After hearing Anaya's plan, Yugao took several steps back, shaking her head furiously like a rattler drum.
"No way, Captain. I can't do it."
"You don't have to do anything. Just cooperate with me."
Yugao felt like Anaya was a big bad wolf trying to lure her — a Little Red Riding Hood. Even her normally composed and cool demeanor flushed with embarrassment, and she adamantly refused.
"Fine then. Forget it. I'll think of another way." Anaya ultimately gave up, as the plan itself was despicable and involved Yugao's innocence.
Letting out a breath of relief, Yugao asked, "Why do you insist on getting Tsunade-sama to leave?"
Anaya replied, "Many people are going to die here soon, and I don't want her to be among the dead."
"A major war will break out here? But Kumo and Mist have allied. The war on that side will be worse, right?" Yugao shared her opinion.
"This is Konoha's final stronghold. They'll all come here. Once it's destroyed, Konoha will be left completely exposed and defenseless."
This was Anaya's battle-hardened instinct, forged from years of commanding the battlefield. Somehow being brought here must have been fate's doing. The decisive final clash would be right here — Mount Hakuto, the last battle of the Third War.
Yugao considered a terrifying possibility: "You don't mean... Iwagakure has also joined the alliance?"
"I'm afraid so." Anaya had full confidence in Sasori's intelligence network. Within two days, Sasori would certainly deliver news, and everything would become clear.
Yugao finally understood Anaya's intentions behind wanting Tsunade to leave. Yet, if you already foresee what's coming, why won't you yourself leave? Is it for the village, or for something else? You're impossible to read, Captain.
"I'll help you." Yugao took a deep breath before uttering these three words.
"What?" Anaya hadn't reacted yet.
"That's all it takes, right?"
Before Anaya could respond, a warm, soft body had already wrapped around him. The girl's scent suddenly soothed his weary heart.
Feeling her youthful energy in his arms, Anaya naturally pulled her closer — not out of desire, loneliness, or romance. This hug was as if time had reversed. Looking up with focused eyes and listening intently, fragments of the past flashed by like a fleeting moment [Yugao's Past]. Perhaps a person's best years truly were during childhood.
"Thank you, Yugao. That's enough."
Anaya released her, smiling.
To Yugao, however, this smile seemed lonelier than any he had ever shown before, as if no one in this world truly understood him. Suddenly, she thought it wouldn't be bad just to keep holding this man — perhaps it would warm his heart even more.
"Is there really a god in this world?"
Nagato's frail figure directed this question toward the empty void.
"Of course. You will be the god of the future." A hoarse yet powerful voice came from the emptiness: "You have endured suffering beyond what any mortal should bear, and through it, you have transcended into a god."
"Hahahaha."
"What's the use of a god anyway?" Nagato suddenly laughed bitterly. "This world is full of pain everywhere. Humans are foolish creatures who will never understand each other no matter what. In such a hopeless world, suffering will always exist. Even gods cannot change that."
"No, you're wrong," the voice countered. "Humans indeed cannot understand one another, but gods can. Let your will become the will of the world. Merge everything in this world with yourself to become a unified whole. Whether it's pain or peace, as long as you possess the power to destroy an entire country in an instant, they'll learn what it means to be a god. Your existence alone will make all conflicts disappear. Humans will then achieve true stability and peace."
"Is that so?" Nagato's eyes changed. His previously confused Rinnegan eyes shimmered with purple light. At this moment, his gaze no longer contained even a trace of former hesitation or emotion, only determination and indifference.
The eyes of god had awakened. Nagato said in a detached tone, "Starting today, I am Pain. I am god. One day, the world will feel my pain."
Enough. This chess piece was now completely under control. All that remained was to wait for the other piece, Obito, to transform.
Madara Uchiha silently plotted everything in his mind. Suddenly, a slight smile curved his lips as he murmured to himself, "Perhaps preparing an extra piece wouldn't be bad either."
Quietly, he walked into another secret chamber and opened the door. Immediately, a sharp cry rang out from within: "[Paper Shuriken]!"
Chakra-infused paper scraps transformed into shurikens, sharp and swift, shooting toward him like blades.
Just before they struck, all the paper fragments disintegrated into shreds, posing absolutely no threat whatsoever.
This scene left Konan completely stunned. Instinctively, she asked, "Who exactly are you? What's your purpose for capturing me?"
"You mean absolutely nothing to me, but I still took the time to exchange a few words with you. So, don't push me," Madara Uchiha replied. Then, White Zetsu and Black Zetsu emerged from the ground, handing a scroll to Konan.
In a commanding tone, Madara ordered, "Read it."
Under his oppressive presence, Konan instinctively took the scroll and began reading the moment she unfolded it.
After finishing it in one breath, Konan's eyes filled with complex emotions. She remained silent for a long time.
"This is intelligence I've gathered about your Master, Anya," Madara said with eyes that had seen through countless people and events. "I believe you can somewhat discern a pattern. From childhood to adulthood, everything he does has only one purpose—to gain personal benefit. He has no respect for life whatsoever, nor did he ever take you as a student out of sympathy. Bringing you back to Konoha was solely for the Rinnegan. If Danzo hadn't unexpectedly disrupted his plans with Root members, you and Nagato wouldn't have survived."
Konan gripped the scroll tightly before furiously hurling it onto the ground. Her face contorted with hysteria as she screamed, "Then what about you? Why have you been hiding in the shadows capturing both me and Nagato? Is it also for the Rinnegan? Don't think you're any nobler than he was."
"More precisely, I saved you," Madara Uchiha said expressionlessly. "You don't actually believe he only had you as his pawn in Sanshouo Hanzo's area, do you? Naive. Soon I will let you go—the present Nagato has already changed his name to Pain. Since you're his only companion, assist him well from now on. As for your Master, if he's still alive after a year, he'll become Pain's greatest enemy."
After saying this, Madara Uchiha left. After all, it was just a move played in passing—barely worth a second thought. Moreover, he didn't believe Anya could survive within his plans unless Anya was willing to walk away from everything.
But someone from the Uchiha Clan could never do that.
There was no way out.
Anya had no choice but to move forward—there was no turning back.
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