Chapter 509: The Death of Nagato
Seeing Nagato vomit blood, Ino immediately shut up. If she said any more, she might actually talk him to death. My Talk no Jutsu skills need improvement.
She gave Jiraiya a look, signaling him to say something.
Jiraiya looked awkward. Me? What am I supposed to say? Nagato looks like he's about to bite someone.
"Nagato, let's end this here." As they exchanged glances, Konan, dressed in rough cloth like a village girl, walked in.
Ino looked at Jiraiya with contempt. You let your student out again? Do the Konoha Prison and Interrogation Unit mean anything to you at all?
Jiraiya's gaze darted away, not daring to meet her eyes.
Konan ignored both of them and walked to Nagato's side.
"Let's end it here. Let's go home."
Nagato temporarily snapped out of his self-doubt and smiled tragically. "Home? I can't go back anymore."
Jiraiya spoke up. "You two can go. I will take all the blame. This is perhaps the last thing I can do for you as your teacher."
Ino sighed inwardly. It seems Jiraiya's path as Hokage has come to an end. He's going to quit.
Ino held no ill will toward Nagato. He was a pitiful person. Nagato's aptitude was indeed high, but without the Rinnegan, he would not have reached this point today.
Konan tried to persuade him again. "We fought, and we tried. But this era no longer belongs to us. Nagato, let's go home. We've been away from home for a long time."
Nagato nodded lightly. "You're right. I tried, and I failed. It's time to pass this duty on to someone more suitable."
Konan understood his intention and cried out, "Don't! Nagato!"
Ignoring her protests, Nagato's Rinnegan drew the last of the chakra from his nearly withered body. He then forcibly pulled his hands out of the life-support machine.
This time, in a rare move, he used his own body, his own hands, to form hand seals.
"Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!"
Ino's new friend, the King of Hell, appeared out of thin air.
Tendo Pain's body, which had been torn apart by the two Giant Rasengans, was quickly repaired by the Rinnegan's power and then summoned before Nagato. The King of Hell, spurred by the jutsu, opened his mouth and spat out a pure green soul. The next second, the soul entered the body. Soon, Tendo Pain disappeared, and the man named Yahiko awakened.
"Nagato? Konan?" Yahiko's memory was still a bit hazy. He subconsciously looked at his partners and found that both of them had changed greatly.
"Yahiko, I failed. I really don't have the strength to continue. I'll leave the rest to you and Konan." Nagato had exhausted the last shred of life force in his body. After giving a few simple instructions, the joy of reuniting with his old friend appeared on his face.
"Yahiko, Konan, my mission ends here. It was really great to have met you. Thank you for your tolerance and care. Thank you..."
Konan couldn't help but let out a sob.
After continuously using Super Almighty Push, Planetary Devastation, and the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, Nagato's life force was completely depleted. He closed his eyes forever.
Konan lowered her head, her expression heavy. Perhaps she had long anticipated this day.
Yahiko, on the other hand, was a bit confused. His memory was still stuck at the scene of him throwing himself onto Nagato's kunai.
This scene left him at a loss.
"Jiraiya-sensei?" He subconsciously ignored Ino, who looked young and unfamiliar, and turned to look at the aged Jiraiya.
"It's me, Yahiko. A lot has happened since you died. If you want to hear about it, I can tell you."
Jiraiya was telling Yahiko about the events of the past few years. Konan was silent, her peripheral vision fixed on Ino, wary of any greedy intentions Ino might have for Nagato's Rinnegan.
Ino smiled and took two steps back.
She had little interest in Nagato's Rinnegan, or rather, Madara's Rinnegan.
The Rinnegan was different from the Mangekyō Sharingan; its personal imprint was too strong.
The eyes in the legend of the eyes were indeed plug-and-play, but they actually contained a part of the original owner's will. Kakashi had been depressed for so many years, which might have been influenced by Obito's pessimistic emotions. Low-level eyes were fine, but high-level eyes, like Madara's Rinnegan, definitely contained hidden traps. After all, Madara had used those eyes for decades; it would have been too easy for him to secretly do something to them.
The temptation of the Rinnegan was great, but it wasn't worth the risk for Ino. Her path forward was wide open. She had the Kekkei Mōra, the true Sage Body, ahead of her. The Rinnegan would come naturally. She looked down on the kind of Rinnegan Madara had grinded out over decades with a piece of Hashirama's flesh.
Konan took Nagato's body from the life-support machine and wrapped it tightly in paper.
"Be careful of Madara coming to take Nagato's Rinnegan." Ino walked to her side, glanced at the body, and then whispered a reminder.
The Madara in Konan's memory was actually Obito. She nodded lightly, indicating that she understood.
Yahiko seemed a bit weak in the trio, but as the original leader of Akatsuki, his personal strength was not to be underestimated. With Konan, if Obito wanted to come and take the eyes, he would be in for a tough fight.
Knowing that the master and his disciples still had things to say, Ino, as an outsider, did one last check and confirmed that Nagato was indeed dead. Then, she used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to Konoha. She still had to go back and make soup for Hinata.
Jiraiya spoke with Yahiko and Konan for a while longer and then left the scene with a heavy heart.
Yahiko looked into the distance. He had to re-learn this world, to understand what had happened in the years since his death.
Konan had undoubtedly been released by Jiraiya. The two of them left without any trouble.
About half an hour after they left the Land of Fire.
Konan felt a hissing sound coming from inside her paper wrappings.
She whipped her head around and saw Nagato, who had been wrapped up, suddenly sit up from inside the paper.
Numerous dark brown sealing formulas appeared on Nagato's emaciated upper body. Countless white spores sprouted from his shoulders, heart, and abdomen. A slightly distorted head even grew out of Nagato's shoulder.
"Zetsu?! What are you doing?" Konan recognized Zetsu.
Zetsu let out a sinister laugh and ignored Konan, looking at Nagato with some horror.
His consciousness extremely hazy, Nagato slowly opened his eyes. "I... I'm still alive?"
Zetsu's words were not comforting at all. "Don't worry. I've only temporarily restored a little of your life force. You'll be at peace again soon."
Countless past events flashed through Nagato's mind like a revolving lantern. He had been so careful, yet he had still fallen into a trap. Then he felt his body go completely out of his control.
Konan shouted, and countless burning paper sheets flew toward Zetsu.
Yahiko also used a wind-style ninjutsu, attacking Zetsu from the side.
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 50 advanced chapters available on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/GirlsLove1