul of Asura from within him as well, the will of the Sage of Six Paths appeared immediately to stop his actions.

"Is Naruto... that special?" Konan seemed to lose her composure. As a core member of the Akatsuki, she knew exactly what the Sage of Six Paths represented in their plans. If the Sage of Six Paths were still alive, or if his will remained in the world, the implications were massive. Konan couldn't even imagine the impact this would have on the core philosophy of the Akatsuki. "No, how could this be? It's not about Naruto; the key is the Sage of Six Paths. Why does he still have a will left in this world?"

To the Akatsuki, if the Sage of Six Paths were dead—truly, definitively dead—it wouldn't matter how or why he died; he wouldn't be a problem, at most a mistake.

Problems and mistakes were two entirely different concepts. Problems spawned more problems, while mistakes only required correction. Problems represented the present and the future, while mistakes only represented the past.

In concrete terms, if the Sage of Six Paths were truly dead, he couldn't interfere with the Akatsuki's plans, so he wouldn't be a problem. But if his will remained in the world, the Akatsuki would have to face a series of issues brought on by him. The primary question was: why is the Sage of Six Paths still "alive"? What is his purpose, does he know of the Akatsuki's existence, what does he think of them, and will he move against them?

If it were any other organization or person, they might not care so much about the intelligence that the Sage of Six Paths' will still existed.

But the Akatsuki was different, and Konan and Nagato were different. Compared to the average person, the existence of the Sage of Six Paths was far too important to them.

It could be said that the Sage of Six Paths was the foundation of the Akatsuki's plan. Everything they did was aimed at that distant lighthouse, hoping to reach and surpass the great achievements the Sage of Six Paths had once made.

Why did Jiraiya believe Nagato was the Child of Prophecy? Because he had the Rinnegan. Why did Yahiko firmly believe Nagato could bring peace? Because Nagato had the same eyes as the Sage of Six Paths. Why did the members of the Akatsuki follow one after another, daring to challenge the entire world? Because they believed that gathering all the Tailed Beasts was a way to repeat and potentially surpass the great deeds of the Sage of Six Paths.

This was the Akatsuki's goal and the source of their motivation.

The Rinnegan and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—this mythic, epic reality drove the Akatsuki, a group of unruly rogue ninjas hunted by the entire world, to loyally execute the organization's orders after betraying their own villages.

Even rogue ninjas like Kisame, who had raised his blade against his own comrades many times, would choose suicide to protect the organization's secrets. They did this because they believed they had found their true mission here, believing they could achieve their goals through this plan, destroy the hellish old world, and create a new, ideal one.

For this goal, even if they failed and died, they would have no regrets, because this was something even the Sage of Six Paths hadn't accomplished; the chances of success were never high to begin with. They were simply making one more attempt.

But the problem now was: is the Sage of Six Paths actually still alive? If so, what does everything they have done actually mean?

To everyone involved in the plan, it was as if the goal they had been chasing—their faith—wasn't something existing in the far distance, but rather something lurking around them like a specter. Which one was real? Which one was fake? There could only be one goal, yet there seemed to be two Sages of Six Paths: one in legend, and another who had lived until now.

Why was the will of the Sage of Six Paths able to exist in this world? Why could he stop Nagato, yet remain hidden from everyone?

Thinking of this, Konan felt a chill run down her spine.

Because if the Sage of Six Paths hadn't died, he wasn't a sage—he was a man or a ghost.

His behavior was impossible to trust. Hiding in the darkness, never letting anyone know his thoughts—anyone in her position could smell the scent of a conspiracy in the Sage's actions.

For someone like the Sage of Six Paths, who had existed so long ago, to have his will persist from the ancient era to the present—no one would believe he was without desire or ambition.

Furthermore, his current behavior was the exact opposite of the legend where the Sage of Six Paths founded the Ninjutsu Sect to spread his philosophy for the sake of peace. How could such a terrifying person, keeping his will in the world, not have an ulterior motive?

"Was he after your Rinnegan?" Konan's face turned completely cold. "No, you said he appeared to stop you from obtaining Naruto's chakra? Naruto... who on earth is he?"

To Konan, the Akatsuki possessed the Rinnegan and should be the rightful successors to the Sage of Six Paths' cause, having worked hard to realize world peace. If the Sage of Six Paths could stand openly before them and express his opinions, whether to them or to the world, she could accept it, because that would be the behavior of a normal person. But the Sage of Six Paths was different; he lurked in the shadows, which could only mean he had hidden intentions.