Breaking Into Naruto's Mind

"So this is what they mean by limitless chakra?"

Even though he had already drained all the Nine-Tails Chakra surrounding Naruto again and again, the moment Nagato stopped using the Preta Path's ability, Naruto, who had turned into a miniature tailed beast, was immediately wrapped in Nine-Tails Chakra once more. The chakra flowed endlessly, seeming almost infinite. Nagato couldn't possibly drain it all with his current abilities.

Seeing this, a gleam flashed in Nagato's eyes. The Eight Tails has far less chakra than the Nine Tails, yet Kisame's Samehada managed to absorb every last bit of it. I should look into that ability when I have the time.

To gain the greatest strength, one had to find the path to it. Those paths were hidden in all the secrets of this world, waiting for Nagato to uncover and unravel them.

And now, one of the greatest secrets in the world was right before him, inside Naruto.

With that thought, Nagato flung out a mass of Black Receivers and pinned the howling Naruto in place. He stepped closer and stared into Naruto's white, vacant eyes.

The four Pains and the summoned beasts present were also under Nagato's control, and they crowded around him. They held Naruto down and discouraged the Konoha Ninja nearby from taking the opportunity to attack Nagato.

Under the gaze of Nagato's Rinnegan, Naruto's blank eyes rippled in widening circles, like water disturbed by a growing wave. Nagato's consciousness entered Naruto's body along with those ripples.

"Splash."

The sound of footsteps in shallow water echoed through the cramped mental space. An oppressive feeling came from every direction, making Nagato frown.

This had to be the seal space inside Naruto. Nagato nodded.

He could see the Nine Tails trying to tempt Naruto, and Naruto kneeling before the enormous barred gate that held the beast.

A pitch-black hole had opened in Naruto's abdomen. Black liquid poured from it without pause, like ink, staining the water beneath his feet and spreading toward the Nine Tails. The Nine Tails' chakra also flowed into Naruto through the black liquid, darkening his mind further and causing even more of the liquid to spill from his abdomen.

It was a vicious cycle, trapping Naruto in his negative emotions with no way out.

One glance was enough for Nagato to understand the dark game the human and beast were playing.

"So this is the Nine Tails inside you?" Nagato asked Naruto.

Naruto, lost in his negative emotions, didn't react. Behind the enormous barred gate, the Nine Tails glared furiously at Nagato first. It looked vicious and hostile, as if it didn't welcome this stranger.

Nagato understood. He returned the Nine Tails' glare with a gaze as cold as steel. The powerful ocular force radiating from the Rinnegan made the Nine Tails bare its teeth. It seemed ready to roar, but it also shrank back warily.

That damn fox seemed especially wary of anything connected to the power of the Six Paths.

Naruto had been clutching his head and hanging it low. Sensing Nagato's arrival, he turned toward him in a daze and asked, "Who are you?"

His eyes were full of confusion.

Nagato nodded, understanding that Naruto could no longer receive information from the outside world.

"I am Pain!"

After Nagato answered honestly, Naruto swung a punch at him.

"You! You're the one!"

"Human Path!"

Nagato easily caught Naruto's hurried punch and immediately activated the Human Path's ability.

At that moment, Naruto was nothing more than a manifestation of the mental energy inside him. He had no Sage Mode to strengthen him, and the Nine Tails' chakra had thrown his mind into turmoil. He was no match for Nagato. After easily subduing him, Nagato used the Human Path's ability and pulled with his right hand, drawing the struggling Naruto's white soul out of his body.

"Pain! Are you trying to kill Naruto?" The Nine Tails couldn't help speaking up.

It knew perfectly well that the white substance emerging from Naruto was his soul. If Pain pulled it all the way out, Naruto would die. And if Naruto died, the Nine Tails would die as well, so it didn't want him to.

Of course, that was just an excuse. In Nagato's eyes, the Nine Tails was a touchy little tsundere with a deep-seated urge to protect its host, though it would never admit it.

