"Got no last words? Then you can die now."
Seeing that Danzō had nothing left to say, Deva Path used Universal Pull to drag him over.
As Danzō's expression turned to panic, Human Path emotionlessly began extracting his soul.
Minato Namikaze didn't stop Nagato.
He didn't care if Nagato saw the memories buried in Danzō's filthy soul.
Even though Danzō was a Konoha advisor and part of the village's higher-ups, under the Third Hokage's suppression, there were still things he didn't know—especially some of the village's top-level intel.
As for information outside the village, that didn't matter.
Showing Danzō's memories to Nagato was also a way of expressing sincerity.
Like he said before—if a fight can be avoided, then don't fight.
If they killed Nagato and Konan, his teacher Jiraiya would definitely be heartbroken.
But then again, maybe not for long.
After all, with the existence of resurrection techniques, Jiraiya would definitely find a way to bring his three disciples back.
"Well, Nagato, do you feel our sincerity now?"
Minato saw that Danzō had truly died and knew it was now his turn to speak.
"I do feel your sincerity," Nagato said calmly, "but that doesn't give you the right to invade Amegakure."
"Invade Amegakure?"
Hearing that, Minato frowned and replied, "Now that's not fair. I haven't even stepped foot into Amegakure this whole time."
Now it was Nagato's turn to frown.
Because he knew Minato was telling the truth.
Using that as a reason to start a fight didn't seem to hold much ground.
At this point, Nagato hadn't fallen into darkness as deeply as he had in the original storyline.
He killed Hanzo because Hanzo caused Yahiko's death, along with the deaths of their fellow organization members.
Killing Danzo just now was for the same reason.
To attack the Fourth Hokage without a proper reason—he really couldn't bring himself to do it.
More importantly, even if they fought, it wasn't guaranteed he could stop Minato.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was just too unfair.
In a hidden chamber within Amegakure, Konan noticed Nagato was hesitating. She spoke up, "Nagato, why don't we at least hear what he has to say?"
Nagato nodded, then controlled Deva Path to speak to Minato.
"Fourth Hokage, tell me your true reason for coming to Amegakure. Danzo alone shouldn't be worth a personal visit from you, right?"
"Danzo truly isn't worth mentioning," Minato replied with a chuckle. "But as a gift, I still need to make sure he's delivered to the right hands."
Minato gave a soft laugh, realizing Nagato's attitude had softened.
Since that was the case, then there was room for negotiation.
"My main reason for coming to Amegakure this time is simple—I don't want to be your enemy."
"That simple?"
"That simple."
"Fine. I won't stand against Konoha for the time being. You can rest easy on that."
Nagato had thought this through.
As for the plan to capture the tailed beasts—that masked man, Madara, had only briefly mentioned it to him.
Even if he was tempted by the idea, without any operatives, the plan couldn't be executed.
He had already made up his mind. He would lie low for a few years, gather all the core members of the Akatsuki, and when the time came to start the Tailed Beast Capture Plan, he could completely turn against Konoha.
As for whether Masked Madara lived or died — what did that have to do with him?
They weren't close. There was no way he'd recklessly go against Konoha for the sake of some mysterious stranger.
He had turned dark, yes — but he wasn't brainless.
"Within a short time?"
Minato's mind turned quickly. He immediately understood what Nagato was thinking.
As long as the other side intended to capture tailed beasts, it was only a matter of time before they clashed with Konoha.
After all, his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
He thought, rather than enjoy a short-lived peace, it would be better to lay everything on the table.
If Nagato wouldn't give up the Tailed Beast Plan, then they'd fight.
Why? Because this time, he had someone backing him.
He had every reason to stand tall.
"Nagato, what if I told you your Tailed Beast Capture Plan is a complete conspiracy — would you believe me?"
"A conspiracy?"
The Deva Path puppet's face remained calm — it was just a corpse, after all.
But behind it, Nagato was clearly shaken.
"Did Madara tell you that?"
Minato shook his head and replied, "Don't underestimate Konoha's intelligence network. He didn't tell me this. And he's not Uchiha Madara. He's my former student — Uchiha Obito."
"So that's how it is."
Whether the masked man was Uchiha Madara or Uchiha Obito, Nagato didn't really care.
What he wanted to know was the truth behind the Tailed Beast capture plan.
"Why should I believe you?"
"Once I tell you the truth, whether you believe it or not is up to you."
After speaking, Minato explained everything to Nagato — the Tailed Beast plan, the Eye of the Moon, Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu, and Otsutsuki Kaguya.
With Six Paths Madara and Hashirama secretly watching from the shadows, he wasn't worried about Black Zetsu finding out.
If Black Zetsu dared to show up, Madara would definitely catch him.
They wouldn't kill him — after all, he was Kaguya's third son — but torture? That was guaranteed.
Madara would never forget how Black Zetsu tricked him, and how Hashirama laughed at him after learning the truth.
Hashirama was his best buddy, yet just a little stronger than him.
Fighting Hashirama didn't help him vent — if anything, it just made him angrier.
So Black Zetsu was the perfect punching bag.
As long as he didn't use powerful Yin-Yang Release, Black Zetsu wouldn't die.
So really, was there any better sandbag than Black Zetsu?
"Nagato, do you believe what the Fourth Hokage said?"
In the hidden chamber, after Nagato relayed everything Minato told him, Konan was clearly shocked.
She had already suspected the masked man and Zetsu, thinking they were up to no good.
But she never imagined things were this complicated.
Even Nagato's Rinnegan wasn't originally his — it had been placed in him by Uchiha Madara to nurture it.
"Konan, what do you think I should do?"
At that moment, Nagato was at a loss.
The Fourth Hokage had traveled all that distance just to speak to him — there was no reason for him to lie.
It was precisely because he believed that the Fourth Hokage was probably telling the truth that Nagato hesitated.
Should he risk resurrecting Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and continue the secret plan to capture the Tailed Beasts, using force to intimidate the ninja world into peace?
Or should he give it all up?
He simply couldn't make the decision.
Seeing Deva Path remain silent for a long time, Minato naturally realized that Nagato was struggling inside.
On one side was the temptation of achieving peace for the ninja world.
On the other was the fear of plunging it into total destruction.
One thought leads to heaven, the other to hell.
Considering Nagato's background as someone who never had formal education, this decision truly wasn't easy for him.
But since Nagato couldn't make up his mind, Minato decided to push him with a bold move.
"Mr. Madara, First Hokage-sama, please eliminate all of the Pains except for Deva Path."
Swish. Swish.
Under the wary gazes of the Six Paths of Pain, the Six Paths versions of Madara and Hashirama officially made their entrance.
****
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