During this period, Nagato hadn't been idle.

Though he had already summoned the Gedo Statue—and the cost wasn't as steep as he had expected—the potential threat behind it still lingered.

Madara's shadow loomed large, and the sealing formula that Kyoichi and Tsunade had mentioned remained undiscovered.

Nagato had tried sensing for it himself.

But the heart, being the core of the human body, couldn't be detected through chakra. Even the Rinnegan offered no help in that regard.

So… he had no choice but to give up.

Recently, his focus had been on refining his physical strength and studying sealing techniques.

As for the Rinnegan itself—

Ever since learning that it once belonged to Madara, Nagato had felt a lingering unease about it. It didn't feel safe to wield eyes that were once in his head.

That said, as the White Zetsu cells continued to integrate into his body, the burden of maintaining the Rinnegan's power had lessened significantly.

In truth, he had already mastered nearly all the jutsu accessible to him—except for the deeper, more obscure ones.

Among those deeper techniques were Chibaku Tensei and another—one that he had only recently begun to faintly sense. It seemed to touch upon the domain of life and death.

He wasn't sure what it was yet, but it had appeared clearly enough in his awareness these past few days.

Nagato hesitated—should he tell Kyoichi and Tsunade about it?

---

That evening…

Most of Kyoichi's household had finished work for the day. Shizune and Oriri had already prepared dinner, and by the time Kyoichi returned, the meal was ready.

After food and a bit of sake, Kyoichi and Tsunade called Nagato into a quiet study.

He entered somewhat nervously.

But Kyoichi only took out a letter.

"This is from Yahiko and Konan. Read it first—then we'll talk about the main issue."

"Thank you!"

At the mention of Yahiko and Konan, Nagato's eyes lit up.

He took the letter eagerly.

After reading through it, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Things in Amegakure were stable.

Yahiko had been managing the village's affairs, while Konan, now serving as a teacher at the ninja academy, hadn't needed to leave the village. Thanks to the presence of Konoha's observation and protection teams, nothing had gone wrong.

For now, Amegakure was relatively peaceful—perhaps the safest village outside of Konoha itself.

Nagato smiled faintly at the familiar warmth in Yahiko's daily notes. When he finished, he carefully folded the letter and bowed deeply.

"Thank you for bringing this to me."

"It's nothing," Kyoichi said with a grin. "Whether as a descendant of the Uzumaki or as a friend of Konoha, carrying a letter is no big deal. Besides, you're my personal friend too."

Nagato nodded gratefully.

He was no longer as resistant to being called a descendant of Uzumaki.

After all, both Uzumaki Oriri and Uzumaki Kushina had endured harsh childhoods. Especially Kushina—even after coming to Konoha, she had suffered prejudice and bullying.

And the culprits behind it all… were the Third Hokage and Danzō.

But now, Danzō was dead, and the Third had stepped down.

Though the old man still held the nominal title of academy head, he was no longer the same kind of authority figure he once was—there was no point in clinging to old resentment.

Besides…

The fall of Uzushio had, in truth, also stemmed from the clan's own arrogance and inability to defend itself.

If one wished to remain unchanged, one needed power strong enough to make that possible.

That was something Nagato had learned from Kyoichi.

The three of them sat down.

Tsunade took out a scroll.

"This," she said, "is the plan Kyoichi and I have been developing. We did a small trial today—the results are promising, but there's still risk."

Nagato took the scroll and examined it.

It contained key notes on heart surgery.

He wasn't well-versed in medical ninjutsu, but he could understand enough of the structure. After reading through it carefully, he asked, "To what extent can Madara's control technique actually reach?"

"No idea," Kyoichi replied honestly. "When there was no sealing formula, he was able to manipulate Itachi—almost took him away. When there was a seal, that strange entity wasn't around… so it's hard to gauge. But if there's really a curse mark, he'd have no problem controlling you."

Kyoichi wasn't exaggerating.

After all, Obito—with the Ten Tails' chakra and greater power than even a Rinnegan-less Madara—had still been puppeted by Black Zetsu.

So if Madara did have a control seal in place, even Nagato would be powerless.

The fact that he had used Rinne Rebirth to save Konoha had been sheer luck—no one expected him to be persuaded that easily.

Moments before, he had been ready to annihilate the village with Chibaku Tensei, and then—after one brief talk with his former mentor—he'd switched sides.

Who could have predicted that?

Nagato thought for a moment, then said, "My body's adapting better to these cells lately. The Rinnegan's abilities seem to have strengthened. Yesterday, I faintly sensed a new technique."

He explained what he had perceived.

Life.

That was the keyword he could feel.

But beyond that vague concept, he had no concrete information—perhaps because he hadn't yet fully unlocked the eye's potential.

Tsunade and Kyoichi exchanged glances.

Life?

That could mean many things.

Healing was tied to life. So was the creation of living beings.

But when it came to the Rinnegan…

"The Sage of Six Paths used chakra to create the tailed beasts," Kyoichi mused. "If this new power relates to life, it might concern life and death itself—creation and cessation. A technique on that scale could only belong to the Rinnegan."

Tsunade nodded lightly.

Kyoichi had already proposed his theory on Yin–Yang Release, and if the Rinnegan was truly the Sage's eye, then controlling life and death was hardly surprising.

Life and death… creation and rebirth.

"Creation of life, huh?" Tsunade said thoughtfully.

"It's not hard to imagine," Kyoichi continued. "Madara gave those eyes away for a reason. He must've needed the Rinnegan to accomplish something he himself couldn't. If we assume that goal is tied to this life–death technique, the pieces fit."

He began sketching a quick chart on paper:

Madara – Another – Life and Death.

The connection was obvious.

As a medical expert, Tsunade immediately saw what that implied.

"Resurrection," she said quietly.

A revival technique—long the obsession of every major village.

She wasn't sure about others, but her second uncle, Senju Tobirama, had developed the Edo Tensei, a form of resurrection that wasn't complete. Because it wasn't true revival, the price wasn't too great.

But this…

A technique linked to the Rinnegan couldn't be of that kind.

It might be complete resurrection.

Tsunade's expression hardened.

"What a terrifying pair of eyes."

"If left unchecked," Kyoichi said, "Madara might one day let himself die—only to be revived once his 'fruit' ripened. Or perhaps… he'll have his 'fruit' revive him, maybe even using the tailed beasts to achieve it."

When you've read the script, it's easy to sound confident.

Kyoichi spun the theory effortlessly, every word dripping with conviction—and remarkably, it made sense.

Nagato's head was spinning now, his mind tangled in Kyoichi's reasoning.

After thinking it over, he actually found it completely plausible.

But then he frowned.

"But… how would he make me obey him completely?"

Kyoichi's smile faded.

"Simple," he said coldly. "He'd kill Yahiko and Konan—and make sure they died because of Konoha. That way, your hatred would never fade."

***********************

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