Jiraiya's sudden question left everyone stunned. Nagato, who was controlling the Deva Path Pain, was shaken to the core, his body trembling violently, disbelief written all over his face.
"I know you're still alive. I can't be mistaken about these eyes."
Nagato opened his mouth, but no words came out. However, under his control, the Deva Path's trembling body betrayed the turmoil in his heart. Konan, who was bound by Gamaken's tongue, was also wearing a look of utter shock.
Jiraiya chuckled softly. Ignoring Orochimaru and the others trying to stop him, he squatted down and looked at the Deva Path lying on the ground, deliberately avoiding eye contact. With pain in his voice, he said:
"Can you tell me? What exactly have you been through all these years?"
Hearing Jiraiya's familiar voice, Nagato fell silent for a long while before stubbornly replying:
"There's nothing to say. Everything I've done was only for peace."
"How long are you going to keep deceiving yourself?!"
Jiraiya roared, and tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes.
"Why—why did you become like this? I once believed with absolute certainty that you were the Child of Prophecy who would save the world. And yet you've done things like this. Even now, I can't understand what happened.
"I once lived so closely with you, hoping that through my words and actions I could guide you onto the right path. I even modeled The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja after you, trying to depict an imagined world of peace.
"But then I heard news of your deaths. I doubted it. I investigated. Yet I could never find the truth.
"And now, after all these years, I finally meet you again… only to see you like this."
Jiraiya—who had always been free-spirited and unrestrained for decades—was now openly crying in front of everyone. As Nagato felt his teacher's tears drip onto the back of the Deva Path's hand, his heart felt as though it were being tightly clenched by an invisible hand.
Had he truly failed to sever his human emotions, despite proclaiming himself a god beyond mortals?
Feeling the pain in his chest, Nagato's final mental defenses finally collapsed. After a moment of silence, he let out a long sigh and said:
"Sensei… I once believed wholeheartedly in the peace you spoke of. But cruel reality taught me that it was nothing more than naïve idealism.
"Sensei, your peace is too idealistic. You said that a new era would come where people truly understand and trust one another. But I waited nearly twenty years—where is that peace?
"All I've ever seen and felt is endless hatred and ever-deepening pain."
From that moment on, Nagato no longer avoided his past. In front of everyone from Konoha, he recounted everything he had experienced: the beautiful ideals at the founding of Akatsuki, Yahiko's death after the failed negotiations with Hanzō, and finally the birth of the current Akatsuki.
As they listened to Akatsuki's evolution, the people present couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Among the crowd, however, Hoshiyomi wore a strange expression.
Scanning the people around him, Hoshiyomi felt that something was missing. After glancing at Nagato, who was still speaking, Hoshiyomi nodded to himself and quietly leaned over to Gamaken, whispering a few words into his ear.
...
"All of my experiences over these years have constantly reminded me of one thing: as long as humans live, they are destined—consciously or unconsciously—to hurt others.
"This world is a cursed world. As long as one remains in this cursed world, peace can never be achieved.
"Sensei.. Jiraiya-sensei... after hearing everything I've said, do you still think that what I've done is wrong?"
After hearing Nagato's account, the people present all wore dazed, conflicted expressions. Jiraiya opened his mouth several times, but no matter what, he couldn't bring himself to say that Nagato's reasoning was entirely wrong.
Everything Nagato had seen and experienced was real—what right did he have to correct him?
The usually eloquent Jiraiya suddenly found himself at a loss for words. Just as he didn't know how to respond, a vigorous, energetic voice suddenly rang out:
"If this world is a cursed world, then let me be the one to lift that curse. As long as peace truly exists, it can be made into reality."
Hearing these words, Jiraiya, Nagato, and Minato were all stunned. Those words—those exact words—were something Jiraiya himself had written at the end of The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja, spoken through the protagonist Naruto.
The three of them turned their heads at the same time and saw Naruto had appeared in the middle of the scene at some point, smiling brightly as he greeted everyone present.
"Hey, aren't those words something you wrote, Pervy Sage? Or did you write so much Icha Icha Paradise that you forgot what you'd written before?"
Minato couldn't help but smile when he saw Naruto, but in the next instant his expression changed. As if facing a great enemy, he quickly pulled Naruto behind him.
On the other side, Jiraiya smiled as well. The confusion and inner struggle in his eyes finally dissipated at that moment.
The Deva Path lying on the ground glanced at Naruto, a trace of sharp killing intent flashing in his eyes—only for it to be forcibly suppressed moments later.
Raising his head and staring intently at Naruto, Nagato examined him for a moment before unexpectedly smiling.
"Perhaps… I really was wrong."
At those words, a glimmer of joy flashed through Jiraiya's eyes. Konan, who had been released at some point, covered her mouth in shock.
Could it be that Nagato truly intended to let go of the past and abandon the plan to collect the tailed beasts? If that were really possible…
Just as that thought crossed Konan's mind, she heard Nagato speak again:
"Sensei, someone as steeped in sin as me has no right to be the so-called Child of Prophecy. Now it seems that the true Child of Prophecy is someone else."
Before Jiraiya could react, Nagato continued, controlling the Deva Path as he spoke to Naruto:
"Naruto—my junior whom I've never met—are you willing to inherit these eyes, so that Yahiko and I can witness the day peace finally arrives?"
"Huh?"
Naruto scratched his head in confusion. He couldn't understand why, after just arriving, someone was suddenly offering to give him their eyes.
Meanwhile, Hoshiyomi's eyes widened dramatically.
He was stunned.
Something like this could actually happen?!
He had only acted on a whim, curious to see whether Naruto's talk-no-jutsu would still work in this timeline—and now things had suddenly fast-forwarded to Nagato preparing to give Naruto his eyes?!
This development completely exceeded Hoshiyomi's expectations. Could this be the legendary power of the "child of destiny"?
While Hoshiyomi was still baffled, Nagato calmly explained his reason for giving away his eyes:
"In my haste to use these eyes to achieve so-called peace, I pushed my body far beyond its limits. Even if I were to repent now, I don't have much time left to live.
"If these eyes remain with me, they will soon turn to nothing but dust. So I hope Naruto can inherit them. I hope that from the heavens, Yahiko and I can witness through these eyes the true peace that we never lived to see."
...
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