Although Nagato hadn't had any direct contact with Uzumaki Oriri, the shared bloodline and their striking red hair gave him a faint sense of "familiarity."
And such an encounter…
Only deepened Nagato's sympathy.
He thought of the fate of the Uzumaki clan and of his mother, and fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low, rambling tone.
"When I was little, every time my mother mentioned Uzushio, she would become very pained. She always spoke of how wonderful life there once was. But to be honest, I couldn't really understand what she meant back then."
"That's normal…"
Kyoichi nodded lightly.
Without having personally lived through war and the destruction of one's homeland, it's impossible to truly grasp that kind of grief.
Including himself.
Hatred and trauma are not things that can be brushed aside with a few easy words. If you've never borne the suffering of another, don't tell them to 'forgive and forget.'
Because of this…
Kyoichi never urged Nagato to "let go" or "look past it." He sneered at Jiraiya's habit of dishing out sentimental platitudes, refusing to go along with it. The pain the Uzumaki endured is something outsiders could never understand.
Nagato himself didn't feel much sense of belonging to the Uzumaki clan or its bloodline.
He simply pitied Uzumaki Oriri.
At least…
After losing his home, Nagato had found reliable companions and a teacher in Yahiko, Konan, and Jiraiya. If not for meeting Kyoichi, Oriri's path would almost certainly have led to death.
There were many such people among the Uzumaki.
"…Even if I don't agree with sensei's words, rationally speaking, Konoha really did do what they could. It just… wasn't enough in the eyes of the Uzumaki. After all…"
Nagato trailed off for a moment.
About a year before the war broke out, Konoha had taken Kushina Uzumaki. Before that, the clan hadn't thought much of it.
But once war consumed them, the surviving fugitives began to suspect that Konoha must have received word of it in advance.
That was the seed of the Uzumaki clan's doubts.
Kyoichi offered no explanation.
The ones involved were long dead. Even Danzō didn't deserve his name etched onto the Memorial Stone. At this point, any explanation would sound hollow. And Nagato wasn't pressing for answers anyway.
He was only responding to what Jiraiya had said earlier.
"Come on. For now, it's just the three of us at home, nothing to worry about."
Before saying this…
Kyoichi had deliberately extended his senses, confirming Shizune wasn't around. The last thing he wanted was to be contradicted the moment after he spoke.
Nagato gave a slight nod.
For someone burdened with social anxiety, once he found common ground, his words would start to flow more easily.
Nagato was the same.
After learning about Oriri's origins and circumstances, he no longer felt so distant from her. When they went outside, he even took the initiative to greet her.
"Hello. My name is Nagato."
"Greetings, Nagato-san. I'm Oriri."
Oriri bowed lightly, then her gaze fell upon Nagato's hair.
The same crimson hue.
An Uzumaki?
She recalled—Kyoichi had once told her, back when he saved her, that he knew another Uzumaki survivor outside the village. Clearly, it was Nagato.
"Shall we give you a hand?"
"No, no, I'm almost done here. Please, you and Nagato-san just sit and relax."
Oriri quickly waved them off.
Kyoichi didn't insist. He wasn't exactly useless in the kitchen, but calling his cooking "edible" was about as far as it went. Helping would probably just make more work for her.
So he took Nagato back to the living room.
"For the time being, you'll be staying here. I'll give you a pair of glasses to conceal the Rinnegan, and in Konoha you'll need to wear their standard flak jacket and forehead protector, just to avoid any trouble."
"Mm…"
Nagato nodded.
Since he'd come to Konoha, he was already prepared for such things. Walking around with an Amegakure forehead protector here would immediately draw suspicion.
From this perspective…
Kyoichi and Jiraiya clearly had no intention of confining him.
He was relieved.
He'd worried that once he entered Konoha, he'd be all but imprisoned, forbidden from going anywhere.
As captain of the Anbu, Kyoichi had a bit of discretion.
It didn't take long for him to secure a flak jacket and headband suitable for Nagato. Once Nagato put them on, aside from his hair, there was little to distinguish him.
As for the hair…
Just like Oriri, a simple Transformation Jutsu would suffice.
Once he changed, Nagato felt much less self-conscious.
After dinner, everyone had warmed to one another. Conversation flowed naturally. Kyoichi joined in, but mostly to steer the topics and keep things moving between Nagato and Oriri. Soon, he didn't need to do anything at all.
The two of them dove deep into discussing the Uzumaki clan, unable to stop.
Nagato even offered Oriri some pointers on ninjutsu.
In short…
It looked like the problem of his social anxiety had been solved, at least for now.
Nagato's lodgings were arranged next door to Kyoichi, apart from Tsunade's quarters. After eating and bathing, Kyoichi was about to suggest he rest for a while.
But then, a snake arrived.
One of Orochimaru's clones.
"Kyoichi-kun, Nagato is here, isn't he? I can feel it—such strange, overwhelming chakra. Can I…?"
"No."
Kyoichi cut him off flatly.
Researching the Rinnegan? Not a chance.
Setting aside the promise he and Jiraiya made to Yahiko's group, there was no point in studying the Rinnegan anyway. Its unique qualities weren't something dissection or data could explain. At best, such attempts would waste time, energy, and resources.
"That's the Rinnegan we're talking about. You're not even curious?"
Orochimaru was agitated, frustrated.
This man…
The Rinnegan was the legendary eye of the Sage of Six Paths! What an opportunity!
"It's nothing special. The Rinnegan isn't something just anyone can wield—the strain on the body is enormous. As for transplantation experiments, Nagato has agreed, but on one condition."
"I understand. No rushing things!"
The serpent's tongue flicked eagerly.
He was indeed curious about the Uzumaki constitution…
But the true prize was the Rinnegan.
Even if he couldn't experiment on the eyes directly, the body's data could provide indirect insights, confirming some of his and Kyoichi's suspicions—
Was the Rinnegan truly Nagato's own?
If not, then Kyoichi's hypothesis was likely correct.
It belonged to Madara.
Which raised the question: how did Madara obtain the Rinnegan?
That was a subject of intense interest. Orochimaru already had a preliminary theory—
That the Rinnegan and the Sharingan were deeply connected.
And that this connection…
Might be tied to Senju Hashirama's Sage Body.
"So… tomorrow?"
"In a couple of days. Nagato's emotions are still unsettled—his condition might be affected. Don't be impatient. Right now, Madara is surely more desperate than we are. I need to put a few safeguards in place first."
Kyoichi's tone was calm.
Delaying served two purposes: easing Nagato's adjustment, and giving him time to prepare a defensive system—so they wouldn't be caught off guard by Zetsu infiltrations.
"Fine. But don't take too long!"
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Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell