Infinite Anime [278-279] (Patreon)

Chapter 278: Nagato's Ideal

The rain fell hard. In just a few minutes, heaven and earth blurred together; rivers in the sky plunged down while rivers on the ground flowed sideways.

A traveler held up an oil-paper umbrella, crossing this country of perpetual drizzle. His feet pressed into the damp earth, but left no trace.

Passing a dilapidated little shop, he closed his umbrella and sat beneath the eaves, ordering a bowl of hot tea, quietly sensing the faint chakra lingering between heaven and earth.

"Have you heard? There's going to be war again. The Five Great Nations are mobilizing against our Land of Rain."

"Heh, the Five Great Nations are always so arrogant. Do they think we're still the same Land of Rain as before?"

"Don't worry. God will protect this country."

"…"

Good news travels slowly; bad news spreads for a thousand miles. As time passed and the Allied Shinobi Forces of the Five Great Nations set out, even ordinary shinobi of the Land of Rain now knew war was coming.

Yet their faces showed little worry. Clearly, they had immense confidence in their nation's ruler—Pain—who held the status of a god.

After resting, Gusion followed the faint trails of chakra toward his destination.

Before long, as he entered the iron forest of the Land of Rain—towers like something out of a steampunk age—an angelic figure descended.

Konan folded the paper wings on her back, and for once showed a friendly smile as she looked at Gusion. "Calamity, we've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Dealing with the Nine-Tails delayed me a bit. I haven't missed anything big, right?"

Gusion followed Konan through the iron forest, probing for news about Obito.

"Let Pain tell you himself."

Though Konan admired the Calamity who killed Danzō and destroyed Konoha, she would not reveal Nagato's true condition to him.

Soon, they reached the depths of the architectural jungle. Atop a tower-like building stood the Deva Path of Pain's Six Paths, those Rinnegan eyes gazing down at Gusion.

"Calamity, I have something that may disappoint you."

As Gusion landed before him, the Deva Path spoke. "I still haven't found the masked man."

Bringing this up left Pain a bit embarrassed—he had sworn he'd show Gusion the masked man's corpse, but he'd overlooked the possibility he might not find him.

"What about Zetsu?"

Gusion asked, feigning ignorance. "Wasn't his intel-gathering always excellent?"

Pain's eyes darkened. "Zetsu has betrayed us as well. He didn't come to the Land of Rain to report. I should have suspected it."

Back then, Zetsu only joined Akatsuki after Obito began cooperating with him; during that time, Zetsu maintained close secret ties with the masked man—something Pain had long known, but never paid much mind.

In hindsight, Zetsu and the masked man were on the same side from the start. Now that the masked man couldn't remain within the organization, Zetsu naturally wouldn't sell him out—and defected instead.

"So Akatsuki is down to just a few of us? Kakuzu's busy making money, Orochimaru-senpai's always doing research, and I'm the only one available for missions?"

Gusion sighed.

Pain and Konan both looked a little awkward. They hadn't expected that in just two months, Akatsuki would be reduced to half its members—dead or gone—leaving only Gusion as a regular operative.

Because of her own wishes, Konan didn't want to leave the Land of Rain; she would remain by Nagato's true body, so she wouldn't be taking missions either. As leader, and guardian of the Land of Rain, Nagato likewise couldn't move lightly.

At that thought, both of them silently bumped Gusion's importance up another step.

"Gusion, can I trust you?"

The Deva Path spoke, expression solemn as he looked at Gusion—using his real name, not the codename.

"In what sense? I'm a rogue-nin. My credit history isn't great."

Gusion didn't accept outright, recognizing a test when he heard one.

"I want to know if you truly intend to fulfill the organization's goal."

The Deva Path said, "I want to create a world without war."

"And you'd warn the world through pain?"

Gusion countered.

Nagato nodded. "Humans are foolish creatures. Without experiencing pain, they never understand the value of peace. Only by collecting all nine Tailed Beasts and using absolute power to deter the shinobi world can we achieve lasting peace."

"Honestly… I don't think lasting peace exists in this world. Wherever there are people, there's conflict. Even if you deter the shinobi world—what happens after you die? Without the Rinnegan, the Demonic Statue will be a world-ending hazard, won't it?"

Gusion analyzed matter-of-factly. "Optimistically, even if we gather the Tailed Beasts, the shinobi world might enjoy, what, twenty years of peace at most?"

