Chapter 244: A Warning from the Darkness
The room was empty.
No one was there.
More strangely, there were no signs of a struggle.
No broken furniture. No blood. No traces of battle.
Everything was quiet.
Ragnar stood silently in the middle of the room, his expression serious.
Even though Tsunade and Orochimaru were not yet at their future peak strength, they were still among the most powerful shinobi of their generation.
For someone to defeat them silently—without leaving even the slightest trace—
Such a feat would be extremely difficult.
Even Ragnar himself would not find it easy.
In the current shinobi world, only the strongest figures—those at the level of the Five Kage—might possibly achieve something like this.
Ragnar checked the other rooms.
Konan and Yahiko were asleep.
But Nagato's room…
Was empty.
Ragnar exhaled slowly.
He already had a guess.
Then he stepped outside.
The night in the Land of Rain was darker than usual.
There was no moon.
No stars.
Only endless clouds and the quiet sound of rain.
And in the shadow before the house—
A thin figure stood silently.
An ominous chakra radiated from his body.
"Nagato."
Ragnar frowned.
The boy stepped forward from the darkness.
His white ripple-patterned pupils shone coldly.
The Rinnegan.
But the aura surrounding him was completely different from Nagato's usual timid personality.
His presence was aggressive.
Cold.
Dangerous.
"Teacher…"
Nagato spoke slowly.
Beside him, two bodies floated in the air.
Tsunade.
Orochimaru.
They hung motionless, suspended by invisible force.
"You are not Nagato," Ragnar said calmly.
A strange smile appeared on Nagato's face.
"Just as expected of Rakshasa."
Even the tone of his voice had changed.
"If Nagato trained for another ten years," Ragnar continued, "he still wouldn't be able to defeat the Legendary Sannin so quietly."
"Without making any noise at all."
Nagato's eyes narrowed slightly.
"At a time like this," he said slowly, "shouldn't you be worried about your companions?"
"Aren't Konoha ninjas supposed to value bonds and friendship?"
Ragnar looked at him calmly.
"If that were true, why are you still standing here?"
"You deliberately waited for me."
"Aren't you afraid you won't be able to leave?"
Nagato chuckled softly.
"This body belongs to your student."
"Would you really kill him?"
Ragnar's eyes hardened.
He had already understood what had happened.
The Rinnegan did not originally belong to Nagato.
Its true owner was Uchiha Madara.
If Madara had transplanted the eyes, it was impossible that he would leave them without any control mechanism.
Tonight's incident made everything clear.
Nagato had exposed the Rinnegan during dinner.
To prevent the secret from spreading, Madara had taken control.
Ragnar looked directly into Nagato's eyes.
The two gazes collided in silent confrontation.
After a long moment, Ragnar finally spoke.
"Nagato may be my student."
"But if necessary…"
"I will kill him."
"And destroy the Rinnegan."
"Are you willing to gamble on that?"
For the first time, Nagato's expression darkened.
"Are you threatening me?"
"Not a threat," Ragnar replied.
"I simply don't like being threatened."
The two stared at each other through the darkness.
Finally, Nagato spoke again.
"The secret of the Rinnegan must not fall into Konoha's hands."
"Except for you, Rakshasa."
"I merely altered the memories of your companions."
"They are unharmed."
"I look forward to meeting you in person someday."
"If you dare to come."
The moment those words ended—
Nagato's body collapsed to the ground.
Unconscious.
Ragnar walked forward and examined him.
Then he looked at Tsunade and Orochimaru.
Both of them were still breathing.
No injuries.
They simply appeared to be asleep.
Ragnar glanced toward the dark sky.
"Uchiha Madara…"
He smiled faintly.
"If you won't come to me…"
"Then sooner or later, I'll come find you."
He lifted Tsunade with one hand and carried Orochimaru with the other.
Then he returned to the house.
Tonight had been a strange night.
But no one would remember what truly happened.
Except Ragnar.
The Next Morning
The following morning, Tsunade stepped out of her room stretching lazily.
"Why do I feel so strange?"
"My whole body feels uncomfortable."
Orochimaru approached from the hallway.
"Tsunade, you feel it too?"
He frowned slightly.
Something seemed off.
He could vaguely remember that the defensive ninjutsu he had set in his room had been triggered.
Yet the rest of the memory felt… incomplete.
Almost as if a piece had been removed.
Then Ragnar walked toward them.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine," Tsunade said.
"Just a little dizzy."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Ye-kun… don't you feel anything strange?"
"No," Ragnar replied calmly.
Orochimaru didn't say anything else.
He examined his own body again.
Aside from a faint headache, everything seemed normal.
Perhaps he had simply overthought things.
"You two should return to Konoha," Ragnar said.
"The last evacuation team will leave soon."
"Don't waste time."
Tsunade looked at him.
"You're not coming with us?"
"I still have things to deal with."
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"Ye-kun can't abandon those three children."
Ragnar didn't answer.
Which was essentially confirmation.
Tsunade sighed.
"Then we'll go first."
After exchanging a few more words, Tsunade and Orochimaru finally departed.
Once they left—
Nagato slowly stepped out from behind the door.
His body trembled.
Tears filled his eyes.
"Teacher…"
His voice shook with fear.
"I feel like something is wrong with me."
He pointed at his head.
His face was pale and helpless.
Like someone drowning, desperately searching for help.
End of Chapter
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