Some even began making dark jokes:
"Do you think… Danzō might actually be the ultimate undercover agent planted in Konoha by the other Four Great Shinobi Nations? I mean, look at that efficiency. The results are insane."
"Maybe Hiruzen's in on it too. The two of them working together to sabotage Konoha."
"Would explain a lot. What sane Hokage would tolerate a subordinate causing this much chaos?"
Jokes aside, a far more serious consensus quietly took shape:
"At this rate, if Konoha survives, it'll only be because the Child of the Prophecy is protecting it—or because the heavens themselves intervened."
Faced with Nagato's grief-soaked accusations and his soul-piercing questions, Naruto did not immediately argue back. Nor was he crushed beneath the weight of that anguish.
He remained silent for several seconds. Complex emotions churned in his blue eyes.
Instead of answering whether he could "understand Konoha," Naruto chose a different path—one that reached deeper: empathy.
"Nagato… senpai."
It was the first time he used that address. His voice was low and steady.
"We're different. But we're also… very much alike. We're both students of Jiraiya-sensei. And we've both… lost the people most precious to us."
He began recounting his past—not dramatically, but plainly.
"My parents died the day I was born, protecting the village during the Nine-Tails' attack. I never even saw their faces."
"And because the Nine-Tails was sealed inside me—because I was seen as a disaster—I grew up feared, shunned… even hated by most of the village."
"No friends. No family. Just endless loneliness… and cold stares."
Naruto lifted his head and met Nagato's gaze directly.
"Your parents were killed by Konoha shinobi. Yahiko—the one you respected most, your light and hope—died because of Konoha's conspiracy."
"Your pain. Your anger. Your hatred toward this world—especially toward Konoha… I might not fully grasp how deep it runs. But I understand what it feels like to lose everything. To feel abandoned by the world."
Naruto did not attempt to excuse Konoha. He simply stated the truth.
Nagato's breathing, ragged with emotion, gradually steadied. The violent glint in his Rinnegan dimmed slightly, replaced by something more complicated.
Seeing that shift, Naruto's tone sharpened with resolve. His eyes burned like flame.
"But, senpai—I understand your pain. That doesn't mean I agree with your path."
He gestured toward the cave's entrance, toward the ruins of Konoha flattened by Shinra Tensei.
"You say the world must feel the same pain. That fear will stop war and bring 'peace'?"
"Then look at Konoha. Look at the innocent people who died—Hinata, Kakashi-sensei, and countless shinobi and civilians whose names you'll never know."
"Does their suffering create understanding? Does their death end hatred?"
His voice rang firm and clear.
"No. It doesn't. It only creates new hatred—deeper hatred. The survivors will hate you. They'll hate whoever caused their pain."
"Hatred doesn't disappear that way. It snowballs—rolling from one village to another, from one generation to the next."
"When you answer pain with pain, all you create is an endless cycle—an ever more twisted chain of hatred."
Naruto straightened, as though bearing an invisible weight upon his shoulders.
"Jiraiya-sensei believed people could understand one another. Yahiko believed it too—and he acted on it."
"They failed. But that doesn't mean their ideals were wrong."
He locked eyes with Nagato's Rinnegan and spoke each word with unwavering conviction:
"I, Naruto Uzumaki, inherited Jiraiya-sensei's will. The path I'll walk isn't built on sacrifice, terror, or creating more suffering to end hatred."
"I know it's hard. Harder than crushing everything with power. I know I might fail. I might fall just like my master… just like Yahiko-senpai."
There was no hesitation in his gaze.
"But as long as there's even the slightest possibility—so long as someone is willing to believe, to try, to talk—then that path is worth walking."
"Even if I'm the only one who believes in it… I'll walk it to the very end. Because this is my ninja way."
(Author's aside: I don't believe it. I really don't believe in Naruto's ninja way. Honestly, I almost skipped writing this part!)
Nagato fell silent.
Naruto's words struck like a hammer against a long-sealed corner of his heart.
Once, that place had shone with the same light as Yahiko's. Once, it had echoed with Jiraiya's teachings about understanding and peace.
For a fleeting instant, Naruto's unwavering gaze overlapped with the images of Yahiko and Jiraiya in his memory.
A ripple—so faint even he might not have noticed—disturbed the still lake of his heart.
But it was only a ripple.
Nagato slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the brief flicker of conflict had vanished from his Rinnegan, replaced by a deeper, almost weary clarity.
He shook his head. His voice regained its former chill—less violent now, but more exhausted.
"Naruto… you really are like Yahiko. Your words. Your beliefs. They sound beautiful. Inspiring."
He paused.
"But reality has proven again and again that your path… is mistaken."
He gestured outward once more.
"Jiraiya-sensei traveled the world. He wrote his books. He searched for answers."
"But did he truly change anything?"
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789