"The one who awakened the Rinnegan wasn't Nagato, but Uchiha Madara!? That's impossible!"
Konan couldn't accept the revelation, it shattered everything she believed in.
Naruto added, "Oh, and the Madara I'm talking about isn't the masked man from Akatsuki. He only pretended to be Madara and tricked all of you..."
Konan's expression turned bitter. "One claimed to be Madara. Now you say that was a lie and the real Madara is someone else. You're both liars. I don't believe either of you!"
Naruto scratched his head, frustrated. "This is gonna be tricky..."
He unconsciously tapped his fingers on the table with his left hand.
It's worth mentioning—during the battle with Sasuke in his previous life, Naruto lost his right arm. Although he received a prosthetic, he got used to using his left hand and gradually became left-handed.
Even after his soul traveled through time, the habit remained.
Naruto searched his memories for something that could convince Konan.
It had been so long ago that it took him a moment to remember.
"Wait... Didn't you once prepare an insane trap to kill that masked Madara? I think it was 60 million, no, 600 billion paper bombs, right?"
Konan's face went pale. "How do you know that!?"
Even Nagato never knew about her plan. She had kept it completely secret.
"Did you... read my memories?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Naruto waved his hands quickly. "No, no! I don't know any mind techniques! Only the Yamanaka clan can do that stuff!"
In truth, he had learned about her plan during the Fourth Great Ninja War in his past life, when he extracted the Ten Tails from Obito and saw fragments of his memories.
Seeing Konan shaken, Naruto pressed on.
"Look, if I knew something that no one else could possibly know... doesn't that at least prove I'm not just making this up?"
Konan took a deep breath, trying to keep her usual calm expression.
"Even if you know that secret... it still doesn't prove your story about Madara is true."
Naruto said calmly, "Whether you believe me or not is up to you. But at least let me finish what I have to say, okay?"
He had already revealed Konan's biggest secret, something only she should've known, giving him the upper hand in the conversation.
Konan hesitated, then gave in halfway. "Alright... then go on."
Naruto began to explain:
"It all started when you were still very young. Madara Uchiha, after losing to Senju Hashirama, somehow managed to awaken the Rinnegan using Hashirama's power."
"The Rinnegan is the final evolution of the Sharingan. To awaken it, you need the combined power of both the Uchiha and the Senju." [Naruto purposely left out the part about the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura to avoid overcomplicating things.]
"By the time Madara awakened the Rinnegan, he was already old and dying. He couldn't carry out his plans himself anymore."
"So, he implanted the Rinnegan into a child, Uzumaki Nagato."
"Nagato was a descendant of the Senju and part of the Uzumaki clan. His red hair, like my mother Kushina's, proves that. Madara believed Nagato could handle the power of the Rinnegan."
"Madara gave him the Rinnegan not for peace, but to prepare for his own resurrection. The Rinne Tensei Jutsu was meant to bring Madara back to life, and Nagato was the one chosen to do it."
"In other words... the real Madara had already died."
Konan slowly pieced the story together and asked, "Then who is that masked man who claimed to be Madara?"
Naruto answered honestly, "Uchiha Obito. He was thought to have died during the Third Great Ninja War at Kannabi Bridge."
"In truth, he was saved by Madara and chosen to carry on his will. Obito was the one who manipulated Nagato behind the scenes and pushed forward the Project Tsuki no Me."
Konan's heart sank.
He even knows about the Project Tsuki no Me... Could everything he said really be true?
But deep down, she still couldn't accept it.
Were all the ideals they had fought for just a lie made by someone else?
Seeing the look of disappointment on her face, Naruto hesitated.
He didn't want to say it... but the one pulling the strings from the shadows was Black Zetsu.
Naruto spoke gently:
"Konan-senpai... I know the truth is painful. But it's not too late to face it now."
Konan snapped back, her voice sharp:
"No! Your story doesn't make sense. Akatsuki investigated you. You stayed in Konoha most of your life. You only trained with Jiraiya for a few years. How could you possibly know all this?"
Naruto sighed inwardly.
There was no avoiding it.
