Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou [173]

At the waterfall, Konan was on high alert, scanning her surroundings carefully. This made the hidden White Zetsu too nervous to approach too closely. However, despite the meeting of these two individuals, White Zetsu wasn't overly concerned this time.

After all, there had been plenty of opportunities before, yet no one had tried to seize the Rinnegan out of greed.

"The Akatsuki was hired by Iwagakure to come to the border of the Land of Hot Water. The task is to provoke a conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure. I only found out you were here, Lord Shirou, when I arrived. Afterward, I secretly contacted Konan."

Looking at Konan in the distance, Nagato had already suppressed his inner emotions, and he turned to Shirou with a respectful smile.

One was the angel who gave him bread when he was starving, and the other was the mentor who guided him onto the path of life.

Perhaps all he needed was to see Konan happy and Shirou fulfilling his dream—that would be enough.

"That Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, is truly cunning," Shirou chuckled and cursed lightly after hearing this piece of information. In the original story, Onoki often hired the Akatsuki to carry out shady and dirty jobs.

Unexpectedly, this time, it just so happened that the Akatsuki got hired again.

"Lord Shirou, since you're here, I'll go back and try to persuade Yahiko…"

Seeing Shirou, Nagato showed great respect. He had never thought of becoming an enemy of Shirou and was even willing to abandon the mission.

However, Shirou only smiled, waving his hand dismissively.

"Nagato, I've told you before: everyone has their path. You have your path to walk, not just someone else's. Setting aside personal feelings, the Akatsuki needs to survive and develop—you all have your dreams.

Likewise, I also have my dreams. I am a ninja of Konoha. If we ever conflict in the future, I won't try to persuade you; I will respect your path as a ninja. But at the same time, you must learn to respect the ninja paths of others."

At that moment, it felt as if they had returned to the days when Shirou was teaching him in the Land of Rain. Nagato's Rinnegan-hidden eyes, veiled by his red hair, grew moist.

Respecting the ninja paths of others!

This was something Shirou had constantly taught him. Beneath Shirou's smiling face, he strongly disliked the personality traits of people like Naruto or Jiraiya, who often tried to talk others into submission.

Your ninja path is correct? So you deny everyone else's? If they don't listen, you forcibly correct them and claim righteousness?

"But Nagato, you came at just the right time. I've heard your Rinnegan has developed many powerful abilities?"

Seeing Shirou's curious expression, Nagato nodded repeatedly, unguarded, and was about to reveal the secrets of his Rinnegan with a big smile.

"Lord Shirou, my Rinnegan recently awakened…"

"Stop! You must remember, that the way of survival for a ninja is concealment. You must always hold something back. If something is exposed, you must be prepared with another trump card. Only such a ninja can live a long life."

Shirou interrupted Nagato directly. Shirou understood Rinnegan better than Nagato did and didn't need to know this information.

But in Nagato's eyes, Shirou was a person who genuinely cared about his well-being rather than someone who only cared about his power.

Thinking of Yahiko's smile and his eagerness to ask about the power of the Rinnegan, Nagato couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. The difference between the two was stark, and it brought him back to his senses.

Yahiko was his companion, someone who had survived with him in the Land of Rain over the years. But comparisons are cruel.

Nagato felt a twinge of bitterness as he looked up at Shiroy's calm and gentle smile and Konan's concern.

The two of them cared more about his growth, constantly reminding him of the way to survive, whereas Yahiko cared more about the power of the Rinnegan.

At this moment, it was as if he had achieved a moment of clarity. Nagato murmured to himself in his heart: "Yahiko, is it because of my Rinnegan that you believe your dream can come true…"

It wasn't that Yahiko was bad, but the two had not shared the kind of mutual support that comes during the hardest of times. By the time they became companions, they were already strong ninjas.

Naturally, the bond wasn't as pure. Between men, without the foundation of hardship and emotional cultivation, the only topic they could share was power.

"By the way, you came just in time. Let me examine your Rinnegan. I also want to ask for your opinion on one thing—I'd like to study the differences in ocular power between the Rinnegan and the Sharingan, as both are among the Three Great Dojutsu."

With a curious expression, Shirou spoke. Nagato didn't even hesitate and nodded with a smile.

"Lord Shirou, feel free to research it."

But Shirou shook his head with a smile and said:

"I might need to extract a small amount of your Rinnegan's ocular power. Of course, this won't harm your eyes, but it might cause some discomfort for a while. In exchange, I can share a piece of information with you."

"No… there's no need."

