Speaking Frankly

Naruto's outrageous words made Konan wonder if she had misheard him. "Say that again. What do you want to inherit?"

But Naruto repeated himself. "I want to inherit Nagato's Rinnegan!"

I really didn't mishear him...

Konan's gaze darkened as she studied Naruto again... He had never struck her as someone who would say something like that!

Still, she remained calm for the moment. "Naruto, Nagato entrusted his will to you, but his will doesn't include his eyes."

Naruto tried to reason with her. "My fellow student is gone, but the Rinnegan's power shouldn't go to waste. Besides, someone else covets those eyes. If they fall into his hands, the consequences for the shinobi world will be catastrophic. Taking all that into account, leaving them in my care is the safest option!"

The person he means... is Madara. He knows Madara exists. He isn't the innocent child Nagato and I thought we knew!

Konan's expression turned colder at once. "The Rinnegan was awakened by Nagato of Amegakure. His eyes are a treasure of this country and this village. Naruto, even if you're the one asking, I cannot agree. Please stop making such unreasonable demands! Nagato has already revived Konoha's ninja. I will leave the Akatsuki as well, and I won't attack Konoha. Now I'm taking Nagato's body and Pain's Deva Path body back to Amegakure!"

"I see..." Naruto slowly closed his eyes. He had been gathering natural energy since their conversation began. Now, he had gathered enough!

Szzzt!

Orange pigmentation appeared around his eyes, and his pupils became the horizontal slits of a toad!

Sage Mode activated!

Naruto opened his eyes and said gravely, "Konan, my fellow student, you misunderstand. This isn't a request. It's a demand!"

Whoosh!

With the lightning-fast Body Flicker Technique enhanced by Sage Mode, he closed in on Konan and struck her abdomen with a precisely measured punch!

Thud!

"Urgh..." Konan's orange eyes flew wide open, and her body crumpled helplessly!

Naruto drew back his fist and gazed down at Konan, murmuring, "Sorry. This is the quickest way to avoid a pointless fight. I'll explain everything to you in detail later!"

Then Naruto glanced back toward the Konoha ninja, unable to hide the longing in his eyes!

Everything he had once lost could return to him if he simply turned back.

But what he intended to do from now on would run counter to the Will of Fire that Konoha believed in!

Even if he told everyone the whole story, would they believe him?

It was too outlandish... Naruto figured that even he wouldn't believe it in their place!

He averted his gaze and forcibly suppressed the longing in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I love the village, and I love every one of you. So until the time is right, let me shoulder all of this alone..."

That day, the people of Konoha waiting at the village gates never saw their hero return.

The Konoha ninja sent to search found a copy of The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi bearing indentations from fingers, along with a Konoha forehead protector marked with the slash of a rogue ninja, at Nagato's former hiding place!

Meanwhile, in Konoha, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, had fallen into a deep coma after exhausting too much of her Strength of a Hundred chakra.

The elite jonin, led by Shikaku Nara, convened an emergency meeting.

Shikaku said, "We encountered Naruto on the mountain earlier. He said he would settle things with the enemy and asked us to leave the negotiations to him."

As he spoke, Shikaku glanced at Kakashi, who had returned from the dead. Kakashi was staring absently at the copy of The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi brought back by the search team.

Turning his gaze back, Shikaku continued, "Afterward, everyone who had died in the village came back to life, so Naruto's negotiations must have succeeded. But then he suddenly killed Lady Katsuyu's clone and left behind his book and forehead protector. We don't know what happened in between!"

Shikaku pondered for a moment. "But according to my analysis, there are only two possibilities."

"First, Naruto was being controlled by some enemy technique and had no choice."

"Second, Naruto had something else he wanted to discuss with the enemy, something he couldn't let us know about..."

He paused. "As for... these two things Naruto left behind, if I set aside my personal feelings, the most straightforward interpretation is that Naruto abandoned the ninja way he inherited from Jiraiya and resolved to become a rogue ninja of Konoha!"

Gasp!

The jonin present drew in sharp breaths at those words!

That Naruto, the indomitable Naruto who had steadfastly followed his own ninja way, had betrayed the village!?

Then Kakashi Hatake spoke. "Naruto is my student. From everything I've learned about him over the years, he wouldn't betray the village. So I'm more inclined to believe he had his reasons for doing this..."

He showed everyone the book's cover. "These finger marks tell us something. He must have been clutching this book tightly. He was struggling inside..."

Shikaku sighed softly, then said solemnly, "We can't draw any conclusions until we establish the facts. In any case, Naruto defeated Pain-Nagato-and saved the village. That is indisputable! I propose that we conceal Naruto's departure from everyone for now. We'll announce that he's resting after being exhausted by the fierce battle!"

"The Hyuga Clan agrees!"

"The Yamanaka Clan agrees!"

"The Aburame Clan has no objections!"

The heads of the major clans voiced their positions one after another.

Shikaku Nara nodded. "But concealment isn't a long-term solution. Have the Anbu expand their search. We must find Naruto as soon as possible!"

"Also, the village has just suffered a catastrophe. Our greatest priority is to reassure the people. With the Fifth unconscious and something having happened to Naruto, the village cannot be left without a Hokage. I nominate Kakashi Hatake to become the Sixth Hokage!"

Kakashi Hatake placed the book on the table and said solemnly, "Yes. I'm already prepared for that..."

Rustle, rustle... In the woods beyond Konoha's ruins, Black and White Zetsu emerged from a tree trunk.

White Zetsu said, "Pain actually got killed. I never even imagined that could happen! And that brat called Naruto Uzumaki took Nagato's body away. This is absurd!"

Black Zetsu said, "Hurry and report this to Tobi!"

In a dark cave within the Land of Fire.

Naruto sat on a stone chair, his left eye wrapped in bandages. Propping his cheek on one hand, he watched the flickering candle flame with his right eye, his mind weighed down by worry.

"You're awake..."

Out of the corner of his eye, he looked toward Konan, who was tied up in the corner!

"..." Konan struggled hard but couldn't escape the ropes.

Naruto said, "I tied you up so we could talk more easily. Also, I sealed your chakra to keep you from turning into paper and escaping..."

The gravity in Naruto's voice was nothing a sixteen-year-old boy should have possessed.

To Konan, such a drastic change could mean only one thing. "Naruto Uzumaki, you really are a brilliant actor. You fooled both Nagato and me..."

Naruto merely smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.

Konan demanded, "Where did you put Nagato's body? You've already taken his Rinnegan. You've accomplished your goal. If you don't intend to kill me, give his body back and let me take him home to Amegakure!"

"Nagato's Rinnegan..." Naruto slowly turned around. "It seems I should adjust the order of my explanation a little. First, the Rinnegan wasn't awakened by Nagato of Amegakure. The true owner of those eyes is the ancestor of Konoha's Uchiha Clan... Madara Uchiha!"