Nagato returned to Konoha Star alone aboard a spaceship, then headed back to Konoha.
Nagato returned home and shared a meal with a tearful Fusō, then spent a full day sleeping soundly. Seeing that the appointed time was drawing near, he had no choice but to set out for Kirigakure, reluctant as he was.
The closer he got to Kirigakure, the faster his heart pounded. As a sea breeze carrying a faint briny scent brushed his face, his heart rose into his throat.
Nagato stood at Kirigakure's gates, taking deep breath after deep breath. His face was deathly pale, cold sweat streamed down his cheeks, and "weak" hardly began to describe how he looked.
Nagato kept psyching himself up. Come on, Nagato! Believe in yourself!
Even if what happened before really happens again, this time mine will definitely be bigger than his!
Yes!!! Armed with that thought and the resolve to face certain death, Nagato wore such a determined look that he seemed less like someone entering Kirigakure and more like someone about to claim the Hokage position.
"Name, where are you from, and what brings you to Kirigakure? Do you need someone to take you to get checked out? Why do you look so weak?" The gate guard eyed the redhead standing outside his village, looking utterly drained. His streaming cold sweat and chalk-white face made the guard wonder.
"Huh? I'm not weak! Nagato Uzumaki, from Konoha, here to visit Kirigakure," Nagato Uzumaki retorted unhappily at the guard's questions.
"From Konoha? Leave your phone number. Also, under a policy Kirigakure introduced decades ago, anyone from Konoha who comes to Konoha and intends to stay for an extended period must be accompanied by a shinobi from Kirigakure. If you're only here for a short visit, you can't stay longer than