Chapter 192: Guess We’ll Have to Fight

As everyone looked up, two figures appeared in the sky, swiftly approaching their location.

Seeing the silhouettes, the crowd tensed up, their eyes sharp with alertness.

The figures closed in quickly. One had paper wings fluttering behind them as they flew, while the other floated steadily, seated in a wheelchair.

"Nagato? Konan?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened in disbelief as he recognized the two.

Tsunade, standing beside him, heard his words and asked in confusion, "They were part of those kids from back then?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah… they're the other two."

On the Akatsuki side, the four members also clearly saw who was approaching. Their expressions shifted to curiosity.

They had all met Konan before, and even Sasori had been personally recruited by her. But the frail man in the wheelchair—none of them had seen him before, not even faintly familiar.

"Boss, is that the one controlling the Pains? The real leader of Akatsuki?" Itachi asked after a moment.

Ryo nodded. "That's right. That's the true leader of Akatsuki—Uzumaki Nagato."

"Uzumaki?"

Hearing that name, everyone nearby turned to look, visibly shocked.

There was no one here who didn't know what that surname meant.

"Looks like you really do know a lot about me, Boss," Nagato said from above, his tone heavier now that he'd heard Ryo speak his name.

"Why, Nagato? Why are you the leader of Akatsuki?" Jiraiya asked, struggling to understand. The very organization he had been investigating turned out to be led by his own former student.

"Jiraiya-sensei… it's been a long time," Nagato replied, not explaining any further. His eyes turned to the Dragonite standing beside Ryo.

"Konan… why? Why are you with Akatsuki too?" Jiraiya asked again, shifting his gaze to her.

Konan shook her head. "Jiraiya-sensei, this is something we can't tell you."

"What about Yahiko, then? Why is he like that?" Jiraiya pressed, pointing toward the pit where the Deva Path lay.

Konan was about to answer, but Nagato cut in first. "Jiraiya-sensei, this has nothing to do with you. From the moment you left, you stopped being our teacher."

"You…"

Jiraiya's expression darkened in anger, about to argue further, but Tsunade raised her hand to stop him.

Her brows furrowed as she looked up at the two in the sky. "Since you're the leader of Akatsuki, what business do you have in Konoha?"

Nagato turned his gaze to Ryo. "To eliminate a certain problem that must be eliminated."

"How arrogant. Do you think Konoha is defenseless?" Tsunade growled.

"Heh…"

Nagato let out a cold laugh. "Konoha? Ninja? What a joke."

"You—!"

The words infuriated the shinobi present.

But Nagato ignored their glares, focusing instead on Ryo. "Boss… I'll ask you one last time. Will you join us, and help bring peace to this world?"

Ryo chuckled softly, shaking his head. "That's a ridiculous dream. Do you really believe you can bring peace to the world just because you've gained overwhelming power?"

"Isn't that exactly how it works?" Nagato asked back. "If everyone experiences the pain of war, peace will naturally follow."

Ryo shook his head again. "Even the Sage of Six Paths and the so-called God of Shinobi couldn't bring lasting peace to the world. And you think you can?"

"I'm different from those fools," Nagato replied coldly. "I won't share power. Only by holding all power in my own hands can peace be achieved."

Ryo didn't know what to say. Nagato had clearly fallen into madness—deep madness. Unless Naruto's talk-no-jutsu were present, there was almost no way to reach him.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the others looked grim after hearing Nagato's reasoning. Just hearing it was already terrifying.

To force peace through absolute power—such a path would only lead to rivers of blood.

"Well? Have you thought it over? Will you join us and bring peace to the world?" Nagato asked again.

Ryo shook his head and asked calmly, "I'm just curious—do you really believe your power is enough to do what you claim? Or that the Gedo Statue, even with the tailed beasts absorbed, will be exactly what you imagine it to be?"

Nagato frowned, falling silent.

He had never really considered that.

After a moment, he simply shook his head and brushed it aside.

Then, his gaze turned cold again, focusing on Ryo. "Then it seems you've made your choice… and I must deal with you."

With those words, Nagato's expression changed. A chilling wave of killing intent spread as his wheelchair fell from the sky. His frail body floated upright midair, and a terrifying surge of chakra erupted from him.

The sudden transformation caught everyone off guard—except Ryo.

That chakra—its sheer scale was overwhelming. Those who could sense it trembled slightly, their eyes filled with both awe and dread.

No one could have imagined that someone who looked so frail—someone who seemed like a gust of wind could carry them off—could possess such monstrous chakra. It felt almost inhuman.

But what was even more frightening… was the ideology behind that power.

Jiraiya muttered in disbelief, "So this… this is the power of the Rinnegan?"

Tsunade stared in shock. "Still a bit below Grandpa's level, but… this is something else."

Ryo, however, wore no expression at all.

He just rubbed his temples.

Looks like… it's time to fight again.

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