Did I tell you to move?
Gen'yō's cold yet playful voice rang out softly.
"Little mouse."
That Hand of God, composed of pure golden Chakra, easily and effortlessly gripped the black fluid that attempted to ambush Nagato in its palm, as if it were catching an insignificant fly!
"Ugh! Let me go! What are you?!"
Black Zetsu's sinister screech abruptly ceased, replaced by a terrified, shrill scream. Its body, immune to most physical attacks and even capable of penetrating matter, was enveloped by that golden hand, seemingly placed within a separate spatial law. No matter how it twisted or deformed, it couldn't escape in the slightest. The golden Chakra, as if carrying purifying flames, scorched every inch of its consciousness, instilling in it a fear originating from the very nature of existence.
This power surpasses even that of her mother! It's even more terrifying than that of Hagoromo and Hamura!
An unprecedented, colossal wave surged within Black Zetsu's consciousness.
At the other end of the room, on that complex life support device, Nagato, Rinnegan with purple ripples, was fixed on the black thing struggling frantically in the golden hand.
His mind went blank.
Just now, in the instant when he lost his composure and was filled with despair, this black thing suddenly sprang out of the shadows without warning, its target aimed directly at his body! In that instant, Nagato felt a malice more terrifying than death—an absolute greed that wanted to completely devour and possess his existence!
If it weren't for that man, if it weren't for Uchiha Gen'yō's intervention--
Nagato dared not imagine the consequences.
He, a dignified "god," was actually ambushed in his own temple by an unknown entity, and in the end had to rely on his own enemy for rescue?
What an irony! What an absurdity!
"Who are you?!" Konan collapsed to the ground, staring at the scene before her, her voice trembling as she asked. She wasn't referring to Gen'yō, but to the black fluid that had been captured. As a veteran of the Akatsuki, she had never suspected that such a strange entity was hidden within the organization!
"A very interesting little thing."
A playful smile curved Gen'yō's lips. His eyes, burning with the golden Greater Yang, examined the Black Zetsu in his palm with great interest, as if admiring a rare collectible.
" Nagato, haven't you always wanted to know why you possess the Rinnegan?"
"Didn't you always think of yourself as a savior chosen by fate, to guide the world towards peace with your suffering?"
Gen'yō's words were like a sharp knife, piercing Nagato's heart once again.
Nagato remained silent, his empty Rinnegan fixed on Gen'yō, awaiting the answer that would utterly destroy him.
"The truth is, from beginning to end, you were nothing more than a pawn."
Gen'yō raised his other hand and pointed to the imprisoned Black Zetsu.
"And it is this that controls you, this piece."
"A being that calls itself ' Kaguya's Will,' but is actually an aggregate of evil thoughts filled with lies, conspiracies, and betrayals, created by an old witch named Otsutsuki Kaguya using Yin-Yang Release before she was sealed away."
Otsutsuki Kaguya?
This name was completely unfamiliar to Nagato and Konan. But to Obito, Shisui, and Itachi standing to the side, it was like a thunderbolt!
They all learned about the top secrets of Chakra's origin from the Divine Kingdom's database established by Gen'yō! That was the Creation of ninjas! The source of all Chakra!
"Impossible!" Black Zetsu retorted sharply, "You're talking nonsense! Who are you?! How could you possibly know about Mother's affairs!"
"I not only know her, I also know you." Gen'yō's eyes turned as cold as ancient ice, and he slowly revealed a shocking conspiracy that had been hidden for thousands of years, word by word.
"You tampered with the Uchiha Stone Tablet left by the Sage of Six Paths, distorting the 'Infinite Tsukuyomi' —a world-destroying technique used to revive Kaguya— into an ultimate Genjutsu to save the Uchiha Clan."
"You've been watching from the shadows like a ghost for over a thousand years, constantly instigating the reincarnations of Indra and Asura to kill each other, from Madara Uchiha to the current Nagato."
Gen'yō's gaze shifted to Nagato, and the pity in his eyes was more hurtful than any sharp blade.
" Nagato, your Rinnegan was transplanted to you by Madara Uchiha before his death. He chose you because the immense life force of your Uzumaki Clan was sufficient to sustain these eyes. And he did this so that you could revive him using the Rinne Rebirth after his death."
"The reason Madara Uchiha did this was because he was deceived by this black rat! He thought the Infinite Tsukuyomi could bring true peace, but he didn't know it was just to provide nourishment for Kaguya's resurrection!"
" Yahiko's death, the formation of Akatsuki, all the pain you endured, all the ideals you upheld—"
Gen'yō's voice suddenly rose, like the final judgment of a god, and resounded deep within the souls of Nagato and Konan!
"From beginning to end, it was nothing more than a farce meticulously orchestrated by this little creature in order to revive its old mother!"
"Your so-called peace, your so-called divine pain, are worthless in its eyes! They are merely a link in its plan, a tool that can be discarded at any time!"
boom!
Nagato's brain completely exploded at that moment!
Was Yahiko's death for this reason?
Is this what I'm suffering for?
The Akatsuki's ideals were all a lie?!
Everything he cherished, everything he carried, everything he considered a divine mission, was merely a link in a thousand-year-old deception? He wasn't a god, not even a pawn, just a tool? A battery that could be discarded after use?!
"Pfft--!"
A mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed out of Nagato's mouth! All the brilliance, all the will, all the pride in his Rinnegan were shattered at this moment, turning into endless silence and emptiness!
His emaciated body, riddled with black rods, seemed to have been drained of its last life force, and he collapsed backward violently. The life support device emitted a piercing alarm.
" Nagato!"
Konan let out a piercing cry of grief, rushed over without hesitation, and held his cold body, tears streaming down her face.
At this moment, Nagato's faith was utterly destroyed at its root by Gen'yō in the most cruel and direct way.
Seeing this, Gen'yō's face remained completely expressionless.
He never hesitated to use the most ruthless methods against his enemies. The complete destruction of their spirit demonstrated his absolute dominance far more effectively than physical annihilation.
He turned his gaze back to Black Zetsu in his palm, a cold killing intent flashing in his golden eyes.
"As for you, you little thing who's been hiding for a thousand years, it's time to pay the price for what you've done."
Black Zetsu sensed the undisguised killing intent and screamed madly, "No! You can't kill me! I'm immortal! I'm an extension of Mother's will! If you kill me, Mother will never let you go after she's resurrected!"
"Resurrected?" Gen'yō seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. "Do you think I would give her that chance?"
Gen'yō was too lazy to waste any more words on this insect. He looked at Nagato, who was barely clinging to life, and slowly spoke, his voice like a final ultimatum from the deepest hell.
" Nagato, now tell me your choice."
Gen'yō's voice was cold and indifferent, as if he were discussing a trivial matter.
"I want to crush you, along with this last of Pain, into cosmic dust, and then rip the Rinnegan out of your eye sockets."
"Still--"
A meaningful smile curved Gen'yō's lips as he slowly uttered the suggestion that stunned both Konan and Nagato.
"You voluntarily surrender your eyes, then accept my transformation, become a citizen of my Divine Kingdom, and see for yourself what true peace, without lies and without suffering, truly looks like?"
Nagato's empty eyes moved with difficulty, landing on Gen'yō's face. His lips moved slightly, and with his last ounce of strength, he asked hoarsely:
What kind of peace?