The heavy iron gate groaned under his heel before it gave way with a metallic shriek. The hinges tore loose, and the rusted barrier skidded across the stone floor, screeching with a grating chorus.
Naruto stepped through the dust and echoes, his eyes narrowing at the figure slouched within.
Nagato.
The man who had pulled the strings of Akatsuki, the one behind Pain's six bodies, now sat exposed before him—thin, wasted, and pale as parchment. His Rinnegan gleamed with an unnatural brilliance, but his body looked more like that of a corpse than a living shinobi.
The two Uzumaki faced each other for the first time.
"You are Uzumaki Naruto," Nagato said, his voice rough yet steady, the Rinnegan fixed unblinking on him. "Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. Your death will bring peace to this world. Speak your last words."
Naruto smirked faintly. His tone was light, almost mocking as he answered, "Your condition's not looking so good, senpai."
The remark hit Nagato harder than any kunai. His eyes flickered, his expression faltering. For the briefest instant, his heart stirred.
Before he could respond, chakra flared. A rush of displaced air shook the chamber as a figure appeared beside him—Tendō Pain. Though battered and scarred from the earlier fight, this final Path still stood as Nagato's shield.
Naruto's gaze sharpened. Jiraiya-sensei must have already taken care of the other bodies. That explained why Nagato clung to this one so fiercely.
Outside, footsteps pounded closer. Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Gai had followed the trail here, but before they could intervene, Tendō vanished in a shimmer of space-time ninjutsu, summoned directly back to its master's side.
Kakashi's face tightened. "Not good. That was a recall. Naruto's facing the real one now."
Jiraiya's voice was grave. "We need to hurry. Naruto's the future of Konoha—he can't fall here."
The three of them surged forward, but already Naruto and Nagato's confrontation had begun.
Nagato's breathing was shallow, but his words carried conviction. "Tell me, Uzumaki Naruto. What do you see when you look at this world of shinobi?"
Naruto tilted his head, as though considering the question more seriously than his expression suggested. "What do I see? A twisted mess. That's all this world is."
The bluntness made Nagato still. His brow furrowed; he couldn't place why, but Naruto's words felt different—truthful in a way he had not expected.
Nagato pressed on. "And how would you change it? How would you bring peace?"
Naruto sighed softly, then spoke as though lecturing a stubborn child.
"Take Konoha, for example. The Hokage and the daimyō of the Fire Country—two powers that can never truly coexist. At best, it's an employer-employee relationship. The daimyō holds the purse strings, and the village is forced to keep his nation stable. Every village is the same."
He folded his arms, golden eyes steady. "But it's a broken system. If a daimyō wants war, shinobi go to war. Villages clash, thousands die. That cycle keeps spinning because resources are limited, and everyone's fighting to survive. Where there are people, there will be conflict. That's not something you erase with words about 'hope'."
Naruto's tone hardened. "At the end of the day, the one with the bigger fist decides what's right. The strong climb higher, the weak get crushed. That's the truth of this world."
Nagato's Rinnegan flickered, betraying turmoil. He had never heard it put so plainly—not from Jiraiya, not from Yahiko, not from Konan. And hearing it from Naruto—his junior, his fellow Uzumaki—unsettled something buried deep inside.
Still, he asked, "And yet… your teacher spoke of hope. Of peace."
Naruto chuckled darkly. "Jiraiya's words are nice for dreams. But dreams don't change reality. Don't mistake me—I respect him more than anyone. He cares for his students, maybe too much. But the old man Hiruzen filled his head with the 'Will of Fire,' and it left him clinging to fantasies."
Nagato actually laughed—harsh and bitter, but genuine. "You truly are different, Naruto Uzumaki."
Then his gaze sharpened. "But different or not, the Nine-Tails within you belongs to me."
Naruto cracked his knuckles, rolling his neck. "So, it comes to this. Guess we'll have to do it the hard way."
