The Rinnegan.
Ryosuke had heard the legends about it,
The same eyes as the Sage of Six Paths, an absolute eye technique that controlled life and death.
During his battle with Nagato, Ryosuke had personally felt the Rinnegan's terrifying power.
Although for someone like him, who now possessed both the New Moon and the Weather Forecast, even if Nagato were resurrected and returned to his peak, he could no longer cause Ryosuke any real trouble, the Rinnegan's might was beyond question.
If it had been anyone else, Ryosuke would've already collected the body after the war and sent it to the research institute for dissection.
But for Nagato, Ryosuke still chose to show the last bit of respect.
Not to mention that Nagato had used the Rinne Rebirth Technique to resurrect tens of thousands of people in the city, though, to be fair, those same people were the ones he had killed in the first place, just the intel scroll Nagato gave him was reason enough.
Thanks to that scroll, Ryosuke didn't need to negotiate with the daimyōs of the three great nations. He didn't need to worry about triggering another large-scale "Chaotic April," nor did he have to abandon the trial of many corporate heads out of fear of political fallout.
That small scroll had allowed him to swiftly cut away countless hidden dangers, saving him from countless open and secret battles.
Having lived for hundreds of years, Fukasaku Sage could see the hesitation in Ryosuke's heart and said, "I understand. You want to give Nagato his final dignity, to let him be buried whole."
"But the Rinnegan is a true legend, I know, many legends in the ninja world are unreliable."
Ryosuke knew that all too well.
He himself had been called names like "Heaven's Demon" and "The Uchiha's Vengeful Ghost." Countless picture books and illustrated scrolls in the common folk depicted him with horns sprouting from his head, a red face with fangs, and his body engulfed in blazing fire like a demon.
Some even went further, drawing Ryosuke into "those kinds of books," portraying him as seducing pure kunoichi, widows, and voluptuous enemy women with charm techniques.
"But the Rinnegan is different."
Fukasaku Sage said solemnly, "The Great Toad Sage once told me, the Rinnegan is the eye technique that governs everything."
"Ryosuke, even if you don't want to possess it yourself, you must at least make sure it's destroyed."
Ryosuke turned back toward the Toad Palace.
He didn't know whether those words came because the Great Toad Sage had already foreseen the future and made prior arrangements, or if Fukasaku was simply giving him a friendly warning.
But since Fukasaku had mentioned it, Ryosuke decided he had to see for himself.
There were too many mysterious powers in the Naruto world. The toads of Mount Myōboku, though their combat ability might not match that of humans, had lived long enough that their experience and insight far surpassed Ryosuke's.
When it came to advice from true domain experts, Ryosuke had always been respectful.
"I understand."
Ryosuke thanked Fukasaku Sage.
On his way back, when he passed the White Snake Sage again, he glanced at the pile of offerings placed before its massive head.
After thinking for a moment, he took out an orange that Little Peach had given him from his ghost room, crouched down, placed it in front of the White Snake Sage, put his hands together, and whispered, "Please bless me, that everything will go smoothly."
"If things don't go smoothly and I actually die one day…"
Ryosuke lightly patted the White Snake Sage's nose.
"I'm coming to the underworld to beat you up."
Using Reverse Summoning once more, he returned to the tavern.
As soon as he arrived, Ryosuke saw Jiraiya and Hayato Kamihara, two men who had been laughing loudly not long ago, now sitting gloomily, drinking in silence.
Ryosuke blinked in surprise. "Didn't you guys say six young ladies were coming over? You two couldn't stop grinning before."
He shouldn't have said that. As soon as the words left his mouth, both Jiraiya and Hayato gave him a resentful glare.
The six women had indeed shown up, and every single one of them was stunning. But when they came in and saw Ryosuke wasn't there, they thought Jiraiya had tricked them. Each of them rolled their eyes in disgust and stormed off angrily.
Ryosuke burst out laughing.
Seeing him laugh only made it worse. Jiraiya and Hayato immediately pulled him down to drink with them, determined to get even a Ripple user, with super-speed regeneration and complete control over every cell in his body, drunk tonight.
———
Two hours later, both Jiraiya and Hayato were sprawled unconscious on the tatami floor of the tavern. Ryosuke asked the landlady for two futons, tucked the brothers in, and finally stepped outside to enjoy the long-lost view of Konoha's nightscape.
It had been more than half a month since the war ended. Ryosuke had visited the Land of Earth, stopped by Konoha, and handled communications from all corners of the world.
Some messages were congratulations, some were declarations of loyalty, and many were pleas for help, from small nations begging the Annihilation Army to overthrow their kings.
Ryosuke felt like he stood at the center of the world, or rather, wherever he was, that place became the world's center. Every eye across the land was on him, desperate to speak to him even once.
Yet Ryosuke had been waiting for contact from one person.
Konan.
It wasn't that he had any romantic thoughts about her, but putting himself in her position, he could understand. In the recent war, Konan had truly lost everything, her comrades, her partners, her organization, her ideals, and even...
Her very sense of self.
As the man who had personally killed Nagato, Ryosuke didn't know how to face her. So he had never gone to find her.
But now...
'It's time to talk to her.'
And not just about the Rinnegan.
With Nagato dead, Pain, the god Amegakure worshipped, had naturally vanished as well. That made Konan, the "Angel," the highest leader of Amegakure.
Ryosuke needed to know what Konan thought, about herself, and about the future of her village.
Konoha was an inland city, and in winter, its air turned cold and crisp. Ryosuke took a deep breath and closed his eyes slightly. It reminded him of his business trips in the northern regions of his previous life.
The next moment, a gale swept through. Ryosuke soared into the sky, vanishing into the clouds. Thunder rumbled heavily across the heavens, and in the blink of an eye, he had crossed to the horizon's edge.
Ryosuke's speed was incredible. By the time he reached Amegakure, dawn had not yet broken. A fine drizzle fell continuously.
It fell upon a city of steel ruins.
Because of its constant rain, Amegakure's architecture was mainly made of steel and stone. Its buildings were tall and straight, designed for easy drainage, forming a skyline of narrow, vertical towers, completely different from any other village.
But now, those iconic towers had collapsed on a massive scale, like broken cables sinking into pools of rainwater. Corpses floated everywhere, their skin pale and bloated from soaking, faces twisted and nauseating to look at.
Ryosuke was no longer the clueless newcomer who had first entered the Naruto world and didn't understand death. Just one glance told him these bodies had been dead for over three days.
His expression grew increasingly grim.
He could hear the faint echoes of wailing carried by the wind.
Ryosuke extended a finger, lightly touching the rain. A ripple of energy pulsed through the falling droplets, spreading through the drizzle and weaving across the ruins of Amegakure.
After several seconds, the ripple returned to his hand.
Nothing.
Amegakure, not a single living soul.
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