The Hyuga territory lay in ruins.
Nagato knew Jiraiya was strong, and he knew that Naruto, empowered by Sage Mode, was no less formidable. If he had faced them alone, even he would have failed. The unfortunate truth, however, was that he was not alone.
So it was Naruto who was impaled on the ground. As for Jiraiya-sensei, after losing an arm, the previously overwhelming battle turned precarious, and then he was poisoned, unable to move. Meanwhile, the Sixth Hokage was swiftly neutralized by Obito—not because Danzo was weak, but because Obito was overwhelmingly strong.
Even on Akatsuki's side, things were grim. Nagato had suffered minor injuries, and the others fared worse—probably the only one relatively unscathed was Konan. Her mastery of aerial combat made her extremely difficult to handle.
With even the highest-ranking Akatsuki members barely managing, the Konoha ninjas truly witnessed the power of a god.
Nagato walked a few steps toward Naruto, crouching down to meet the boy's piercing blue eyes. Konan also had beautiful blue eyes—but why did these feel so unsettling? Was it the hatred buried beneath the pupils?
"Naruto, you're eloquent. I cannot outtalk you."
This simple statement redefined the Akatsuki's understanding. Nagato… couldn't outtalk someone? How impressive must that person be?!
"I have indeed killed many people and incurred many debts. But I do not think I owe Konoha. On the contrary, Konoha owes me… our Konan… our… never mind. Like you said, the reasons are irrelevant. I cannot change your mind. But I do not intend to kill you. Your existence proves the absurdity of humanity. And for that, I will let you live. You must live well, to prove that you are wrong."
Nagato truly harbored no killing intent—but some in Konoha seemed to think otherwise.
A young girl with Byakugan burst forward. Nagato instinctively took a few steps back to give distance, and he finally recalled who this daring intruder was.
Hinata Hyuga. The girl Shino had long admired, who always insisted she would be his future wife.
Yet she had manipulated Shino's affection, deceived him, and ultimately coaxed away his eyes. In truth, if Hinata simply said, "Those eyes belong to my father. You should return them now," Shino would have obeyed without hesitation. There had been no need to deceive him with words of affection.
—Hinata, run! He's here for the Hyuga clan. You can't beat him!
—I stand here of my own will. To protect Naruto-kun, I fear nothing, even death!
This was the dialogue of youth. Without knowing the full story, Nagato might have cheered the brave girl. But he knew how this beautiful young girl had exploited a naïve boy. This "heroic" scene only made him want to curse.
Loving someone is not wrong—but it is never a reason to harm the person who loves you.
Yet Nagato said nothing crude. He merely looked at Hinata and spoke gently, without an ounce of killing intent.
"Child, do you remember someone giving you an incredibly ugly grass butterfly?"
Hinata blinked, confused.
"Did you lose it?"
She said nothing.
"Good. You don't deserve it."
Nagato raised his hand, sending Hinata flying—though this time, he left her eyes intact.
…Later…
Sakura appeared, just in time to see Nagato launch Hinata with Shinra Tensei. Out of camaraderie from their days as peers, Sakura ensured Hinata landed safely.
Then the impaled Naruto called out her name. Sakura carefully set Hinata down, checked her over—she was unharmed, eyes unscathed. After a few simple instructions and confirming safety, Sakura headed toward the battlefield.
At that moment, Obito spoke.
"Don't you think someone's missing? That guy Neji hasn't shown up yet."
"Sakura—"
"I just found out their team went on a mission today," Sakura replied calmly. Her eyes were slightly red from crying, but otherwise composed. She observed the battlefield: the impaled Naruto, the incapacitated Sasuke, former teammates, and high-ranking instructors all down. Yet her expression remained unchanged.
"Unbelievable. Not a single one of them died?"
Many were stunned. Her words were merciless yet accurate.
Itachi pointed to a nearby ANBU.
"That one's about to die."
"Oh, that's just nobody. Not relevant. I know none of my people have died. Amazing."
Nagato looked at Sakura, perplexed.
"Are you finished with your task?"
"Just finished. Come to see your progress. But I just learned the third team went on a mission—don't know when they'll be back. Should we wait here or come next time?"
"Sakura!!!!"
Naruto roared, his piercing blue eyes wide with shock, disbelief, and overwhelming emotion—so much so that one could question if it was truly Naruto.
"What are you saying?! Why are you with them?! Why harm your comrades?! They're bad people! They've killed so many! Why would you do this?! Why betray us?! I—I trusted you all this time!!!"
Hysteria. If Naruto still had the Nine-Tails, perhaps its chakra would erupt. Now, only Kurama remained.
"Eh? Sakura, I heard the Nine-Tails once chased after you," Kisame teased. Sakura laughed, waving him off.
"That's in the past. But I never used him for anything."
"I say, were we supposed to come to Konoha just to chat? Are we fighting or not?! Seriously!" Hidan snapped, bloodied and battered but clearly enjoying himself.
Sakura shrugged, arms crossed, watching Naruto.
"Some things need to be said, Naruto. And…"
She paused briefly, then her gaze fell on the nearby Sasuke. Her expression was a mix of slight smile and detached composure, both familiar and unrecognizable.
━━━━ ❖ ━━━
If you're enjoying the story, the complete fanfic is already available on P@treon(.)com/Crimson_Lore