A few days later.
While Ryun was working diligently inside the Shadow Tower, six uninvited guests swaggered up to the main gate of Otogakure and declared they wanted to meet the Shadow of Otogakure.
The gate guards felt immense pressure from the newcomers, and sensor ninja warned that the chakra levels of these six individuals were astonishing, advising against speaking disrespectfully or acting rashly.
"You wait here. I will go inform the Shadow-sama..." The gate guard did not dare delay, using a Body Flicker Technique to vanish from the village entrance.
The six showed no intention of starting a fight. They obediently stood in place, quietly waiting for the summons from the Shadow of Otogakure.
Ryun had already sensed their arrival. How could he not, when they appeared so openly and without any attempt to conceal themselves?
However, he did not appear immediately, primarily because he first returned home.
He needed to remind Kushina to keep the children close and not leave the villa grounds, and also to activate the defensive barrier and spatial barrier around the house.
This was to prevent a situation where, while he was fighting the Six Paths of Pain, that bastard Obito might seize the opportunity to infiltrate his home using Kamui's intangibility. That would be truly troublesome.
To be safe, he also left a shadow clone at both the house and the tailed beast cage area. After completing these preparations, he threw a special kunai and instantly appeared at the village entrance using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
'This method of movement without any warning signs... spatial teleportation?'
Seeing the tall figure suddenly appear before them, the Six Paths of Pain instinctively took half a step back.
'No, not entirely without warning. That strange kunai thrown just now must be the medium for performing spatial teleportation!'
Within a few breaths, the Deva Path analyzed this crucial piece of intelligence internally.
"We come from Amegakure. Greetings, Dragon Lord-sama..." The Deva Path unusually followed a polite protocol.
Today he was here to discuss cooperation, not to pick a fight with Ryun, so the first impression was very important.
The Deva Path could maintain arrogance in front of anyone else, but it was difficult to do so facing the man before him.
He was merely a self-proclaimed god of Amegakure, while the other was the genuine, universally acknowledged War God of the ninja world.
Maintaining arrogance in front of such a person would only be seen as provocation. Nagato did not want to make an enemy of him.
The aura around Uchiha Ryun was strange. Previously, his presence would appear distorted before the Rinnegan, but now, sensing him again, not a trace of chakra fluctuation could be detected from this person.
The person before them seemed like an ordinary man, his power seemingly restrained to the extreme. Even the Rinnegan couldn't perceive his depth!
"Coming through the main gate, it seems you aren't here to cause trouble." Ryun said with a casual laugh.
Hearing this, the Deva Path visibly paused. Ryun referred to their group of six as 'you', not 'you all'... this detail was somewhat terrifying upon closer thought...
'Could it be he sees that we six are one? Or can he tell we are just six puppets???'
This thought suddenly emerged in Nagato's mind, but within just a breath, he dismissed it himself: 'Impossible... I must be overthinking it...'
"We six come today for peace..." The Deva Path proactively stated their purpose for coming.
"Peace?"
Ryun clearly hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, but the next instant, he revealed a meaningful smile:
"Heh, peace is good. I am someone who loves peace the most..."
"Would the Dragon Lord-sama be interested in hearing our perspective on peace?" The Deva Path followed up and inquired.
"If I remember correctly, you expressed your views on peace thirteen years ago, didn't you?"
"Brother Ryun has a good memory..." The Deva Path couldn't help but smile as he said this.
Not only did he smile, but Nagato, controlling them from afar, also showed a smile.
Ryun gave a wry smile, but his next words completely froze the smile on the Deva Path's face.
"Heh... a bunch of idealistic talk about peace. Thinking back on it now... it really is quite laughable."
These words bluntly insulted the beliefs Yahiko held in life. But Nagato couldn't refute or get angry, because this was the truth. The term 'idealistic' was also used very accurately. Nagato had experienced pain and could understand this, which was why he sought change!
"If you still want to spout that old, tired tune, then forget it. I've been quite busy lately, no time to listen to your empty, grandiose nonsense..."
Ryun's attitude was very impolite, which made Nagato quite unhappy. He felt he was being looked down upon.
"We have experienced pain, we are no longer those passionate kids from back then..." The Deva Path said this with a serious expression.
From an age perspective, saying this was somewhat awkward, as both were roughly the same age. His words positioned himself in the role of a 'junior'.
But from the perspective of life experience, Nagato saying this was undoubtedly impactful. He always viewed Ryun as a 'pioneer', and even believed Ryun had already awakened thirteen years ago!
Hearing this, Ryun laughed again. This time, he did not show impatience. Instead, he strode out of the village, signaling for them to follow.
At a mountain peak far from Otogakure, Ryun gazed into the distance and said casually:
"Speak... state your purpose."
Faced with Ryun's direct question, the Deva Path proactively walked to his side and spoke seriously: "We wish to cooperate with you, to jointly create a peaceful ninja world!"
"Just like what you did back then, use force to suppress the ninja world, ultimately compelling the various nations to cease war and hostilities, and accept our guidance towards peace."
As the Deva Path spoke eloquently, Ryun remained very indifferent. He just quietly looked into the distance, showing no intention of speaking at all.
The Deva Path fell silent for a long while upon seeing this. The next moment, the Preta Path (Note: the text says 萝莉道, likely a typo for 饿鬼道, Preta Path) took out a small container of fresh blood, smeared it, and quickly performed the Summoning Technique.
Seeing the giant humanoid monster that was summoned, a trace of surprise finally appeared in Ryun's indifferent eyes.
"This is the Gedo Statue. It is the main body shell of the Ten-Tails, and the only vessel capable of merging the nine tailed beasts into one. As long as we can collect all the tailed beasts, we can then transform the Gedo Statue into an 'Ultimate Weapon'. The power it possesses is enough to easily destroy any major nation in the ninja world. As long as we control it properly, peace can be achieved effortlessly."
The Deva Path laid his cards on the table. To recruit Ryun, he didn't hesitate to summon the Gedo Statue, just to prove that his concept of peace wasn't the 'empty talk' Ryun described, but something truly achievable.
"I see... Your idea is quite good. The Gedo Statue looks intimidating too. But how can you prove this thing can gather the tailed beasts' power? Are there any tailed beasts inside it already?"
Ryun crossed his arms, a faint, inexplicable smile on his lips.
"No... The mission to collect the tailed beasts is still in the planning stages, and we will begin execution soon. However, you possess multiple tailed beasts here. Our plan cannot proceed without you. That is the reason for my visit today..."
The Deva Path seemed very sincere, even unafraid that his plan might be leaked.
"Is that so... Then if I don't want to hand over the tailed beasts, are you going to try and take them by force?" Ryun looked at him curiously and asked.
"Why wouldn't you? Our plan clearly aligns perfectly with your ideals of peace..." The Deva Path's face showed confusion and incomprehension.
"Heh... The Gedo Statue is yours. The Ultimate Weapon is yours. But the tailed beasts are mine... Today, you think you can get them from me with just a few words, empty-handed. Are you being too naive yourself? Or do you take me for a fool..."
As soon as Ryun said this, Nagato's lips twitched involuntarily.
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