He would likely gradually lose the ability to move.
If it were simple burns, Shimizu could treat them, but with the interference of the Gedō Mazō, Shimizu could only leave him to his own devices.
"Shimizu... is there any way to treat Nagato's legs?"
Konan's voice was low and dispirited, no longer the angelic sound of days past. She blamed herself—blamed herself for being powerless. If not for saving her, Yahiko would not be injured, and Nagato's legs would be fine.
"He will have to use a wheelchair from now on."
Shimizu shook his head. If he researched with full effort, it wasn't strictly incurable, but why should he? Nagato was an indecisive man. After being swayed by Obito's words, he was later swayed by Naruto's. Shimizu found it hard to trust that even if he persuaded Nagato now, Nagato wouldn't simply be swayed by someone else later and betray him in turn.
"It's fine. I am gradually gaining control over this power. My legs aren't entirely hopeless," Nagato said indifferently, trying to comfort Konan.
In fact, Nagato was not lying. The moment he summoned the Gedō Mazō, he grasped the deeper secrets of the Rinnegan. He could feel the contracts made with certain summoning beasts in alternate dimensions. Furthermore, a stream of mysterious knowledge had entered his mind—knowledge that instructed him on how to modify bodies and create puppets.
Crack...
A section of a black rod emerged from Nagato's palm. He stared blankly at the black rod in his hand.
This was a product of the Rinnegan. When he controlled the Gedō Mazō, these were the very things that had pierced his back.
"Give me one to study."
Shimizu unceremoniously took the black rod.
Right now, Nagato had only just learned to use the Outer Path power of the Rinnegan to create these chakra rods. Even later, when he invaded Konohagakure, he could only use them to disrupt an enemy's chakra upon insertion.
However, when Naruto in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode touched Obito—who had a deeper understanding of Yin-Yang Release and the Outer Path power—Naruto was instantly bound by the chakra rods in return. By the time of Madara Uchiha, only Sasuke Uchiha with the Six Paths power could pull them out; they rendered Tobirama Senju and Hashirama Senju incapacitated on the spot, leaving them effectively disconnected from the fight.
"..."
Nagato allowed Shimizu to take the chakra rod without objection. As long as he was willing to expend chakra, he could produce them endlessly. Since Shimizu had saved Yahiko, asking for such a cheap item was not a big deal.
Shimizu tapped the rod twice, producing a metallic clinking sound. He fell into thought.
In the Ninja World, technology was actually quite advanced. At the level of the Rinnegan, biology and mechanics could be combined. The Asura Path—Shura no Kō—could summon mechanical arms that opened at the wrist to release capture cables, or transform a hand into a cannon to fire chakra-condensed laser blasts.
These were likely technological products of the Ōtsutsuki Clan. The native Ninja World did not possess such technology.
The Ōtsutsuki Clan was more like a race of digital lifeforms, capable of downloading their data into other living bodies. "Karma" was essentially a compressed "Ōtsutsuki backup file." Over time, this compressed file would "thaw" little by little, a process that could be accelerated through combat. When all the data was "thawed," the body of the "Vessel" would be "overwritten" by the Ōtsutsuki's data. The existence of the "Vessel" would vanish completely, and the Ōtsutsuki would achieve resurrection.
Terms like "data," "thawing," "compression," and "downloading" were mentioned multiple times in Boruto.
The Six Paths abilities of the Rinnegan also seemed like preparations for interstellar colonization:
Preta Path: Absorbing various forms of energy.
Asura Path: Summoning sealed technological products.
Animal Path: Summoning creatures to establish a new ecological cycle.
Deva Path: Using attractive and repulsive forces for space navigation.
Naraka Path: Controlling souls, potentially for transporting populations.
Human Path: Acquiring information from locals.
Outer Path: Long-range communication, energy transmission, and creating local puppets.
"Do you know the origin of this thing?" Nagato asked, coughing twice as he saw Shimizu lost in thought.
With his skin and bones, Nagato looked somewhat hideous. His deep purple Rinnegan stared at Shimizu, observing him.
"No."
Shimizu asked for a few more chakra rods and stored them in a storage scroll.
Nagato was somewhat disappointed. He desperately wanted to uncover the secrets behind the Rinnegan. He could feel that he had awakened an ultimate dōjutsu—the ability to resurrect others...
This was too shocking, so Nagato dared not reveal a word of it.
"Alright, let's talk about the remuneration." Shimizu turned and opened the door.
"Okay," Nagato responded, intending to follow Shimizu. Since Yahiko could not lead right now, it was his duty to shoulder everything.
"No, no, no. I mean the young lady beside you, Miss Konan." Shimizu looked at Konan.
Nagato frowned slightly, his pale complexion looking even more wan. He didn't understand why Konan was needed for the discussion. Did Shimizu have designs on Konan's Paper Release?
