Konan wanted to puke.
Her stomach churned, acid burning at the back of her throat.
Suppressing her bodily reaction to the horrific scene required all of her will and attention—
but suppress it she did.
She had experienced too much and worked too hard to allow herself to crumble at the first sight of gore.
"Is he… unconscious?" Yahiko asked, turning from Nagato's still form toward her. "That thing just disappeared into his body like—"
Silence fell between them as their eyes met.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She avoided his gaze and nodded quickly.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You don't look okay."
Her head snapped back toward him, a fierce scowl twisting her features.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Contrary to her expectations, there was no ridicule to be found in Yahiko's warm brown eyes.
The anger melted away as quickly as it came.
"It's alright," he said. "Nobody expects you to be unfazed the first time you see something like this."
He stepped forward, a soft smile pulling at his lips.
"Believe me, I understand."
Her shoulders dropped, the mutilated corpse at the edge of her vision becoming even harder to ignore.
"But… you need to get over it."
He gently placed his hand on her trembling shoulder.
"I know it's hard, but if Nagato wakes up and sees you like this… he will send you back. And likely me as well."
Konan lifted her head, her chest tightening as Nagato's earlier words echoed through her mind.
He did not trust them.
He thought they were too weak to fight by his side.
"This is just the beginning," Yahiko continued, his gaze sharpening. "Now that the shinobi is dead, we will need to attack their base—and rescue the children inside."
The trembling faded, strength returning to her limbs.
"Judging by the way he has behaved so far, I am sure he will try to leave us behind again… is that what you want?"
Her expression darkened as she shook her head vehemently.
"Good."
Yahiko nodded and withdrew a few steps.
"You're right," Konan said, her voice steadying as her shoulders squared. "That is exactly what he would do."
Her brows furrowed as she glared at the infuriating redhead's immobile form.
"We can't let it happen."
A light snort drew her attention back to the boy standing by her side.
"That's right," Yahiko said, lifting his chin. "Next time—it will be us fighting the shinobi!"
His hand slowly rose as he clenched it into a fist, eyes glinting with determination.
Silence spread between them as Konan hesitated for a moment.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," she said slowly, "but for you to be so unbothered by all of this…"
Yahiko stilled, his expression closing off as he looked away.
"Is it because of what happened to your village?"
His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally spoke up.
"I… yes," he said quietly. "When the shinobi had…finished and left. I saw…."
His voice trailed off, his eyes growing distant.
This time, it was Konan's turn to bridge the distance between them.
She carefully took hold of his clenched fists and squeezed softly.
"It's okay," she whispered, meeting his gaze without blinking.
Yahiko's stiff posture loosened as he released the breath he'd been holding.
"Everyone I knew was dead… or dying," he muttered. "Burned. Or crushed."
A faint crease formed between his brows.
"I did not take it well."
"Yahiko—"
A deep groan rang out from behind them.
Blue hair struck her face like a whip from how fast she spun to locate its source.
"It's Nagato!" she shouted.
Blood trickled out from the boy's nose, sprinkling the earth like crimson rain.
He swayed in place a few times—and then collapsed backward.
Konan shot forward, grabbing onto his limp body before his back could fully hit the ground.
"What happened?" Yahiko asked, his voice loud and frantic. "Is he alright?"
"I don't know!"
Konan slowly lowered Nagato down and propped his head on her lap.
His eyes were shut tightly together.
"He said it was possible for something to go wrong!"
She was joined on the ground by Yahiko, who carefully brushed the blood from Nagato's nose with his sleeve.
"This is why we cannot allow him to do things like this by himself," he said, his expression tensing as the blood kept on pouring out.
Konan reached out and gently took a hold of Yahiko's arm.
"About what you said—"
"It's alright," he cut in. "It's been months. I'm over it."
He shifted his attention back to the boy lying motionlessly between them—
and breathed out slowly.
"Let's focus on something more important. Like keeping this reckless fool safe until he wakes up."
——————
So this is my soul.
I titled my head and directed the Rinnegan toward the cloudy sky.
Rain fell in an endless downpour, colliding with the rocky ground in a steady cadence.
My soul was a perfect replica of the Land of Rain at its worst.
There was no vegetation—no life.
Only barren earth and the ever-present rain.
"Did I make a mistake," I muttered, "or was this always supposed to happen?"
The translucent specter before me did not give an answer.
Golden chains rattled as the captured soul fought desperately for its freedom.
