Night had fallen.
At the Akatsuki camp.
After several hours of travel, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan finally returned to the Akatsuki camp from Amegakure late into the night.
After greeting the members standing guard and confirming that nothing unusual had happened, the three of them gathered in Yahiko's room.
The conversation they had with Uchiha Ren earlier had given them far too much information.
It was obvious none of them would be able to sleep peacefully tonight.
An oil lamp was lit, its orange flame casting a soft glow that pushed back the darkness in the room.
Yahiko and Nagato sat at the table. Konan brought some dried rations and water, handing them to the two of them before sitting down as well.
Yahiko spoke first.
Looking at the other two, he asked,
"Nagato, Konan… what do you think about Brother Ren?"
Although Yahiko had a good impression of Ren, they had only just met. Some things were difficult to say directly in front of him.
But with Nagato and Konan, there were no such concerns.
The three of them had grown up together, relying on and supporting each other. They were closer than family—almost like a single life shared among three people.
There was nothing they couldn't say to each other.
Konan hesitated for a moment before answering.
"I don't think he has any ill intentions toward us."
"But the things he told us were simply too shocking. Their authenticity still needs to be verified."
Konan wasn't accusing Ren of lying.
It was simply that some of the information he revealed was so world-shattering that even if it were true, it was difficult to believe.
They needed time to process it.
"Brother Ren has no reason to lie to us," Nagato said after a pause.
He raised his hand and pressed lightly against his eye socket.
"Especially about the Rinnegan."
"To be honest, I've sensed for a long time that these eyes… reject me."
"I can't bring out their true power at all."
"These eyes… were never mine."
One understands one's own body best.
Nagato possessed enormous chakra reserves, an abnormally strong healing ability, and incredible stamina.
Logically speaking, he should have been an extremely robust shinobi.
Yet Nagato's body was thin and frail.
That alone was abnormal.
It was as if every individual score was perfect, yet the final total somehow fell short.
The Rinnegan was constantly drawing nourishment from his body—consuming his very life force.
In the past, Nagato believed the Rinnegan's power was simply too overwhelming and that he himself was too weak.
But the truth was…
He had never even used the Rinnegan's true power.
After Ren's explanation, Nagato finally realized the truth.
He was merely a container.
And how could a container possibly wield the power of the thing it carried?
Nagato gave a bitter smile.
"Now I can barely even face my own existence."
"I've been treated like a pawn since childhood… all for such a ridiculous reason."
Yahiko's expression grew serious as he comforted him.
"Nagato, don't overthink it."
"No matter what others have done to you, you've always acted according to your own will."
"You are still you."
"You are Nagato."
"Perhaps," Nagato nodded.
"But no matter what happened before, I've already found my own path."
"I won't let anyone manipulate me again."
Yahiko frowned when he heard this and said sternly,
"Nagato, don't rush to conclusions."
"A decision made in the heat of the moment doesn't necessarily reflect your true will—especially on matters like this."
Nagato's expression didn't change at all.
"Don't act like you're above this, Yahiko," he replied calmly.
"You clearly agree with Brother Ren's ideas, don't you?"
Yahiko froze.
The serious expression he had worked so hard to maintain collapsed instantly.
Scratching his head awkwardly, he said,
"Is it really that obvious?"
Nagato rolled his eyes but didn't respond.
Given the bond between the three of them, any small thought or emotion was obvious at a glance.
Yahiko sighed and admitted,
"Alright, I admit it. Brother Ren's ideas really do appeal to me."
"After all, I can't think of a better solution than his right now."
"But…"
Nagato immediately asked,
"But what?"
Yahiko shook his head.
"His ideas are a bit… extreme."
"That honestly scares me."
Nagato looked puzzled.
"Why would you say that?"
Yahiko smiled wryly.
"Back when Jiraiya-sensei used to chat with me, he sometimes talked about things in Konohagakure, including the Uchiha Clan."
"He said the Uchiha are extremely proud people… and they tend to go to extremes."
"At the time I didn't take it seriously."
"But after meeting Brother Ren today, I think I finally understand what he meant."
"First there's Uchiha Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan."
"That's practically no different from destroying the world."
"And in a way… Brother Ren's ideas might actually be even crazier."
"One wants to destroy the old world."
"The other wants to destroy the old order."
"Either way, they're basically declaring war against the entire world."
"That makes me worried…"
Yahiko didn't finish his sentence.
Saying outright that he worried Ren might be mentally unstable would be extremely rude.
But Nagato simply shook his head.
"Yahiko, your worries are unnecessary."
"It's true that Brother Ren's ideas sound extreme—even crazy."
"But that doesn't mean they're wrong."
"The thing that's wrong… is this world."
"A world trapped in endless conflict for thousands of years."
"This world is already terminally ill."
"Without strong medicine, it will never change."
"As for your concerns…"
"They don't really matter."
"Regardless of what Brother Ren may become in the future, what matters is that his ideas are correct right now."
"And what we need to uphold is simply that idea itself."
"So as long as we stay true to our own hearts, why worry about distant hypotheticals?"
Yahiko stared at Nagato in silence.
He had never expected that one day Nagato would lecture him instead.
In the past, Nagato usually followed Yahiko's lead and rarely voiced his own opinions.
But now, not only could Nagato argue with him, he could even lecture him in return.
And that made Yahiko feel something deep in his heart.
Relief.
No—more than that.
Pride.
He felt genuinely happy.
Because this meant Nagato had finally found his own path.
And Nagato was right.
Just because they agreed with Uchiha Ren's ideas didn't mean they had to follow him blindly.
They could still walk their own path, inspired by those ideas.
Yahiko's earlier worries suddenly felt unnecessary.
"I guess I was overthinking things."
Yahiko slowly exhaled before breaking into a bright smile.
"The next time we meet Brother Ren…"
"Let's ask him to explain his ideas in more detail."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789