He stood up, walked over, and untied her. Then, he extended his left fist.
"Give me your fist. Once you do... you'll understand everything."
Konan hesitated. But when she looked into Naruto's right eye and saw the storm of emotions hidden within, her heart wavered.
She took a deep breath.
"Hmph..."
Then slowly reached out and touched his fist.
Tick.
The moment their fists met, a wave of energy pulsed through her.
Visions and memories flooded her mind, Naruto's past, the war, Madara, Obito, everything.
"This..."
Konan stood frozen. Her heart was in turmoil. Her orange eyes gleamed as the truth overwhelmed her.
"Was it... all true?"
"It's all true," Naruto said firmly, his voice low and serious.
"This is the real future. I escaped to this time from the moment of my death. Funny, right? The only reason I made it back is thanks to the treasure of that clan. Without it, I would've been powerless. Alone, we can't change anything."
"Now that I'm here, I have one goal, to defeat those people and protect this world. To do that... I need power. Enough power to face them head-on."
Konan had mostly come to believe him by now.
Words can lie... but the emotions in someone's heart never do.
"So what are you planning to do?"
Naruto replied, "I'll do whatever it takes to get stronger. That's my first principle. Let me tell you what I have in mind "
"I want to collect the secret techniques and Kekkei Genkai from all the major ninja villages... and combine the power of all the tailed beasts."
Konan frowned. "Those techniques and bloodlines are top-secret. And the tailed beasts are what keep the balance between the Five Great Nations. You'd be making enemies of the entire ninja world."
Naruto smiled calmly. "Exactly. To save the world... you first have to make it your enemy. No one will believe something so crazy. That's why"
"There's only one person in the world who trusts me without question. I don't want to drag her into this too early..."
"Also, I have to defect from Konoha. As long as I remain a Leaf shinobi, everything I do will bring disaster to the village."
Then he looked at Konan seriously and said,
"Konan-senpai... now that you know everything, can you understand why I made these choices?"
Konan didn't answer right away. Then she asked quietly,
"Where is Nagato's body?"
"Come with me..."
Naruto turned around. The stone chamber door slowly rumbled open, revealing two coffins inside.
Konan stepped forward to check.
In the first coffin, Nagato lay peacefully. His face was calm and intact, though his eyes were empty.
In the second coffin was the body of Pain's Deva Path, Tendō Pain.
Konan's eyes widened in surprise.
Naruto gave a faint smile.
"That must be Yahiko... someone very important to you, right?"
Konan gently touched Yahiko's face.
"Yes... he was both my comrade and my lover."
Naruto smiled.
"Only someone this handsome would be worthy of Senior Sister Konan!"
Konan smiled softly.
That was the best answer he could've given.
In that moment, she forgave him completely.
When they stepped out of the cave, Konan looked around cautiously.
Although the area was protected by a barrier, there was still a risk of being found.
"This is within the Land of Fire. Konoha must be searching for you..."
Naruto calmly replied,
"With my Sage Mode, I can sense anyone approaching. They won't find me easily."
He lightly touched the bandage covering his left eye.
"I'll stay here until I get used to this left eye..."
"What about Nagato's right eye?"
"I stored it away. I heard transplanting the Rinnegan is dangerous, so I'm taking it slow one eye at a time. So far, nothing strange has happened."
"You can't return to Konoha anymore. So where will you go?"
Naruto smiled.
"The world is my home now. The ninja world is huge, there has to be a place for me somewhere."
Konan was quiet for a while, then finally said,
"Alright... come with me to Amegakure."
Naruto was surprised. "Sister Konan... you!?"
At that moment, Konan finally shared what was in her heart.
"This kind of dangerous plan can't be carried out alone. You've inherited Nagato's will and his eyes. I have no reason not to give you my full support. Amegakure will stand behind you."
Naruto was deeply moved.
He couldn't put his feelings into words. All he could say was:
"Thank you... truly."
Konan nodded calmly.
"When do we leave?"
Naruto's expression turned serious.
"We need to wait a bit longer... there's someone I must see first."
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED