Nagato wasn't dumb—just not as sharp as some of the top minds out there.
But now, the situation was crystal clear.
"Tobi and Zetsu are part of another group. The Akatsuki was just a tool they used to get revenge on the Sages.
With that in mind, everything they did makes sense—even killing Yahiko, changing the whole direction of the Akatsuki, turning it into a weapon for revenge against the world."
"If Shanks hadn't shown up, the Akatsuki would still be collecting tailed beasts, then using their power to take revenge on the whole world.
And the ones who benefit the most from this world—the world nobles, the Sages—would naturally become our biggest enemies."
In that moment, it all added up.
Nagato had known the Akatsuki's original plan from the start. And because he knew it so well, it only made the truth clearer.
He wasn't an idiot. Even if an idiot came along, they'd see it now. Not everyone is as blind as the Third Hokage.
One thing's for sure—before the new era started...
The strongest power in the ninja world was the power of the tailed beasts.
And what was the Akatsuki doing collecting them? They were trying to overthrow the ninja world.
That was it. Nagato knew the motive and the goal.
But for Black Zetsu and Obito—or rather, the original goal of their plan—it was only aimed at the big ninja villages.
Start the Fourth Great Ninja War directly, and show the world their power.
But with how things are now, who would still target just the five great ninja villages?
The past is the past. The present is the present.
Anyone with half a brain now knows not to think so small.
Nagato saw it that way too—gathering all nine tailed beasts just to deal with five ninja villages? That's a joke. The real target wasn't the villages—it was the whole world.
And to go after the world... means going after the Sages.
"Then let's force out the power behind them and see what they're really capable of."
As he watched Konan leave, Nagato had already made up his mind.
The Immortal Kingdom and the Sages won't be easy to deal with.
Their grudge with Black Zetsu and Obito can wait. They'll deal with this first.
Not long after, Itachi and Kisame got the intel.
And it was secondhand info passed along from Nagato's side.
Even Kisame understood what it meant—so of course Itachi did.
"Itachi..."
Kisame glanced at Itachi beside him and spoke in a low voice.
The intel we got from Nagato has to do with the World Government, so we can pretty much trust that it's accurate.
That means my Susano'o being able to fight against sages might not be because of Susano'o itself—it's probably Indra's power.
Itachi explained.
Now, everything made sense.
"There's probably some kind of force that limits the contract between the Sage of Six Paths and the other sages. So, me having a power that can suppress sages isn't that strange."
Also, the power in Nagato's body is completely different from the rest of the Uzumaki clan.
This isn't some made-up info—it's been verified by the World Government.
They may not know everything, but when it comes to the history of the Land of Whirlpools, the World Government has it figured out. They also know what kind of powers the Uzumaki clan has.
So when they were thinking this over, they just threw out Shanks, who was clearly a total outsider, and picked out the one person who stood out the most.
That person was Nagato.
Nagato wasn't the only one who stood out.
Itachi did too.
The World Government doesn't have any info on Itachi's Susano'o yet, but they do know about Shisui's. And eventually, Sasuke's Susano'o will appear too.
So among these three Susano'o, which one is the most unique?
Even if all of their weapons can suppress sages, Itachi's Susano'o is still the most special.
Because everyone else's Susano'o only has one weapon.
But Itachi's Susano'o? It has a shield in its left hand and a sword in its right. It's got a completely different loadout.
Isn't this basically the treatment only the Sage of Six Paths' real son would get?
Even if Naruto and Sasuke become strong enough later and try to step forward...
Who's going to believe them?
On one side, you've got Naruto: average, blond, always last in everything.
Then you've got Nagato: leader of the Revolutionary Army, wielder of the Rinnegan, and controller of the Six Paths puppets.
On the other side, you've got Sasuke: proud, reckless enough to injure himself on a whim, and with a pretty standard-looking Susano'o.
And then there's Itachi: once one of Konoha's top geniuses, on par with Uchiha Shisui, the Red-Haired Pirates' vice-captain today.
He's also got sharp thinking, strong will, and a uniquely powerful dual-weapon Susano'o.
You line up those two groups and try to tell me Naruto and Sasuke are the reincarnations of Ashura and Indra?
Are you insane?
No way. Their whole vibe is completely off. Can you at least show a little respect to the Sage of Six Paths' sons?
"I see. If that's the case, then when Itachi goes back this time, he'll probably end up exposing his identity."
Kisame looked at Itachi, but Itachi didn't seem to care.
"The Revolutionary Army is getting stronger by the day. Sooner or later, spies from other forces will show up among us. If I get exposed, so be it."
"It's only a matter of time before my identity is exposed anyway,"
Itachi said calmly.
The World Government's power isn't something to take lightly. It's only a matter of time before they notice him. Might as well head back now and fix all the issues inside the Revolutionary Army as fast as possible.
Itachi had already figured it out—Nagato's plan was simple.
Talk with Zetsu and the group behind Tobi. If they can make a deal, fine. If not, just kill them.
Nagato sent so many people away without leaving an escape route for the other side. His goal was to end things as fast as possible.
That was Nagato's decision — and compared to the other leaders in the ninja world, the fact that he could make such a call already made him stand out.
You have to remember, just a few months ago, this group of people were political amateurs. Nagato had come a long way.
Two days later, Obito, Black Zetsu, Itachi, Kisame, Kakuzu, Hidan, Deidara… everyone had arrived at the meeting point on the sea.
At that moment, aside from Itachi and Kisame, no one really understood what was going on.
Just as everyone was about to ask what was happening, a huge barrier appeared and covered them all.
A twisted force spread over the sea.
When Obito saw the floating stones in the sky, he immediately felt uneasy — the Grell Stone, the stone with the power of the Dragon Vein... and it also had spatial powers.
