Chapter 210: A Dream and a 20-80 Split
Land of Fire, Northeastern Mountains
In a cave, two figures, both wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night, sat opposite each other.
Nagato poked at the campfire, rotating the roasting rabbit on a spit, the fat dripping into the fire with a hiss. The cave was filled with a mouth-watering aroma.
Kushina sat beside him, staring intently at the rabbit.
The last time she had eaten... was a long time ago.
Her stomach rumbled.
"You're years older than me," Nagato said, "and yet I'm the one taking care of you?"
Kushina blushed. Compared to this overly muscular boy from her clan, she really did seem helpless.
Nagato sprinkled some salt on the rabbit. "I've heard that the great villages have a lot of rules and dangers," he said, "but I never thought they would experiment on their own ninja and imprison them. Is Konoha really that scary?"
Kushina hugged her knees. "And you?" she asked. "Have you always been wandering the ninja world alone?"
"Not really," he said. "I was born in the Land of Rain, but we moved because of the war. I then followed my master to train. But a while ago, my master... went on a journey, so I've been on my own. Don't underestimate me. I'm an excellent mercenary. I've made a bit of a name for myself in the local underground exchanges. They call me the 'Red Trapezius'."
Kushina was a bit confused. She didn't quite understand what a trapezius was, but it sounded powerful.
It fit his sturdy build.
The Nine-Tails spoke in her mind. "Kushina, ask him about his eyes."
There was an urgency in its voice, and a hint of fear. She had never heard the Nine-Tails sound like this before.
She obediently asked the question.
"As you can see," Nagato said, "my eyes changed a while ago. I'm not sure why. I've been investigating. Your story gave me an idea, though I don't remember having my eyes transplanted."
"What are they called?" she asked. "What do they do?"
The Sharingan had excellent dynamic vision and insight, and greatly enhanced genjutsu, as well as providing resistance to it (though she wasn't very good at genjutsu anyway).
Nagato shook his head. "I don't know. I just feel... stronger."
"Stronger?"
"After my eyes changed, I learned a few strange jutsu, and I can use Yin and Yang Release nature transformations. Though I don't know any Yin or Yang jutsu yet. But lately, my body gets tired more easily, and it's getting harder to build muscle."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I must not be training hard enough. At this rate, I'll never reach my master's physique. These eyes... they're more trouble than they're worth."
The Nine-Tails roared in her mind. Ungrateful brat! To complain about those eyes! It's absurd!
But hearing that he knew a few strange jutsu, the Nine-Tails felt a little uneasy. When it had first escaped Konoha, it had thought that without Hashirama, Madara, or Mito, the ninja world would be its playground.
And then, not long after leaving, it had run into someone with the Rinnegan.
Fortunately, the boy seemed to be clueless. The Nine-Tails wasn't going to tell him the secret of his eyes and let him master the power of the Rinnegan.
That was a power that could truly kill a tailed beast.
Most importantly, the Nine-Tails felt that even if the Uzumaki were descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, it was impossible for someone to just grow a pair of Rinnegan. There must be a huge conspiracy behind this boy. It would be best for it and Kushina to stay as far away from him as possible.
But Kushina, who had always lacked a sense of belonging, had no resistance to her own clan. Despite the Nine-Tails' repeated warnings, she refused to leave Nagato.
Nagato told her many stories about the ninja world. He and his master had traveled far and wide, and his experiences were far beyond those of the village-bound Kushina. She listened, entranced. Through his stories, a magnificent and treacherous ninja world unfolded before her eyes.
She remembered her childhood dreams in the Academy, before she became a Jinchuriki: to become a famous kunoichi, leading her own squad, solving crisis after crisis, saving people in need.
Back then, she had forced Minato to be her first, and only, subordinate.
Thinking of Minato, she also thought of Mikoto.
It would be best if they never met again.
Because if they did, they would be in a difficult position.
"The ninja world is generally at peace right now," Nagato said. "The strongest power is the Hidden Cloud. The entire northern part of the ninja world—Lightning, Hot Water, Moon, Rice Paddies, Grass, Iron—is under their influence. And the Hidden Rain is also standing behind them. My master once praised the Cloud, saying they could bring a new atmosphere to the ninja world. I also think their methods are different from the other villages."
Hearing this, Kushina remembered Kayo's description of life in the Cloud. She had been tempted back then.
"You're amazing, Nagato-kun," she said sincerely. "You're younger than me, but you can already survive on your own in the ninja world."
Nagato rubbed his nose. "I wasn't always like this. My master taught me how to live in this world. Only by mastering power and muscle can you face this unsatisfactory world and help and protect those important to you. My master once said, 'All suffering is caused by the lack of ability and muscle of the person involved.' I'm still training!"
With that, he flexed his arm, creating a small sonic boom. His biceps, triceps, and deltoids rippled.
Kushina was stunned. It sounded profound, but she didn't really understand.
The Nine-Tails thought the kid had a screw loose.
"Do you have a dream, Nagato-kun?"
"Yes," he said shyly. "My dream is to create a world without pain!"
"Without... pain?" she repeated. "Is that even possible?"
"I know it's hard," he said. "But at least on the way to that dream, we can eliminate some pain, can't we? I want to create an organization dedicated to helping those who are suffering or about to suffer, just like my master saved me. Even if we can only save a few, it's a good thing."
"To be honest, I'm pretty strong! My master always said I was a genius."
Looking at the smiling, muscular Nagato, she was infected by his vitality. She suddenly felt that she should pull herself together.
"What about you?" he asked. "Do you have a dream?"
"I... not yet," she said awkwardly. "But I think your dream is amazing!"
The Nine-Tails sneered. Naive brat. Not even the old man could do that.
Nagato tore the rabbit in half and handed her a piece. "Well," he said, "let's eat and get going. I've taken a mission to kill a bear. I've already made a deal with the merchant guild in town. The gall bladder, skin, and paws will fetch a good price. The meat and bones can be sold in the local village. I've already wasted half a day taking care of you."
The sudden shift to pragmatism left her stunned.
"You can be my assistant," he said. "I'll teach you how to survive in the ninja world, just like my master taught me. We'll split the reward 30-70. What do you say?"
Her eyes began to sting, and she felt like crying.
"Twenty... eighty is enough..."