"Here again?"
Itachi looked at the scene before him, and remembered the time after his battle with Sasuke.
"It seems I'm truly dead this time, and I have no regrets. It's just that I still couldn't see Sasuke again during this period."
"I didn't expect someone like you would have attachments too."
Nagato walked out from the dimness.
"Nagato? What are you doing here? You were just..."
"You don't belong here."
"There are many things that need you to finish over there."
"Itachi. Naruto... I'm leaving him to you."
Itachi was still confused, but his body had already begun to dissipate. This familiar feeling was the same as last time.
"Itachi, pull yourself together, Itachi."
"Shisui?"
Shisui was a little excited upon hearing the reply.
"It's me, it's me."
Itachi slowly opened his eyes. Although his vision was blurry, he could vaguely see Shisui's outline.
"Itachi, your eyes!"
Shisui quickly activated his Sharingan to check Itachi's chakra. The sockets were no longer empty as before, and the familiar chakra had returned.
Shisui finally understood Pain's final agreement.
"So that's how it is. That's great, that's great."
Shisui became emotional, and tears streamed down his face, falling onto Itachi's clothes.
"Shisui, you..."
Itachi felt Shisui's emotions. He didn't point it out halfway through and let him vent. The two had gone through a lot together, and when Shisui learned of Itachi's plan and his terminal illness, he was truly on the verge of collapse.
But now it was fine. Itachi, who had been revived twice, had recovered from his physical ailments. He would play a crucial role in the future confrontation with Obito.
"What on earth happened? Everyone in the village has their chakra restored."
Naruto was a little confused.
"This is Nagato's Ninjutsu. I never thought he would go this far."
Jiraiya explained to Naruto.
"Nagato himself can use the ninjutsu of the Six Paths of Pain, and his own ninjutsu is: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique."
"Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique?"
"Ah, the Rinnegan has the ability to control life and death. It can revive those one wishes to revive at the cost of the user's own life."
"Then will Nagato die?"
Naruto was shocked by Nagato's actions.
"Nagato has always been a good child. After being persuaded by the right people, he now intends to atone for his mistakes."
The attack on Konoha was considered to have achieved its purpose for Nagato.
Konoha, as one of the Five Great Nations, had never imagined that its own village would suffer destruction on such a scale by an enemy.
Watching his former comrades die, and his familiar streets and warm home destroyed, the pain that Nagato had experienced in the Hidden Rain Village was now deeply felt by the people of Konoha Village.
In Mount Myōboku.
"It seems everything has settled down."
The Great Toad Sage said, looking at the crystal ball.
"It seems Naruto is the child of prophecy."
"That's not quite right."
The Great Toad Sage refuted Sage Fukasaku's words.
"Both Nagato and Naruto are."
"The two of them met this time as children of prophecy. I didn't expect that both of them would be the ones to guide the ninja world. This meeting is their handover ceremony."
"It seems that after Jiraiya met Minato, he didn't give up searching, which predetermined everything that followed."
The gears of the ninja world were accelerated by today's battle.
In the World of Trees.
After Nagato used the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, his hair turned completely white, a sign of his life force draining away.
Nagato was very weak, his breathing quickened, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"I'm very sorry, I can't save your injuries even with my abilities."
Hatake Satoru told Nagato truthfully. Indeed, the Reverse Cursed Technique could not reverse the loss of life force.
"That's not necessary at all."
"War affects both sides equally, and people on each side will die."
"The most heartbreaking thing is to see the people you cherish die before your eyes, and you still reasonably believe they shouldn't have died here. Especially for Naruto's generation who haven't experienced war."
"He needs your guidance."
"Even if you want to explore the meaning of death, you'll find only pain and hatred with nowhere to vent."
"These are all things Naruto will have to face in the future, and he is not mature enough yet. He needs your and Itachi's help."
Nagato finally entrusted these words to Hatake Satoru.
"Everything seems to be guided by someone... No, perhaps this is what a true god would do."
"It seems my mission is over. If it's you, Naruto, perhaps you really can..."
The tree, made with the God's Origami Technique, slowly began to dissipate.
Nagato sacrificed himself.
Konan handled the bodies of Nagato and Yahiko and intended to take them back to the Hidden Rain Village for burial.
"There are still matters to attend to in Konoha Village. If you don't mind, I'd like to escort Nagato on his final journey with you."
Hatake Satoru's words about protecting Konan until true peace arrived were not just empty promises.
"No need. Right now, I just want them to go home."
"Nagato's Rinnegan is still being watched, even after his death."
Hatake Satoru put his eye patch back on.
"Come with me. After the matters in Konoha Village are settled, I will protect you and Nagato's remains."
Konan considered it for a moment and agreed to Hatake Satoru's proposal. If she could witness the arrival of peace, she could tell Nagato and Yahiko about it when she saw them again, which would bring them peace of mind.
"Then it's settled. I'll come find you after I've handled everything."
With that, Hatake Sasuke returned to Konoha Village.
"Huh? Is that Sasori? Who is he fighting?"
Hatake Sasuke finally noticed the battle on another side of the village.
Sasori and Gyuki had already moved from Konoha Village's outer wall to the forest outside the village.
Sasori's Hundred Puppets performance was left with only a little over twenty, but the fewer the puppets, the more precise their movements. The two were locked in a tug-of-war.
"Is that Gyuki? Why is he in Konoha?"
Hatake Sasuke was bewildered by Gyuki's sudden appearance. Not only did he appear in a strange place, but he was also fighting Sasori, who had no connection to him.
"Teacher Satoru?"
"Naruto?!"
What was going on? He hadn't been gone long. How could so many things have changed?
However, when Hatake Sasuke saw the Sage Mode markings on Naruto's face, he understood.
The range of perception is truly far. It's comparable to what the Six Eyes can perceive.
"How is Itachi doing?"
"It seems there was something wrong with his eyes, but thankfully he's alive. The other older brother was extremely excited."
"Is that so? Teacher, I was also very excited to hear that news."