Chapter 4: The Animal Path, An Unexpected Choice!
"Unbelievable... Even White Zetsu's intelligence network can't locate Orochimaru. Truly, he's a man worthy of my interest~."
"But fortunately, I've obtained the clue that will lead me to Orochimaru..."
"Whoosh!" "Thud!"
White Zetsu fell.
Nagato looked at the white fibrous material in his hand and murmured, "As expected, White Zetsu has a soul..."
The usage rights of White Zetsu were in Obito's hands.
Perhaps this White Zetsu's body and soul will have great use in the future.
"I'll seal it for now."
—Hell Path!
"Swish!"
In the purple flames of the underworld, the King of Hell rose. Nagato threw White Zetsu's body and soul into it for sealing, and it sank into the ground, disappearing without a trace.
"Nagato, what was that just now..." Konan asked in surprise.
"That guy was sent by Madara to monitor us."
"I know... I meant the ability you just used."
"Oh! That's the power of the Six Paths of the Rinnegan. After waking up from my injuries, I can now use it, though I'm still not proficient and need to hone it in real combat."
"I see..." Konan thought: After the burst of power in the battle with Hanzo, not only has Nagato's chakra increased, but his control over the Rinnegan has also improved...
Nagato sighed: Thanks to that dream, I've become a ninja in both body and mind. Otherwise, reaching this point would have required going through many twists and turns...
But the blessings from heaven probably end here. From now on, I need to proceed with my own efforts.
"Konan, I'll tell you now why we should wait a year before 'meeting' with Madara."
...
In the dimly lit lair, a massive statue stood, with countless White Zetsus hanging in the air.
Aloe's head slowly emerged from the statue, bringing unwelcome news, "The clone monitoring Nagato has been taken out."
Obito's pupils flickered, "That guy is warning us."
"What should we do? Should we continue sending clones to monitor him?"
"There's no need for that. In fact, from now on, wherever Nagato appears, you should actively avoid him."
"Hey, hey, that puts us in a passive position."
"It's fine. I've figured it out. Even if we let him grow for a year, he won't be beyond our control."
"Besides... in my plan, Nagato is not the only key element."
With that, Obito disappeared into the vortex of Kamui.
White Zetsu: "He's off to Konoha again, to watch his rival visit his beloved's grave."
Black Zetsu: "Heh, if you ask me, what he should really do is retrieve the left eye he left with Kakashi and complete the pair."
White Zetsu: "Exactly, with both eyes together, I can't imagine anyone in the ninja world being his match."
Black Zetsu: "A guy with a cleanliness obsession, truly troublesome."
White Zetsu: "Don't forget, we share the same head!"
...
In the cave, Konan was shocked after hearing the truth.
"Madara knew Hanzo and Danzo were teaming up to attack, yet he just watched it happen?"
"Yes, I only realized his intentions when I noticed him observing."
"Yahiko repeatedly stopped him from getting close to me, and he saw Yahiko as a thorn in his side."
"The Infinite Tsukuyomi, the dream world he vividly painted for us, even I was once lost in it. Yahiko's death made me see the truth."
"This must be Madara's scheme. He just wants to use my Rinnegan to fulfill his personal ambitions."
Nagato wasn't arrogant enough to tell Konan everything he saw from a god's perspective. Instead, he made rational deductions and reflections from his current viewpoint.
He believed this was the most prudent approach.
It allowed Konan to understand his future actions and plans without any extra mental burden.
"Nagato, while you were unconscious, I tried to contact Daibutsu and Kyosuke, but there was no response..."
"I thought they fell victim to Hanzo, but now it seems it was Madara's doing."
"Damn it, Yahiko and everyone else were taken by such a person..." Konan clenched her fists, gritting her teeth.
"Yes, I can't completely turn against him now, nor can I be controlled by him, so I negotiated a one-year buffer period."
Konan looked at him, "After a year, are you planning to confront him directly?"
Nagato said, "It depends on the situation. But at the very least, I need to gain the power to stand against him within this year!"
