Chapter 202: Nagato: Asuma, I Don't Want to Kill You! (Third update, seeking subscriptions and monthly tickets)
Konoha, before the Monument of Consolation.
After Rin Nohara left, Sarutobi Asuma appeared beside Uchiha Obito and asked with a smile, "By the way, Obito, did you confess?"
"Huh?"
Uchiha Obito froze for a moment, then his face under the mask blushed, and he said awkwardly, "Asuma, you shouldn't ask about something like that, right?"
Sarutobi Asuma shook his head, "I'm doing this for your own good!"
"If you don't express your feelings, how will Rin know?"
"There's a saying, 'The one closest to the water gets the moon first.'"
"Although Kakashi is dense when it comes to romance, he's at least working with Rin in a small Anbu squad right now!"
Uchiha Obito gritted his teeth, "That Kakashi..."
"Hmph! I won't lose to him!"
Uchiha Obito seemed to be just Uchiha Obito as usual.
However, Sarutobi Asuma didn't know if Uchiha Obito was aware of Rin's feelings.
He patted Uchiha Obito's shoulder, "If you like someone, you should bravely say it out loud and pursue them."
"Whether you succeed or not depends on fate!"
Under his mask, Uchiha Obito pouted, secretly complaining, "I'm not like you, you big pervert, having three..."
Envy and jealousy!!!
"Don't be envious of me. Who told you that Rin is the only girl you're close to?"
Sarutobi Asuma chuckled lightly, then continued, "Of course, if you can pursue other girls after successfully pursuing Rin, I can help you organize a matchmaking event after the war is over!"
Uchiha Obito became furious, "I'm not like you, being two-faced!"
"Hmph, my heart only holds Rin!"
Sarutobi Asuma shrugged, "Then I wish you all the best!"
With that, he disappeared.
Before the Monument of Consolation, the wind howled. Uchiha Obito lowered his head, his expression under the mask somewhat dejected, "Rin... she probably likes that Kakashi guy..."
Under the Sage Tree.
Sarutobi Asuma's figure appeared, and he thought to himself, "So far, Obito's mental state seems normal."
Even if something unexpected happened, he wouldn't be afraid, but it was best to proceed according to the plan.
However, the information Obito brought this time was not good news.
Under Black Zetsu's guidance, Nagato intended to instigate another Ninja World War at an appropriate time in the future, and then seize the Tailed Beasts.
This was both a conspiracy and an open scheme!
There were already conflicts of interest between the Five Great Shinobi Villages. The Third Great Ninja War had ended quickly under the deterrence of his powerful military strength.
But Konoha's strength had recovered quickly in the past few years.
The enthusiastic participation of the major shinobi villages in the Chunin Exams was precisely to find a legitimate opportunity to probe Konoha's strength.
Konoha's growth was bound to make the other Four Great Shinobi Villages increasingly wary.
If someone united them, there was a high probability they would form an alliance to attack Konoha.
"Konoha has me, but do they have the Rinnegan?"
Sarutobi Asuma saw through Black Zetsu's malicious intentions.
Damn it, he really wanted to overturn the table and fight the entire world!
Sarutobi Asuma snorted inwardly.
"It seems I need to exert some deterrence to make Nagato recognize reality, and also guide him..."
"Also, the Ninja World has been too peaceful. I need to find some trouble for the Four Great Shinobi Villages."
Sarutobi Asuma pondered, then lowered his gaze to cultivate, waiting for the right time.
In the blink of an eye, Konoha year 52 passed.
In February of Konoha year 53, Sarutobi Kika, Sarutobi Asuma's sister-in-law, was finally pregnant.
March.
A Shadow Clone near the Summoning Island sent news that Nagato had appeared again.
Sarutobi Asuma immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to travel to the island where the Sage Tree was located, and then flew towards the Summoning Island.
Upon reaching the sky above the Summoning Island, he saw that Nagato had taken away three more summoning beasts.
Since last year, Nagato had purchased 8 summoning beasts from the Summoning Island.
Sarutobi Asuma originally thought Nagato was merely buying summoning beasts, but he didn't expect the latter to also conduct experiments and modifications on the summoning beasts, causing them to mutate with the power of the Rinnegan.
The summoning beasts on the island with the Sage Tree originally numbered five, but only two remain now.
One is a centipede, the other a strange bird.
The other three were likely lost during experiments.
After Nagato had settled the summoning beasts, Sarutobi Asuma appeared.
"Hmm?"
"Sarutobi Asuma!"
Nagato halted, his gaze sharpening.
"Nagato, it's been a while!"
Sarutobi Asuma greeted him with a smile.
Nagato said flatly, "It seems you discovered this place long ago."
"You could say that."
Sarutobi Asuma readily admitted, "I was bored and wandering around, and I didn't expect you'd be raising summoning beasts here."
"However, these summoning beasts are indeed quite good."
"It seems you're steadily approaching your goal."
Nagato looked at Sarutobi Asuma and retorted, "And what about you?"
Sarutobi Asuma descended from the air and stood before Nagato, smiling, "As for me, there's still quite a distance to go. After all, longevity isn't easily achieved!"
