Nagato, outside Konoha, also sank into thought.
Arrogant as he was, even he did not dare assume he was the reincarnation of a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths.
Could Zhou Cheng be telling the truth? Were my Rinnegan really transplanted into me by someone with an ulterior motive?
Meanwhile, inside Konoha, Zhou Cheng continued:
"That masked man isn't Madara Uchiha at all!"
"Even if he were, he couldn't possibly have lived this long and still stayed young."
"Madara transplanted your Rinnegan into you when you were very little!"
Deva Path finally spoke, his expression grave:
"I've long suspected he wasn't Madara. Even someone as powerful as the Sage of Six Paths eventually reached the end of his life. Who exactly is he?"
Zhou Cheng smiled faintly. He took the bait!
"Obito Uchiha!"
"A poor soul Madara took an interest in. Nothing more than a pawn!"
"The Rinnegan belong to Madara Uchiha!"
Deva Path grew wary. "Was he the reincarnation of a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths?"
"Then the other one was Hashirama Senju!"
"That's the only explanation for his godlike power!"
"And then, at the Valley of the End, Madara obtained chakra from Hashirama Senju and awakened the Rinnegan!"
Zhou Cheng was a little surprised. To deduce all that from just a few remarks, Nagato really was no ordinary man.
He snapped his fingers. "Exactly right!"
"What was Madara's purpose in doing this?"
Zhou Cheng shrugged. To dance once again, of course!
"The Rinnegan have a dōjutsu that can resurrect people. I'm sure you know that."
"Madara's goal was to have you use that technique to resurrect him!"
Deva Path stared blankly into space. Nagato must have been so shocked that he had stopped controlling him.
After a while, the light returned to Deva Path's eyes.