Tendo Pain's expression was solemn.
"Konan, this is the will of a god. Fulfilling Yahiko's dream is worth shaving a few years off my life."
"No. I won't let you go!"
Konan rejected his words firmly.
"I'll go capture the Four-Tails jinchuriki myself!"
"You're not strong enough, Konan. You're powerful, but the Four-Tails uses Lava Release it's a direct counter to your techniques. Your chances of winning are low." Pain shook his head.
"How would you know that?! I can use explosive tags to-"
"Enough. Stop arguing."
Before she could finish, Uuya raised his hand to cut her off.
"I'll handle the Four-Tails personally. Nagato, you stay in the village and wipe out the infiltrators from the Five Great Nations. That shouldn't tax you too much."
"But…"
Pain gritted his teeth.
"I don't want to stay behind as some ornamental figure. Compared to world peace, my life is meaningless!"
"Dying early doesn't bother you?" Uuya asked.
"For the sake of peace, some sacrifices are worth it!" Pain's voice was unwavering.
Uuya fell silent for a moment.
Nagato… was stubborn as hell.
At this point, he really admired Naruto's ability to talk people down.
After a brief pause, Uuya took a deep breath and said patiently,
"Nagato, I've never seen you as some symbol or mascot. It's just… your Rinnegan is too powerful. The burden on your body is immense."
"That's why I need you to take a step back for now. The Uzumaki clan is known for their strong life force, but even that isn't enough. You need stronger regenerative cells to use the Rinnegan without consequences!"
"What kind of cells?" Pain asked.
"White Zetsu."
Uuya's eyes gleamed.
"Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan also comes with a massive load. But because half his body was reconstructed with White Zetsu cells when he was young, he can now use Kamui without issue. If you don't believe me, ask him."
Pain turned to Obito.
"Is that true?"
"It is." Obito nodded.
"In that case, Uuya, can you help me restore my body?"
"I can't. But there's someone who can."
"Who?"
"O-ro-chi-ma-ru."
Uuya's eyes sharpened.
"If even that guy, the master of all core ninja tech, can't do it, then no one in this world can."
In truth, Uuya had kept some things to himself.
White Zetsu cells could indeed enhance vitality but only for the average person.
Obito's situation had been special.
During the Kannabi Bridge mission, half his body had been crushed. Thanks to fate and Madara's arrangement, he'd been reconstructed with White Zetsu material.
But for Nagato, who had no such injury, simply injecting a small amount might not be enough to stabilize the Rinnegan.
Which meant…
"Before we hunt the Four-Tails," Uuya murmured, "I'll need to pay Orochimaru a visit. He may even have a cure for Nagato's legs."
In the original story, after the Fourth Great Ninja War, Naruto and Sasuke fought their final battle at the Valley of the End. Both lost an arm.
Yet not long after, Tsunade built fully functional prosthetics for them using Hashirama's cells tech so advanced that it felt indistinguishable from natural limbs.
Nagato's crippled legs were a glaring weakness.
Although he could manipulate the Six Paths of Pain through chakra transmitters, the range was limited, and to keep his body hidden, Konan had to constantly guard him.
But if Nagato could move freely, his Six Paths powers unified in one body would far outmatch any puppet proxy.
If Tsunade could do it, surely Orochimaru, the master of forbidden techniques and genetic experimentation, could do it better.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Uuya looked at Tendo Pain.
"I'll have Orochimaru develop a full plan to restore your vitality. Don't ask why he'd agree to it if he refuses, I'll beat him until he does. Any more questions, Nagato?"
"No," Pain replied.
Uuya laid a hand on his shoulder, speaking earnestly.
"Nagato, I respect your determination to fulfill Yahiko's dream. But don't ever say your life is meaningless."
"You might not care about dying, but…"
"If you're gone, what happens to Konan?"
For the first time, a flicker of guilt appeared on Pain's cold face.
"I'm sorry, Uuya. That was short-sighted of me."
Of course.
Yahiko had died already. If he died too, Konan would be left completely alone in the world.
Even if peace came to the ninja world what kind of peace would that be, for someone with no one left?
"It's alright. I'm glad you understand."
Uuya smiled.
"Peace needs time to take root. And you need time to witness it. Just stay in the village for now."
Not bad.
Looks like his talk-no-jutsu worked after all.
Getting Nagato to change his mind was no easy feat.
"Understood, Uuya."
A rare smile appeared on Pain's face.
Uuya turned to Obito.
"Head to the Land of Earth and gather intel. Track the Four-Tails jinchuriki and the Third Tsuchikage. Once I'm done with Orochimaru, you'll hold Ohnoki down, and I'll take care of Roshi."
"No problem," Obito nodded.
"Konan, keep recruiting Akatsuki members. Stick with the original plan go after rogue S-rank ninjas."
"Understood," she replied.
"What about me? What about me?"
Tobi raised his hand excitedly.
"I could collect all the fresh, stinking poop in the entire ninja world and dump it into the beds of the Five Kage while they sleep! Let them suffocate in the smell and die in their dreams!"
"Haha! I'm a genius!"
Uuya: "…"
Pain: "…"
Konan: "…"
Obito, ever the long-suffering partner, facepalmed.
"Only you could come up with something that bizarre, Tobi."
Uuya chose to ignore the nonsense.
"Tobi, find Black Zetsu. If you spot him, don't make a move just contact me immediately. I'll deal with that backstabbing rat myself."
"Got it, got it!" Tobi nodded furiously.
With all the orders given, the group dispersed.
Uuya finally claimed the side mission reward he'd earned ten days earlier.
Whoosh!
A flash of white light burst from thin air, revealing a pitch-black box emanating a faint, soul-like aura.
"So this is the Zanpakutō Box, huh? Please let it be a good blade…" Uuya muttered.
Originally, he'd wanted to find someone lucky to rub off some good fortune before opening it.
But…
Everyone he knew was cursed with bad luck.
Just look at the stats: Nagato died at 35, Konan at 35, Obito at 31.
Good grief.
None of them even made it to 40!
Borrow luck from that bunch? No thanks.
Resolving to rely on himself, Uuya raised his hand and tapped the box as prompted.
Crack! Crack!
Fine lines split across its surface.
In under a second, the entire thing shattered.
With a sharp whoosh, a burst of golden light shot out.
Ding! Congratulations, Host!
You have opened your first Zanpakutō Box and received: "Zanpakutō – Senbonzakura"!
Your Shinigami powers are now fully awakened. You may freely shift between your Shinigami and Hollow battle forms!