"The Grail Stone… This stuff only exists in the Land of Wind.
Was it Itachi?"
A kunai slipped down his sleeve and landed in Obito's hand. It was clear now — they had been discovered.
In the next instant, he vanished from where he stood and charged toward Konan.
But really, who here was easy to deal with?
Konan's body turned into sheets of paper, and in midair, layers of lit explosive tags were left behind.
*Boom!!*
After the huge explosion, everyone snapped to attention.
Black Zetsu had just tried to run when a massive blade appeared right in front of him. An orange-red Susano'o took up half the battlefield, and the weapon in its hand was only inches away from Black Zetsu.
Feeling the energy coming off of Itachi's Susano'o, Black Zetsu chose to give up resistance right then and there.
Obito also didn't manage to hurt anyone else.
But behind the mask, his eye had turned completely red.
Itachi paused for a moment when he saw Obito's eye.
Even though both of them wore masks, the vibe from this Tobi was completely different from the masked man that had appeared before.
Now it was clear — that masked man from before must've been this Tobi standing here.
"There's no point in struggling anymore. Since we're already making a move on you, you should know what's going on, right?"
Nagato said coldly. Obito still had two black rods stuck in his body and had no strength left to fight back.
Forget fighting back — even if he had the power to resist, this barrier wasn't something you could escape from. Even space-time ninjutsu probably wouldn't be enough to break free from the Dragon Vein's power.
"So those two were the traitors?"
"Wow, really hid it well… Tobi."
Deidara mocked. He actually kind of liked Obito — this guy who always acted careless and didn't take things seriously. Who would've thought *he* was the traitor?
"Heh heh heh… Itachi, it's been a while."
Obito ignored everyone else. Right now, he felt a wave of sadness inside.
He hadn't expected to be exposed like this.
In this era full of powerful people, Obito was starting to feel powerless.
The more you do, the more mistakes you make — and the more likely it is you'll get caught.
He had always known he might be discovered, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
"Long time no see."
Itachi's voice was cold and filled with killing intent; he didn't hide it at all.
When the others heard him, they froze.
Itachi and Tobi, that traitor, already knew each other? How could that be?
"Itachi, what's going on?"
Nagato turned his eyes to Itachi.
"When the Uchiha clan was wiped out, it wasn't just me who acted—he did too.
A lot has changed, but I'd never mistake that presence and that power."
"So you were involved in wiping out the Uchiha clan as well? Your methods really never change," Nagato said coldly. Black Zetsu still hadn't come around.
Obito also paused. Something felt off.
Then everyone understood.
Obito, Black Zetsu, and the rest all read the information.
The moment he saw it, Obito was stunned. Wait, this plan—why didn't he know about it? The steps were the same, but the goal was totally different.
Black Zetsu was even more shocked.
Wait, Asura is Nagato? That can't be right—how could Asura be Nagato?
But the data came from the World Government. Those immortals might be proud, but their strength is real.
"Could… I be wrong? Asura is Nagato."
The report said nothing about Nagato's Rinnegan, so of course that affected people's judgment.
Black Zetsu was deeply shaken.
Black Zetsu's shock left Obito even more confused. Why do you look surprised too—aren't you supposed to know more than anyone?
Seeing Obito and Black Zetsu's reactions, Nagato and Itachi got their answer.
"So Tobi and Zetsu don't even know the truth of what they've done?"
"Looks like the force behind them is really careful."
The two nodded in silent agreement.
As for Black Zetsu—the one who started it all—he was completely stunned. What are these immortals up to? How could Asura be Nagato?
Wait, maybe it isn't wrong.
Hashirama died so early; counting the years, Asura really could be Nagato.
Nagato isn't young, so the age lines up.
But if Nagato is Asura, then who is Indra…
A picture of Itachi's Susanoo flashed through Black Zetsu's mind—the one holding two weapons.
And Itachi's age also matches.
When Madara truly died, it was much later, and by then he no longer had his own chakra.
So Indra had already been reborn, and if you look at the age gap between Nagato and Itachi, and compare it with the time between Hashirama's and Madara's deaths…
It doesn't fully match, but it's not impossible. Indra's chakra in Madara faded even earlier.
More importantly, because I interfered, Madara didn't die alongside Hashirama; they should have died around the same time.
And now…
That's right—the key problem was my interference; it changed the timing of Asura's and Indra's rebirths.
But there's one thing I can't change: the final fate that ties Indra and Asura together.
Live together, die together.
If Shanks hadn't shown up, Nagato's body probably wouldn't have lasted much longer, and the same goes for Itachi.
The two of them would've died not long after one another.
Thinking about this, Black Zetsu suddenly snapped out of it.
That's right — those sages weren't wrong.
"Itachi… Itachi is Indra's reincarnation?"
Black Zetsu clenched his teeth, a shocked look in his eyes.
What shocked him wasn't Itachi's identity, but how foolish he had been — he should've seen the signs long ago.
"Indra?"
"What? Surprised?"
"This is the fate of Ashura and Indra. They're meant to be enemies, generation after generation. It's hard for them to truly work together."
"And their lives almost always end around the same time."
"Itachi's identity is already pretty clear, isn't it? He might be with the Revolutionary Army, but he still stayed loyal to Konohagakure.
If things weren't so tense right now, Nagato, you and Itachi probably wouldn't even be working together."
"Also… with the way your bodies are now, both of you are likely to reach the end of your lives around the same time.
That's the fate of Ashura and Indra."
"Hahaha!!!"
Black Zetsu let out a twisted laugh… and with his words, the truth of history became much clearer in that moment.
Itachi and Nagato locked eyes — and for the first time, they truly saw something different in each other's gaze.
"Indra!"
"Ashura!"
"It's real."
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