"Nagato, I'll go." Konan stepped forward voluntarily. She also suspected Shimizu wanted her Paper Release. However, this ability was largely due to her own natural talent. If Shimizu couldn't learn it and felt it wasn't worth the value, what would happen if he refused to treat Yahiko's meridian system later, leaving Yahiko unable to be a ninja?
Harboring an anxious heart, Konan followed Shimizu.
Nagato watched Konan's retreating figure. His mouth opened slightly, but in the end, he couldn't say a word. He could only hate himself now. He hated that his lack of power had led to this situation.
"Only those who have understood pain can understand others."
Nagato, having nearly lost Yahiko, had realized what pain was. Next, he would make Amegakure feel this pain.
"Please, sit, Miss Konan."
Shimizu sat on a chair in front of a glass table. There was an empty chair beside the table.
"Mn."
Konan looked around. She found that this room was about the same size as the previous one, but the decoration was much more exquisite. The walls were painted white, and the interior furnishings were all made of precious wood. Konan didn't know how much this was worth, but compared to the other buildings in the Land of Rain, it was far superior.
The Land of Rain was nothing but broken walls and cold drainage pipes.
Shimizu Uchiha is a man of taste, Konan labeled him.
This was their third meeting. The first two times, they hadn't paid much attention to Shimizu, nor had they acted much on the intelligence he provided. It wasn't until Yahiko was critically injured and Shimizu stepped in to heal him that they realized the Akatsuki organization couldn't survive without a medical ninja—specifically one who could act when a comrade desperately needed treatment.
Konan sat down, her heavy black robe pulling tight to reveal her graceful physique. Because of the glass table, Shimizu could easily see this view from his side. Konan adjusted her sitting posture unnaturally.
"May I ask... Shimizu, what exactly is the remuneration you mentioned?"
Konan calculated how much money was left in the Akatsuki's treasury. If it wasn't enough to cover Shimizu's fee, she would have to set aside time to make more explosive tags and sell them.
"Remuneration, hmm... Originally, I wanted the Akatsuki to gather intelligence for me. But seeing as your leader was nearly beaten to death, I fear the other members haven't met a good end either," Shimizu said leisurely.
If he remembered correctly, Obito had made a move. The remaining members of the Akatsuki were likely ruthlessly harvested. Due to the butterfly effect he caused, perhaps the specific people who died might change, but generally speaking, at least eighty percent of them wouldn't escape.
The Akatsuki was effectively finished.
Otherwise, Hanzō of the Salamander wouldn't have retreated so easily. Even if Hanzō felt the terrifying power of the Rinnegan, he wouldn't have been afraid; he was currently in his prime, not the old man he would become later who had lost his spirit—a disgrace to the samurai.
"It is all my fault..." Konan's eyes dimmed as she closed them.
Memories of her time with everyone echoed in her mind. They hadn't gathered for money or profit. Everyone had come together for a common goal, for peace, for ideals, and for comrades who shared the same aspirations. They were all kind people.
"Now is not the time for assigning blame. I want to ask, what else can you offer me? I heard Miss Konan has a unique technique called Paper Release?"
Here it comes.
Konan sighed. Shimizu had indeed come for this.
Her Shikigami no Mai (Dance of the Shikigami) allowed her to transform her body into countless paper sheets, enabling her to move and shapeshift freely. It was extremely versatile, suitable for reconnaissance and surprise attacks. Much of the Akatsuki's reconnaissance work was conducted by her.
"My Paper Release is not a Kekkei Genkai, but it is practically the same as one. This is a domain only I can achieve."
"So it isn't a Kekkei Genkai?" Shimizu feigned surprise.
In his heart, he was calm. Konan's Paper Release was indeed not a Kekkei Genkai. Techniques like her Shikigami no Mai, Kami no Shisha no Jutsu (Paper Person of God Technique), Paper Clones, and Paper Shuriken were all classified as "Ninjutsu" in the Sho no Sho and Jin no Sho data books.
Perhaps this was simply Konan's unique talent.
Just as Kakashi Hatake could create S-rank ninjutsu, whereas Obito Uchiha, throughout his entire life, never created a single S-rank ninjutsu; he either copied others or relied on his Kekkei Genkai—the power of Wood Release and the Sharingan.
The disparity in talent between individuals was vast.
With his talent for Fire Release, Shimizu had already created several Fire Release ninjutsu, such as Katon: Yasaka Magatama, Fire Body Flicker, and Katon: Chakra Mode. As his understanding deepened, these techniques were constantly being improved. For instance, the Fire Body Flicker was already approaching the A-rank level, and one day, it might reach the difficulty of an S-rank jutsu.
"Yes. If you wish to learn, I can teach you. Whether you can learn it or not depends entirely on you."
Seeing the disappointed look on Shimizu's face, the anxiety in Konan's heart began to deepen.
"How about this? Show me any other high-level ninjutsu you have."
"Akatsuki... doesn't have any high-level ninjutsu," Konan said, bracing herself as she saw Shimizu's expression grow increasingly disappointed.
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