"I couldn't believe in Jiraiya... no, I couldn't even believe in myself."
"But I can feel it. The path you walk will lead to a different future than mine."
On the outskirts of Konoha, a massive tree camouflaged with paper stood atop the highest point.
Inside the dim hollow of the tree, a withered red-haired man sat on a specialized mobility device, over ten black iron rods pierced into his back.
Beside him stood a woman wearing the Akatsuki's black cloak with red clouds, watching him with deep concern.
In front of them, Uzumaki Naruto stood at the entrance.
The fierce battle with Pain had just ended in Naruto's victory.
Using the heightened perception of Sage Mode, Naruto followed the trace of chakra within the black rods to find the mastermind behind the Six Paths of Pain.
After a conversation, Naruto discovered that the person who killed his mentor and father figure, Jiraiya, was actually Jiraiya's former disciple.
It was Nagato and Konan, the leaders of the Akatsuki.
After a clash of ideals, Nagato was ultimately unable to withstand Naruto's persuasive will and was swayed.
"I'll put my faith in you, Uzumaki Naruto."
Nagato pulled his hands out of the control device and slowly formed the Ram hand seal.
"Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique."
"Nagato, are you really—"
Seeing Nagato's posture, Konan's face filled with unbelievable anxiety.
Before she could finish, Nagato cut her off.
"Konan, that's enough."
"I have a new choice now... a choice I once abandoned."
Nagato's hands trembled as he transitioned to the Snake seal.
His exposed Rinnegan pulsed with a deep, eerie glow.
Watching this, Naruto was confused.
"Nagato, what kind of jutsu is this? What are you trying to do?"
Konan looked at Naruto and whispered, "The power of the Rinnegan isn't just for controlling the Six Paths of Pain. Legend says it can transcend the cycle of life and death."
"Nagato's visual prowess has the power to control life and death."
Though she tried to sound calm, she couldn't hide the grief in her voice.
With Nagato's current chakra levels, there was no way he could survive performing such a technique.
But as a lifelong companion who was more like family, Konan couldn't stop Nagato now that he was resolved to die.
Nagato's raspy voice echoed through the silent tree hollow.
"Outer Path—"
"No, you don't."
An unfamiliar voice rang out abruptly. A palm reached out and gripped Nagato's skeletal hands.
With a slight push, the hand forced apart Nagato's completed seal.
"Who's there?!"
Nagato was shocked; he hadn't sensed the newcomer's presence at all.
He glanced to the side to see a young man with short hair standing on his mobility device, holding his wrist. A pair of crimson Sharingan glowed intensely in the shadows.
Sharingan?
"You're from the Uchiha Clan?"
As far as he knew, after Itachi's death, the only Uchihas left were his brother Sasuke and the masked man claiming to be Madara.
In fact, it was still unclear if the one claiming to be Madara was even an Uchiha.
"Or are you his subordinate? Did he send you to stop me?"
The youth shook his head with a chuckle and released Nagato's hands.
"I can guess who you mean by 'him'."
"Hmph, I'm not with him. He's just a rat hiding in the shadows. If anything, we're enemies."
"But you're right about one thing. I am of the Uchiha, a ghost from the past. My name is Shisui Uchiha."
This young man was indeed Shisui, who had been observing the battle.
After the fight ended, he followed Naruto's trail here.
He had overheard the entire conversation between Naruto and Nagato.
Seeing that Nagato's ability was so incredible it could manipulate life and death, Shisui couldn't sit still and stepped in to stop him.
'It seems the legends of the Rinnegan are true. It can even reverse death.'
'He can even see my current form. I'm glad I came.'
Seeing Nagato talking to thin air, Konan looked on in alarm and immediately went on guard, her body beginning to fracture into paper sheets.
"Nagato, who are you talking to? An enemy?"
Naruto also became alert at the sight.
"What's going on, Nagato? What was that about the Uchiha Clan?"
His blue eyes darted around, but he saw nothing.
Noticing their confusion out of the corner of his eye, Nagato refocused on Shisui, his gaze filled with wariness.
He had heard of Shisui Uchiha's name before; it was said that his Body Flicker was so fast he had made a terrifying name for himself on the battlefields against the Hidden Mist.
But he was supposed to have died long before the Uchiha Massacre.
"It seems they can't see you... Are you really the ghost of Shisui Uchiha?"
