Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 225 Heavenly Way Payne
In the spring of Konoha Year 58, the sun generously shone on the newly expanded territory of the Land of Stars.

The border region where Youzhi County and Nujiang County meet has been covered by rapidly spreading vitality, replacing the original desolation and traces of war.

Deep within a secluded, dense forest in Youzhi County, two figures quietly appeared.

Xiao Nan wore a black trench coat embroidered with red clouds, her light purple hair fluttering gently in the forest breeze, white paper flowers adorning her head, and a hint of barely perceptible worry on her cool face.

Beside her was a pale-skinned male puppet dressed in the same clothes, with pupils forming multiple concentric circles—Pain, the Animal Path.

Xiao Nan looked around and, after confirming it was safe, nodded to the animal path.

The animal-like being formed a hand seal with a blank expression and pressed one palm onto the ground.

"Psychic art!"

boom!boom!boom!boom!
Four plumes of white smoke exploded, revealing four more Pain puppets: the Deva Path, the Asura Path, the Human Path, and the emaciated Nagato himself, whose vital signs were being maintained by a special talisman device.

Nagato's true form coughed violently a few times, and in his deep-set eye sockets, his dual Rinnegan eyes gleamed with a cold and weary light.

Konan immediately stepped forward, her eyes filled with heartache: "Nagato, your body..."

“It’s alright.” Nagato’s voice came through the Animal Path, deep and hoarse: “To ensure absolute success, the main body must be close to control it. The strength of Shura and that Uchiha is far beyond ordinary. Relying solely on the Pain Path to control them remotely will not allow their power to be fully exerted, and it will not be enough to create an overwhelming deterrent.”

Xiao Nan pursed her lips, and the paper slipped silently from her sleeve, quickly gathering and deforming, cleverly wrapping around a huge ancient tree next to her, its interior hollowed out to form a hidden space.

She carefully assisted Nagato's main body to move into it.

"I'll protect you here." Xiao Nan's tone was firm. The paper fluttered again, perfectly disguising the entrance and blending it into the surrounding environment.

"Hmm." Nagato responded, his consciousness completely absorbed in controlling the four Pain puppets.

The Heavenly Path, Asura Path, Human Path, and Animal Path simultaneously opened their Samsara Eyes, their cold gazes sweeping across the forest before steadily walking towards the Swamp County.

"Was it really... necessary to go this far?" Konan leaned against the disguised tree trunk, gazing in the direction the four puppets had disappeared into the distance, and murmured to herself, as if asking Nagato in the tree hollow.

The only response she received was the sound of the wind in the forest and Nagato's calm voice from within the tree:

"Only absolute power can bring true understanding and peace. If they refuse to understand, let them suffer!"

……

Four Pain puppets walked silently along a country road at the border of the Dark County and the Swamp County.

Nagato calmly observed this land, which had only recently been "conquered" by the Land of Stars, through their eyes.

The scene he witnessed was completely different from the post-war devastation and widespread suffering he had imagined.

The road was leveled and compacted, and neat drainage ditches were dug along the roadside.

In the fields, many farmers are busy using not the old, worn-out farm tools of the past, but various new iron plows and hoes, and even some agricultural tillage machines, which have significantly increased the efficiency of land reclamation several times over.

Some people dressed in the uniforms of Star Kingdom administrative officials walked along the ridges of the fields, loudly proclaiming the key points of spring plowing and the "reclamation order" issued by Star Kingdom.

"The new government's land reclamation efforts are something everyone should pay attention to. Whoever reclaims the wasteland owns it, and it will be tax-free for the first three years."

"However, in order to avoid the concentration of land and the formation of new large landowners and the breeding of nobles, each household was slightly limited according to the population and land situation, with each person having between one and two mu of land."

"Any extra land reclaimed will be collectively cultivated, and the profits from the harvest will be used to support the community. In short, no one will suffer a loss!"

Nagato listened to these policies through the four puppets, his brows furrowing slightly, somewhat unable to process them.

Shouldn't farmers own as much land as possible?
Why restrict people from cultivating land?

Nagato, operating four Pain puppets, decided to continue deeper into the territory.

Further away, beside a river that had been silted up and overflowing, several ninjas wearing Star Ninja vests were working together to form hand seals.

"Earth Escape·Earthquake Core!"

"Water Escape·Water Formation Pillar!"

Amidst the low shouts, the riverbanks were reinforced and raised, and the river was cleverly diverted to areas that needed irrigation more.

Several engineers were directing the measurements from the side, holding blueprints.

Seeing the remarkable effects of the ninjutsu, the farmers cheered, and some even knelt down and kowtowed in excitement, only to be quickly helped up by the nearby administrative officials.

Although most of the houses in the villages we passed through were still quite simple, the thatched roofs had been replaced with new straw, and the damaged walls had been repaired.

At the village entrance, there are often soup kitchens to provide food for the poor. Although two meals are provided, they are only a bowl of porridge and a steamed bun, with simple pickled vegetables. Occasionally, they can drink a bowl of fish soup or meat soup. However, the people queuing to receive the food are orderly and their faces do not show despair.

This is a relief meal provided to those who have no food at home, but it is not free. Instead, it is a work-for-relief program where the starving people do some work within their capabilities in exchange for food.

Some young people can also participate in large-scale infrastructure projects organized by the Star Kingdom, contributing their labor and not only getting enough to eat and meat, but also receiving wages.

Medical ninjas dressed in white robes with red crosses embroidered on their cuffs were either providing free medical consultations or teaching villagers how to identify and use several common herbs to prevent and treat spring illnesses.

