This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 247 Nagato and Konan (Part 1)

but.

Although the order to attack was given, the Sunagakure ninjas did not rush out to fight the enemy.

The battle in the center of the battlefield caused extensive damage to the area, especially the battle between the Eight-Tails, the Three-Tails, the Wood Golem, and the Gold Golem... Their enormous size meant that even a mere clash of their forces could produce a massive explosion, turning the surrounding area of ​​several thousand meters into barren rocky ground.

Without the protection of the forest, the war machines on the fortified city can once again prove their worth. Charging out to engage the enemy at this point would only negate the advantage of one's own weaponry.

Although the power of these weapons was not very effective against the Raikage, the Sannin, and other top fighters who were leading the charge, the battlefield was divided into more than a dozen parts by the Twelve Golden Men, stretching for miles, and these top fighters could not protect everyone.

Faced with a barrage of arrows that blotted out the sky and stretched endlessly, even a Jonin could easily be riddled with arrows if they weren't careful, let alone an army that consisted of over 95% Chunin.

Furthermore, due to the use of sealing arrows, even experts resurrected through the Impure World Reincarnation could not regain their mobility after being shot.

As for the sealing arrows... these are weapons based on the same principle as the sealing kunai used by the Allied Forces. By inscribing ninjutsu marks of sealing techniques on the arrows, the arrows that hit the enemy's body can exert a sealing effect... Since Ryuji had foreseen that the Allied Forces would use the Impure World Reincarnation as a means of this war, how could he not take precautions?

Because of the existence of this weapon, the Allied Forces' idea of ​​using the Reanimated Corpse Army as human shields to lead the charge was also thwarted.

In an instant, the sounds of battle shook the heavens, and screams echoed throughout the sky.

……

The words are divided into two parts.

While everyone's attention was focused on the battlefield on the floating continent, Nagato and the Six Paths of Pain stood silently on the desolate land, watching everything unfold.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Allied Shinobi Forces and Sunagakure were both weakened, he planned to seize the Tailed Beasts... The plan was perfect, but just as the plan was about to begin, his hometown, Amegakure, was affected by the war and completely reduced to ashes.

The innocent victims of war... Nagato, who was born and raised during the war, was already used to this phenomenon.

But this time, an entire village was affected. Even though he was used to this kind of phenomenon and thought that it would no longer stir up any waves in his heart, he was angry again.

Strangely, although his anger was about to consume his reason, he became calmer than ever before.

Because his ideals are far beyond what the immediate unexpected events can disrupt, even if his hometown is destroyed.

"Not to be controlled by anger, but to control anger. This excruciating pain will only make me stronger." Nagato clenched his fist, feeling the increasingly powerful chakra, and his determination to succeed in this operation grew even stronger.

"Nagato..."

A familiar voice sounded behind me, soft and with a hint of childishness.

Nagato's body trembled, and he turned around in disbelief, only to see the figure that haunted his dreams.

Purple hair, purple eyeshadow, purple paper flowers... everything was so familiar except for the fact that the body shape had changed to that of a ten-year-old.

Nagato opened her mouth, eager to call out that name, but when the words came, her throat went dry and she couldn't utter a sound.

No, it's not that I can't say it.

Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, was acutely aware of his physical condition.

It wasn't that he couldn't speak, but rather that he feared it was all a false illusion, a dream, and that once the truth was revealed, the person before him would shatter.

"Nagato, is that you, Nagato?"

The little girl's tone, as if she were meeting an old friend, made Nagato tremble uncontrollably. In the end, anticipation suppressed worry, and words of hope finally came out of her mouth.

"Xiao Nan, is that really you?"

"It's me!"

"But why...?"

Nagato's voice trembled, just like his body and eyes.

He witnessed it firsthand: a Sunagakure ninja stabbing Konan in the heart with a kunai, causing her to lose all life... His Rinnegan couldn't have been wrong.

and so……

"It's the Reincarnation Jutsu..." Konan seemed to know what Nagato was thinking and explained, "Back then, Ryuji Ayaki extracted my soul from my corpse and then used the Reincarnation Jutsu to resurrect me."

"Ryuji Ayaki?"

Upon hearing the name, Nagato froze. The joy of seeing Konan again quickly faded, and his eyes widened as he stared intently at Konan.

Under the powerful eye power of the Rinnegan, the Human Path's abilities were revealed. Nagato peered through Konan's body and directly struck the soul within... exactly like her appearance, it was undoubtedly Konan herself.

Nagato withdrew his eye technique, but remained vigilant.

Why did Ryuji Ayaki use the Reincarnation Jutsu to give you a second chance at life?

"You came here specifically to find me, didn't you? And how did Ryuji Ayaki know I was here?"

As two sides in a war, it was reasonable for the other side to kill its own personnel. Why would the other side deliberately allow someone from the opposing side to be reborn?

Moreover, from the outside perspective, Nagato had already died six years ago, and the current leader of Amegakure is Pain.

How did the other party know that I was here?

Upon hearing Konan's answer, Nagato's vigilance not only did not lessen, but actually increased.

"He doesn't want the mastermind to succeed!"

"This is all a conspiracy by Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu; they want to use you..."

"I know all of that!"

The calm voice made Konan stop explaining. She stared blankly at Nagato's calm face, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity for the first time... This younger brother-like relative who used to follow her around and be taken care of by her and Yahiko was showing a side of her that was beyond her comprehension.

"Given the circumstances, if Sunagakure had killed you, it would have only enraged me and thwarted their plans. They had no reason to kill you back then. And then Madara Uchiha appeared and saved me... There were just too many suspicious points at the time. If you had just calmed down and thought about it a little, you would have understood how many tricks were hidden in the whole affair."

"If that's the case, then you..."

"Why are you still helping Madara Uchiha, is that it?"

Looking at Nagato's increasingly indifferent expression, Konan felt that the distance between them was growing further and further, and that they were becoming more and more estranged.

"I have to thank Ayaki Ryuji for this!"

"Um?"

"Because of what he said to me back then, I was able to see through the essence of the problem!"

"The essence of the problem..."

Xiao Nan fell silent.

She had come to understand that the Nagato who had once been like a younger brother was dead, and the one still alive was the Nagato cursed by this cruel world.

"You keep an eye on Amegakure!"

Nagato pointed to the desolate land and said, "Was it destroyed in the crossfire of the war between Sunagakure and the Allied Shinobi Forces?"

"No, he died because of my wish!"

(End of this chapter)