"Indeed I am."
Shisui nodded. Sensing Nagato's concern for his companions, he said softly, "Don't worry, I won't strike at the living without cause."
Nagato reacted immediately, shouting to the two in the hollow, "Konan, Naruto! Both of you, get out of here!"
'Won't strike without cause...'
That meant if he had a good enough reason, he wouldn't hesitate.
Nagato didn't know if this Uchiha ghost was friend or foe, and he couldn't trust him.
More importantly, this man gave him a faint but persistent sense of danger.
He was a god among men, the Sage of the Six Paths reborn; he feared nothing for himself, but he couldn't be careless with his companions.
"I understand."
Hearing Nagato's command, Konan froze for a moment before gritting her teeth and running toward the exit.
As she passed Naruto, sheets of paper swirled around him, wrapping up the confused boy and dragging him out of the tree.
"Let me go! Something's happening with Nagato, I can't leave!"
"What could you even do there?"
"Only Nagato can see the enemy. Staying would just make us a burden to him."
Seeing Naruto struggle, Konan tightened the paper restraints.
Since Nagato trusted Naruto so much, she would choose to trust him as well.
She couldn't let anything happen to Naruto.
Once they were gone, Nagato let out a silent sigh of relief and looked back at Shisui.
"You didn't stop Konan and the boy."
"Consider it a gesture of good faith," Shisui said, hopping down to the ground. "They aren't my targets, but you made a wise choice."
"Good faith? Targets?"
With Konan and Naruto gone, Nagato felt more composed.
He scrutinized Shisui with his Rinnegan. This Shisui was very different from the usual souls he saw.
But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what the difference was.
"What do you want with me? What is your goal?"
"That information is confidential. I'm not at liberty to say."
Shisui paused, his expression relaxing slightly.
"However, since you might become a colleague in the future, I can give you a little preview."
"To put it in terms you'd understand, I am an emissary of the Soul Reaper. I've come to the Shinobi world to collect the souls of the powerful."
"You're strong and you meet the criteria. I can recommend you to my Lord."
Nagato's expression shifted. The 'Soul Reaper' Shisui spoke of sounded absurd.
He had lived through countless deaths and seen many powerful warriors fall, but he had never seen a 'Soul Reaper'.
Yet Shisui didn't look like he was lying.
Shinobi were masters of deception, but Shisui's words and his demeanor when mentioning the Soul Reaper held no trace of falsehood.
Nagato could sense that when talking about this Soul Reaper, Shisui's voice was filled with genuine reverence.
He got the feeling that to Shisui, any form of deception would be an insult to this Soul Reaper.
Nagato understood that feeling well; he felt the same way himself.
Just as he was with Yahiko, he would never tolerate any insult toward him.
"Shisui Uchiha, for now, I'll believe you and the existence of this 'Soul Reaper' of yours."
"So, have you come to collect my soul? And what do you intend to do with it?"
"I'm not dead yet."
He was crippled and his chakra was nearly depleted from his fight with Naruto.
But with the power of the Rinnegan, he feared no ghost or spirit.
He didn't know what they wanted with his soul, but based on the stories he'd read, soul-collecting was never the work of the righteous.
"Put away your hostility, Nagato."
Sensing Nagato's rising killing intent, Shisui held up a hand to calm him.
"I didn't come here to be your enemy. I came here to recruit you."
"My Lord is always seeking talent. He would be pleased to have a powerhouse like you under his command."
"Is that all?" Nagato asked with a frown. "This isn't some evil scheme to sacrifice souls to summon a dark god?"
"You've been reading too many novels."
Shisui sighed. This mastermind behind a shadow organization was supposedly Jiraiya's disciple, but his imagination was something else.
Considering Jiraiya was an author, the student certainly took after the master.
Shisui's expression turned serious. "The Lord we follow may be a Soul Reaper, but he is an honorable gentleman. He is nothing like those petty heretics."
"Since you don't know any better and might even become our colleague, I'll overlook your insolence this once."
"But there won't be a second time!"
Nagato remained unmoved by the warning.
"I've grasped your purpose for now, but as I said, I'm still alive."
"You call yourself an emissary of this Soul Reaper. Did you appear now to take a living soul ahead of time?"
"Of course not," Shisui replied. "From your companion's reaction earlier, reversing life and death comes at a heavy price."
