Nagato fell silent.
Rainwater streamed down his cheeks and dripped onto the battered mechanical apparatus beneath him, producing a steady tapping sound.
Complicated emotions churned within his Rinnegan.
Anger. Resentment. Pain.
And an exhaustion that had seeped deep into his bones.
"How could people from the great nations ever understand the suffering of a small village like ours?"
His voice was barely louder than a sigh, yet every word pierced the heart like a needle.
"Only by making the world experience pain can we curb the great nations' desire for war."
Teizawa listened, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
Obsessive. Childish. Twisted by his own suffering.
He had seen plenty of people like this before.
In his previous life, they were everywhere online, on forums, and across every kind of social media platform.
There were always people spouting cynical nonsense like this.
They believed the world owed them something. They believed all their suffering had been inflicted upon them by others.
But someone like Nagato…
A man who put that obsession into practice and even proclaimed himself a god?
This was Teizawa's first time meeting one in the flesh.
Just as he prepared to tear Nagato's argument apart, the long-absent mechanical voice suddenly sounded within his mind.
[Ding! The host has encountered the ultimate boss of the Naruto world's early stages. Please make your choice.]
Teizawa's attention instantly sharpened.
[Option One: Defeat Nagato through force and prove that your strength surpasses the Rinnegan. Reward: Uzumaki Physique. Obtain the Uzumaki clan's tremendous vitality and chakra reserves.]
[Option Two: Defeat Nagato through words and convince him to abandon his plan. Reward: Rinnegan. The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, possessing the ultimate ocular power over life, death, and reincarnation.]
Teizawa froze on the spot.
The system had remained silent for so long, yet the moment it returned, it offered him a heaven-defying reward.
The Rinnegan belonged to the Sage of Six Paths.
It was the power of the shinobi world's progenitor.
With those eyes, Teizawa could practically walk sideways through the entire shinobi world without fear.
Combined with his Wood Release physique, the Rinnegan would immediately elevate him to the strongest person beneath the Six Paths level.
Forget Pain. Even if Madara or Hashirama returned from the dead, they might not be able to defeat him.
As for the Uzumaki Physique…
Teizawa dismissed it without a second thought.
Qinglin was already a descendant of the Uzumaki clan.
He had someone with an Uzumaki physique right beside him, so there was no need to waste a system reward on obtaining one.
Besides, although the Uzumaki Physique was powerful, it could not compare with the Rinnegan.
The difference was like comparing a firefly to the radiant moon.
They were not even on the same level.
How could he possibly resist such a temptation?
As for Option Two's condition…
Defeat Nagato through words.
Teizawa rapidly considered his chances.
He did not share Naruto's connection with Nagato.
He did not have the bond between master and disciple that Jiraiya possessed.
Nor did he have the infectious passion and natural charisma unique to the protagonist of a hot-blooded manga.
But Teizawa possessed one thing Naruto did not.
He knew Nagato's plan inside and out.
In fact, he understood its fatal flaws even better than Nagato himself.
"You call yourself a god…"
Teizawa spoke at an unhurried pace, as though he were simply stating the obvious.
"You intend to use the tailed beasts to deter the major shinobi villages, using fear to force peace upon the world."
"You'll collect all nine tailed beasts and create an ultimate weapon. If any village dares to start a war, you'll use that weapon to annihilate it. You'll suppress fear with greater fear and end violence through overwhelming violence."
Nagato's expression changed.
It was not anger.
It was shock.
His pupils contracted violently, and his hands unconsciously tightened around the armrests.
His lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but no words came out.
This was his plan.
It was Akatsuki's deepest secret.
Only he, Konan, and the masked man knew about it.
How could the Kazekage, an outsider, possibly know it in such detail?
Every last detail was correct.
Could there be a traitor within the organization?
He instinctively glanced at Konan.
She shook her head, looking equally stunned.
"How… How do you know?"
Nagato's voice was as rough as though his throat were full of sand.
Teizawa did not answer.
He simply continued.
"You believe you're fighting for peace in the shinobi world. You want to create a world without war, a world that will never produce more war orphans like you, Yahiko, and Konan."
"You think you're doing something great. You believe you're the savior. A god. But from where I'm standing…"
He paused, a mocking smile appearing on his face.
"Your idea is so childish that it borders on absurdity. No, it is utterly ridiculous."
Nagato's face went from white to red, then from red to livid.
Veins bulged across his forehead.
His fingers tightened around the armrests until they creaked.
His breathing grew faster and heavier.
Rage blazed within his Rinnegan.
"You're courting death!"
He slammed his palms together, interlocking his fingers.
The light within his Rinnegan intensified.
Terrifying power surged from his body like an overwhelming tidal wave.
The rain reversed course, and shattered stones flew through the air.
Even the air seemed to solidify.
The ground trembled, and the tower shook.
Even the elite shinobi from the various villages rushing toward the tower struggled to breathe beneath that crushing pressure.
"Planetary Devastation…"
Nagato's voice exploded through the rain.
The ground began to crack.
Countless pieces of rock tore themselves from the fissures and flew into the sky.
Gravity.
An overwhelming gravitational force.
It seized Teizawa's body and held him firmly in place.
The rocks gathered around him, accumulating faster and faster.
Within moments, they formed an enormous stone sphere that resembled a miniature moon suspended in the sky.
Teizawa was embedded in its center, completely unable to move.
Mei's expression changed.
Konan retreated into the distance, sheets of paper swirling around her to block the flying debris.
This was Planetary Devastation, one of the Rinnegan's ultimate techniques.
It condensed gravitational force to its absolute limit, creating a miniature moon that sealed the enemy within it.
Once fully formed, it was nearly impossible to break.
"Teizawa…"
Mei's voice trembled.
She tried to charge forward, but the gravitational force was too powerful.
Every step she took brought another barrage of stones crashing into her.
A sharp fragment sliced open her arm, sending blood streaming down it.
Konan placed herself in Mei's path.
"It's useless. Once Planetary Devastation is activated, no one can escape."
"He'll be sealed inside that sphere and left in the sky for eternity."
Mei gritted her teeth and ignored Konan's warning.
She desperately charged toward the sphere.
Before she could get close, an invisible repulsive force sent her flying.
Her body tumbled several times through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
She coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Teizawa…"
Her voice cracked.
The enemy was far too powerful.
The sphere continued to expand. It was already dozens of meters in diameter, yet it showed no sign of stopping.
Teizawa's figure vanished completely beneath the accumulated stone.
Nagato's face grew increasingly pale.
Sweat poured down his forehead like rain.
The mechanical apparatus beneath him creaked under the tremendous strain.
Its tubes dug into his body, leaving angry red marks across his skin.
"It's over."
Nagato's voice was hoarse and exhausted.
(End of Chapter)
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