Nagato fell silent. He too had considered what Gusion said, but had no better plan. Resentment toward the world festered in his heart; unless he struck back at the Five Great Nations using the Tailed Beast weapon, he couldn't ease it.

Just when Nagato thought Gusion didn't agree with his ideal, Gusion spoke again.

"But…"

Gusion's tone turned. "From the lessons of history, your ideal is also a method. I can't think of a better one right now, so I'll help you see it through."

Nagato was surprised. Through the Deva Path, those Rinnegan eyes stared at Gusion. "Gusion, are you serious?"

Gusion nodded, eyes unwavering.

After a brief silence, the Deva Path and Konan exchanged a glance. Before Konan could voice her caution, he said, "Come with me. I'll let you see the real me."

Konan's eyes flashed with surprise; she wanted to say this was too risky a decision.

But seeing Nagato already moving, she couldn't object further. Thinking it over, she understood why.

Akatsuki truly had no one left. Without the masked man—a powerful partner—the organization's regular and high-level missions would likely rely on Gusion.

And now that Nagato had decided Gusion was aligned with him, he needed to show sincerity—to prepare for the imminent joint offensive of the Five Great Nations and complete their ideal together.

Gusion also understood: this wasn't about Nagato being trusting—he simply had few options left.

Facing the Five Great Villages' offensive, even Nagato with the Rinnegan wouldn't be without pressure.

This wasn't like Gusion's strike on Konoha and Kirigakure. Kirigakure had been gutted by Yagura's years of tyranny—overall the weakest of the Five; only Yagura, freed from genjutsu, was truly strong.

Konoha, though formidable, was countered by Gusion's gathered alliance; Orochimaru handled the Third Hokage, and powerful Edo Tensei summons held back many Konoha elites.

If Gusion alone had attacked Konoha, it would have been much tougher—and that was with the Uchiha clan as insiders. If Uchiha had allied with the Hokage, he wouldn't have assaulted Konoha solo.

And his attack had been preemptive; the village's high-end combat power wasn't necessarily all present. But if the Allied Shinobi Forces actively invaded the Land of Rain, that would be different.

They would assemble an optimal lineup, combining powerful shinobi for greater effect. The Five Kage and their jinchūriki would all deploy—that force would be nothing to scoff at.

Even someone as strong as Nagato with the Rinnegan wouldn't claim he could easily wipe out the combined forces of the Five. And he had to consider the world's future. He couldn't fight alone; he needed to steady the organization—especially this top-tier asset, Gusion.

If handling the Allied Forces alone would be strenuous, then with Gusion, it would be child's play.

Led by the Deva Path, Gusion entered a tall tower through a half-closed window.

In the dim room sat a red-haired man, hunched over, black chakra rods jutting from his back. His face was pale, his body gaunt, skin stretched tight over bone—a man with little time left.

Nagato lifted his head, looking at Gusion, Konan, and the Deva Path. "Come. I am the true Pain—or you can call me Nagato."

Gusion feigned surprise as he glanced at the impassive Deva Path, then back to Nagato. "Is this also the power of the Rinnegan?"

Nagato didn't explain, coughing a few times. Konan, worried, moved to his side, gently rubbing his shoulder.

"The legendary Sage's Eyes, and the true body is in such a miserable state. That, I didn't expect."

Gusion remarked.

Nagato coughed up a bit of blood. After steadying himself, he looked at Gusion. "Disappointed?"

"Seeing your condition, I feel I should take back what I said. You might not live fifteen more years—maybe not even ten."

Gusion eyed the dense array of black rods in his back—a phobia trigger if ever there was one.

"No matter. As long as the goal is achieved, I'll find a way to pass on the Rinnegan, and then the Demonic Statue can continue to be controlled."

Nagato said weakly, "Gusion, if you help me realize my ideal, after I die, the Rinnegan will be yours."

This time Gusion was truly shocked. Whether Nagato was testing him or not, he only smiled. "That's a huge promise. But even without it, I'd still help you."

Nagato's aim was simple: use the Ten-Tails' power to deter the entire shinobi world, ending war.

Is that evil? Not exactly. But Nagato would carry personal motives into the plan—namely, revenge against Konoha, whom he hated most.

Now that Gusion had already destroyed Konoha and killed Danzō, Nagato had little reason to make Konoha suffer again.

Ultimately, Nagato just wanted to collect the Tailed Beasts to enforce a "nuclear peace" and bring order.

Is his theory absurd? From Gusion's historical sense, Nagato's ideal isn't utopian—history has validated its feasibility.

In the manga's finale, the shinobi world enjoyed a long peace—not because people truly understood one another and hate vanished, but simply because Naruto and Sasuke were too strong. They themselves were "nuclear deterrence," hence peace.

In the short term, Nagato's plan benefits the general populace—those in perpetually warring villages get a respite.

Of course, under the world's corrective forces, monsters like Kaguya might appear and shatter the new order—but that's another story.

Given the current situation, siding with Nagato looked like a good choice. Right and wrong aside, following Nagato offered tangible gains—a visible future.

"Gusion, you really are hard to read…"

Nagato's tone softened. His Rinnegan peered into Gusion, and from his eyes it seemed Gusion wasn't lying, had little greed for the Rinnegan, and truly intended to help.

"Though we're shinobi, how many truly love war? If we can stop it, why not use deterrence? Rule by fear? Once civilians live in stability, they won't dwell on that."

Gusion said. He differed from Naruto—who believed mutual understanding would end hate and war. History had proven Naruto's ideal beautiful but powerless; Nagato's was cruel but real.

Strong and naïve rulers are rare. But peace enforced by deterrence can be passed down.

"Gusion, your take is quite clear-eyed."

Konan said with admiration. She'd seen naïve shinobi who thought mutual understanding could bring peace—like their teacher Jiraiya, perhaps.

But could people really understand each other that easily? One or two, maybe. The whole world?

They weren't saints; they couldn't devise a solution for universal mutual understanding. To quell war, the simplest, most direct solution is absolute deterrence.

"Exactly. Once people can live in stability, fear only lingers at first. People forget quickly."

Nagato sighed. "Humans are adaptable. They subconsciously avoid fear and seek happiness. So I believe my ideal is right. In fact, the Land of Rain has been stable for years—no more chaos."

What made Nagato so sure was the Land of Rain. It had been chaotic even under Hanzō—filled with killings and strife.

But under his rule, the Rain shinobi no longer dared stir trouble. Civilians lived in stability and revered him as a god.

"As for the ideal, I mostly agree. But I don't think you needed to bring up passing on the Rinnegan so soon."

Gusion looked at the black rods stuck in Nagato's back. "In my view, you're still salvageable."

Nagato and Konan looked at him, puzzled.

Gusion stepped closer, studying Nagato's back, rubbing his chin. "If we pull these out and repair your spinal nerves, the disability should be curable, right?"

"No. We consulted the best medical-nin in the Land of Rain. It's too difficult. If we act rashly, we could kill him instead."

Konan shook her head with a sigh.

Chapter 279: Gusion—Known as the Soul-Reaper Surgeon

"Is that so? Then your medical-nin in the Land of Rain are… not very good."

Gusion chuckled. "I don't think it's that hard to fix the leader."

Konan frowned at first, but hope rose at his latter words. "You say it's not hard… Don't tell me you can use medical ninjutsu?"

"I'm not famous for it, but no one said I couldn't."

As Gusion spoke, a gentle white light glowed in his hand. He reached for Nagato's back.

Nagato was wary at first, but sensed the light's warmth and a profound life energy within it, and grew curious what Gusion could do.

When Gusion's hand touched the junction of a black rod and skin, Nagato felt a gentle energy entering him, repairing the tissue damaged by the rods.

This power differed from any medical ninjutsu he'd seen, repairing from the cellular—no, the soul—level. It was practically divine.

Gusion withdrew his hand. He had only used his Kaido to roughly sense Nagato's condition. "A bit troublesome, but not impossible."

"Gusion, can you really heal Nagato!?"

Konan gripped Gusion's hand, eyes full of hope.

"The injuries and disability are easy. The problem is the loss of life force…"

Gusion looked at Nagato. His hair was still red, but white strands were visible; at this rate, it wouldn't be long before it all turned white.

Nagato's disability wasn't strictly incurable. With the Rinnegan, and the Naraka and Preta Paths, if he gave up sustaining the Demonic Statue, he could heal himself.

But Nagato was stubborn. He refused to stop feeding the Demonic Statue. The drain on his life force was the real reason he looked like this.

