Nagato arrived as promised.
Led by Fugaku, the group of four—Nagato, Kagetsu, and Jiraiya—headed toward the Uchiha clan's Naka Shrine.
"That is the stone tablet the Uchiha clan has guarded for generations."
Inside the dim shrine, Fugaku guided the three guests to a stone monument deep within. The warm glow of firelight lit up the darkness, revealing the ancient tablet clearly.
"The Hokage believes that your Rinnegan can read more than what others see," Fugaku said, turning to glance at Nagato. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, his tone cautious.
"But I ask that whatever you see… you do not share it with others."
He didn't particularly care if Konoha's top brass discovered some of the Uchiha clan's secrets.
After all, to Orochimaru and the rest of the village's inner circle, the Uchiha hardly had any secrets left.
Not only had they turned over their ancient scrolls and historical records, but even the bodies of some deceased clan members had been dissected and analyzed countless times in the Technology Development Department.
Fugaku had long come to terms with these things. But deep in his heart, a stubborn pride still remained—a desire to keep the truth etched into the Uchiha Stone Tablet away from the eyes of outsiders.
After all, the method of evolving the Sharingan was far too bizarre.
If it were to spread across the Shinobi World, people's perception of the Uchiha clan might change in unpredictable ways.
This was something Fugaku did not want to see.
Especially now—with Itachi growing stronger and having a real chance of becoming Hokage—Fugaku was even more determined to keep these secrets hidden.
"I promise," Nagato nodded.
He was only here to help and to confirm a problem with his own eyes.
The Uchiha clan's secrets didn't concern him at all.
As he spoke, Nagato's Rinnegan began to scan the stone tablet in front of him, illuminated by the firelight.
Under the watchful eyes of Fugaku and the other two, Nagato's expression slowly shifted—as if he had been struck by something—his face clouded with uncertainty.
Fugaku and Jiraiya both noticed. Their hearts tensed at once.
"Nagato, what did you see?"
As soon as Nagato took two steps back and withdrew his gaze from the tablet, Jiraiya hurried to his side and asked with curiosity.
"A shocking secret," Nagato said, his voice still slightly shaken. He hadn't yet fully digested what he had seen.
The look he shot at Fugaku carried an uneasy emotion that made Fugaku uncomfortable.
"The writing on the tablet is more like a smokescreen—it doesn't hold much real meaning. But when the Rinnegan's power came into contact with the force surrounding the tablet, a flood of information was somehow pushed into my mind."
He paused, gathering his thoughts.
"Do you want me to start from the beginning?" Nagato asked, glancing at his teacher, Jiraiya, the quiet-looking Kagetsu, and Fugaku, gauging their reactions.
"Go ahead and speak. There's nothing worth hiding anymore."
Fugaku took a deep breath and nodded, facing the expectant gazes of Jiraiya and the others.
By now, he had confirmed that the Rinnegan could indeed read the contents of the Uchiha stone tablet.
The feeling Nagato described was exactly the same as what he experienced when he looked at the stone.
This proved that, in some way, the Rinnegan was indeed connected to the Sharingan—or rather, that it was an evolved form of it.
As for the earlier parts of the tablet, even if he stayed silent, there was no way to hide them from Nara Kagetsu, who was present.
After all, the secret behind unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan had already been uncovered by the Technology Development Department years ago.
These days, even the evolution process of the Sharingan was thoroughly documented by the department.
From the single tomoe to the Mangekyō, they had developed a complete and safe progression method—including critical insights, specialized eye drops, and relevant jutsu.
The God Tree that had once been used to stimulate the Mangekyō's awakening had, over the years, been repeatedly eroded and nourished by Uchiha ocular power and Yin Release chakra.
As a result, it had become quite strange—almost supernatural.
There really wasn't anything worth keeping secret anymore.
"Skip the part about awakening the Mangekyō," Nara Kagetsu interjected calmly.
He had already discussed all that with Fugaku in the past, so he had no interest in rehashing it.
Jiraiya, standing to the side, seemed to feel the same.
What truly concerned him was how the Rinnegan was awakened—and more importantly, what exactly it revealed to Nagato that had left him so shaken.
"Then I'll begin from the point where the Eternal Mangekyō evolves into the Rinnegan," Nagato said smoothly.
"The Eternal Mangekyō is the pinnacle of the Sharingan. To go further—beyond that and awaken the Rinnegan—one needs a force of opposite nature. By merging that force with your own, you gain access to the power of Creation of All Things—the authority over life and death itself."
"The Senju!" Fugaku couldn't help but exclaim.
The Uchiha were the embodiment of Yin Release, while their eternal rivals, the Senju—who had battled them for generations—represented the extreme of Yang Release.
The concept of Yin-Yang Release had been circulating for a long time, and the Technology Development Department had conducted studies on it. As a high-ranking member, Fugaku was well aware of this.
So… the power of the "older brother" and the "younger brother" combined—did that equal the Sage of Six Paths?
Fugaku shivered slightly.
The contents of the stone tablet were truly earth-shattering.
So that's why when Madara obtained the power of the First Hokage, combined it with his own Sharingan, and awakened the Rinnegan?
"Keep going," Jiraiya said sternly, placing a firm hand on Nagato's shoulder, signaling him to continue.
"The next part is quite shocking," Nagato said in a heavy tone. "I'll describe it as accurately as I can. The nine Tailed Beasts can be absorbed by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to resurrect the Ten Tails. The one who possesses the Rinnegan can then seal the Ten Tails into their own body… and become its jinchūriki."
"As the Ten Tails' jinchūriki, they can grow the God Tree and activate a powerful genjutsu called Infinite Tsukuyomi—an indiscriminate illusion meant to bring about everlasting peace in the ninja world."
"Everlasting peace…? The Child of Prophecy?" Jiraiya's pupils trembled, clearly shaken. He couldn't help but think of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy about peace.
Could it be Nagato?
Or was it Minato?
Countless thoughts flooded Jiraiya's mind, but he forced himself to suppress them.
"No," he said at last. "Even if I don't know exactly what this Infinite Tsukuyomi genjutsu is or how difficult it is to cast… a genjutsu is still a genjutsu. It's not real. Peace created through illusion… is nothing but false peace."
Gritting his teeth, Jiraiya shook himself free from the sweet fantasy of peace and forced his mind back to reality, gasping as he tried to clear his head.
"So," said Kagetsu calmly, summarizing the information before them, "this Madara must have believed what was written on the stone tablet. That's why he wanted to create a Ten Tails jinchūriki and use the genjutsu—to bring peace to the shinobi world?"
The expressions on Fugaku and the others darkened in an instant.
****
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