Several children chased and played as they ran by, their laughter ringing out. Although their clothes were patched, their faces were not pale or sickly. They were quite different from the people Nagato had seen in the Land of Rain, displaced by war.

Nagato, controlling Pain, slowly surveyed everything.

Those eyes, still cold, seemed to flicker with a subtle fluctuation that even he himself hadn't noticed.

Through his ability to perceive the human realm, he could more clearly perceive the emotions of these commoners: exhaustion mixed with hope, fear mixed with expectation, and genuine gratitude towards the Star Ninjas and administrative officials.

This sentiment stands in stark contrast to the numbness and despair of the people of the Rain Country, who, in his memory, were constantly shrouded in the shadow of war and under the oppressive rule of Hanzo.

“The Land of Stars… Asura…” Tendo’s lips did not move, but Nagato’s voice seemed to echo among the four puppets: “What exactly have you done?”

One of Nagato's intentions in choosing to infiltrate through these annexed territories rather than directly attacking the Star Capital was to witness firsthand whether the land had become even more miserable after the war, or whether it had been reborn as the man who called himself "Shura" claimed.

What he was seeing at that moment was quietly shaking some of his deep-seated beliefs.

Just then, the Human Path sensed a relatively strong chakra fluctuation that was moving along the Great Path.

“There’s a convoy,” Tiandao said coldly.

The four puppets immediately changed direction and silently slipped into the roadside woods, like the most experienced hunters, tracking the source of the chakra.

They followed for a distance and eventually arrived at the outskirts of Motomatsu Castle, a major town in the Swamp County.

A large convoy was seen parked outside the city gate, its carts laden with grain, cloth, and farm tools.

Under the direction of the administrators, many laborers busily and orderly unloaded goods from the carts and carried them into the huge new granaries built next to the city wall for registration and storage.

At the city gate, a group of people were negotiating.

Leading the group were two women: one wore a Star Ninja vest, her long reddish-brown hair tied back, exuding a capable yet gentle demeanor; she was none other than Natsumi, a Star Ninja Jonin. The other wore an elegant priestess robe, possessing a graceful and compassionate air; she was none other than Miroku, the former priestess of the Land of Demons and now one of the high-ranking officials of the Land of Stars.

The summer team members—Chino Oyajo with short white hair, Toshito Morishita with a slightly eccentric personality, and Hazuki Murahashi, who was rather quiet—helped maintain order on the side, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

"Summer Ninja, this batch of food and medicine has arrived just in time!" Miroku looked at the register and a relieved smile appeared on his face. "Several villages downstream of the Youhe River have been hit by a spring plague and are in dire need of these."

Summer nodded gently: "Lord Shura foresaw this, and warehouses across the land are expediting their allocation. Saving lives and stabilizing the livelihoods of the people is the top priority at present."

Miroku thanked him again: "Captain Summer, thank you for your hard work in escorting us."

"It's my duty." Xia Ri smiled, about to say something more.

Suddenly, Hazuki Murahashi, always quick to sense things, abruptly turned her head, gazing into the distance along the main road outside the city. Her voice carried a hint of tension: "Captain! Someone's coming! Four... The chakra they're emitting... feels strange, incredibly powerful!"

In an instant, the relaxed atmosphere at the city gate vanished.

Summer and Miroku immediately followed Hazuki's gaze.

At the end of the road, four figures were walking slowly towards them.

Their uniform black trench coats with red cloud patterns looked ominous in the light, and their steps were stiff and uniform, as if they were puppets being controlled by invisible threads.

They were expressionless, with an unnatural pale complexion and various lip piercings on their faces. Most striking were their four identical eyes with multiple concentric circles.

Cold and indifferent, like a god looking down at ants, devoid of any emotion.

An invisible sense of oppression surged in like a tide. Morishita Toshito subconsciously tightened his grip on the kunai, and Miyajo Chino's blood dragon eyes uncontrollably glowed slightly red. She lowered her body and let out a low, warning growl like a small animal.

“Are they remnants of the Land of Snow? Or…” Summer quickly suppressed the unease in her heart and made a judgment: “They don’t seem like ordinary enemies. Lord Miroku, please immediately organize the caravan and the people outside the city to enter the city for refuge! Chino, Toshito, Hazuki, come with me to investigate!”

"Be careful." Without the slightest hesitation, Miroku immediately turned around and directed the surrounding priestesses, officials, and administrators: "Quick! Organize everyone to enter the city! Don't panic!"

The well-trained Star Kingdom personnel acted immediately, guiding the slightly panicked laborers and farmers working nearby to retreat into the city in an orderly manner, demonstrating the Star Kingdom's efficient grassroots organization.

Xia Ri, accompanied by three young subordinates, quickly walked towards the four uninvited guests.

The closer you get, the heavier the suffocating sense of oppression becomes, as if the air itself has frozen.

The two sides stopped about 100 meters from the city gate, facing each other from a distance.

Summer took a deep breath and asked loudly, "Who are you? This is Motomatsu Castle in the Swamp County of the Land of Stars. State your purpose! Unidentified ninjas!"

A dead silence.

The only sound was the wind sweeping across the newly turned earth.

Nagato coldly stared through Pain's eyes at the spirited female Jonin before him and the three young ninjas behind her who, though tense, did not back down.

He witnessed the other side's immediate action to protect civilians, which deepened the subtle wavering in Nagato's heart as a war orphan.

But God's mission cannot be shaken.

A moment later, of the four figures, Pain, the Deva Path, who was at the very front, slowly stepped forward. His Rinnegan indifferently gazed down at the summer sun, and his lifeless voice, transmitted through Yahiko's body, clearly resonated throughout this land that had just begun to come alive:
"I am God."

(End of this chapter)