Sasuke's troubles

In Amegakure, Pain saw with his own Rinnegan that Naruto Uzumaki, the man who would one day dominate the Shinobi World on the Canopy Screen, was now carrying his daughter around in search of a toy, without a trace of a mighty warrior's airs or dignity.

An unprecedented sense of emptiness seized him.

"I call myself a god?" Pain's impassive voice echoed through the rain, tinged with self-mockery.

"I forge peace through fear and pain, believing myself to control life and death, to stand above all living beings."

"Yet this man, who will be far stronger than me in the future, chose the most ordinary, most humble path."

"He chose to live among them, to love them. Perhaps this is the peace that can truly bring smiles to children's faces?"

"No, Pain."

Beside him, Konan's cool voice rang out, like a paper flower blossoming in the rain.

Her gaze was calm and sharp, like that of an administrator who had seen every facet of human nature.

"I've helped you govern Amegakure for years. I know all too well how complicated and ugly human nature can be."

"The more merciful and accommodating you are, the more hidden ambition and scheming will flourish. Look at this peaceful future. Its beauty is only skin-deep."

"Beneath it, Naruto Uzumaki's excessive tolerance and trust have allowed countless undercurrents to lurk."

"The remnants of the Akatsuki, the threat of Nine Nether, the maneuvering among the Great Shinobi Villages that has never stopped despite their cooperation."

"The facts prove precisely that absolute idealism cannot eradicate the evil in this world."

At that, Pain fell silent. The cold rain continued to fall over Amegakure, as though it would never end.

[On the Canopy Screen, Sasuke Uchiha quietly watched Naruto walk away with his daughter on his back.]

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