"Not like it matters," I continued, stepping forward. "I'll simply have to be more careful next time. After all, I don't need all of you."
I placed my hand on the spectre's head.
"Just your memories."
I sharpened my intent and channeled the Human Path with a clearer picture in mind than I did before.
Searing pain flared at the back of my eyes as my chakra connected with the specter's own.
A torrent of thoughts, feelings, and images crashed into my mind with unrelenting force.
The flood of memories threatened to overwhelm my own sense of self through sheer quantity alone.
I collapsed to my knees, my vision darkening at the edges.
Right before unconsciousness could take a hold of me completely, my chakra levels plummeted—
and the surrounding space ignited with blinding purple light.
The barren landscape faded away.
——————-
When the world came into focus again, I was no longer Nagato Uzumaki—wielder of the Rinnegan.
I was Kurozan Kageyama, a freshly graduated student of the Konoha Shinobi Academy.
"I will not take you on as a student."
Kurozan gritted his teeth, glaring up at the aged shinobi.
"Why?" he asked. "I passed your test."
His voice broke as he suppressed the tears threatening to well up in his eyes.
"I did everything you asked of me!"
The man who was supposed to be his Jonin sensei peered down at him with pitiless eyes.
"You truly are making this much more difficult than it has to be, brat," he said. "Your teammates understood. In time, so will you."
The ground shook as Koruzan punched his fist into the grass-covered earth.
Despite his best efforts, he was too exhausted to raise himself up to his feet.
"I will not!"
The Jonin gave a sharp click of his tongue.
"Koruzan… While I will not deny that you do possess some talent—it is simply not enough."
The older man paused, his expression shifting into something softer.
"Next year, a whole crop of clan children is going to graduate," he continued. "What will I do if my appeal to mentor one of them gets denied because I already took a student under my wing so recently?"
Koruzan's blue eyes widened, a tight knot coiling in his stomach.
"You will not accept me," he said quietly, "because of some children that haven't even graduated yet?"
"Yes."
"Even though I have talent… even though I've tried… so hard."
"…Yes."
The memory faded away, and the training ground was replaced by a neat office.
Wide windows—towering behind a prominent desk—revealed a picturesque view of Konohagakure in all of its lively glory.
The clear blue sky contrasted pleasantly with the plentiful greenery below.
Koruzan no longer had it in him to show any appreciation for the beauty of his home village.
"Excuse me, Lord Sandaime," he whispered. "Could you please repeat that?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled deeply.
His youthful features twisted into a grimace.
"I'm sorry you have to hear this my boy… but your sister has been declared dead. She was lost to us behind enemy lines during her last mission. Her body could not be recovered."
The Hokage rested his arms on the grand wooden desk before him.
His brown eyes were overflowing with compassion.
"Chuunin Kageyama stayed behind to ensure her comrade's escaped. The Will of Fire burned like a beautiful bonfire inside her—her sacrifice was a noble one."
His expression softened as he leaned forward.
"I hope that knowledge will give you some comfort."
Koruzan stilled.
A gaping pit opened in his chest and devoured what little was left of his decrepit heart.
The last of his family was gone.
Why was he still here?
"I see. May I take my leave?"
"…You may."
The memory faded away, and the neat office was replaced by a dark forest.
"Are you finally ready to listen?"
An animalistic scream ripped itself out of Koruzan's throat as he thrashed beneath his assailant like a fish out of water.
His efforts were futile.
No matter how hard he fought, the masked man would not budge.
"Get off of me!" he shouted.
Soft earth pressed against his face, invading his mouth and nose as the enemy shinobi pushed his head deeper into the ground.
"Why must you be so stubborn?" the man asked, genuine confusion seeping into his tone.
"What is there left for you to fight for?"
For the first time since he was a child, Koruzan's bare face was revealed to the world.
The masked man had ripped off his forehead protector.
"Just look at this," he continued. "I bet you slashed through that symbol yourself… And you know what that means, don't you?"
The man chuckled as he curled his fingers around Koruzan's neck.
"You are a missing nin… I can do whatever the hell I want with you, and nobody in the entire world will care."
Light chuckles devolved into demented laughter.
"I could kill you right here—then walk straight into your home village… and walk out with a fat payday!"
The vice like grip on Koruzan's neck tightened.
"Don't you think that's hilarious? Because I do! You and your high and mighty Great Shinobi Villages… in the end—this is all you amount to."
Koruzan wheezed out a breath.
"What… what do you want… from me?"
The crushing grip on his neck vanished, as did the heavy weight bearing down on his back.
Koruzan shot up to his feet, spinning toward the masked man standing a few feet away from him.
The featureless mask was expressionless, but the voice that rang out from behind it suggested that the man was smiling.
"Now you're asking the real question."
Leaves crunched beneath his feet as the he advanced toward him.
"There are two choices before you. You can either come with me and join my organisation… or you can refuse—and in a weeks time, I will trade your head for a nice bag of Ryo."
The man retrieved a scroll and, after a puff of white smoke, held a second identical mask in his outstretched hand.
"Choose wisely. I will not ask again."
The pit in Koruzan's chest deepened as he reached out and accepted the mask.
The memory faded away, and the dark forest was replaced by the insides of a large tent.
"56. You will be stationed here."
Koruzan's gaze followed his superior's pointed finger as he took note of the marked spot on the detailed map.
"It is our only base in an inconsequential little country called the Land of Rain. While you are there, your highest objective will be to ensure our supply does not dry up."
The man's voice hardened.
"You will take a picture of every new product you acquire—then send it over to us. Once a purchase has been made, we will come to collect it."
The masked man circled the table and peered down at him from his towering height.
"Three months from now, something more valuable than anything our organization has ever encountered will pass by your base."
Koruzan's eyes narrowed.
It was hard to imagine anything more valuable than a Daimyo's daughter.
"We expected things to become hectic after that. Do not be alarmed. We will notify you well in advance. Once that day has come, you are going to lay low for at least half a year."
His superior inclined his head.
"Any product still in your possession during that time is cleared for consumption."
The smile that curved Koruzan's lips was hidden behind his white mask.
"Do you understand your orders, 56?"
"I understand."
The memory faded away, and the inside of the large tent was replaced by a dimly lit basement.
Bound to the filthy floor by a set of rusted chains, a blonde girl screamed out in pain—
and Koruzan Kageyama became Nagato Uzumaki once again.
Trapped within the memories of the Konoha Shinobi I killed—
I first understood what it meant to hate.
—————-
A dull pain pulsed through my skull as I opened my eyes.
I groaned and pushed my head deeper into the soft earth beneath me.
"..gato…Nagato!"
The world lurched back into focus and my gaze was met with two young faces staring down at me.
Instead of resting on the ground—as I had assumed—my head was nestled in the lap of a blue-haired girl.
"What happened?" Yahiko asked quietly.
For a long moment, I did not respond.
It was one thing to know that bad things happened—and continued to happen—somewhere far away.
It was another to witness those things from a first-person point of view.
"I saw his memories," I said, locking my gaze with Yahiko's.
"The Human path allows me to absorb people's memories. And that's what I did to that shinobi."
My head shifted to the side as I located the corpse of Koruzan Kageyama.
"I know who he is….Who he was."
Konan squeezed my arm, her eyes narrowing with focus.
"Did you see it?" she asked. "What happened to the children he abducted?"
A gaping pit opened in my chest.
The children…
"If we leave now, we can still save some of them," I said, burying my head deeper into the girl's lap.
"Their base is larger than I expected, but it's true that Koru—the shinobi, does have much backup. There's a Kunoichi hidden away in there."
My eyes closed as I sorted out my thoughts.
"I saw her fight in his memoirs… she's not that tough."
"Nagato… are you alright?" Konan asked softly.
I didn't respond.
A slow breath slipped past my lips.
Then I jerked upward—coming to a halt a few feet above the ground, hovering straight in the air under the influence of the Deva Path.
I rotated and glanced down at my seated companions.
"Yes. I'm fine."
Yahiko stood up, his brows drawing together as his gaze traced my expression.
"What is our next move?" he asked.
Konan mirrored his movements, amber eyes watching me with like a hawk.
Gravity returned to normal as I dropped to the ground, landing before them without a sound.
A grimace formed on my face.
I was not looking forward to this.
"I want to start this off by saying thank you for looking after me while I was unconscious."
"Of course." Yahiko said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"That is why it pains me to also say that…"
My voice faltered slightly as I met Konan's gaze, her earlier words echoing in my mind.
She'd called me a liar.
"For what comes next… you will not be coming wit–"
My speech cut off as the world slowed down to a crawl.
Shining like a beacon in my chakra vision, a blue paper rose raced toward my face.