Still tugging on Naruto's soul, Nagato glanced up at the Nine Tails.

Even through the enormous seal gate, Nagato could see the vast resentment radiating from the Nine Tails' body.

It was an amount of resentment no ordinary person—or even any Tailed Beast—should possess. Like the entrance to the depths of hell, it sent a chill down anyone's spine.

Perhaps it was because the Nine Tails was connected to Naruto, while Naruto's soul was in Nagato's grasp.

At that moment, the endless resentment pouring from the Nine Tails took the form of human-shaped Wraiths in Nagato's eyes. They crawled out of the beast's body and howled at him with overwhelming hatred. The sight was deeply eerie and terrifying.

Nagato narrowed his eyes at the scene. He wanted to know why there were so many Wraiths on the Nine Tails.

Unfortunately, he was still somewhat outmatched by the Nine Tails. Even if he risked his life to capture it, Obito Uchiha would only benefit. So for now, he had to give up and postpone his plan to study the Nine Tails.

Facing the Nine Tails' questioning gaze, Nagato replied coolly, "I just want to confirm a few things."

After all, the Nine Tails wasn't the only secret Naruto held.

"Confirm what?"

The Nine Tails continued pressing him in a low voice. Whenever the power of the Six Paths appeared, there was always a reason. The Nine Tails wanted to know what Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan, was planning.

Nagato had no intention of answering the damn fox.

To him, Naruto's body was a chakra vault.

The most likely guardian was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

But even though Naruto was now in mortal danger, Minato Namikaze's chakra still hadn't appeared.

That meant the chakra Minato Namikaze had left inside Naruto was nothing more than something like a program.

As long as Naruto didn't release the Nine Tails' power up to the eighth tail, Minato Namikaze's chakra wouldn't appear.

Nagato wasn't afraid of Minato Namikaze, but he liked things to go smoothly and hated surprises. Someone of Minato Namikaze's caliber could always cause trouble if he appeared.

Once he had thought it through, Nagato immediately ordered the Pains outside to restrain Naruto and keep the Nine-Tails Chakra within him from exceeding six tails.

Nagato had already absorbed a large amount of the Nine-Tails Chakra, and the Hashirama necklace around Naruto's neck had also begun to take effect. For now, the Pains and their summoned beasts could keep Naruto's body under control without much difficulty.

But they might not be able to hold him for long.

"Nine Tails, you don't want Naruto to die, do you? Then stop releasing your chakra for now..."

Nagato didn't get many chances to study Naruto. He wanted to try drawing out the different kinds of chakra inside him and take a look.

"Why should I do that?" The Nine Tails bared its teeth. It hadn't planned on answering Nagato, but after glancing at his Rinnegan, it changed its mind. "What's in it for me?"

"In return, I won't kill Naruto, and I'll take the necklace around his neck afterward."

As he spoke, Nagato pulled more of Naruto's soul out, as if to threaten the Nine Tails.

Naruto hadn't yet learned the "tug-of-war" technique for dealing with a Tailed Beast. He was also in a mental state, and the person confronting him was Nagato, who had already absorbed the Nine-Tails Chakra. As a result, more than half of Naruto's soul had quickly been pulled out.

A wave of weakness washed over Naruto. He stared in terror at the soul being drawn from his body, struggling with all his might. He could still hear Nagato and the Nine Tails bargaining over him, and he cursed furiously, "You bastards are really looking down on me! Let me go... Damn you..."

Unfortunately, Naruto soon grew too weak even to curse. His voice faded, his eyelids grew heavy, and he seemed close to passing out.

Seeing this, the Nine Tails quickly fell silent, effectively accepting Nagato's terms.

It was trapped inside the Four Symbols Seal and couldn't do a thing to Nagato. Now that Naruto had been subdued, it had to give in too, which left it feeling thoroughly frustrated.