You have to admit—Nagato was born under a cruel star.
He came into the world in the Land of Whirlpools, but before he was old enough to understand anything, his homeland was wiped out, and his family became refugees. When he was a little older, his parents took him to the Land of Rain. Life was poor, but at least it was warm and filled with love. That didn't last long. Out of nowhere, for no reason at all, his parents were killed by two Konoha shinobi—suddenly, he was a war orphan with nothing left.
Then came the years of wandering, starving, and scraping by. Luckily, he met Yahiko and Konan. The three of them survived by stealing and hustling in the streets. If Jiraiya hadn't shown up, Nagato would've either become a petty thug or died in a gutter.
Later, he followed Yahiko into "revolution," throwing himself into battle after battle, always running on pure passion. For more than a decade, he never really stopped to think about life or what the future might hold.
And that led to a flaw in Nagato's character.
He was easy to sway. He lacked a core of his own.
Because, deep down, he never had any real convictions.
That's what happens when you spend your whole life as someone else's right-hand man.
Don't believe it? Just look at the original story.
After Yahiko died, Nagato fell into utter confusion.
When Obito and Zetsu showed up selling their Eye of the Moon Plan, he barely hesitated before agreeing.
Not only did he agree, he fought tooth and nail for that plan—recruiting members, collecting tailed beasts, turning the entire shinobi world upside down.
Did he ever stop to wonder if the plan was even possible? Could one jutsu really make all of humanity live in a dream world?
He never questioned it. And later, when he commanded Pain to destroy Konoha, he was on the verge of victory. But after a single round of Naruto's talk-no-jutsu, he gave up on everything he'd fought for over the years.
And what did Naruto actually say? Honestly, not much—just the usual stuff about bonds, pain, the ninja way, ideals. The core message? "I know you've suffered, but what you're doing isn't right. You can't make everyone hurt just because you're hurting. Hang in there—better days are coming, so stop causing trouble." (Think about it—that's really all it boils down to, isn't it?)
But Nagato actually bought it. He really did stop fighting. He even sacrificed his own life to use Rinne Rebirth and bring back everyone he'd killed. How stubborn is that?
This kind of flip-flopping, at its root, comes from a lack of education and a strong tendency toward blind obedience. When someone makes a convincing argument, Nagato just follows it to the end. Other people get "talked into a limp"—Nagato got talked into the grave.
In psychology, there's a term for this—Dependent Personality Disorder.
It's a real mental condition, and there's no magic cure.
But if it can't be cured, maybe it doesn't need to be.
If Obito could manipulate him, why can't Jinghang?
Why let Black Zetsu and those schemers benefit, when I could benefit instead?
If I could bring Nagato to my side, it'd be more valuable than capturing a tailed beast.
Truth is, Jinghang had been planning this all along. Back when he kept Nagato at his side for three months, painting grand visions and spinning endless tales, it was all to plant the seed for recruiting him.
But now, the timeline of the ninja world has already drifted far from the original. He needed to wait for the right moment.
When Aotu Tailuo's intel arrived, Jinghang knew—the time had come.
Obito hasn't turned dark yet, and Black Zetsu is probably still keeping an eye on him.
If I move now, I can win Nagato over. There's no better chance.
It's just persuasion, after all. It's not like I'm bad at it—Jinghang has been Kazekage for ten years, and his silver tongue is famous across the shinobi world.
And besides, Jinghang spent three whole months taking Nagato through Sunagakure's factories and streets.
That kind of bustling prosperity is real—far more convincing than some vague "Eye of the Moon Plan."
Come on, join the Sunagakure family. Hell, you don't even have to join the village—just share our ideals and listen to my orders.
We've got the same dreams. We've got the same enemies.
Everything's lined up perfectly.
With that thought, Jinghang used the Flying Thunder God and vanished from the Kazekage's office, reappearing on Rasa's desk in the Moon Lake New District.
There was one of Jinghang's custom kunai on the desk—he had no choice, since there were no markers in Amegakure, and this was the closest spot to the coordinates Aotu Tailuo had given him.
"You... what are you doing here?"
Rasa looked awkward—Karura was in his arms.
"Don't mind me. You do your thing—I'm just here on business."
Without another word, Jinghang activated his Lightning Armor and shot out the door like a gust of wind.
"Bastard! Throw that damned thing in the cesspit!"
Rasa roared in fury.
"Nagato, you're right. I can't stay lost in grief forever. Yahiko is gone, but his ideals shouldn't die with him. We have to pick ourselves up, take back Amegakure, and realize his dream again."
Konan wiped away her tears, gently caressing Yahiko's pale cheek—her eyes full of tenderness and longing.
"I'm glad to hear you say that."
Nagato nodded.
He was "standing" in a custom wheelchair that Aotu Tailuo had built for him overnight. Clearly, those years of handiwork in The Abyss hadn't gone to waste—the chair was sturdy and easy to use.
Nagato had woken up the day after falling unconscious. Once he was clear-headed, he didn't despair over Amegakure's fall or his own disability. Instead, he showed an unbelievable strength. He asked Tailuo to make him a wheelchair, then had people wheel him around the secret camp, talking to every surviving Akatsuki member—sometimes gathering them all for fiery, inspiring speeches.
This was something he'd learned from Jinghang back in Sunagakure: a leader should regularly get down to the grassroots, listen to the people, and blend in with the masses.
Thanks to Nagato's efforts, the gloomy mood in the secret camp began to lift. After all, anyone who'd stuck it out this long was already a true believer. Seeing their "second-in-command" still so fired up, even after becoming disabled, how could they let their own ideals die?
Once morale was steady, Nagato went to see Konan. With a few words, he finally pulled her out of her endless sorrow. His method was simple—hatred.
Yahiko's enemies were living it up in the very village he'd built! His cause wasn't finished! How could you just give up now?
Wake up! Get ready to fight! Get ready to take revenge on Konoha!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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