The barrier around the secret chamber in Konoha's Medical Department lit up again. Nagato sat propped up on the hospital bed. His face was pale, but his gaze was remarkably clear. When Su Ye pushed open the door, Jiraiya was seated beside the bed, holding the old scroll he had used to teach Nagato and the others years ago, his eyes red. Tsunade stood in the corner, with medical tools scattered nearby. She had clearly just examined Nagato.
"Su Ye, you're here." Nagato's voice was hoarse. His gaze fell on Su Ye's Rinne Sharingan. "The chakra inside you is a lot like Madara's, but also completely different." He took a deep breath and slowly began, laying bare the secrets he had kept buried for years.
As it turned out, when Obito had approached him back then, he had shown him a stone statue of Madara Uchiha and falsely claimed to be Madara's representative. Using "world peace" as bait, he had persuaded Nagato to form the Akatsuki. It wasn't until half a year ago, when Obito accidentally revealed part of his plan while trying to capture Isobu, that Nagato learned the so-called Eye of the Moon Plan was not about creating peace at all. It was about trapping everyone in an illusion with Infinite Tsukuyomi, leaving Madara in control of the entire world.
"He also mentioned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's true purpose." Nagato clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "The statue isn't just a weapon. It's the Ten-Tails' husk. Obito has been collecting Tailed Beasts to revive the Ten-Tails and make Madara its Jinchūriki."
Su Ye's pupils contracted. His Rinne Sharingan turned on its own, and fragments of the memories he had seen flashed through his mind. On the list of Jinchūriki Obito had given Nagato, there had been a name crossed out besides the Five-Tails: Uchiha Itachi. "Why was Itachi's name on the list?" he pressed.
Nagato gave a bitter smile. "Obito was wary of Itachi's Sharingan and tried to eliminate him several times, but Itachi used the Akatsuki's rules to keep him at bay. I once overheard them talking. Itachi seemed to be searching for something related to the Truth of the Uchiha Clan Massacre."
As soon as Nagato finished speaking, Jiraiya sprang to his feet, dropping the scroll to the floor. "The truth behind the massacre? Could there have been more to Itachi's slaughter of the clan?"
Just then, a gust of wind blew open the chamber window. A black slip of paper drifted to the floor and transformed into a phantom of Obito. "Nagato, you shouldn't have said so much." Obito's voice was cold. "Looks like there's no use keeping you alive anymore." The phantom raised a hand, sending a surge of black chakra toward Nagato.
Su Ye reacted in an instant. He activated Heavenly Hand Power, moving Nagato behind him, and released his Rinne chakra to collide with the black chakra. "Obito, you've finally decided to show yourself." Su Ye sneered, fixing his Rinne Sharingan on the phantom. "You think your Eye of the Moon Plan will succeed?"
Obito's phantom scoffed. "You think stopping Kisame will change anything? Itachi has already gone to the Uchiha ruins. He'll soon learn that the truth behind the massacre is far more brutal than he imagined." The phantom gradually faded away, leaving only one icy remark behind: "The game has only just begun."
Jiraiya picked up the scroll from the floor, his expression resolute. "I'm going to the Uchiha ruins to find Itachi and learn the truth behind the massacre." Tsunade frowned. "It's too dangerous for you to go alone. The Akatsuki must have set an ambush there."
Su Ye shook his head and looked out the window. "No need. I'll go." His Rinne Sharingan grew faintly warm. He could sense a familiar chakra in the distance: Itachi's Sharingan, racing toward the Uchiha ruins. "Stay here and protect Nagato. The secrets he knows are vital to us."
Su Ye turned and left. Just as he stepped out of the Medical Department, Naruto came running up in a hurry, holding a note. "Su Ye, Kakashi-sensei got word that Itachi ran into an Akatsuki ambush at the Uchiha ruins. Kisame's accomplices are there!"
Su Ye's heart tightened. He immediately used the Body Flicker Technique and raced toward the Uchiha ruins. He knew the struggle over the "truth" had reached a critical point, and Itachi's choice would determine the fate of the Akatsuki—and even the entire Shinobi World.
Meanwhile, in the shrine at the Uchiha ruins, Itachi stood facing three masked Akatsuki members, a kunai in hand. Deep inside the shrine, a dusty stone tablet was glowing faintly. The writing on it was the truth behind the massacre that Itachi had been seeking for so long.
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