But Shirou continued, "This time, your Akatsuki mission might still require your strength. So, consider it a form of compensation. This is a transaction between us based on our different identities and positions—not a personal matter between you and me."

Since Shirou put it this way, Nagato, being a reserved and slightly introverted individual, didn't know how to refuse.

The two entered the forest. Shirou used medical ninjutsu, removed the invisible contact lenses, and once again saw those mysterious purple Rinnegan. He couldn't help but marvel.

What a perfect work of art. But one day, I will have it too.

"Very good. Over the years, you've protected your eyes well. As a Kekkei Genkai ninja with ocular powers, the secrets of ocular energy have always been a mystery…"

While maintaining a calm smile, Shirou's heart surged with excitement. This moment would confirm whether his long-held hypothesis was correct.

These are Madara Uchiha's eyes, upgraded from the Sharingan to the Rinnegan. They also contain the chakra of Asura and Indra.

Historically, some Uchiha might have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, but as for the Rinnegan, Shirou had always had a theory:

Is the Rinnegan born simply from combining the Eternal Mangekyo with the power of the Senju, or does it require the chakras of both Asura and Indra?

"If I can extract a fragment of the power resulting from the fusion of Asura's and Indra's chakra, will it prove that I, too, can obtain this higher-quality power?"

As Shirou conducted his research with a solemn expression, his mind kept racing with Tsunade's research reports on the Sharingan.

"My Sharingan's ocular power is almost saturated, but it still cannot evolve. This is because there is a qualitative difference between the Mangekyo and the regular Sharingan. Even with a massive quantity of power, it won't necessarily lead to a qualitative transformation."

"If we assume the quality of a regular Sharingan is 1, the Mangekyo is 2, the Eternal Mangekyo is 3, and the Rinnegan is 4, then this time I will acquire a fragment of the Rinnegan's quality."

"Quantity alone cannot cause qualitative change because it cannot jump from 0 to 1. However, if there's already a seed of quality, then quantity can trigger qualitative transformation. So, what if I directly acquire the higher-quality Rinnegan?"

With this hypothesis, Shirou looked at the mysterious purple Rinnegan and smiled.

"Nagato, bear with me. I will gently extract a small portion of your Rinnegan's ocular power. Perhaps it will confirm one of my theories."

Nagato nodded seriously. "Lord Shirou, it's okay."

At this moment, Shirou was unusually tense. Previously, Tsunade had experimented with Mikoto's Mangekyo Sharingan to test this hypothesis.

When a small amount of high-quality ocular power was introduced to Mikoto's Mangekyo, subtle changes did occur, but the process was too slow. Increasing the amount would cause irreversible damage to the Mangekyo.

After all, this was an act of plunder! And Mikoto's eyes were only regular Mangekyo Sharingan.

Forbidden Technique: Chimera Jutsu!

With a serious expression, Shirou activated the forbidden technique. A rhombus-shaped imprint appeared in his palm, and he carefully controlled it through his fingers to extract a tiny fragment of the Rinnegan's power.

"The Mangekyo, Eternal Mangekyo, and Rinnegan—three levels higher in quality. This should accelerate the transformation."

As a fragment of Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan's power flowed into his body, Shirou felt a refreshing sensation from his eyes. Though it was just a fragment, it began to ferment within his system.

"As expected! My hypothesis was correct!"

Suppressing his excitement, Shirou smiled and extracted another fragment from Nagato's other eye.

Nagato's purple Rinnegan, after losing a bit of its power, made his eyes feel only a slight sense of fatigue and soreness.

In the distant forest, White Zetsu could see from afar that Shirou was conversing with Nagato. He could only look on helplessly.

"There shouldn't be any problems. After all, if someone wanted to covet the Rinnegan, there have been plenty of opportunities for it. Besides, this is someone that Madara has chosen."

While White Zetsu waited helplessly, the two finally emerged from the forest. He immediately smiled—it turned out Madara-sama's judgment was not wrong.

"Nagato, as a reward, suspend the Akatsuki's missions for about ten days. During this time, not only will there be no casualties, but you will also receive compensation from Iwagakure."

By the waterfall, Shirou smiled as he spoke, and Nagato respectfully nodded, replying:

 "I understand, Lord Shirou. When I return, I will use my health as an excuse to delay Yahiko's plans for ten days."

For Nagato, as long as he didn't have to oppose Shirou, nothing else mattered. As for what would happen after ten days, he had already guessed.

Konoha was likely planning to launch a surprise attack on Kumogakure, but he would not share this information with anyone.

"Oh, by the way, this is the latest issue about to be published. Looks like you get to see it early."

