Reversing Fate

[There was no such thing as a free lunch, especially when the aid was this generous.]

[The Four Elders had prepared to pay a steep price—even with their clan's Sharingan.]

[Yet Morpheus's answer stunned them all.]

[His cold face seemed to shift ever so slightly, as though forming an abstract expression.]

["There is no price."]

["Or rather, you need not pay us anything."]

[The Four Elders froze. They looked at one another, disbelief written across their faces.]

["That's impossible!" the Third Elder blurted out. "Then why would you help us so much?"]

[Morpheus's projection leaned forward slightly, as though examining these bewildered, overjoyed "test subjects" up close.]

[His deep voice echoed through the Stone Chamber, carrying an air of mystery, as though he were pronouncing their fate:]

["This is not a transaction, leaders of the Uchiha."]

["It is merely an attempt to observe how 'variables' might reverse fate."]

["Use the power I have given you to your hearts' content. Let us see whether introducing these 'variables' can truly rewrite the tragic fate that was originally set for you."]

["When you need more, press the button again."]

["Finally, I wish you luck."]

[The blue light abruptly faded, and Morpheus vanished without a trace, as though he had never appeared.]

[The Four Elders stood motionless in the dim Stone Chamber, dazed by the windfall that had dropped into their laps.]

[Yet his final, inscrutable words also sent an indescribable chill through them.]

[No price? An experiment in observation? Reversing fate?]

[They could not understand the Paradise Organization's true purpose, but the aid before them was undeniably tempting.]

[That faint chill was quickly drowned out by the fervor of people who had glimpsed a way out of a hopeless situation.]

["Make preparations," the First Elder finally said. His voice trembled with excitement, and his eyes gleamed with the resolve to stake everything on one chance. "This will be the Uchiha's last chance!"]

The Canopy Screen's vision ended there.

Inside the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi gripped his Pipe so hard it snapped.

The moment he saw the Paradise Organization's support for the Uchiha, he realized it was an organization with terrifying potential in war.

"This... this is no Ninjutsu!" The Third Hokage's voice trembled with disbelief. "To create Jonin-level fighters by force, even temporarily, and mass-produce military supplies... If Konoha could command that kind of power..."

But a chill rose in his heart. If the Paradise Organization could grant such power to the Uchiha so easily, could it someday grant it just as easily to another shinobi village to attack Konoha?

The mere existence of this ability threatened to overturn the Shinobi World's established order and balance of power!

In the Raikage's Office in Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage A stared at the unbelievable account on the Canopy Screen and smashed the wall beside him with one punch! "Bullshit! How could that be possible?"

He roared, but the Canopy Screen's truthfulness left him no choice but to believe it. "Create Special Jonin on demand? Mass-produce Explosive Tags? What damned clan could pull that off?"

"Did that old bastard Ōnoki dig up a relic from an ancient civilization?!"

What would such an ability mean in war? An enemy that could churn out troops and weapons without end! Kumogakure's vaunted advantage in Taijutsu and military production would become a joke!

In Iwagakure's Tsuchikage's Office, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki sat in his chair as the documents in his hands slipped to the floor.

For the first time, his aged face showed something close to stunned disbelief. "The... Paradise Organization!" he murmured, his usual composure gone. "Bypassing training to grant power directly, creating something from nothing... This... this borders on 'creation' itself!"

He understood better than anyone what that meant. This was no Ninjutsu. It was a power that seemed to operate by its own rules! "What are they trying to do? With power like that, why did they use it to support a Uchiha clan on the brink of destruction?"

Ōnoki felt a deep, primal fear—the fear of confronting something utterly beyond his understanding.

In Kirigakure and Sunagakure, Mei Terumi and Rasa were likewise stunned into silence by the Canopy Screen.

Their first thought was the same: Was the intelligence real? If it was, the balance of power in the Shinobi World would be shattered!

They feared that the Paradise Organization's ability might spread—or fall under the exclusive control of a major power.

If that happened, the Fourth Shinobi World War might not be far off.

In the Land of Rain, Deva Path Pain stood motionless atop the towering Central Iron Tower.

His Rinnegan reflected the being on the Canopy Screen that called itself the "Paradise Organization," along with the inconceivable power it had displayed.

Konan stood quietly beside him. The slight tremble of her paper showed that she, too, was shaken.

"Nagato," Konan said softly, concern in her voice, "we don't know where this power comes from or what its owners want. It's too dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Deva Path Pain slowly turned his head, the rings of his Rinnegan seeming to turn with him. "Konan, have you forgotten the pain we've suffered?"

"Have you forgotten how much this country and Amegakure have endured, caught between three great nations?"

His voice remained steady, but it carried a heavy force.

"We suffered because we were weak. The great nations trampled us because we lacked resources. Yahiko's dream needs power to become reality."

"And peace requires absolute power to endure!"

He looked out once more at the barren land beyond, forever soaked by rain and scarred by war.

"If... if we could put that power to use." A trace of longing entered Deva Path Pain's voice.

"Imagine it, Konan." He raised a hand as though sketching a vision. "Our loyal Rain Shinobi Warriors could gain the strength to defend their home in an instant, without years of brutal selection and training!"

"We would no longer have to worry about scarce Ninja Tools. When enemies came, we could arm every villager willing to fight for their home in an instant!"

"Amegakure would no longer be weak! We would have real fighting strength! Would those great nations still dare bring war to our land so casually?"

"But Nagato," Konan said, still cautious, "we don't know what that organization wants. Its reasons for helping the Uchiha were clearly suspect. Cooperating with it would be like bargaining with a tiger. The risk is too great."

"We don't need to trust each other," Deva Path Pain replied coldly. "We only need to make use of them."

"We can try making contact first and test them. If possible, we'll find a way to learn how the technology works."

"Even if we can't obtain its core secrets, a limited deal for temporary enhancements or supplies could be enough to change the situation at a critical moment."

He paused, an unwavering light flashing in his Rinnegan.

"Only the result matters. We need not concern ourselves with the process or the methods."

"Have Zetsu intensify his investigation," Pain ordered. "Our primary objective remains unchanged, but divert some effort to investigating the Paradise Organization."

"I want to know everything about it! Where it came from, what it wants, the limits and weaknesses of its power—and whether we can use it."

"If it truly can 'reverse fate'..." Pain's voice sank, carrying a resolve that bordered on obsession. "Then it is time to reverse Amegakure's fate."

"This power may be another key to true peace."

Silence returned to the chamber, broken only by the faint sound of rain outside.

Konan looked at Pain's unyielding back, and the worry in her eyes deepened.