"My dream ended the day Yahiko took his life by my hand," Nagato declared, his voice growing stronger with each word. "Now, all I can do is carry on Yahiko's dream—using my own methods to make the world understand pain, so people will come to understand one another, and ultimately, find peace."
Turning to Black Zetsu, Nagato spoke calmly, "So, forgive me, but I can't fulfill Madara's vision of the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Black Zetsu sighed in exasperation. "Is that so? Such a pity. The Infinite Tsukuyomi is the only true path to peace, there's no doubt about that."
Nagato shook his head. "The Infinite Tsukuyomi is a denial of reality itself. If we negate our very existence, what's the point of peace?"
"I won't do it. I'll bring peace my own way." Nagato's resolve was unshaken.
"Do you still believe in this world, Nagato?" Black Zetsu pressed. "Your methods will only breed hatred. People won't understand each other—they'll only know more suffering!"
Driven by his devotion to revive his mother in a perfect form, Black Zetsu was giving his all.
"You're right! Pain, hatred, suffering—they're intrinsic to humanity. As long as people exist, so will these things. They're not meaningless, they have purpose," Nagato replied firmly. "Only by experiencing pain can we truly grow, and only through hardship can we come to cherish the peace that we achieve."
Seeing the unwavering resolve in Nagato's eyes, Black Zetsu realized his persuasion had failed. Nagato was not like Madara or Obito. He didn't share the same mindset as the Uchiha, nor did he retreat from reality despite all he had endured.
"Very well…" Black Zetsu sighed. "If that's your choice, follow your path. Just remember, if it fails, you'll still have the Infinite Tsukuyomi as a fallback."
Nagato replied without hesitation, "No matter what, I won't use the Infinite Tsukuyomi to escape reality. If I fail, then I fail!"
Studying Nagato's unwavering expression, Black Zetsu smiled approvingly.
"Impressive. I believe Madara would be proud to see you like this."
Despite his words, Black Zetsu felt a tinge of regret. Yet, there was no one else suitable for this task now.
For thousands of years, they had come closer to reviving Kaguya Otsutsuki than ever before. He didn't want any more setbacks. Even without the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Kaguya could still be resurrected through the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki, though imperfect. But she could restore herself in time.
With that, Black Zetsu handed Nagato a large scroll.
"This is Madara's legacy. The Six Paths, the Ten-Tails' coffin seal, and the Infinite Tsukuyomi—it's all here. How you use it is up to you."
Taking the scroll, Nagato felt a surge of mixed emotions. He had never imagined things would turn out this way.
"I'll make good use of this. And one day, I'll find out who betrayed Madara and make them pay!" he said firmly.
"First things first, starting with Konoha…" Nagato looked toward the Land of Water, his face hardened with resolve.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, at the Uchiha clan's training grounds, Akira was training tirelessly. He'd never slacked off in his taijutsu training, recognizing that while ninjutsu could be countered, taijutsu was timeless. For Akira, taijutsu was indispensable.
In truth, his path was closer to the hybrid of ninjutsu and taijutsu, unlike Duy's pure taijutsu.
"The Strength of a Hundred Technique has reached its limit. To go further, I'd either need to enhance my chakra quality or gain a Bloodline Limit like Boil Release." Akira surveyed the battered training area, flexing his wrist thoughtfully.
"Bloodline Limit… Boil Release…" He was deep in thought when he heard approaching footsteps.
"Impressive, Akira! Such destructive power!" Uchiha Kin said, looking around the training ground in awe.
"Kin, is something happening with ShinTen Biotech?" Akira asked.
Kin, who was in charge of security for ShinTen Biotech, only sought him out when necessary.
"They're requesting your presence. Apparently, it's urgent," Kin replied.
Sure enough, the one who'd requested him was none other than Yakushi Nonō.
In her office, Akira watched as Nonō penned some notes.
"A breakthrough in research?" he asked.
"Your intuition is as sharp as ever," Nonō replied with a smile. "Just two days ago, we finally achieved a breakthrough in cloning technology."
"Cloning? You've made it happen?" Akira was taken aback. In just over a year, Nonō's team had already mastered cloning.
"Indeed. The technology is ready for practical use," Nonō replied, though her tone turned serious. "I would advise caution. The science is sound, but there are significant moral and ethical concerns."
"I'm well aware," Akira replied with a small smile. "That's why we're moving forward with selective cloning research."
Nonō nodded in agreement. "True."
After discussing it a while longer, Akira stepped out of Nonō's office, only to be approached by another researcher.
"Akira-sama, Director Houshi requests your presence. He says there's been a major breakthrough in his research," the researcher whispered.
Mizutani Houshi, the head of the secretive Senju cell transplantation project, wasn't like other researchers. Though he wasn't a shinobi, he was highly proficient with chakra, making him an unusual figure in scientific circles.
Akira had hired him for his expertise, despite knowing of his ethical flexibility and past misdeeds that the Uchiha clan could hold over him.
After Akira had killed Uchiha Obito, he'd handed Obito's body over to Houshi for further study.
Seeing Akira, Houshi, a portly, middle-aged man, quickly approached, fawning.
"Akira-sama, the cell transfer project has made significant strides!"
"What sort of breakthrough?" Akira asked calmly.
"Thanks to the sample you provided us last month, we've made substantial progress. We discovered that the key to a successful transplant lies in achieving balance between the cells!"
"Balance?" Akira asked, intrigued. "You mean Yin-Yang Balance?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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