There was no easy solution. The Rinnegan was the legendary dōjutsu said to surpass even the Mangekyō Sharingan. Against eyes that possessed abilities such as the Six Paths Technique, chakra absorption, soul extraction, and even control over life and death through the Outer Path, even Kotoamatsukami, known as the ultimate genjutsu of Shisui Uchiha, could not guarantee absolute success.
chinatsu had actually considered awakening the Rinnegan herself. After all, according to the secrets recorded on the Uchiha Stone Tablet and later confirmed by Madara Uchiha, the Rinnegan could be awakened by combining the chakra of Indra and Ashura. Naruto carried Ashura's chakra, while Sasuke carried Indra's chakra. Both were right beside her.
Perhaps, by using the chakra of the two reincarnations, she could attempt to recreate the same miracle Madara once achieved.
However, after thinking about it repeatedly, chinatsu never acted.
The reason was surprisingly simple.
One day, while passing by a large mirror inside the Uchiha compound, she suddenly imagined herself with the Rinnegan.
Then she froze.
Those concentric purple circles...
Good heavens!
No matter how she imagined it, it looked strange.
No hairstyle could save it.
No amount of beauty could offset it.
chinatsu stood in front of the mirror for several minutes before finally deciding to postpone the matter indefinitely.
Even now, she still firmly believed those eyes were ugly.
Rinnegan: Though I may not look good, I'm powerful!
Tenseigan: We're on the same level, but I'm prettier.
Rinnegan: ...
Indeed, if it were the Tenseigan possessed by the descendants of Hamura Ōtsutsuki, chinatsu definitely wouldn't mind. Unfortunately, there were no Tenseigan users conveniently available for her to copy.
Inside the tree hollow, chinatsu faced Nagato and Konan.
Both stared at her with obvious hostility.
chinatsu suddenly remembered a saying from her previous life:
"If the gap in strength is too large, even your enemies will start looking cute."
At this moment, Nagato and Konan gave her exactly that feeling.
"Nagato, your dream is peace. Coincidentally, I like peace too. We really shouldn't be enemies."
chinatsu spread her hands helplessly.
"Look, Kakuzu, Hidan, Deidara, Sasori, and Kisame have already joined my side. Even Pain's attack on Konoha has been completely stopped. Why not join me too? We can technically call it the revival of Akatsuki under new management. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"
chinatsu smiled and extended a hand toward Nagato.
Nagato's eyebrows twitched.
His uneasiness grew even stronger.
What exactly was wrong with this woman?
How did she know about his dream?
Most people who witnessed Pain's actions would conclude that he wanted to dominate the world through force.
Yet chinatsu spoke directly about peace.
Nagato stared at her with his Rinnegan.
For the first time in years, he wished the legendary eyes could truly see through a person's heart.
A suffocating feeling of powerlessness gradually spread through his body.
It felt as though he were trapped inside a swamp.
This sensation had disappeared after he awakened the Rinnegan and inherited Yahiko's dream.
Yet now, standing before chinatsu, it returned once again.
It was as though all his efforts over the years had accomplished nothing.
As though he had become that helpless war orphan once more.
"You..."
Nagato slowly spoke.
"Do you really believe in the peace described in Jiraiya-sensei's books? That's naïve. Humanity never learns from words. Only overwhelming pain can force people to understand one another. Only fear of war can suppress the desire to wage war."
"Actually, that part isn't entirely wrong."
chinatsu's answer stunned Nagato.
He had already prepared himself for a lengthy argument.
Instead, she partially agreed.
"You think I'm right?"
"Don't misunderstand. I only said that one part makes sense."
chinatsu waved her hand.
She had considered this topic countless times in her previous life.
Politics, war, ideology...
Those debates never seemed to reach a final answer.
However, one thing was undeniable.
chinatsu sighed softly before pointing directly at Nagato.
"Nagato."
"You're still too idealistic."
"True peace doesn't exist."
The words struck harder than any ninjutsu.
Nagato's pupils contracted violently.
Of course he had considered this possibility before.
He simply refused to accept it.
Because this dream belonged not only to him.
It belonged to Yahiko.
It belonged to Konan.
It belonged to all three of them.
Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu relied on understanding and empathy.
chinatsu chose a much simpler method.
She smashed the dream apart and dragged Nagato back to reality.
"True peace doesn't exist..."
Nagato repeated the words over and over.
The effect was immediate.
Seeing his reaction, Konan became anxious.
She turned toward chinatsu.
"Peace exists!"
Konan spoke seriously.
"Don't casually deny someone else's dream."
chinatsu glanced at her.
"Miss Konan, please be quiet for a while."
She casually raised a hand.
Immediately, countless sheets of white paper appeared around Konan.
Before Konan could react, the paper wrapped around her body layer after layer.
In an instant, she became a giant paper dumpling.
Only her head remained exposed.
"This is my Paper Release! My paper techniques! How can you use them too?!"
Konan widened her eyes in disbelief.
Unfortunately, before she could continue speaking, another sheet of paper sealed her mouth.
"Wuuuuuuu!!!"
Now she truly became a giant dumpling.
chinatsu nodded with satisfaction.
Much quieter.
Afterward, she simply sat down on the ground.
She had no intention of rushing Nagato.
Time was something she had plenty of.
Minutes became hours.
Nagato continued muttering about peace.
chinatsu eventually took out a pair of earplugs from her pocket and stuffed them into her ears.
This endless chanting was terrifying.
Meanwhile, outside Konoha, the Six Paths of Pain had already been completely defeated.
Without Nagato's full concentration, the Deva Path's movements slowed considerably.
Naruto, who had mastered Sage Mode in Shikkotsu Forest under chinatsu's arrangements, Sasuke with his Mangekyō Sharingan abilities and Susanoo, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kisame, Kakuzu, Hidan, Sasori, and Deidara worked together to dismantle every Path one by one.
The receivers embedded inside the bodies were removed.
The Six Paths of Pain became nothing more than lifeless puppets.
The sun set.
The moon rose.
The moon sank.
The sun rose again.
Konan initially struggled desperately against the paper restraints.
But after listening to Nagato repeat his thoughts for an entire night, she gradually changed her mind.
Perhaps being wrapped up wasn't so bad.
At least she didn't have to hear every word clearly.
After an entire night of inner conflict, Nagato finally stopped speaking.
The obsession in his eyes weakened.
Clarity slowly returned.
"Perhaps..."
Nagato lowered his head.
"Perhaps you're right."
"There may never be true peace."
He looked at chinatsu.
"Uchiha Chinatsu, I'm sorry for making you wait so long. Maybe now we can finally have a proper conversation."
As he finished speaking, he looked up.
Then he froze.
chinatsu was leaning against the wall.
Her head tilted slightly.
A small trail of drool hung from the corner of her mouth.
She was fast asleep.
Soft snores echoed through the hollow.
Nagato: "......"
Konan: "Wuuuuuu!!!"
After waiting an entire night for Nagato to reach enlightenment, chinatsu had fallen asleep halfway through.
Waiting long?
She clearly hadn't been waiting at all.
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