Yahiko Refused to Believe, Insisting on Going to His Death to Prove Himself!

The rain continued to fall, heavier than before.

The cold rain, mixed with the stench of mud, washed over the shock and confusion on the faces of the three members of Akatsuki.

That man had vanished, and the massive sphere of rock he had brought with him had disappeared as well, as if it had never existed at all.

Yet the shorn red hair, the clear finger marks on Yahiko's neck, and the blood at the corners of Nagato and Konan's mouths served as reminders that everything that had just occurred was no hallucination.

"This is..."

Konan opened her palm; a small, mud-stained metal fragment lay quietly in her hand.

The fan-shaped crest looked exceptionally jarring in the dim light.

"The Uchiha clan crest."

Yahiko leaned in to take a look, his expression darkening further.

Uchiha? That prestigious clan from Konoha?

Why would an Uchiha possess the same eyes as Nagato? Why would he wield such god-like power? And why would he know about their secret agreement with Hanzo?

Countless questions, like a tangled mess, clogged everyone's chests.

"Bastard!"

Yahiko slammed his fist against a nearby rock with a dull, heavy thud.

"That pretentious guy! He must be a spy sent by Konoha to sabotage our cooperation with Lord Hanzo!"

His voice trembled slightly with rage and humiliation.

Being held like a chick by a man of unknown origin—the shame of it was driving him mad.

"He is not a spy."

Nagato, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

His voice was low and raspy.

"I can feel it... those eyes... they are of the same origin as mine. The power he used just now, the Preta Path, the Bansho Ten'in... they are all abilities of these eyes."

Nagato raised his hand to cover his left eye.

The feeling of being completely suppressed, like a counterfeit meeting the original, still lingered deep within his soul.

"What he said... might be true," Nagato's voice dropped even lower. "These eyes, perhaps... they really aren't mine."

"Nagato! What are you spouting!"

Yahiko grabbed Nagato by the shoulders, shaking him in agitation.

"Don't let that bastard get to you! Your power is your own! You are our comrade, you are the savior!"

"But Yahiko," Konan interrupted him calmly, her expression more serious than ever, "what that man said about Hanzo and Shimura Danzo joining forces... do you really think it's baseless?"

"How could he know about Danzo? That is the darkness of Konoha; even we have only heard rumors! He even knew the location of our next meeting!"

"This..." Yahiko was left speechless.

Indeed, that was the most bizarre part.

The man seemed to have an all-seeing eye, viewing all their trump cards—and even the dangers they themselves were unaware of—with perfect clarity.

"So what!"

Yahiko stiffened his neck and raised his head stubbornly.

"Even if Hanzo truly has a conspiracy, it only proves that our path is even more difficult! We should use our sincerity to move him even more, to let him see our resolve!"

"Go and kill him? How is that any different from those bastards who incite war! If we do that, we betray our own ideals!"

Yahiko's words rang out with conviction.

This was the path he had always firmly believed in, and it was the original intention behind the founding of Akatsuki.

Konan fell silent; she knew she could not persuade Yahiko.

Nagato was also silent. He looked at his best friend, at the unwavering light in his eyes, and the scales in his heart tilted violently once more.

On one side was the cold, cruel reality brought by that man.

On the other was the warm, distant dream he had chased for so many years alongside his companions.

Whom should he believe?

"I am going."

Yahiko took a deep breath and made his decision.

"I must go see Hanzo. I will ask him to his face whether he is truly sincere about cooperating with us!"

"Yahiko, that's too dangerous! If what that man said is true, you're walking to your death!" Konan cried out in alarm.

"I don't believe it!" Yahiko roared. "I don't believe that our dreams, our philosophy, will turn out to be nothing but a joke! I don't believe that this world can only be solved through slaughter!"

He turned around and looked at Nagato.

"Nagato, what about you? Are you still willing to believe in me? Believe in the future we painted together—a future without war?"

Nagato looked at the hand Yahiko extended, gazing into the burning anticipation in his eyes.

He remembered that man's cold orders, remembered Yahiko gasping for air while being choked, and remembered himself kneeling on the ground, utterly powerless.

Humiliation...

Helplessness...

He clenched his fists tightly.