As the two parted, Shirou smiled and took out a newly unpublished copy of My Struggle from his ninja pouch.

Seeing the book, Nagato's face lit up with an excited smile as he nodded and said:

 "Thank you, Lord Shirou."

My Struggle had practically become Nagato's life mentor.

Originally, Nagato was a confused and directionless person, but this book gave him a sense of purpose. It was Shirou who had entrusted the Rinnegan's mission to him with great hope.

Bringing peace to the ninja world with the Rinnegan—this mission weighed heavily on him. Yet the philosophy in this book captivated him, giving him clarity.

Nagato's belief in the ninja way gradually aligned with one of the ideologies presented in the book.

"Let's go."

The two parted ways after their brief meeting. This time, Nagato did not linger like he used to. Instead, as a more mature ninja, he smiled and looked up at the sun in the sky.

"Lord Shirou, I believe your Will of Fire can bring peace to the ninja world. If you need it, my Rinnegan is your strength!"

Glancing back at the figure atop the waterfall, Nagato displayed a determined smile.

Peace for the ninja world! He seemed to have found his direction. The era of warring states had evolved into the current system of ninja villages after large-scale wars.

And now, in the absence of external wars, the internal affairs of the great nations were peaceful. Did this not prove that the path to peace was not wrong, only that the scale of the wars had been too small?

 "If the ninja world were to engage in an even larger-scale war to unify all villages, would peace finally arrive?"

In the forest, running swiftly toward the sunlight, Nagato's face showed resolute determination. He believed it was possible because this was the path Shirou had spent years searching for—a path to peace.

"Konan, the war is about to begin. Remember, survive!"

By the waterfall, watching Nagato's fading figure, Shirou felt a refreshing sensation in his eyes and couldn't help but smile.

Turning back, he gave a reminder to the girl behind him, Konan, which caused her to smile and nod solemnly. She understood that her strength was weak compared to Shirou, but she would continue to train hard.

"Lord Shirou, don't worry! Konan will survive!"

At the same time, Konan silently vowed in her heart to grow strong enough to protect Shirou.

Just then, a message arrived via a slug that appeared on Shirou's shoulder. After receiving it, Shirou smiled and nodded.

"I understand. I will arrive at the right time."

As Tsunade, the commander of the battle against Kumogakure, led the overt forces, the prominent ninja clans would naturally make an appearance on the frontlines, taking up key positions. At the same time, this would serve to conceal the elite unit hidden in the shadows.

"The Third Great Ninja War, huh."

Glancing back in the direction of Konoha's ninja camp, Shirou narrowed his eyes, revealing a confident smile.

"This will be my stage!"

This time, Tsunade had sent him the confidence behind Sarutobi Hiruzen's execution plan. At first, Shirou thought it was something significant, but he almost burst out laughing when he understood it.

"That's it? The so-called perfect plan to crush Kumogakure?"

It wasn't that the plan was without merit. The arrangements were nearly flawless—except they underestimated the strength of the Third Raikage and overestimated Sarutobi Hiruzen's abilities.

This discrepancy widened the gap significantly.

"However, my eyes..."

Feeling the cool sensation in his eyes, especially the clarity in his mind, Shirou's lips curled into an ambitious smile.

"As expected, if the changes caused by a higher level of quality are too subtle, then I'll add something three levels higher..."

The quality of the Rinnegan was like a drop of ink in a glass of water, quickly dyeing the entire glass black.

"I can feel my eyes growing stronger."

At that moment, Shirou's eyes displayed the three-tomoe Sharingan. Though still incomplete, they slowly rotated, and faint, thin lines began to connect the tomoe.

No extreme emotional upheaval was needed—the Mangekyo Sharingan was no longer just a dream.

"With my current strength, I am already at the Kage level. After activating Sage Mode, I can contend with some of the strongest Kages. Perhaps I'm still slightly inferior to someone like the Third Raikage, who has reached the pinnacle of Kage-level power. But if I awaken the Mangekyo..."

Shirou narrowed his eyes, analyzing the situation in his mind. His current strength was akin to an enhanced version of Sasuke with Orochimaru's training. He also possessed the five chakra natures and a wider arsenal of jutsu.

"If my hypothesis is correct, the birth of the Rinnegan isn't just the combination of the Sharingan and Wood Release. It should also require the chakra of Ashura and Indra to merge."

Thinking of this, Shirou's face lit up with excitement.

If his hypothesis was correct, the Mangekyo Sharingan was just the beginning.

In the future, he would wield power capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the moon itself.

Tomorrow, the plan to crush Kumogakure would begin—The Third Raikage versus the Third Hokage.