"Konan, don't make things hard for Gusion. His medical ninjutsu is excellent, but it won't solve my problem."

Nagato spoke, not wanting Konan to get too excited. He knew his core issue best—so long as he sustained the Demonic Statue, he could not recover.

"What causes the loss of life?"

Gusion ignored Nagato and asked Konan.

"Because Nagato has… been sustaining the Demonic Statue—the one you saw at our meetings. It's actually the Ten-Tails' husk."

Konan longed for world peace, but valued Nagato more deeply. She revealed the truth, unwilling to miss a chance.

"I see… Even if I say this will hasten your death, you won't give up sustaining it, will you?"

Gusion looked at Nagato.

Nagato met Konan's eyes openly and nodded. "For the ideal, my body doesn't matter."

"That won't do. The body is the capital of revolution."

Gusion grinned. "I think there's a way to restore your health while maintaining supply to the Demonic Statue."

Konan's eyes brightened, and even Nagato showed a glimmer of hope through his doubt. "Is that possible?"

"I've read the stone tablet the Sage of Six Paths left with the Uchiha. I know a bit about the Rinnegan. If the text is accurate, you only need a massive foreign chakra source to replenish life force and chakra to stabilize your body."

Gusion wasn't bluffing.

In the original story, even as an Edo Tensei, Nagato remained white-haired and skeletal. But when he fought Bee and Naruto, using the Preta Path to absorb the Eight- and Nine-Tails' chakra, his hair turned red and his body filled out.

Whether Nagato knew this earlier is unclear. If he did, it was a bit foolish—siphoning a little during Tailed Beast collection would only help the grand plan by restoring him.

"Tailed Beasts?"

Konan immediately thought of them.

"Yeah, higher-grade ones. I happen to have the Nine-Tails. We can try."

Then Gusion added, "But I have one request. The Nine-Tails' chakra is split in two. I don't know how strict the Demonic Statue's requirements are, but if half is enough to resurrect the Ten-Tails, I hope you won't target Naruto."

Nagato, buoyed by Gusion's analysis, was puzzled by the latter half. "Gusion, you've grown attached to that child?"

"You could say that."

Gusion didn't elaborate.

Nagato pondered. "If he doesn't block my path, I can spare him. Half the Nine-Tails is enough to revive the Ten-Tails."

Gusion smiled. "Good. I'll heal your injuries and disability, then bring the other half of the Nine-Tails. You'll be healthy again."

As for whether Naruto would block Nagato down the line—it wasn't Gusion's concern now. He'd done more than enough.

"Gusion, your medical ninjutsu… is really that strong?"

Konan still worried. Operating on Nagato in this state seemed risky.

"Relax. You may not know it, but I'm a top-tier med-nin—known as the Soul-Reaper Surgeon."

Gusion grinned. His Kaido arts had improved greatly—thanks to the solid foundation his teacher Unohana had laid.

"Are there risks? How sure are you?"

Nagato asked. He didn't want his condition to jeopardize the plan.

"Ninety-nine percent. If we're interrupted mid-surgery, there could be accidents."

Gusion didn't overpromise.

"What should we prepare?"

Konan asked.

Gusion shook his head and smiled. "Nothing. We can start now."

Nagato and Konan exchanged a look. Could it be so simple?
But recalling the power he felt from Gusion's hand, Nagato found it credible.

Firming his gaze, he said, "Then I'll leave it to you, Gusion."

They acted immediately. Konan fetched a clean bed. After sterilizing the scalpel, Gusion began cutting into Nagato's back.

Pulling out those black rods along with damaged tissue and pus was… something else.

Watching from the side, Konan found the procedure harrowing, and could hardly imagine the pain Nagato endured daily.

No anesthetics were used; Nagato didn't trust Gusion completely yet and had to stay conscious in case anything happened.

But he soon regretted it—Gusion's hands were anything but gentle, downright rough.

Before each rod was pulled, Gusion wiggled it to loosen it, then yanked it free in a burst. Each time, Nagato felt as if his soul were being ripped out.

Once all the rods were removed, Gusion used the Kaido to sort out Nagato's meridians and nerves. Only then did the sweat-drenched Nagato breathe a little easier, waves of tingling from nerve regeneration making him want to cry out.

It sounded simple, but in practice, working on another's body—especially one Nagato had made such a mess of—was painstakingly delicate work.

