Hyuga Gakuya shook his head, his face filled with sincerity and earnestness.
"Not at all… I truly had no choice at the time."
Nagato's eyes flared with anger. "Are you mocking me? Are you saying you couldn't even control your own body?"
It sounded like a furious accusation—but to Nagato's surprise, Gakuya slowly nodded, replying with solemn gravity,
"You're absolutely right. At that time, I had lost control of my own body."
At first, Nagato felt he was being played for a fool. But then Gakuya continued speaking, and the explanation that followed finally began to make sense.
Gakuya calmly recounted his past, beginning with the tragic experiences of his childhood. It was during those dark years that a second personality was born within him—Chiba Mokushū. This alternate persona dreamed of becoming a sovereign ruler, someone who could lead the world forward.
In those early days, the persona was still immature. Its primary role was to help Gakuya endure the bullying, ostracism, and pain.
Nagato listened in silence, the fury in his expression slowly shifting into contemplation.
Gakuya went on, "Later, I completed my revenge and left Konohagakure. As time passed, Chiba Mokushū's persona grew stronger. At times, it even started to dominate my actions."
He continued weaving this freshly concocted tale—its structure borrowed from Jiraiya's stories, but now twisted and repurposed as Gakuya's own.
Eventually, the two personalities would sometimes cooperate and sometimes clash violently. That's why, Gakuya explained, some of his past behavior had seemed so contradictory.
But recently, Gakuya had finally managed to absorb and merge that second persona, regaining full control of his body.
"My purpose hasn't changed," he declared, his voice full of passion. "Once the plan is complete, I'll use the power of the Ten Tails to unify the shinobi world and realize my vision."
With a fervor that echoed his earlier conversation with Jiraiya, he proclaimed,
"As long as you and I work together, with the Rinnegan and the Tenseigan, no enemy will ever be able to stand against us! We'll ignite an unprecedented revolution!"
"Just like a federation— even if we return power to the people, we can still maintain steady progress. With the Ten Tails' strength, we can enforce this new system across the entire shinobi world. And once we do, a perfect world will finally come into being!"
"In that world, there will be no more oppression. Everyone will live lives of abundance and dignity!"
Every word of Gakuya's rousing speech landed firmly in Nagato's ears.
Nagato fell into a long silence, carefully weighing the feasibility of Gakuya's vision. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed far more complete than his own plan to make the world understand pain through the Ten Tails' might.
After a long pause, Nagato took a deep breath and said slowly,
"Very well, Hyuga Gakuya. I'll trust you—for now. I accept your proposal. So… what's our next move?"
As if expecting the question, Gakuya smiled confidently.
"All that's left is to obtain the Eight Tails and the Nine Tails. Then the Ten Tails will be complete."
"Among the Akatsuki, we still have Kisame, Deidara, Konan, you, and me. All of us are capable fighters."
"I also have a piece on the board—someone who can take Uchiha Itachi's place. He's awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and possesses strength that rivals even Itachi's."
Nagato narrowed his eyes. He already had a good idea who it was—it had to be the brother Itachi had always been asking about.
"You mean… Uchiha Sasuke?"
"Exactly," Gakuya nodded. "With this lineup, we could launch a direct assault on both Kumogakure and Konohagakure."
"Send Uchiha Sasuke, Kisame, and Deidara to attack Kumogakure and capture the Eight Tails. With Sasuke's Sharingan genjutsu, he can control tailed beasts. Combined with the other two, they should be more than enough."
Gakuya exaggerated Sasuke's abilities without hesitation, and Nagato didn't sense anything unusual.
After all, with the deep impression of Itachi's overwhelming brilliance still in his mind, any shinobi who could kill Itachi… couldn't possibly be weak, right?
"As for Konohagakure, you, Konan, and I will handle that. We'll retrieve the Nine Tails ourselves. There are two reasons for this—Obito and Jiraiya have formed some kind of alliance. We need to stay alert. They're the biggest wild cards in this entire plan."
Nagato nodded slowly in agreement.
Then he made the decision without hesitation.
"Fine. We'll follow your plan. Let's take some time to prepare, and then we begin."
"Perfect. Then… I'll leave those two outside to you. If they keep poking around for intel, things could get tricky." Gakuya clapped his hands lightly, as if celebrating the successful alliance.
Nagato's expression didn't change. "I've already sent Konan to bring them in."
No sooner had he said that than Gakuya heard a familiar voice from outside.
"Konan, it's been a while. You've only gotten more beautiful, though you've grown a bit colder," came Jiraiya's voice, casual and warm, like an old friend speaking to someone he hadn't seen in years.
Gakuya smiled faintly. "From here on, I shouldn't show myself. I'll go make the final preparations."
"Mm."
And just like that, he vanished from sight—at least, that's what it looked like. In truth, he remained hidden among the clouds, watching from afar through the Tenseigan.
...
Konan pushed open the door to the secret chamber, leading Jiraiya and Uchiha Obito inside. Behind them followed the Six Paths of Pain.
Of course they had to be present. If either Jiraiya or Obito suddenly turned hostile, Nagato's current condition wouldn't be enough to stop them.
The moment Jiraiya stepped into the chamber, he saw Nagato—crucified in place like a martyr. His eyes immediately filled with guilt.
"It's been a long time, Nagato."
"It has, Jiraiya-sensei."
Jiraiya took a deep breath and then bowed low.
"I'm sorry, Nagato. I've learned the truth. I hope… I hope you can forgive what Konohagakure did to you."
Nagato let out a cold, scornful laugh. The people were already dead. Things had gone far beyond the point of apologies. This—this was the arrogance of the great nations.
"Heh… I forgave Konoha long ago. After all, why would a god stoop to holding grudges against mortals?"
His words dripped with mockery. Jiraiya straightened slowly, his face full of sorrow.
"Nagato… no matter how you feel about the Leaf, I came here today to ask you to stop. Don't let more innocent people suffer."
Jiraiya's voice was earnest and heartfelt.
Nagato burst out laughing. "Innocent? This world is full of so-called 'innocent' people. But who ever helps them?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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