Naruto's outrageous words made Konan doubt her ears. "Say that again—what do you want to inherit?"
But Naruto repeated himself firmly, "I want to inherit Nagato's Rinnegan!"
I didn't mishear him after all...
Konan's gaze darkened as she reevaluated Naruto. The impression he had left on her was not that of someone who would say such things.
Even so, she maintained her composure. "Naruto, Nagato entrusted his will to you, but his will does not equate to his eyes."
Naruto explained persuasively, "Nagato is gone, but the power of the Rinnegan should not be buried with him. Moreover, there are others who covet these eyes. If they fall into the wrong hands, it will bring catastrophic consequences to the ninja world. All things considered, entrusting them to me is the safest option!"
The person he's referring to… is Madara. He knows about Madara. He's not the simple-minded child Nagato and I once knew.
Konan's expression turned three shades colder. "The Rinnegan was awakened by Nagato of Amegakure. His eyes are a treasure of this nation, of this village. Naruto, even if it's your request, I cannot agree. Please don't ask for something so unreasonable! Nagato has already revived the shinobi of Konoha. I will leave Akatsuki today and will not act against Konoha anymore. Now, I'm taking Nagato and the Deva Path's remains back to Amegakure!"
"I see..." Naruto slowly closed his eyes. From the beginning of their conversation, he had been absorbing natural energy. By now, he had gathered enough.
Zzz!
Orange pigmentation and toad-like horizontal pupils appeared on his face.
*Sage Mode, activated!*
Naruto opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Sister Konan, you misunderstand. This isn't a request—it's a demand!"
Swish!
In Sage Mode, Naruto moved with blinding speed, appearing in front of Konan in an instant. With precise control of his strength, he delivered a single punch to her abdomen.
Thud!
"Ugh..." Konan's orange eyes widened in shock as her body collapsed, powerless.
Naruto withdrew his fist and looked down at the fallen Konan, murmuring, "I'm sorry, Sister Konan. To avoid unnecessary conflict, this was the quickest way. I'll explain everything to you later."
He then turned his gaze toward the direction of Konoha, his eyes filled with an uncontrollable longing.
Everything he once lost was just a step away, waiting for him to reclaim it.
However, what he planned to do from now on would go against the Will of Fire that Konoha upheld.
Even if he were to explain everything to everyone, would they believe him?
That would be far too absurd… Even Naruto himself wouldn't believe it if the roles were reversed!
He retracted his gaze and forcibly suppressed the yearning in his heart.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I love this village, and I love all of you. That's why, until the time is right, let me bear this burden alone..."
That day, the villagers of Konoha, waiting at the gates, did not welcome their hero home.
The search parties sent out by Konoha found only a copy of *Tales of a Gutsy Ninja* with finger-shaped indentations on its cover, and a Konoha forehead protector engraved with the mark of a rogue ninja, left behind at the location where Nagato had been hiding.
At this moment, in Konoha, the Fifth Hokage Tsunade had fallen into a deep coma due to overusing her Strength of a Hundred Seal chakra.
A group of elite Jonin, led by Shikaku Nara, convened an emergency meeting.
Shikaku began, "Previously, we encountered Naruto on the mountain. He said he would settle things with the enemy and asked us to entrust the negotiations to him."
As he spoke, Shikaku glanced at Kakashi, who had been revived and was now staring blankly at the *Tales of a Gutsy Ninja* brought back by the search team.
Retracting his gaze, Shikaku continued, "Afterward, the people who had died in the village were resurrected. This indicates that Naruto's negotiations were undoubtedly successful. However, he suddenly killed Lady Katsuyu's clone and left behind this book and forehead protector. What happened during that time remains a mystery to us."
Shikaku paused briefly before continuing, "Based on my analysis, there are two possibilities."
"First, Naruto was manipulated by some technique of the enemy and acted against his will."
"Second, Naruto had something else he wanted to discuss with the enemy, and it was something he didn't want us to know about..."
He hesitated before concluding, "As for the items Naruto left behind, if I set aside my personal feelings, the most straightforward interpretation is that Naruto has abandoned the path of the ninja he inherited from Jiraiya and has resolved to become a rogue ninja of Konoha!"
Hiss!
The Jonin present collectively gasped.
That Naruto—the Naruto who was unyielding and steadfast in his ninja way—had betrayed the village!?
At this moment, Kakashi spoke up. "Naruto is my student. Based on my many years of understanding him, he would never betray the village. I am more inclined to believe that Naruto acted with his own reasons and burdens..."
He held up the book's cover for everyone to see. "The fingerprints here tell us everything. He must have been clutching this book tightly at the time. His heart was in turmoil..."
Shikaku sighed lightly and said solemnly, "Until we uncover the truth, we cannot jump to conclusions. What is undeniable is that Naruto defeated Pain and Nagato and saved the village. That is an indisputable fact! I propose that we temporarily conceal Naruto's departure from the public and announce that he is resting due to exhaustion from battle."
"The Hyuga Clan agrees!"
"The Yamanaka Clan agrees!"
"The Aburame Clan has no objections!"
One by one, the clan leaders voiced their approval.
Shikaku nodded. "However, concealment is not a long-term solution. The ANBU must expand their search efforts and locate Naruto as soon as possible!"
"In addition, the village has just experienced a massive calamity. The most important thing now is to stabilize morale. With the Fifth Hokage in a coma and Naruto's situation uncertain, the village cannot be without a Hokage. I nominate Hatake Kakashi to become the Sixth Hokage!"
Kakashi placed the book on the table and said seriously, "I'm ready for this responsibility..."
...
Rustle, rustle, rustle... In the forest beyond the ruins of Konoha, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu emerged from a tree trunk.
White Zetsu said, "I never imagined Pain could be defeated! And that brat Naruto Uzumaki even took Nagato's body. This is insane!"
Black Zetsu replied, "Go and report this to Tobi immediately!"
...
Within the borders of the Land of Fire, in a dark cave.
Naruto sat on a stone chair, his left eye wrapped in bandages. Resting his chin on one hand, he gazed at the flickering candlelight, lost in thought.
"You're awake..."
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Konan, who was tied up in the corner.
"..." Konan struggled against the ropes but couldn't break free.
Naruto said, "For the sake of a proper conversation, I've tied you up. Additionally, to prevent you from turning into paper and escaping, I've sealed your chakra..."
His deep tone was completely unlike that of a sixteen-year-old boy.
The stark contrast in his demeanor left Konan with only one conclusion. "Naruto Uzumaki, your acting skills are truly remarkable. Both Nagato and I were deceived by you..."
Naruto responded with a faint, ambiguous smile.
Konan demanded, "What did you do with Nagato's body? You've already taken his Rinnegan. Your goal has been achieved. If you don't intend to kill me, return his body to me so I can take it back to Amegakure!"
"The Rinnegan, huh..." Naruto slowly turned around. "It seems I need to adjust the order of my explanation. First of all, the Rinnegan wasn't awakened by Nagato of Amegakure. The true owner of these eyes is the ancestor of Konoha's Uchiha Clan... Uchiha Madara!"