Gusion had estimated beforehand it would take days. Only someone with Uzumaki vitality like Nagato could endure so long a procedure.

…

Three days later, after Gusion finished the final stitches, Nagato looked like a normal person again—only very thin.

The long ordeal drained him mentally. When Gusion announced success, Nagato almost passed out.

But he forced himself to check his body, moving his limbs. The feeling of standing on his own again filled him with joy.

He looked at Gusion, his eyes more sincere. "Gusion, thank you. Whether you want it or not, my promise still stands."

Just then, Gusion received a spatial prompt—a new hidden quest had triggered.

[Special Hidden Quest: Nagato's Ideal]

Quest: Help Nagato achieve his ideal. Use the Ten-Tails' power to deter the shinobi world and enforce "nuclear peace." After Nagato's death, the Pioneer may obtain the Six Paths Rinnegan.

Difficulty: Moderate ~ Certain Death
Reward: Rinnegan bloodline / Rinnegan upgrade item

Penalty for failure: None
[Note: This hidden quest persists after you leave the Naruto world. Progress will be saved for your next return.]

From the quest, Gusion realized Nagato now truly intended to entrust him with the Rinnegan; earlier, it had been partly a test.

But for now, this quest was annoying—Three-Tails was gone—so he couldn't complete it during this stay.

As for rewards: without any eye bloodline, he could get a base-level Rinnegan; with Mangekyō or Eternal Mangekyō, he'd get an upgrade item for a higher-grade Rinnegan—much more practical.

Luckily, progress carries over. He could set the stage now and claim the Rinnegan next time—so helping Nagato wasn't for nothing.

But taking this quest tied him to Nagato. At least for this stay, he couldn't let anything happen to Nagato, or he'd lose his shot.

"The surgery just ended. You're very weak—rest first. I'll arrange the Nine-Tails soon."

Gusion said. With injuries and disability cured, all that remained was supplying Nine-Tails chakra to restore Nagato to peak—then he would reign over the shinobi world as a true super Kage. No one could beat him, even combined. Gusion wouldn't fear Nagato dying inexplicably after he left—and losing his Rinnegan.

"Gusion, I'm truly grateful. I—"

Konan began to voice her thanks, then her brows knit.

"What is it?"

Gusion noticed her expression.

Konan's face darkened. "Unlucky. The Five Great Nations are advancing faster than expected. Our intel was wrong—their vanguard has already reached the Land of Rain."

Because Nagato couldn't maintain the Rain Tiger at Will technique during surgery, Konan had sent paper clones to the borders. A message had just returned: the strongest shinobi of the Five Great Villages had arrived.

And it wasn't the massive army their initial intel suggested—only a few dozen were invading the Land of Rain.

But that wasn't good news. The "Allied Shinobi Army" was a smokescreen, meant to mislead them about timing.

The true strike force—the ones meant to annihilate Akatsuki—were these dozens: a rapid elite detachment to catch them off-guard.

Few didn't mean weak. According to the paper clone's intel, all Five Kage had deployed, and villages with jinchūriki had brought them as well. This was clearly an annihilation operation.

"I see…"

Gusion frowned slightly. The last message from Fugaku and Zabuza reported the army's pace. He'd scheduled Nagato's surgery based on that.

Something must have changed to quicken the attack. Fugaku and Zabuza couldn't reach him, creating an information gap.

"Cough… cough…"

Nagato coughed, forcing himself upright. "To intrude openly into the Land of Rain—I'll have to show them what true pain is."

Gusion thought, You can barely keep your eyes open. Don't force it.

"Nagato, sleep for a while. Leave the enemy to me. Once you're recovered, they'll be nothing."

Gusion pulled the Mazuko from his storage, moving toward the window. "Konan, stay and watch over the leader. I suspect the masked man will show."

Konan had wanted to fight alongside him, but Gusion's words raised her guard. He had a point. She nodded. "Don't worry. Once Nagato's ready, we'll support you."

"Gusion, don't push yourself. I've never felt better."

Nagato said he could assist anytime if Gusion couldn't hold.

Gusion said nothing more. He drew the curtain, looked out at the rare, bright sunlight, and leapt into the sky, lips curving.

Support?

He never asked for such a thing.

Before Nagato finishes resting, let him… enjoy the experience points alone!