Inside the underground grotto, the air seemed to have solidified into cold amber.
The entire syringe of dark red Sharingan Gene-Induction Drug had been injected into Nagato's vein.
He did not immediately feel any earth-shattering change, only a warm current spreading from the injection site. With a faint, tingling itch, it flowed through his bloodstream and throughout his body, finally seeming to converge toward his eyes and brain, bringing a strange flutter, as though something dormant had been gently stirred.
But this was only the beginning.
Nagato slowly withdrew the empty syringe and tossed it aside with a sharp clatter.
He raised his head. His Rinnegan no longer held empty, lifeless grayness, but burned with an all-or-nothing resolve that bordered on self-destruction.
He looked at Toyotomi Yinglang. His voice trembled slightly from his overwhelming emotions and the mild effects of the newly injected drug, yet it was exceptionally clear:
"These eyes... I don't want them anymore."
Those few short words exploded like thunder in Yahiko's and Konan's hearts!
"Nagato! You..." Yahiko abruptly stood, wanting to stop him, but met Nagato's resolute Rinnegan, and all his words caught in his throat. He saw the unquestionable will in Nagato's eyes.
The paper in Konan's hand drifted silently to the ground. She covered her mouth, her eyes instantly filling with tears.
She knew what those eyes had brought Nagato, and what they might mean, but... gouging them out himself? That was too insane! Too painful!
Toyotomi Yinglang's expression remained unchanged. He merely watched Nagato quietly, as though confirming his resolve.
"Are you certain?" His voice was calm and even.
"The process will be more painful than you imagine. Not just physically agonizing, either. The Rinnegan have been connected to your body and mind for years. Forcibly removing them will be like tearing away