Chapter 29: The Birth of Pain
Yahiko looked at Nagato, who stood trembling with a kunai in his hand, and a bitter smile touched his lips. It was only at this moment that he realized how naive his ideals had been.
"Teacher Jiraiya," he thought, his heart filling with confusion, "can peace really be achieved through mutual understanding?"
Then, a new resolve hardened within him. "It doesn't matter now. Nothing is more important than making sure Nagato and Konan survive this."
He looked directly at his friend, his voice low and steady. "Nagato. Kill me."
"Yahiko..." Nagato's voice was a choked whisper. His single visible Rinnegan, a ripple of violet, stared back. The hand clutching the kunai shook violently, his face a mask of anguish and struggle.
There was a sudden, wet sound.
Yahiko lunged forward, impaling himself on the kunai Nagato held. The blade sank deep into his chest.
Nagato's pupils dilated in horror. His whole body trembled as he watched his friend.
Yahiko, leaning against him, forced one last, difficult smile. "Nagato... you and Konan... you have to live. You are this world's savior. Maybe you truly can..."
His words faded into silence.
"YAHIKO!" Nagato's scream was raw, torn from his soul. He stared, eyes dull and uncomprehending, at Yahiko's body slumped on the muddy ground.
Seeing Nagato frozen, Hanzo's cold voice cut through the rain. "Do it!"
Immediately, the surrounding Rain ninja moved. Kunai and shuriken flashed through the downpour, a lethal hail aimed at Nagato's heart.
The weapons reached him in a blink.
Nagato's right hand came up almost of its own accord.
An invisible force erupted around him. With a series of sharp metallic pings, the projectiles shattered against an unseen barrier, falling harmlessly to the earth.
"Those eyes..." Hanzo narrowed his eyes, finally getting a clear look at the pattern within them. "The Rinnegan. So, you are no ordinary brat."
In the next instant, Nagato vanished. He reappeared in a blur of motion right beside Hanzo's platform.
Hanzo, however, had anticipated the move. He was already gone, a substitution log taking his place. The ground where he had stood rippled, and explosive tags, glowing with yellow light, shot up and attached themselves to Nagato's calves.
BOOM!
The deafening blast echoed through the canyon, smoke billowing. When it cleared, Nagato's legs were a ruin of burned flesh and raw, scarlet muscle.
Seeing their opening, Hanzo and Danzo, watching from the shadows, both gestured. Their combined forces, Rain ninja and Root operatives, surged forward like a deadly wave.
"SUMMONING TECHNIQUE: OUTER PATH — DEMONIC STATUE OF THE OUTER PATH!"
Nagato's roar was one of pure agony and rage. The earth itself erupted as a monstrous, humanoid golem tore its way to the surface. It swung its massive arms, swatting the attacking ninja aside like insects.
As black rods from the golem's body pierced Nagato's back, a ghastly lavender dragon of chakra materialized. It snaked through the air, and wherever it passed, it ripped the very soul-chakra from every ninja it touched, leaving them as lifeless husks where they fell.
Seeing the tide turn so catastrophically, Danzo acted instantly. He signaled his Root ninja, and they melted back into the shadows, abandoning the field before the chakra dragon could find them.
Under the relentless assault of the dragon and the golem, the Rain ninja forces were decimated. Only Hanzo, with his legendary speed, managed to evade the slaughter and escape.
In a secluded corner of the canyon, unseen by the combatants, two figures observed. Wrapped in the spiraling white form of "Spiral Zetsu," Uchiha Obito watched the carnage below.
"Wow, Nagato summoned the Gedo Statue," came White Zetsu's oddly cheerful voice.
"Lord Madara," Black Zetsu's deeper, grating tone interjected. "The statue is draining Nagato's life force. Will this impair his ability to capture the tailed beasts later?"
"This is fine," Obito replied, his voice cool and controlled behind the mask. "It may even be better. A weakened Nagato will be easier to control."
"But his legs are shattered from Hanzo's explosion," Black Zetsu pressed. "That will hinder him."
"It's of little consequence," Obito dismissed. "I will teach him the Six Paths of Pain technique. The puppets created by that art will become his legs, his hands, his agents in the world."
"Those puppets are not the real thing," Black Zetsu cautioned. "Dividing the Rinnegan's power across them may leave him unable to handle the stronger beasts, like the Eight-Tails or the Nine-Tails."
"It doesn't matter," Obito said, his tone utterly flat. "I can intervene if necessary. Tailed beasts are merely animals. They are nothing before the Mangekyo Sharingan and the power of Wood Release."
He watched as Nagato, using the last of his strength, gathered Konan and Yahiko's body before staggering away into the relentless rain.
"Let's go," Obito said, turning. "After today, Nagato will finally understand. Yahiko's dream of peace through understanding was a child's fantasy. I could feel it—the exact moment Yahiko died, the moment Nagato's heart changed. This time, he will not reject my guidance."
More than twenty kilometers away, Danzo and his Root squad finally halted. Once certain the Rinnegan wielder was not in pursuit, Danzo ordered his men to establish a perimeter.
Danzo stood still, his jonin vest damp from the rain. His left eye was narrowed, and a look of naked, greedy fascination flashed across his face. "I never imagined the Rinnegan's power would be to this degree," he murmured to himself. "It surpasses even the Sharingan and the Byakugan. Truly, the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths."
His deputy, Aburame Ryoma, approached quietly. The man's black sunglasses hid his eyes. "Lord Danzo. What are your orders now?"
"We cannot remain in the Land of Rain," Danzo stated, his voice returning to its usual grim authority. "Our objective here is complete. Let Hanzo and the remnants of Akatsuki tear each other apart in the chaos we've sown."
"Lord Danzo," Ryoma ventured carefully, "do you believe Hanzo can defeat a leader who possesses the Rinnegan?"
Danzo considered this. "Hanzo is past his prime, but he remains a shinobi who once stood at the pinnacle of the world. He is the one who bestowed the title 'Sannin' upon Hiruzen's students. He will not fall easily."
A cold, calculating light entered Danzo's eye. "However, we may yet extract further value from this country." He paused, then continued, his voice dropping. "The Uchiha clan has produced too many rising talents of late. It is... disquieting."
Aburame Ryoma understood immediately. "You wish to pit them against each other? To drive a tiger to devour a wolf?"
"Precisely," Danzo confirmed with a slight nod. "The Second Hokage, Lord Tobirama, taught that the Uchiha are an inherently cursed clan, born with the seeds of evil. A clan that grows restless when its power swells. With so many geniuses emerging among them, it is only a matter of time before they develop... ambitions."
Ryoma pondered the logistics. "But how do we lure the Uchiha's strongest into the Land of Rain to confront Hanzo, or even this Akatsuki?"
"That is the simplest part," Danzo replied, a thin, cruel smile touching his lips. "As long as Hiruzen remains the Hokage, it can be arranged with ease."
Seeing Danzo had no intention of elaborating further, Ryoma fell silent. As Danzo's most trusted lieutenant, he knew his master's nature well. Some plans, especially those that involved the Third Hokage directly, were secrets he was not meant to know. If Danzo did not explain, it was because the scheme touched upon foundations Ryoma was not permitted to see.
(End of Chapter)
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
💕Patreon members get early access to chapters, bonus content, and voting power on future ideas.💕
Every bit of support helps me write more and faster. Thank you so much for reading! 🥰
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 200 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕
We are at 166 members 🎉
There is a limited discount going on Patreon now just hours left 😊