Clang!
A harsh metallic crash suddenly exploded across the ground.
The abrupt sound made Konan's trembling body jolt. She subconsciously opened her eyes and looked over.
Under the suddenly intensified pull of Nagato's gravity, the sickle blade in Hanzo's hand had been torn free and flung far away.
"Nagato, you…"
Hanzo frowned instinctively.
Yet he felt no joy at all.
Only profound disappointment.
If Nagato still chose to believe Yahiko's naive ideal that understanding could bring peace, then he would never be able to lead Amegakure and the Land of Rain toward true peace.
"Don't misunderstand."
Nagato interrupted Hanzo before he could continue speaking.
"I still hate you. I still cannot forgive you."
"But…"
His tone was so rational and calm it bordered on inhumanity.
"You are no longer an obstacle to me now. Killing you would have no meaning. It would merely satisfy myself."
"What Akatsuki needs is not meaningless emotional release, but allowing you to burn the last remnants of your value and worth. That is the optimal choice."
Hearing this, both Hanzo and Konan's pupils trembled as they looked into Nagato's purple eyes.
Yet within those eyes, there was not the slightest ripple of emotion.
Calm. Rational. Detached.
At this moment, he truly seemed like a "god" who had discarded human emotion and impulse.
Nagato calmly gazed at the kneeling figure before him,
The former hero and legend of Amegakure and even the entire Land of Rain.
Though Hanzo had never officially borne the title "demigod," to countless people, the name Hanzo truly was legendary.
One of the shinobi many considered to have reached the pinnacle.
But in Nagato's eyes, this hero had become a new dragon after slaying the old one.
The hero of the past had aged.
The hand that once held the blade had long since weakened and lost its conviction.
Frightened by the noise of the outside world, he hid within his tower, cowardly and decrepit.
Pitifully ugly.
If someone like this continued ruling Amegakure during the coming Fourth Great Ninja War, then the Land of Rain would inevitably be swallowed by catastrophe.
That was why Nagato had ignored Zetsu's warnings and come personally to kill this dragon.
Not merely for revenge.
More because Hanzo stood in the way.
But now…
Things were different.
The Hanzo before him, willing to trust him, even willing to die for him, was no longer an obstacle to Akatsuki's future.
Instead, he could become a powerful ally.
Nagato had not forgiven Hanzo's past sins.
Hatred still existed within him.
He simply understood that Hanzo alive now possessed greater value than Hanzo dead.
Killing him would merely be the meaningless emotional outburst of a child.
A "god" would not be ruled by hatred or act impulsively and recklessly.
No matter who it was.
No matter what it was.
For the peace he desired.
Everything could be sacrificed.
Everything could be abandoned.
Including his hatred.
Including himself.
Hanzo was willing to die for the future of peace.
Likewise, Nagato could suppress his hatred and let Hanzo live for the sake of his own vision of peace.
That was Nagato's resolve.
"..."
Feeling immense shock, Hanzo fell into long silence before finally revealing a faint smile.
"As expected…"
"Entrusting the future to you was not a mistake."
The current Nagato could go farther than him.
Farther than Yahiko.
Farther than anyone.
'Of course, that only applies so long as he isn't deceived and walks the proper path.'
Arata, who had remained silently observing, smiled inwardly.
None of the others knew what he was thinking.
Hanzo stood up and looked toward Nagato.
"As long as your original conviction never changes, this life of mine is still yours-"
"Wait a moment. I object."
At that moment, the previously silent Arata suddenly raised his hand, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"Though I hate to interrupt such a wonderful scene, I must apologize, because there is one thing I still need to correct."
Meeting the varied gazes of the three people present, his tone remained humble as he said:
"Half of Mr. Hanzo's life belongs to my lord. It is the price he must pay for obtaining rebirth."
Hearing this, Hanzo and Nagato both froze briefly.
Hanzo quickly thought of the changes in his body.
Nagato instinctively recalled that terrifying existence.
"Hey."
Hanzo reacted first, his face darkening.
"You definitely never mentioned I'd need to pay this kind of price beforehand."
"My apologies, my apologies. An oversight on my part. I'm still not very experienced with this line of work."
Arata offered a completely insincere apology before smiling again.
"However, I do possess another piece of information. Consider it compensation."
Seeing that Hanzo and Nagato remained unmoved, he paused briefly before continuing meaningfully:
"This information can change the fated deaths of Mr. Nagato and Miss Konan."
