In the Akatsuki base, Nagato stood quietly at the center of the room. His aura, powerful and overwhelming, filled the air. Around him, Nagato's core team watched in astonishment.
Nagato's cold gaze swept over Konan, Yahiko, Tsunade, Sakumo, Pakura, and Kakuzu.
No one spoke. They were overwhelmed not only by Nagato's strength but also by the sheer depth of the aura he released so effortlessly.
Of course, Nagato had kept the real reason for staying low-key hidden from them.
Although he was stronger than both Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, there was still the Sage of Six Paths. If the Sage truly wished to kill Nagato, he could probably do it with just a wave of his hand.
Nagato thought silently.
'What if Black Zetsu somehow reincarnates Madara, and I end up fighting him? If I kill Madara, would the Sage of Six Paths become furious and kill me?'
After all, the brain circuits of the Sage and his sons weren't normal.
He recalled the story of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
When Kaguya created White Zetsu, what did Hagoromo and Hamura do? They only sealed her away. They just stood there, protecting the weak, without even investigating what truly happened to Kaguya.
Did they not realize that Kaguya was stronger than them? If she truly wanted to kill all humans, would she have acted so strangely?
Then there was Ashura.
Ashura, who became Hashirama. He bowed to weaklings, and then Naruto, with all that hatred in his childhood, still wished for recognition instead of demanding apologies or revenge against the ones who wronged him, even forgiving the killer of his parents. Are we sure Ashura was normal?
Nagato's eyes narrowed as his thoughts deepened.
I have a hunch. The reason Naruto and Sasuke became weaker in the Boruto era is because both Ashura and Indra's chakra was exhausted they were completely gone. If that's the case, then it makes sense that Sasuke got killed and Naruto was sealed. The Sage of Six Paths did nothing because they were no longer his sons.
What if the Sage predicts I'll disrupt his sons' reconciliation and decides to kill me early?
And then there was the threat of Isshiki, who had become Jigen.
He stayed hidden until Boruto was born. Why? Because he was sure Kaguya was sealed. Before that, he had to hide because Kaguya was stronger than him and he didn't know where she was. If he had run into her, he would've died.
What if Isshiki comes out early and contacts the main Ōtsutsuki family, because I'm stronger than him?
In the ninja world, threats were everywhere. Nagato had to move carefully. Every step mattered—one mistake and he could fall into the abyss.
Nagato finally spoke. His voice was calm but firm.
"So you know now. If I just wanted to win a war, I could do it easily with my power. But what I lack are talented people like you."
He paused, letting his words sink in.
"And we need reputation. When the Third Ninja War begins, we'll expel all enemy ninjas from the Land of Rain. Then we'll spread the news so people know our country is the safest place. Refugees will come to us, and our nation will grow bigger with a good reputation. When everyone knows us, uniting the ninja world will meet with less resistance."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"The more our reputation spreads, the fewer victims there will be when we unite the ninja world. That's Akatsuki's plan. You can think about it. I know it's not something that can be accepted easily. But if you leave, my spell will automatically erase all your memories from the moment you joined us."
Nagato stopped speaking, giving them time to think.
In the meantime, he began preparing to carve the Akatsuki's sealing mark.
It was similar to the Byakugō Seal, but shaped like a red cloud. This mark would store his chakra—the chakra that included Hashirama's power and the Nine Tails'.
It contained the Flying Thunder God technique too. If a member was in danger, the mark would burst with powerful chakra, allowing them either to fight or escape.
Because it carried Hashirama's chakra, it would also boost their regeneration.
Nagato embedded traces of his dōjutsu in it as well.
Through this mark, he could communicate without words. If he used Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, his illusions would be on another level. He could cast genjutsu without direct eye contact—as long as he could sense someone, he could trap them in illusion.
And with Uzumaki perception and Nine Tails chakra, they were all connected anyway.
That was why he chose to use Shisui's Sharingan instead of Kamui.
Kamui was powerful, but he could counter it with illusion.
For example, if Obito gets attacked, he'll choose between Kamui, dodging, or counterattack. I can cast an illusion making him ignore Kamui, leaving him only dodge or counterattack. In battle, with decisions made in split seconds, he wouldn't realize he was under genjutsu.
Hours passed as they all thought it through.
None of them backed down.
Tsunade, Sakumo, and Pakura had long been disillusioned with their villages. As long as Akatsuki didn't do anything evil, they were willing to stay.
Kakuzu stayed because Nagato was strong—and because he got paid. A rogue ninja without backing would end up dead at the hands of another bounty hunter.
As for Konan and Yahiko they already knew Nagato.
Nagato finally said:
"Okay. I will carve Akatsuki's mark on you. This mark will boost your regeneration. If you fight a powerful enemy, it can release a burst of chakra to help you win or escape with teleportation."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"Teleportation? As far as I know, only the Flying Thunder God can teleport. Is there a similar jutsu?"
Nagato smiled slightly.
"It's just the Flying Thunder God. When I stole Hashirama's remains from Danzō, I picked up some jutsu along the way."
The others froze.
Tsunade snorted.
"Hmph."
Although she was upset, what could she do?
After about an hour, Nagato finished engraving the Akatsuki mark on them.
They returned to their posts.
Nagato sent Kakuzu out of the Rain Country—it would take a day's run.
Then Nagato focused on training.
He told Sakumo they had to train like Might Duy. Sakumo wasn't close to Might Duy, but the man's training methods were famous.
Nagato began brutal body training.
His fight with the Gold and Silver Brothers had made it clear—his body lacked conditioning.
He decided to train like Saitama, but doubled.
I have Hashirama's heart and Uzumaki blood. My regeneration is fast. Double training won't be a problem.
So he started:
200 push-ups.
200 sit-ups.
200 squats.
20 km run.
The first day, he almost died.
If not for his enhanced regeneration, he wouldn't have made it.
But he kept going.
Second day. Third day.
A week.
Two weeks.
A month.
Two months.
Nagato trained like a madman, ignoring his body's screams.
"Huff… huff… I need to make my body stronger. Then I'll capture Orochimaru's backup and have him experiment to break human limits."
Yes. That was Nagato's plan.
Strengthen his body to the limit, then find a way to break it.
Then he could absorb tailed beasts' chakra several times—without killing them.
Because if he became the Six Paths like Madara, there'd be only one Six Paths.
One man couldn't fight the entire Ōtsutsuki clan.
He needed to create more Six Paths.
His first targets were Naruto and Sasuke.
If possible, also Madara and Hashirama—they carried traces of Ashura and Indra.
If Orochimaru wasn't enough, he'd find Amado or Log.
There would be Ōtsutsuki coming to the past, hunting Naruto—he could get material from them for experiments.
If history changed and Boruto didn't return to the past, then he'd use the Dragon Vein.
Nagato clenched his fist.
Damn, I almost forgot about the Dragon Vein. If Mukade gets it, he'll waste its power. I need to secure it.
Without hesitation, Nagato teleported to the Wind Country's edge, then ran southwest, toward the remote corner where the Dragon Vein lay.
.