The chamber was still, tense, as Naruto stood before the Six Paths of Pain and Konan. The rain outside beat steadily against the tower, but in here — everything was silent, listening.
Naruto exhaled slowly and continued. "The future I came from… ended in war. The Fourth Great Shinobi War."
The Deva Path tilted its head slightly.
"War?" Konan asked, eyes narrowed. "Who started it?"
Naruto's voice hardened. "Madara Uchiha. Or rather… the man pretending to be him — Obito Uchiha. But he wasn't the real mastermind. Zetsu was."
Konan's breath caught. "Zetsu?"
As if he knows what Konan is thinking, Naruto's eyes locked with hers. "That's what he wanted everyone to believe. But he manipulated Madara. Obito. Even you."
The Deva Path said nothing.
"Zetsu is the will of someone else. A being sealed inside the moon — the Rabbit Goddess, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. The original enemy. The one who gave chakra to the world… and wanted to take it all back. She used Zetsu to unseal her prison. And when she came… no one was ready."
A moment of silence passed.
Then Naruto spoke names like offerings "Me, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake… we fought her. We won. We sealed her again. And peace came."
He let the words settle. "But…" He looked down for a moment.
"That peace… wasn't what I thought it would be."
Konan and Nagato stare at the child.
"I was a hero," Naruto said bitterly. "A symbol. They feared me. Respected me for my power — not for who I was. I gave everything. My friends died. I broke myself to bring peace… and all I got was a title."
He raised his head again. "No one listened to my heart. They just used me to keep order. I believed I brought peace… but it wasn't real. It was silence held by a weapon. By me."
The Six Paths stood unmoving. Yet the atmosphere had changed.
And Naruto's voice turned clear — focused. "That's why I'm here. That's why I came to you. You wanted to break the system. I was too young to understand that. I fought you because I thought peace meant saving the status quo. But now I understand. The system must be destroyed if true peace is ever going to be built."
Konan whispered, "You came to join us… despite knowing what our goal is..."
Naruto nodded. "Yes. I want to help Nagato. I want to help you, Konan. I want to help Akatsuki become something greater than just revenge or control. I want to save everyone… by building a new world. I'm not a pawn of the Leaf anymore. I'm not their weapon. I'm not the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. I am Naruto Uzumaki — heir of the Uzumaki clan, and I've come to finish what you started… the right way."
Silence stretch the room, Finally, Nagato spoke.
"Welcome to Akatsuki"
———————
The rain outside drummed steadily against the windows as Konan led Naruto down a quiet corridor. Her paper flower shifted faintly in her hair as she glanced back at him, unreadable.
They stopped in front of a small steel door. She opened it, revealing a simple room: a bed, a small table, a basin, and a single chair. A window overlooked the rainy skyline of Ame, water streaking down the glass like tears.
Naruto stepped in and looked around with quiet acceptance.
Konan lingered in the doorway, watching him as the silence stretched. Finally, she asked softly "Do you truly believe you can change the world as you claim?"
Her voice was calm, but there was a faint edge — the wariness of someone who had seen too many promises break and too many dreams bleed out in the rain.
Naruto turned to face her, blue eyes clear, unwavering. "It won't be easy," he said. "People fear change. They cling to what hurts them because it's familiar. But… I've seen what pretending peace looks like. I won't settle for that again." He clenched his small hand, the faint glow of determination in his eyes. "I will change it. No matter how long it takes. I already did brought peace and I know this time around, I still can bring that peace here again....."
Konan studied him, paper shifting softly around her fingertips.
"Words are easy," she murmured.
"I know," Naruto replied. "That's why I'm going to train. I'll prove it."
A faint, nearly invisible softening crossed her expression. She inclined her head, stepping back into the hallway.
"If you need supplies, inform the guard. I will let you rest for now."
Naruto nodded. "Thank you, Konan."
They exchanged a quiet look before she turned and walked away, the door shutting with a soft click, leaving Naruto alone with the sound of rain.
It's not gonna be easy task. Naruto is still weak, he has knowledge and with that he will used it to train his body. First things first, He gotta do something about Zetsu and Obito.
—————
Konoha – Council Room
The council room was loud.
Elders and civilian council members spoke over one another, their voices ringing off the wooden panels.
"What if the demon comes back for revenge?!"
"How could a brat slip past the guards?!"
"What if he's stolen village secrets—"
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat calmly at the head of the table, pipe unlit in his hands, eyes narrowed in patient exhaustion. Beside him, Jiraiya leaned back, arms crossed, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Let me handle the situation," Danzo said, leaning forward, his lone visible eye sharp. "Root can recover the boy quietly. Or remove him if he's a threat."
Hiruzen's pipe hit the table with a sharp thunk.
"No, Danzo."
Danzo's eye narrowed further. "You're letting sentiment cloud your—"
"I said no."
Danzo's lips pressed into a thin line, but he said nothing further.
Jiraiya sighed loudly, waving a hand. "There's no need to send hunters. I'll find him. I know how to track him, and he's not a threat to the village."
A civilian councilwoman snapped, "How do we know that? That thing has always been a danger—"
Jiraiya's eyes turned cold, killing the words in her throat.
Clan heads exchanged glances. Shikaku Nara, arms folded, sighed as if he were suffering through a tedious game of Shogi.
"Even if he did come for revenge," Inoichi Yamanaka muttered dryly, "considering how this village has treated him, we wouldn't exactly be in a position to complain."
Hiruzen allowed a rare smile at that, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Enough," the Hokage said firmly, standing. "We will not pursue Naruto as a threat. He is still a Konoha shinobi and a child of this village. This discussion is over."
The civilian council looked ready to argue, but one glare from Hiruzen shut them down. Slowly, the room cleared, voices dropping to mutters as they filed out.
But Hiruzen lifted a hand. "Shikaku. Stay."
The Nara clan head raised a brow, but remained, moving to stand quietly beside the Hokage.
"Troublesome," Shikaku said mildly, "but I assume you want my analysis?"
Hiruzen grimace. "Yes. We need to think ahead. Because Naruto won't return the same as he left"
Or won't return back at all.