"A year... seems too rushed." Konan resolved internally: I can't let Nagato bear this alone. I must also find my own way to assist him!
"Nagato, go ahead and do what you need to. I'll support you with all my strength!"
"Konan, take me to see Yahiko. I haven't seen him since I woke up."
Konan's expression darkened, and she turned her gaze to the depths of the cave.
In the depths of the cave, under the stalactite-covered rock wall, several eternal lamps were lit.
In a coffin filled with paper flowers, Yahiko lay with his hands clasped on his chest, peacefully and eternally asleep.
Konan gently caressed Yahiko's cold cheek, unable to suppress her grief any longer, tears streaming down her face.
Lin Feng felt a mix of emotions, looking at Yahiko's remains, mourning in his heart.
Not just as a die-hard fan of Naruto, appreciating the character.
But also because, in reality, he was an orphan...
And his experience was even more tragic.
Abandoned by his parents at birth, he grew up in an orphanage.
Due to his introverted nature, he didn't have companions like Yahiko and Konan. He was bullied, became withdrawn, and even contemplated ending his life.
At the darkest moment of his life, he discovered the anime "Naruto," and there was no turning back.
What touched him the most wasn't Naruto's cheerfulness, Sasuke's aloofness, Obito's madness, or Madara's arrogance... but the friendship of the three orphans from the Hidden Rain Village supporting each other in a chaotic world.
By the way, Konan was his cross-dimensional white moonlight, his only one.
He also longed for a friend like Yahiko, but unfortunately... he never got his wish.
"Yahiko, if there were a friend like you in reality, I probably wouldn't yearn for the two-dimensional world so much."
"But I ultimately have to live for myself, so I don't plan to resurrect you."
"Though the living you can't join my journey, I'll make sure the deceased you always stays with us as 'Pain's Deva Path'!"
When Konan's sobbing ceased, Lin Feng... no, Nagato gently placed his hand on her shoulder, "Konan, Yahiko may be gone, but he'll remain with us."
"Nagato, what do you mean..."
"I have a technique that can ensure the deceased remain in the world and act like the living."
Under Konan's shocked gaze, a black rod slowly slid down from the sleeve of his robe...
Half an hour later, Deva Path Yahiko stood up from the coffin.
Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar person before her, Konan felt a slight comfort in her heart.
"Does this technique have a name?"
Nagato touched the back of his neck, hidden by his collar, where a short black rod protruded. It was a chakra transmitter, corresponding with the receivers on Pain's body.
In the past, Nagato's disabled body was filled with black rods.
Now, with a healthy body and early awakening of the Uzumaki power, he didn't need such complexity.
"This technique is called the Six Paths Technique. Born from pain, moving forward in death, its product is named Pain."
"Yahiko is the highest of the Six Paths of Pain, the Deva Path."
"Pain... Six Paths, meaning there are five more? Do you need five more bodies?"
"Yes."
In the original work, Nagato developed the Six Paths of Pain due to a lack of mobility.
But the superiority of the Pain technique brought more than just mobility advantages.
Nagato decided to inherit this technique and optimize it in real combat to enhance its effectiveness.
Common understanding suggests that the most crucial paths, aside from the Deva Path, are the Hell Path.
But to Nagato, it's the Animal Path.
The Hell Path's role in reviving Pain can be replaced by Nagato himself.
And the Animal Path... can summon 'people.'
"The Animal Path can, to some extent, replace the function of space-time ninjutsu."
"So, it's the second most indispensable after the Deva Path."
Unfortunately, the long-discussed 'Loli Path' among Naruto fans, the Rain Village ninja named Ajisai, hasn't been born yet.
However... Nagato already had a replacement for the Loli Path, and it was ready!
"Using the Human Path on White Zetsu, I not only found the clue to Orochimaru but also successfully read the location where he buried her."
Nagato's lips curled into a smile, "Obito, aren't you trying to create a world with Rin again?"
—"Then I'll make 'Rin' my Pain's Animal Path!"