Naruto's Strongest Force - Chapter 98

Land of Fields, Hidden Sound Village.

Itachi led Karin and Jugo out, only to find Shisui and Kisame sparring. However, both were holding back—Shisui refrained from using his ninjutsu and genjutsu, while Kisame didn’t wield Samehada, opting instead for a regular sword as they engaged in taijutsu.

Shisui’s movements were graceful, attacking from unexpected angles, while Kisame’s strikes were powerful and forceful. Though his agility didn’t match Shisui’s, his sheer strength made every movement imposing.

“Clang!” Shisui’s sword was knocked out of his hand by one of Kisame’s heavy strikes.

Landing on the ground, Shisui rubbed his nose sheepishly. “You win, Kisame.”

Kisame grinned, showing his shark-like teeth. He glanced at a scratch on his shoulder, knowing that Shisui had held back and could have injured him.

“As expected from Shisui the Teleporter,” Kisame said, clearly pleased with his time here.

Itachi brought Karin and Jugo over to the group and introduced them individually.

Although his complexion had improved, Haku was still somewhat frail, and his timid demeanor reminded Karin of her past. She quickly took some snacks from her bag and shared them with Haku, and the two soon became friends.

When Jugo saw Kimimaro for the first time, it was as if he had known him for years, and he immediately felt a sense of kinship.

“I’m Jugo,” he introduced himself.

…

Land of Rain.

The rain continued to fall as Pain stood by the window, his hands behind his back, staring outside.

Konan finished preparing the ritual offerings and turned to glance at Pain.

“Nagato, I’m ready to begin.”

“Go ahead,” Pain replied, his deep voice tinged with emotion.

Konan composed herself and performed the hand signs carefully.

With a loud slap to the ground, she executed the technique: “Reanimation Jutsu!”

A cold wind swept through the sealed room as countless wailing spirits echoed around them.

A glowing circle appeared around the living sacrifice, and countless paper talismans covered its body.

“Aaah! Aaah!” The unconscious sacrifice awoke, screaming in excruciating pain. His anguished cries were so horrific they sounded like a vengeful spirit.

Konan instinctively stepped back, bumping into Pain behind her. Pain had already turned to face the scene, watching as the paper talismans disappeared, revealing the reanimated form of Kudzujo Amida.

Even after all these years, Kudzujo still wore the same clothes he had when he died. Aside from the cracks of the Reanimation Jutsu, he looked just as he did in life.

Kudzujo’s eyes gradually regained their clarity. “I… wasn’t I dead?”

Then he saw Pain in front of him, and without fully understanding what had happened, he lunged forward, embracing him. “Brother! You’re alive!”

Pain stood motionless as Kudzujo hugged him.

Moments later, Kudzujo sensed something was wrong. The Yahiko before him was stiff, cold, and had no heartbeat.

“What’s going on, Brother? What happened to you!?” Kudzujo asked frantically, but when he looked up, he saw Pain’s Rinnegan.

Kudzujo collapsed to the ground in shock. “Wait… those aren’t your eyes, Brother. Those are Nagato’s Rinnegan! What… what is going on?”

Konan, standing nearby, approached him with sadness in her eyes. “Kudzujo…”

Seeing Konan, Kudzujo’s face lit up, and he grabbed her hand. “Konan, what happened to Brother? Didn’t I die? Where’s the others? Where’s Daibutsu, Nagato, and the rest of the team?”

At Kudzujo’s questions, images of their fallen comrades flashed through Konan’s mind. She closed her eyes in pain before speaking.

“Kudzujo, Daibutsu and the others… they’re all dead.”

“Yahiko… Yahiko is dead, too.”

“The person standing before you…”

“I am Nagato,” Pain finally spoke, having gathered his thoughts.

Kudzujo took two steps back, bumping into the window. He finally noticed the cracks covering his body.

He raised his hands to inspect himself. “I see… it looks like a lot happened after I died.”

…

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Kudzujo began recounting his story. “That day, when you went to negotiate with Hanzo, I received word from one of our comrades stationed near the Konoha border. He reported that a team of Konoha’s Anbu was heading to Hanzo’s location.”

“I found the timing too coincidental, and Hanzo’s words sounded too good to be true.”

“Suspecting a trap, I gathered some of our allies and rushed to support you.”

“On the way, we were intercepted by two people. One had a face split in half, like yin and yang, with what looked like aloe leaves on his body.”

“The other wore a mask and called himself Uchiha Madara.”

“The one claiming to be Uchiha Madara blocked us from getting to you. He spouted nonsense about making you see reality and then had that yin-yang guy summon a horde of white monsters from the ground.”

“My attacks passed right through that masked guy. Then he stabbed me.”

“I tried using a secret technique to drag him down with me, but he managed to escape.”

Kudzujo spoke casually about the events leading up to his death, and once he learned he had only been temporarily revived, he quickly accepted it. After all, coming back from the dead wasn’t what usually happened.

However, neither Konan nor Nagato would tell him what had happened to Yahiko or why Nagato was using Yahiko’s body.

Konan couldn’t help but ask, “Did that guy calling himself Uchiha Madara say anything else?”

Kudzujo thought momentarily before replying, “Before I died, I heard him say something like…”

“To awaken the true Rinnegan in Nagato, in this cursed world, there is no such thing as peace. Nagato must abandon his current ideals and move toward a new world.”

After hearing this, Kudzujo suddenly looked up at Nagato. “Nagato, have you given up on our dream of peace?”

Pain remained silent for a long moment before answering, “No. I’ve simply chosen a different path.”

“We were too naive back then. People only grow when they experience true pain.”

“Those who don’t understand pain will never know peace.”

“I will bring peace to this world in my own way!” Pain declared with unwavering determination.

Kudzujo stared at him, finding this Nagato unrecognizable. “Nagato, I don’t know what you’ve been through, but from the way you’re acting, aren’t you just doing exactly what that so-called Uchiha Madara wanted?”

Pain’s expression changed, and for a long time, he said nothing.

As Kudzujo’s questions echoed, he remained silent.

Finally, after a long pause, Pain shook his head.

Konan sighed and released the Reanimation Jutsu. “Release!”

Kudzujo suddenly felt his body lighten as his soul began to leave the reanimated form.

He couldn’t help but shout, “Nagato! Don’t fall into this trap!”

“As a war orphan, my whole life was full of chaos, but the Akatsuki was the first ray of hope I ever saw, Nagato!”

“I’ll never forget that morning, when the sun rose…”

“Brother gave our organization the name ‘Akatsuki’ and said: ‘This country has suffered long from war and cries in pain. We will be the dawn that changes the world…’”

Kudzujo’s voice gradually faded until it was no more.

Pain stood motionless, staring out the window, his chakra fluctuating violently.

Konan looked at him with worry. “Nagato…”

After a moment, Pain’s chakra stabilized. In a cold voice, he said, “Let’s go see Uchiha Natsuki. He definitely knows more about the truth!”

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