Nagato felt extremely unwilling when he asked this rhetorical question.
In a sense, he was similar to Obito, carrying the weight of lives, both of his companions' and those of innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.
Life is precious.
Even the most ordinary, unremarkable person has parents, siblings, and friends who care about them.
Having risen from humble beginnings and fought his way to this point, Nagato understood this truth all too well.
However, if one becomes indecisive because life is precious, it will only lead to more death.
In the past, Nagato didn't understand this. He only cared about his weakness and hypocrisy, hiding in the Akatsuki organization, hiding behind Yahiko. Because of this, he paid a huge price and couldn't even protect the person he wanted to protect the most.
So, after Yahiko died, Nagato no longer shied away from brutal methods, shouldering the weight of lives, both of his companions and his enemies.
He didn't like killing, but if it was necessary for the ultimate peace of the ninja world, then let these people die!
Nagato had been holding onto this sentiment all this time, but at this very moment, he suddenly realized that this path was no longer viable.
Yes, he understood it all too well: once the two unleashed their full powers, the fight to the end would inevitably cause immeasurable destruction to the ninja world.
To endure unimaginable suffering and gain this strength across life and death, only to find it hindering the achievement of his goals, was truly ironic to Nagato.
And more ironic still was Orochimaru's attitude.
— This guy actually wants to talk properly? What a joke!
Where was the dignity of the Great Nations' ninja villages? Weren't you always overbearing, completely disregarding the lives of the small nations and their people? Why aren't you fighting to the end this time?
If that were the case, he wouldn't have to be so conflicted. He could have simply fought Konoha to the bitter end, without having to think about the impact on the ninja world. After all, Konoha forced him to do this, there was no other way...
"..."
Nagato looked at Orochimaru, a deep sense of disgust welling up in his heart.
The essence of this disgust was that he truly couldn't ignore the bigger picture, couldn't deny the original intention behind all his actions so far.
— To achieve eternal peace in the ninja world.
He once carried this banner, and didn't need to have too many scruples, could use brutal methods without mercy. Now, he was being suppressed by this very banner.
After all, he wasn't truly crazy, nor was he some sort of lunatic who held the ridiculous idea that peace would be achieved if everyone in the entire ninja world died.
But, he was still so unwilling to accept it.
"..." Orochimaru smirked, took a sip of hot tea, and had no interest in answering Nagato's rhetorical question.
In his opinion, the question was too naive, or rather, Nagato's desire to achieve peace in the ninja world overnight was simply too idealistic.
Not to mention how many people would obstruct him in this process, but even if he succeeded, after unification, contradictions would arise from within.
Absolute military power could eliminate large-scale wars, but what about small-scale conflicts? Or other ways of dying legally and reasonably...
Human beings possess infinite adaptability and potential. Someone would constantly test and probe the boundaries of the use of absolute power in this new society, and then operate on the edges of defined boundaries. In the end, it would still be the strong ruling the weak, the intelligent manipulating the ordinary, with no fundamental difference from the present. Moreover, with the backing of absolute power, they could even go further.
Power, wisdom... if you don't strive for it, you are handing over power.
Now, Orochimaru was promoting wooden ninjas, and even the appearance of wood-like civilians. The next step would be to spread the breathing techniques...
He gave everyone unequal opportunities. Whether they could seize them depended on fate and individual effort... and after they created enough value, he could safely reap the rewards from the highest point.
And as the price for these rewards, he would do his best to protect the ninja world from the covetous eyes of guys like Ootsuki.
Orochimaru had never even considered the lives of those hundred or so people that Nagato was concerned about from the beginning.
Their deaths were no different in essence from those who died in wars or from natural disasters.
People have to fight for themselves; if they can't, they die. If they can fight but end up disabled or half-crippled, that's also common.
Groups also have to fight for themselves. The latter have a higher probability of surviving than the former, but any damage that occurs is also normal.
This is reality.
Orochimaru never underestimated the determination and capability of idealists like Nagato, but in practice, rather than refusing to compromise with reality, they were unwilling to face it, viewing life and death too heavily.
Under the shelter, the atmosphere was a little heavy, only the sound of light rain pattering.