"Two lives in exchange for half a life should be worth it, no?"
The moment those words fell, all three of them stiffened visibly.
Their expressions changed.
"Do you understand what you're saying?"
Nagato asked in a low voice.
Only now did he suddenly realize Hanzo knew far too much.
Even Akatsuki's plan to collect the tailed beasts and its purpose were known to him.
And all of it seemed to have come from this so-called "Shadow."
Even Hanzo's current body and strength…
'Had those also been granted by him?'
'Just who exactly was this man?'
Arata ignored Nagato's attitude completely.
Instead, he looked toward Obito, who was squatting in the cave's shadows pretending to play dead despite clearly being utterly confused.
"Before we discuss this matter,"
Arata suddenly said, "could we first restrain that White Zetsu?"
The moment those words were spoken, Hanzo, Nagato, and Konan all turned toward Obito simultaneously.
Seeing this, Obito, who had stayed behind specifically to secretly gather intelligence, instantly sensed disaster.
Without hesitation, he attempted to use the Mayfly Technique to sink into the earth and escape.
But in the next instant, his body suddenly froze.
He lost control entirely.
At some unknown moment, Arata's shadow had already connected to Obito's own shadow, creeping upward from beneath his feet and binding his body.
"Wh-what's happening?! My chakra… What did you do?!"
Obito's voice became extremely panicked before he suddenly seemed to realize something.
"It was you! So it was you! You're the one who killed all those White Zetsu monitoring Amegakure!"
Only a bizarre shadow technique capable of sealing chakra could have prevented those White Zetsu from even transmitting information back!
"Nagato-sama! Save me, save me!"
"Don't listen to his nonsense! Kill him! He's the enemy! He's the enemy!"
Nagato ignored Obito's noisy shouting entirely and instead frowned at Arata.
"Those eyes do not belong to you."
Arata wasted no time and spoke directly.
"And their true owner…"
"…is Uchiha Madara."
...
'What?'
Nagato and Konan froze in place.
As though they had temporarily lost the ability to comprehend language itself.
"Oh, right."
Seeing the stunned expressions in their eyes, Arata paused before adding:
"Not the 'Uchiha Madara' you know."
"The real Uchiha Madara would never hide behind a mask, even in old age. That masked man is merely a pitiful pawn."
After saying this, Arata looked into Nagato's gaze, which seemed on the verge of shattering completely, and almost overflowed with delight internally.
'Sorry, Obito.'
'Competitors are natural enemies.'
'If I'm going to ruin someone, who else would it be but you?'
If Obito wasn't kicked out, how could Arata guide Akatsuki? How could he manipulate the course of the war?
As long as he fully controlled Akatsuki, he would gain even more tools to handle the dirty work for him.
For example, he could send them to seize the Box of Bliss.
Or use them to hunt down bloodline-limit users.
So unfortunately, Obito would just have to suffer a little.
Arata would gladly take responsibility for Akatsuki instead.
"Mmph! Mmph!!"
Bound tightly both body and mouth, Obito could only emit muffled noises.
Though no one could understand his words, the sheer terror in his tone was unmistakable.
'How could this guy possibly know all of that?!'
"Impossible!"
Nagato snapped back to his senses from the overwhelming shock and shouted instinctively:
"What you're saying is completely absurd!"
Whether it was the claim that the Rinnegan did not belong to him,
Or that the "Madara" he had always feared was fake,
Nagato could accept neither.
He had always known "Madara" possessed ulterior motives.
But he had never imagined that from the very beginning, he himself had been living inside a lie,
A mere pawn in someone else's hands.
"Whether it's true or false…"
Arata's tone carried a faint smile.
"…all you need to do is remove his mask and see for yourself. Isn't that right?"
Hearing this, Nagato instinctively wanted to refuse.
He still could not afford to completely fall out with "Madara."
But in the very next second, the image of that figure seated atop the mountain of corpses suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
That voice echoed once more within his ears.
"You think you are someone important?"
"You are merely a lowly vessel meant to carry those eyes."
"If you did not possess those eyes that do not belong to you, you would be nothing more than a weak insect."
A lowly vessel…
A weak insect…
An indescribable fury suddenly surged upward from Nagato's chest.
He abruptly fixed his gaze on Arata and asked coldly:
"Tell me."
"What exactly do you intend to do?"