chapter 80 part 3
Danzo unleashed a Wind Release attack, piercing through the Toad blocking his path. He then stomped on the Toad's head, using the force to accelerate his charge towards Nagato's location.
"This Wind Release... you're Shimura Danzō! Someone like you actually came as well?" Jiraiya's face fell in shock. This gave Terai an opportunity to rush him with his blade, forcing Jiraiya to use Ninja Art: Needle Jizō.
His hair transformed into sharp needles and continuously grew, firmly protecting him. It also extended, blocking attacks from one direction for Yahiko and the other two.
Snap! Danzo removed the mask from his face and casually tossed it onto the ground. "Jiraiya, your actions are no different from Village Defection. You discovered the Rinnegan but didn't report it to the Village. Instead, you made me personally come to the Land of Rain to investigate. Hiruzen should be ashamed for raising a disciple like you."
"Immediately accusing and putting yourself on a moral high ground—that's truly your style of doing things... Whether I'm a Rogue Ninja or not can only be judged by the Third Hokage. You're not a Hokage, you have no right. I don't need to report any of my actions to you. The war is over, and I am no longer your subordinate."
Jiraiya wasn't buying any of it. The coldness in his eyes grew stronger: "Forcing someone as proud as you to hide your true face—should I be proud of that?"
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not doing this because of you. Not even because of the Rinnegan. It's for Tsukasa Kaede. However, that's no longer important. With the opportunity to acquire the Rinnegan, neither you nor Tsukasa Kaede are as important as before." Danzo said.
"Tsukasa Kaede, that guy again... My Toads gathered some Intel in the Land of Rain with rumors about this kid. He seems to have become a decent Ninja now? What, is he also 'defecting from the Village' like me, requiring you, the Root leader, to personally intervene?"
Jiraiya spouted trash talk, his brain rapidly processing, hesitating over the repercussions of killing Danzo. But then he was dumbfounded.
He saw the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in Danzo's other eye.
"...Sharingan? And a Three-Tomoe? Such eyes are precious even within the Uchiha Clan. But how did they fall into your hands! Shimura Danzō, you lunatic, how could you—"
Jiraiya quickly fell silent. Because he himself was currently engaged in the act of "attacking comrades," and he absolutely couldn't back down.
"This world is truly insane. Is that the Sharingan Teacher once mentioned? Yet it appeared on this old geezer's body. It makes me feel like everyone's position is ambiguous." Yahiko was also surprised. He certainly didn't believe Danzo acquired that Sharingan through legitimate means.
Danzo slowly said, "There's no need to be surprised by this, young man from the Land of Rain. The world itself is gray, and everyone is gray. You're merely immersed in the beautiful dream Jiraiya wove for you and haven't truly witnessed the outside world. However, I can give you that opportunity."
"Hmph, easy for you to say. Aren't you still coveting Nagato's Rinnegan? If we listen to you, I'm afraid it won't be long before your normal eye turns into a Rinnegan!" Yahiko stood in front of Nagato. He knew Nagato was indecisive and absolutely wouldn't give the enemy a chance to mislead Nagato with words.
Jiraiya was very relieved to see this scene. This was the configuration he most hoped to see: comrades trusting each other and actively using their strengths to compensate for each other's weaknesses.
"Shallow."
Danzo shook his head: "Is that Rinnegan wielder named Nagato? If I could take such a person as my inheritor disciple, why would I need to gouge out his eyes? Why would I use his Rinnegan to accomplish things instead of directly cultivating him and letting him use his Rinnegan to do it?"
He truly had no intention of directly gouging out the eyes.
The Rinnegan, as the head of the Three Great Dojutsu, a legendary eye, its reappearance seemed to confirm that the Sage of Kaedex Paths was also a real person, not merely a mythological figure.
So, was there a secret connection between Nagato and the Sage of Kaedex Paths? Reincarnation? Father and son? Master and disciple? In any case, regardless of the possibility, there must be some crucial clue.
Until he understood this hidden global thread and determined whether Nagato could truly unleash the Rinnegan's power, Danzo would not easily commit the short-sighted act of gouging out the eyes.
The prerequisite was that he could actually bring Nagato back to the Hidden Leaf Village.
If it truly came to the point of gouging out the eyes, there were only a few possibilities.
First, the Rinnegan's power might not only be wieldable by Nagato, and others could use the eyes if they possessed them. But Danzo knew nothing about the Rinnegan, and there were no historical records of Rinnegan transplantation in the Hidden Leaf Village, so he couldn't act rashly.
Second, Nagato's ideology might deviate and Danzo might not be able to pull him back, unable to make Nagato act according to his wishes. In that case, gouging out the eyes would be the only option.
Third was, if the Rinnegan possessed a Dojutsu so powerful that Danzo would be willing to "kill the goose that lays the golden eggs" to acquire it.
However, Danzo considered it and decided it was impossible. His greatest needs were simply immortality and power.
As long as Tsukasa Kaede was around, he could theoretically possess a long lifespan and maintain his current physical state in his fifties, which was perfectly acceptable. With sufficient lifespan, his strength would naturally increase little by little through continuous cultivation over time.
Even if the Rinnegan truly had the ability to reincarnate and resurrect the dead, as its name implied, it wasn't a necessity for Danzo.
Moreover, Danzo knew with common sense that activating such Dojutsu would inevitably incur an immense cost. If he truly had that need, he would rather cultivate Nagato and have Nagato do it.
"Come, Nagato. What's the point of following an idiot like Jiraiya? Come to me! I am one of the Hidden Leaf Village's higher-ups. As long as you become my sole disciple, the entire Hidden Leaf Village will belong to you."
Danzo extended his hand towards Nagato: "You're proficient in Ninjutsu of all Nature Transformations, but you've learned too few Jutsu. If you wish, I can impart all of the Hidden Leaf Village's Jutsu to you, including all sorts of dangerous yet powerful Forbidden Jutsu! With your Rinnegan, you should inherently learn all Jutsu. Your dreams, everything you cherish, will be protected by all the Ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. Tens of thousands of Ninja from the Land of Fire will desperately carry out your will. Just nod your head, and you will gain all of this."
For a moment, Nagato's heart did stir—the vision Danzo presented was simply too good—but it was merely a stirring, not even a genuine inclination.
"Shimura Danzō... You were the one who led Konoha's forces into the Land of Rain, sparking the Second Great Ninja War, weren't you?" Nagato suddenly asked.
Danzo nodded: "That's right, I did it. The Hidden Leaf Village should conquer other Villages. Everything should belong to the Hidden Leaf Village. That way, there will be no more conflicts."
"Then there's no mistake. My parents died in this war that your Konoha started. They were also killed by your Konoha Ninja... Originally, because of Teacher Jiraiya, my impression of Konoha changed. I even intended to abandon revenge and strive for a greater dream. But you made me realize that Konoha is still Konoha. Those who committed sins are still living in luxury."