Then, he slowly raised his hand and grasped Yahiko's.

"I will go with you."

Nagato's voice was not loud, but it carried an ironclad resolve.

"Whether what lies ahead is peace or hell."

"Nagato..." Konan looked at the two who had made their decision and could only sigh helplessly in the end.

She knew she could not stop them.

All she could do was stay by their side and use her own life to protect them.

Elsewhere in the Land of Rain, atop an abandoned steel tower.

Space twisted, and Lin Feng's figure appeared out of thin air. He stumbled, nearly losing his footing.

"Damn it, still dizzy."

He rubbed his temples and plopped down onto the cold steel platform, completely shedding the demeanor of a high-level expert he had displayed moments ago.

[Host, please maintain your persona.]

"Give it a rest. There's not a soul for miles in this wilderness; can't I relax for a second?" Lin Feng rolled his eyes at the air.

[Second mission evaluation: A+.]

[Persona roleplay: Perfect. Successfully planted the impression of being 'invincible' and 'omniscient' in the targets' minds.]

[Plot progression: Excellent. Successfully forced the Akatsuki into a desperate situation, perfectly paving the way for the subsequent 'hero's entrance' plot.]

[Satisfaction generation: Outstanding. The 'hair-cutting' punishment was highly insulting, and the dimension-reduction strike of 'Bansho Ten'in' versus 'Shinra Tensei' greatly satisfied reader expectations.]

[Shortcomings: Energy control was slightly rough; 'Devastating Planetary Destruction' consumed too much chakra, leading to instability in the subsequent spatial transfer.]

[Comprehensive reward: Rinnegan ocular technique 'Bansho Ten'in' proficiency increased to 'Mastery' level. Total chakra volume slightly increased.]

Looking at the evaluation on the system panel, Lin Feng hummed triumphantly.

"That's a given. My acting skills are more than enough to win an Oscar."

He savored the scene from just before—especially Nagato coughing up blood under his suppression and that naive fool Yahiko being played in the palm of his hand—and felt incredibly satisfied.

This is the power of an information gap.

I know your future, I know your weaknesses, I know everything about you.

And you, you know nothing about me.

This feeling was a hundred times more satisfying than simple brute-force suppression.

"Next, it's time to sit back and watch the show."

Lin Feng stood up and walked to the edge of the tower, looking down at the city looming in the curtain of rain.

He knew that the idealistic fool Yahiko would surely charge headlong into the inescapable net laid by Hanzo the Salamander and Danzo.

He was a dead man.

And only when Yahiko died, when Nagato watched his dearest friend die before his eyes, and when all his hopes and dreams were crushed to pieces by reality—

Only then would he, the "Uchiha Madara" played by Lin Feng, descend once more.

In the guise of a savior.

In the identity of a mentor who was the only one capable of understanding his pain.

And thoroughly, he would make him his own.

"Tsk tsk, I really am a big villain."

Lin Feng stroked his chin, feeling not a shred of guilt, but rather immense excitement.

He suddenly thought of something and opened the system shop, staring at the dazzling array of goods until he almost drooled.

[Hashirama Cells (Basic Version): Price 10,000 roleplay points. Slightly increases recovery and chakra.]

[Flying Thunder God Technique Scroll: Price 50,000 roleplay points. Once learned, you will be the fastest man in the ninja world.]

[Limited Edition Uchiha Gunbai (with reflection function): Price 88,888 roleplay points. The ultimate tool for posturing; whoever uses it knows!]

"Everything is so expensive..." Lin Feng looked at his pitiful three-digit roleplay point balance, his heart aching.

It seemed that acting alone wasn't enough; he would have to stir up some major events.

His gaze shifted back to the center of Amegakure, to the tallest tower belonging to the "demigod," Hanzo the Salamander.

Perhaps... he could collect some interest first?

Just then, through the extraordinary visual range of his Rinnegan, he spotted three figures departing the Akatsuki base, marching resolutely toward the depths of Amegakure.

Leading them was none other than the orange-haired youth, Yahiko.

His stride was firm and his gaze resolute, as if he were heading to a grand ceremony rather than a fatal trap.

A cold arc curled onto Lin Feng's lips.

"The actors are in position."

"Then... let the show begin."