Revealing information about Obito to Yahiko and the others was not a decision Ren made lightly. It was the result of careful consideration.
At present, Obito's sole goal was to guide Nagato down the path of darkness.
In the original course of events, Obito had even killed members of the Akatsuki who attempted to rescue Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan after they fell into the trap set by Shimura Danzō and Hanzo of the Salamander, ultimately leading to Yahiko's death.
Although Ren's arrival had already altered the course of events to some extent, Obito would inevitably look for another opportunity after missing this one.
If Yahiko and the others remained completely unaware, they would inevitably fall under Obito's influence.
When they heard this, the three of them froze for a moment, recalling the strange man who had approached them before the Akatsuki was founded.
Yahiko spoke first.
"Brother Ren… do you know the mysterious man who called himself Uchiha Madara?"
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? So he has already made contact with you."
Yahiko nodded.
"When the three of us had just started operating, that mysterious man claiming to be Uchiha Madara came to us."
"His target was Nagato… or rather, Nagato's Rinnegan."
"He said his organization had inherited the will passed down by the Sage of Six Paths, and that their mission was to guide the bearer of the Rinnegan onto the correct path."
"He kept talking about how wherever there is light, there will also be darkness… how victors inevitably create losers… how selfish attempts to protect peace will lead to war… and how protecting love will inevitably give birth to hatred…"
"His words sounded reasonable at first."
"But then he said he wanted to sever the world's bonds of causality and create a world where there were only victors, only love, and only peace."
"How could something like that be achieved?"
"I felt his intentions weren't genuine, so I refused."
As Yahiko recalled that meeting with Obito, he still felt a lingering chill.
The man's presence had been overwhelmingly dark. His entire body radiated a bloody aura, like a demon crawling out of hell.
For a long time afterward, Yahiko hadn't been able to sleep well, afraid the man might return.
Thinking of this, Yahiko looked at Ren and asked curiously,
"Brother Ren, do you know who that mysterious man really is?"
"I do."
Ren nodded.
"Although he isn't actually Uchiha Madara, he is connected to him. You could say he is Madara's successor."
Yahiko was stunned.
He hadn't expected that the mysterious man truly had ties to the legendary Asura of the Shinobi World.
Ren continued calmly,
"As for what he told you, just listen and forget it. Don't take them to heart."
"Those words are nothing more than a lie… one that even he himself has been deceived by."
Nagato frowned slightly.
"Brother Ren, are you saying the ideal he spoke about—'a world with only victors and only love'—is a lie?"
Nagato couldn't deny that he had almost been persuaded by Obito that day.
If Yahiko hadn't firmly rejected him at the time, Nagato might have joined Obito's organization on impulse.
It wasn't only because of the beautiful world Obito described.
It was also because of Obito's knowledge of the Rinnegan.
Nagato himself had always been searching for the secrets behind his eyes.
Ren nodded.
"Within the Uchiha Clan Shrine, there is a special stone tablet that has been passed down since ancient times."
"It records secrets that can only be read with the Sharingan."
"Among them are the method for awakening the Rinnegan… and also a method said to create that so-called world of 'only victors and only love.'"
"The method for awakening the Rinnegan?"
Nagato froze in shock.
"Are you saying the Rinnegan evolves from the Sharingan?"
Nagato was so stunned by the revelation about the Rinnegan that he subconsciously ignored the part about creating a perfect world.
Yahiko and Konan were equally shocked, instinctively turning their gazes toward Nagato's eyes.
Ren explained,
"Our Uchiha Clan are the descendants of Indra, the eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths. We inherited the Sage's eyes."
"The Senju Clan of the Forest, on the other hand, are descendants of the Sage's younger son, Asura, inheriting the Sage's body."
"Under normal circumstances, the ultimate evolution of the Sharingan is the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
"But if the Eternal Mangekyō obtains the power of the Senju…"
"…it can trigger another evolution."
"And gain the power of the Sage of Six Paths."
"That power is the Rinnegan."
Ren deliberately withheld part of the truth. Matters involving Indra and Asura's chakra were far too secretive; revealing them might actually reduce the credibility of his explanation.
Even so, Yahiko and the others were utterly stunned.
Nagato muttered in disbelief,
"But I'm not from the Uchiha Clan… and I'm not from the Senju Clan either."
"So why do I possess the Rinnegan…?"
He trailed off.
Because by now, Nagato had already realized that a massive conspiracy lay hidden behind his eyes.
Ren's next words confirmed his suspicion.
"That's right."
"The Rinnegan you possess… was never originally yours."
"It was entrusted to you by Uchiha Madara."
"As for the reason…"
"The Uzumaki Clan are distant relatives of the Senju. They are also descendants of Asura and possess the potential to awaken the Sage's body."
"Only the constitution of the Senju or Uzumaki can withstand the burden of these eyes."
"But there are very few Senju or Uzumaki left in the shinobi world now."
"Nagato…"
"You are the pawn chosen by Uchiha Madara."
Nagato's expression instantly darkened.
Because of the Rinnegan and Jiraiya's guidance, Nagato had once believed he was the Child of Prophecy—a special existence destined to carry out a great mission in this world.
But now he learned the truth.
He was merely a container used to nurture someone else's eyes.
A pawn in someone else's game.
How could he possibly accept that calmly?
However, Yahiko suddenly thought of something that didn't make sense.
"But wait," he said.
"Wasn't Uchiha Madara killed by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, a long time ago?"
"Nagato wasn't even born back then, right?"
Nagato and Konan both looked toward Ren.
From a timeline perspective, something clearly didn't add up.
But Ren simply shook his head.
"In truth…"
"Uchiha Madara did not die in that battle."
"In fact, he obtained Hashirama Senju's power during it."
"The Uchiha possess a forbidden ocular technique known as Izanagi."
"It allows the user to rewrite reality itself, turning an unfavorable outcome into a favorable one."
"Madara used that technique to fake his death and escape."
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