Jiraiya watched the two confronting each other and suddenly had a flash of insight.
Nagato was his disciple, and the choice Nagato made at this moment would directly affect the future situation of the ninja world. This was probably the moment foretold by the Great Toad Sage.
This was when he should step in...
A sense of sacred mission arose in his heart. Jiraiya cleared his throat, preparing to speak and persuade them. However, at this moment, Nagato suddenly made a move.
A torrential force suddenly erupted, clearing the air, mist, rain, canopy, and stone table within a hundred-meter radius.
Except for Nagato, Orochimaru, and Obito, who had completely hollowed out his body, everyone else was repelled, naturally... including Jiraiya.
Although his Sage Mode was powerful, and his combat strength far surpassed Obito's, his compatibility with "Shinra Tensei" was ultimately not good. He became the first to be eliminated, and the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat.
He wasn't injured, of course, as he had the Sage Body. But Jiraiya was very frustrated.
Watching Orochimaru pull further and further away, Jiraiya's eyes held a hint of resentment. They were so close, and he didn't even bother to pull him along. Was he still a burden?
Orochimaru pretended not to notice the gaze from behind.
Jiraiya was certainly not a burden, but if a real fight broke out, he wouldn't be able to take too much care of him. Since Nagato wanted to drive Jiraiya out of the battlefield, he naturally went along with it.
Dropping the teacup in his hand, Orochimaru chuckled, "Won't you rest for a while longer? If I beat you down now, I can't guarantee you won't be unconvinced later."
"There's no need for that."
Nagato's eyes flickered with an eerie purple light, and his tone carried a hint of mockery. "You won't push me to the point of fighting for my life anyway..."
"You can't say that. If you perform poorly, I'll have my opinions..."
Orochimaru licked his lips and suddenly reached out and grabbed upwards.
Thousands of lake waters condensed into water spikes, shooting out from under Nagato's feet with sudden speed. Even Obito activating Kamui could barely keep up.
However, with a flash of purple light in Nagato's eyes, he had already appeared a hundred meters away, easily evading Orochimaru's sneak attack.
"Space-based dōjutsu... No!"
A trace of thought flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, but at this moment, a black shadow lunged from Nagato's original position.
The wind howled, and the humanoid black shadow's fists and kicks were sharp and ferocious. From the outset, it used a reckless fighting style, disregarding its own injuries.
Orochimaru exchanged blows with it for a few rounds. As golden light flashed in his eyes, he finally saw the shadow's appearance—its face was identical to Nagato's, but its expression was cold, like a stone statue.
Recalling the information given by Genie Lamp in his mind, Orochimaru immediately knew the origin of this thing: "So it's Limbo."
This was a monster created by the separation of a shadow under the effect of the Rinnegan's Yin-Yang Release. Its form was special and very difficult to deal with. Whether ordinary ninjas could even detect it was a problem. If not careful, even a ninja of Tsunade's caliber could be ambushed.
"Nagato's control over the Rinnegan has deepened again..."
Orochimaru sighed inwardly, but he didn't have the leisure to entangle with it. After a clash, he pulled away, his golden eyes shining brightly. "Tenchi Kaeshi!"
The Limbo shadow that was lunging forward suddenly stopped in mid-air. Its fist was only a little distance from Orochimaru's chest, but it was like a chasm. Seeing this, the Limbo shadow didn't force its attack but suddenly retreated.
However, after retreating a few steps, the shadow froze in place. Unbeknownst to it, it had already turned its back to Orochimaru.
Nagato, as an outsider, frowned. The shadow's perception was clearly retreating directly backward, but in the main body's eyes, it had taken a curved path.
He tried to recall the shadow, but it was separated by an invisible barrier and could not escape at all.
"Don't worry, this won't last long. As soon as the dōjutsu power is exhausted, this space will return to normal."
Orochimaru's eyes flickered with golden light, and his mouth stretched to the sides. "However, you can forget about this fight. Or perhaps... let that Uchiha demonstrate his Mangekyo dōjutsu."
He said this, but Orochimaru didn't have the slightest worry. Obito could only use space-related abilities so conveniently because of his Mangekyo Sharingan, and he had no idea of the specific principles.