"And in your current state..."
Shisui glanced at the emaciated Nagato. He clearly didn't have long to live.
To perform such a heaven-defying technique, the price would likely be the caster's life.
Even though Nagato appeared to be a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, he probably couldn't avoid that fate.
"Nagato, I'll be blunt."
"You're going to die anyway. It makes no difference whether I show up now or a bit later."
Nagato's face darkened. "Then why did you stop me just now?"
"If you can see that I'll die anyway after using it, wouldn't letting me die serve your interests better?"
Shisui was silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "Disturbing the cycle of life and death is generally forbidden. That's why I stopped you."
The dead should not interfere with the living. That was the warning Ren had given them.
Similarly, the living shouldn't interfere with the dead, let alone blur the line between the two. Though Ren had never explicitly said it, Shisui could tell his master didn't approve of such things.
Nagato resurrecting the living fell right into that category.
Even though Ren had permitted the Uchiha Clan's revenge for this operation in the Shinobi world, that was the limit.
Their authority was restricted; they couldn't just do whatever they wanted, and there was a time limit.
Normally, as a subordinate, Shisui should have followed those rules.
But now, facing Nagato, a new idea occurred to him.
"You want to revive the people of Konoha you killed, right, Nagato?"
"Let's make a deal."
"What kind of deal?" Nagato asked.
"I can turn a blind eye to your actions. In exchange, after you die, your soul must willingly come with us and serve the Lord," Shisui said.
In Shisui's view, his master was ultimately too kind and disdained underhanded tactics.
Even when recruiting subordinates, he wanted them to be willing.
Just like when Shisui died; despite having the power to take him by force, Ren still made a deal with his ghost.
But Shisui was different. He was a ninja, a tool.
To achieve his goals, he wouldn't hesitate to use darker methods.
He had said it was wise of Nagato to send his companions away, but ultimately it was futile—they couldn't escape his grasp.
Even if they were far away, he could retrieve their souls at any time.
Only out of consideration for Nagato's future loyalty did Shisui temporarily hold back.
"Among those in Konoha, I've set my sights on a powerful soul named Kakashi Hatake. Just leave him out when you revive the others."
Shisui had done a quick sweep when he arrived.
Most people killed by that massive destructive move were just insignificant flies, not worth recruiting.
Combined with Tsunade's quick reaction, there weren't as many dead experts as he had imagined.
The only one who caught his eye was Kakashi.
If the Lord were here, he might have been soft-hearted enough to take everyone, just like he took those underlings of Whitebeard's.
But Shisui wouldn't do that.
"The Copy Ninja? Fine."
Nagato nodded, then asked, "But I have a question."
"You say you're here to collect powerful souls. Does that mean you would actively persecute people or start wars for that purpose?"
Shisui shook his head. "No. As I said, I won't strike the living without cause. Disturbing the cycle of life and death is not permitted."
"By whom? This 'Soul Reaper' you mentioned?"
"Exactly."
Shisui paused, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips.
"Based on the intel I have, even if we don't act, that masked man in your organization likely will. He's plotting something big."
"I see."
Nagato nodded slowly. After a moment's thought, a faint light flickered in his eyes.
"I agree."
"I'll give my soul to you after I die. But let me be clear: I will be watching your actions regarding this matter."
He possessed the Rinnegan and had been a god among the living.
Even in death, he would be no ordinary spirit.
He had absolute confidence in his own strength.
Shisui held out his hand, his expression open and honest. "As you wish."
"Shisui Uchiha... What confidence."
Nagato didn't hesitate any longer and formed the seals again.
What little chakra remained in his body erupted and began to drain away completely.
"Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!"
As the technique activated, Nagato's withered hair turned white in an instant, losing its original color.
A massive King of Hell, invisible to the living, was summoned in the center of the crater in Konoha. It opened its exaggerated mouth and spat out the souls of the Konoha villagers who had died.
Just before his breath failed him, in a daze, Nagato thought he saw a glimpse of Jiraiya.
'Master... does this count as not bringing shame to your name as your disciple?'
Shisui looked toward the distant village. The massive King of Hell stood there, and after releasing all the souls in its mouth, it finally dissipated.
This was the final thing Shisui would do for the home he had protected in life.
From now on, he had no connection to it.
He was simply the most effective tool in his Lord's hands.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]