"Even the legendary Sage of Six Paths couldn't resist the erosion of time."
Longevity?
Nagato was momentarily stunned, then said, "I thought your goal was also to achieve peace."
"Did Senior Jiraiya tell you that?"
Sarutobi Asuma chuckled, "Peace, for me, is merely a short-term objective."
Nagato frowned, displeased, "In your eyes, peace seems insignificant."
"It's not insignificant."
"I also don't want my descendants to step onto the battlefield and fight others before they've even reached adulthood."
Sarutobi Asuma continued, "It's just that if I don't achieve longevity, the peace I achieve cannot last forever!"
Nagato couldn't understand and couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"
Sarutobi Asuma smiled, "This world is never short of ambitious people, nor can it be guaranteed that everyone who comes after will have the capability."
"A fierce tiger can deter an entire forest, allowing it to maintain its own order."
"But once that tiger dies, and he has no successor, that order will instantly collapse!"
Nagato fell into thought.
Sarutobi Asuma then countered, "So, how do you plan to achieve your peace?"
"If you can convince me, I don't mind helping you!"
Nagato's Rinnegan gazed at Sarutobi Asuma, meeting his eyes.
Gentle, sincere!
"Even if it's a test, it doesn't matter. The existence of the Akatsuki is not a secret to Konoha."
With a turn of thought, Nagato cautiously stated, "With these eyes!"
"The Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths possesses god-like power. By mastering this power, one can gain the strength to flatten the Ninja World!"
"At that time, I will make the Five Great Shinobi Villages feel the pain of war, show them the horror of war, and only then will people fear war and end it."
Sarutobi Asuma first offered affirmation, "A good idea!"
"Deterrence through force!"
"This world truly respects strength; only those with power can make their voices heard."
"However..."
Sarutobi Asuma stared at Nagato's Rinnegan, his tone shifting, "Just as I said earlier."
"How long can you live?"
"Can you live for a hundred years?"
"If you have a hundred years, then there will be a hundred years of peace!"
Nagato remained silent, then said, "A hundred years should be enough for me!"
"A century of peace, and people will have forgotten war. No one will want to provoke war again."
"Everyone will cherish such a peaceful life."
Sarutobi Asuma scoffed, "You think too highly of people's kindness!"
"There's a saying, 'Once the wound heals, the pain is forgotten'!"
"Besides, the path you're walking has already been trodden by others!"
Nagato was astonished and subconsciously asked, "Who?"
"You should know more about the history of the Ninja World."
After a brief remark, Sarutobi Asuma explained concisely, "The person who ended the Warring States period, the God of Shinobi, the founder of Konoha, Senju Hashirama!"
Nagato said, "I know that history!"
"Senju Hashirama distributed the Tailed Beasts to balance the Ninja World's power, but that's precisely why he failed!"
"If Senju Hashirama hadn't distributed the Tailed Beasts back then, even after his death, Konoha would have had enough power to deter the entire Ninja World, and the Ninja World War wouldn't have erupted!"
Sarutobi Asuma raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying, "There's some truth to that."
"However, not to talk about the present, but even back then."
"The Kage of each village actually had enough power to suppress the Tailed Beasts, even capture them."
"Even if Konoha possessed all nine Tailed Beasts, they might not have had the ability to control them effectively as weapons of war to intimidate the world."
"But the combined might of the Five Great Shinobi Villages would have been enough to pose a threat."
"At that time, the scale of the First Great Ninja War might have been even larger!"
Nagato said calmly, "But I can!"
"It seems your development of the Rinnegan is quite advanced."
Sarutobi Asuma smiled and suggested, "Interested in showing me?"
Nagato's gaze sharpened, becoming dangerous: "Asuma, you've helped us before, and I don't want to kill you!"
Information about the Rinnegan could not be leaked!
Therefore, if he were to make a move, he would have to eliminate Sarutobi Asuma!
For that goal, he would be determined, even if he had received help in the past.
Sarutobi Asuma was taken aback, stunned.
Kill me?
Am I that weak?
Or are you getting too arrogant, Nagato?
Or have I been too low-key these past few years?
And, this line sounds a little familiar?
Then, Sarutobi Asuma couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahahaha…"
Nagato looked a bit bewildered.
This laughter wasn't from anger, but… happiness?
"What's wrong with this guy?"
Nagato frowned almost imperceptibly.
"Sorry!"
After a while, Sarutobi Asuma stopped laughing and said, "Ever since the Ninja War ended, no, since the Nine-Tails Attack ended, no one has dared to challenge me, let alone say something like 'kill you'."
"It gets lonely when you're invincible for too long."
"So, meeting someone who dares to challenge me makes me very happy."
"While it's true that a person's greatest enemy is themselves, we often need an opponent to help us progress faster."
"To be honest, I haven't been training as hard as I used to recently."
Sarutobi Asuma looked at Nagato and chuckled gently, "So."
"Why don't you try to kill me!"
To all my esteemed readers, that's all for today. The next chapter will be out tomorrow at noon!!!
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