If it were Minato, he might have had a chance to break free.
Obito, who was unintentionally implicated,'s face sank. His vigilance towards Orochimaru reached its peak.
Being able to use space-related abilities meant he could potentially invade Kamui's dimension. In other words, his life-saving dōjutsu might not be as reliable anymore.
"What kind of monster is Orochimaru? His eyes..." Obito's eyes flashed with thought. "Could it be some kind of dōjutsu? But... how is that possible?"
He had never heard of an ordinary person awakening a new dōjutsu... Those eyes must have been taken from some Uchiha. Yes, they must have been stolen.
With this thought, Obito retreated dozens of meters, moving away from the area where the two were fighting.
He knew that the previous exchange was just a test, and the subsequent battle would be the real competition.
The night was deep, and the gray clouds seemed to have thickened. The light rain suppressed the sound of the wind, and a strange tranquility appeared on the lake outside the Hidden Rain Village.
But this tranquility did not last long. As lightning struck, the battle between the two entered its second round and instantly became white-hot.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
Nagato clasped his hands together, and a surging Chakra fluctuation erupted from his body, pouring all his recovered dōjutsu power into this technique.
This time, there was no need for a core made with Yin-Yang Release to initiate it. A powerful gravitational force erupted almost around Orochimaru.
Countless lake waters and rocks surged towards him. Orochimaru felt his body become heavy, and even the flow of Senjutsu Chakra became somewhat sluggish.
"Hey, hey, this is truly terrifying."
Orochimaru's lips twitched, and his expression became serious.
He had a feeling that if this supreme sealing technique were allowed to continue, even he, creating an independent small space with Tenchi Kaeshi, might be sealed along with it.
"But using your ultimate move right off the bat is underestimating me..."
Orochimaru understood the other party's frustration, but doing this to him in his prime was truly inappropriate. Now, he had several ways to escape.
After a moment of contemplation, Orochimaru finally chose the most cumbersome method.
Golden light flickered in his eyes. Orochimaru first created a small space to isolate most of the sealing technique's influence, then his Senjutsu Chakra erupted, directly surging into the surrounding mud, rocks, and lake water, competing with Nagato for control of the sealing technique's core.
As the two top-tier powers clashed, the spherical mass of mud, rocks, and water instantly became an ellipse, and strange protrusions began to appear on its surface.
Seeing this, Nagato's expression darkened. He instantly understood Orochimaru's intention and said coldly, "Truly arrogant."
The purple light in his eyes intensified, and he spared no more Rinnegan dōjutsu power.
He knew in his heart that after Orochimaru made this countermeasure, there would be no third confrontation between them; either he would be superior, or Orochimaru would break through the seal of "Chibaku Tensei."
Although Nagato knew that his condition was not good, and the former possibility might be slim, he had to use this opportunity to gauge Orochimaru's level.
The situation of the ninja world he had discussed earlier, in Nagato's eyes, was still to allow disputes, and opposing factions would constantly clash.
And Orochimaru, this guy, clearly didn't care about the people who died in the conflict. Ruling the ninja world with him would be irresponsible to the entire world.
If there was a chance, Nagato would rather get rid of Orochimaru.
However, as the torrential power of the Rinnegan surged into the elliptical sphere, it did not strengthen the binding force of the seal but instead caused some kind of collapse.
Nagato suddenly felt that the core of the "Chibaku Tensei" had completely lost his control, even though a considerable portion of Chakra remained within it.
"How is this possible? What did Orochimaru do?"
Suspended under the rain, Nagato's face was as gloomy as the gray clouds.
And in his sight, the out-of-control sphere of mud and rocks continued to expand, reaching a height of nearly three hundred meters in a short time, forcing Nagato to raise his position again.
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
After a violent tremor, large cracks appeared on the surface of the stone ball, like a young creature breaking out of its shell. A giant snake head emerged from it.
Its face rippled with the water waves, but only its pair of golden eyes shone brightly. Dragging its body molded from mud, rocks, and lake water, it let out a deafening roar.
"What do you say, still want to continue fighting? I can accompany you at any time."