Nagato pressed his hands together. Chakra gathered in his palm, black as void, condensing into a sphere so dense it warped the air around it.
"Chibaku Tensei," he intoned.
The orb shot skyward. Immediately, the earth trembled. Stones, boulders, shattered tiles—all were wrenched into the air and dragged upward by overwhelming gravity.
The ground beneath Naruto split apart, tearing upward in jagged slabs. The pull threatened to rip him from his footing. His body strained against the invisible force, but his eyes sharpened, calculating.
No time to hesitate.
"Senpō… Fūton: Rasenshuriken!"
Natural energy swirled with wind chakra, condensing into a whirling blade of pure destruction. The moment it stabilized, Naruto hurled it skyward.
The Rasenshuriken cut against the pull, screaming as it carved through debris. A heartbeat later, it struck the forming satellite above.
The explosion was cataclysmic.
"BOOM!!"
The half-formed Chibaku Tensei shattered under the impact, rubble scattering like a broken star. The chamber shook, dust cascading from the ceiling.
Naruto landed hard, sage markings fading as he exhaled a shaky breath. "Damn… that was close."
He glanced at the fading fragments above. "So that's the Rinnegan's power, huh? If I'd been even a second slower, it would've been over. Another moment and I'd have needed something stronger—maybe even the Flying Thunder God—to escape."
Across from him, Nagato's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible… my Chibaku Tensei… broken?"
He knew the strength of that jutsu better than anyone. Yet this boy—this jinchūriki—had crushed it.
Naruto's tone was calm, but edged. "Every jutsu has a weakness. Nothing's perfect. Just like peace through fear—it doesn't last."
Nagato's gaze trembled, his thoughts in disarray. Again, Naruto had struck something within him he couldn't ignore.
But before he could answer, paper swirled at his side. Konan appeared, breathless, wings of parchment unfurling protectively around him.
"Nagato, are you all right?" she asked, her eyes sharp but heavy with worry.
"I'm fine," he lied, though his body shook with strain.
Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Gai burst into the chamber moments later, the dust still swirling around them.
Jiraiya's eyes locked on his old students, his voice filled with sorrow. "Nagato. Konan. You've changed so much… and your body…"
"Sensei," Nagato answered quietly, bitterness lacing his tone.
Konan's gaze softened at the sight of Jiraiya, but her resolve held firm. She spread her papers, lifting Nagato's body. "We're leaving. Now isn't the time."
Nagato didn't argue. Even he understood—four strong shinobi stood before them, and his strength was fading.
Paper swept around them, carrying them aloft.
But Kakashi's eye spun, Mangekyō bleeding power. "Kamui!"
Space warped around Nagato and Konan, threatening to drag them into the void.
Nagato thrust his hand outward. "Shinra Tensei!"
The repulsion shattered the vortex, ripping Kamui's pull away.
Naruto had already entered Sage Mode again. Chakra swirled at his palm as he launched another Rasenshuriken toward their retreating forms.
Konan's eyes widened, but Nagato only raised his hand, calm. "Fūjutsu Kyūin."
The jutsu dissolved into pure chakra as Nagato absorbed it, replenishing himself with its stolen power.
Kakashi's jaw tightened. "So it's true. The real body can use every Path's abilities."
Gai clenched a fist, eyes alight. "Then we'll just push harder! Youth burns brightest against impossible odds!"
The Rasenshuriken vanished, consumed entirely, leaving Nagato strengthened if only slightly. Konan pushed harder, carrying them beyond reach.
Naruto clicked his tongue, watching them disappear. He had hoped to end this here, maybe even take the Rinnegan—but Konan's timing had been perfect.
The four shinobi gave chase, but as they broke through the ruins, dozens of white shapes erupted from the ground. White Zetsu clones—blocking, delaying, swarming.
The chance was gone.
Naruto's fists tightened. His words had shaken Nagato; he could see that. But the fight was far from over.
The real battle for peace in this twisted world had only just begun.
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