After a brief pause, Uchiha Ren continued speaking.
"However, by the time Uchiha Madara fused with Hashirama Senju's power and awakened the Rinnegan, he was already old."
"He no longer had the strength to carry out the peace plan recorded on that stone tablet—the one that required the Rinnegan to achieve."
"So while he implanted the Rinnegan into Nagato, he also began searching for a successor."
"The masked man you met... is the unlucky one Madara selected."
"Unlucky?" Yahiko asked in confusion. "Why say that? Isn't inheriting Madara's legacy supposed to be a good thing?"
From Yahiko's perspective, one's will belonged to oneself. Even if someone accepted Madara's training, that didn't mean they had to inherit Madara's ideology.
If it made them stronger, it could help them better achieve their own ideals. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with that.
Ren shook his head.
"Madara's method of choosing a successor is a bit different from what you're imagining. In order to make that masked man inherit his will, Madara planned for a very long time."
After a short pause, Ren looked at Yahiko and said calmly,
"Imagine something like this: you die first… and then he makes you watch Konan die at Nagato's hands."
Yahiko shuddered.
He instantly understood what Ren meant.
That kind of thing was truly…
Yahiko couldn't even describe the feeling. All he knew was that he would never be able to accept such a reality.
Ren continued,
"In short, Madara wasn't raising a successor so much as cultivating a pawn."
"When you're Madara's successor, you don't exactly get human rights."
Yahiko nodded stiffly.
He no longer envied Uchiha Obito for receiving Madara's guidance.
Obito truly was an unlucky man.
After remaining silent for a long time, Nagato finally spoke again.
"Brother Ren… I want to know what Madara's plan actually is."
As a pawn, Nagato wanted to know the goal he was supposedly destined to struggle toward.
Since the conversation had reached this point, Ren no longer hid anything.
"The Eye of the Moon Plan."
"A plan to use a technique called Infinite Tsukuyomi to trap the entire world inside a massive illusion."
"Because each person's illusion would be different, everyone could become a victorious person surrounded by love within their own dream."
Nagato: "…"
Yahiko: "…"
Konan: "…"
Some things simply left people speechless.
This so-called Eye of the Moon Plan sounded like something that could only fool a three-year-old child.
Yahiko eventually asked,
"Then… what would happen to people in reality?"
Ren answered calmly.
"They would be suspended from trees…"
"And while immersed in those beautiful dreams, they would gradually be transformed into humanoid weapons known as White Zetsu, losing their own will."
The three of them fell silent.
Perhaps they shouldn't have asked that question.
How could such a ridiculous plan possibly contain anything worth admiring?
Ren ignored their expressions and continued.
"No matter what you think, that masked man will not give up on you."
Nagato shook his head firmly.
"No matter what happens, I will never accept his ideas."
"You don't need to accept them," Ren replied.
"According to Madara's plan, Nagato, you're merely a container—a tool."
"You only need to use the power of the Rinnegan to revive Madara at the appropriate time."
"He probably left many contingencies within your body. Your personal will isn't important."
Nagato froze for a moment before anger flashed across his face.
He had never imagined that, in Madara's eyes, he amounted to nothing more than that.
Yahiko, however, suddenly looked alarmed.
"Then doesn't that mean Nagato is in great danger? Brother Ren, can you help him?"
"Not yet."
Ren shook his head before adding seriously,
"Besides, Madara is already dead. The measures he left behind may never be activated."
"The one you should worry about right now is that masked man."
Yahiko frowned.
"Why?"
Ren explained,
"Because that masked man has already gone mad."
"According to Madara's plan, he shouldn't have met with you like this at all."
"But right now, he simply wants to drag Nagato into the same darkness he fell into."
"Yahiko… Konan… both of you could become tools he uses to guide Nagato."
Nagato frowned deeply.
"Brother Ren… are you saying he might attack Yahiko and Konan?"
Ren nodded.
"That possibility cannot be ruled out."
"And his ability is extremely strange. He appears and disappears unpredictably."
"You may not be able to defend against him."
After a pause, Ren added,
"More importantly, for certain reasons, I will not take action against him for the time being."
"So I cannot remove this hidden danger for you."
"For a while, you'll need to remain vigilant yourselves. Try not to act alone."
"He wants to guide Nagato into darkness—not to make Nagato hate him."
"So as long as the three of you stay together, it will be difficult for him to find an opportunity."
Kamui, Obito's space–time ability, made him nearly impossible to capture if he chose to escape.
Even Ren would need careful preparation to deal with him.
At this stage, Ren had no intention of confronting Obito head-on.
Yahiko nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry, Brother Ren. We'll be careful."
Ren smiled slightly.
"Of course, you don't need to worry too much either. Before I leave the Land of Rain, I'll leave you with a safeguard."
"A safeguard?"
The three of them looked puzzled.
"You'll find out when the time comes."
Ren waved it off lightly before asking,
"Anyway, now that we've talked enough… are you heading back tonight, or staying here for the night?"
Yahiko thought for a moment.
"I'd love to talk more with you, Brother Ren, but the Akatsuki can't really function without us right now. We'll have to return today."
"There will be other opportunities," Ren said with a nod. "When Shimura Danzō makes his move, I'll send someone to inform you."
"Be careful yourselves."
"Understood."
The three of them nodded seriously, fully aware of how grave the situation was.
"Oh, right."
Ren suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Consider this a small gift from me."
He reached into his pouch and took out three palm-sized red booklets, handing one to each of them.
The covers were entirely red, without a single word printed on them.
Only a strange emblem was drawn on the front—
a hammer crossed with a sickle.
Yahiko looked puzzled.
"Brother Ren… what is this?"
Ren smiled faintly.
"These are some thoughts I compiled—my own views on the world, combined with the ideas of a certain predecessor."
"When you have time, you can read them."
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