Takuno gazed at Nagato before him; his Fox Mask, covered in strange patterns, appeared exceptionally mysterious and unfathomable.
He spoke calmly, "So, as a start, could you inform me of the Akatsuki's true plan?"
He knew clearly in his heart that it was his previous actions that had forced the Obito lurking in the shadows to appear ahead of schedule. This turn of events had undoubtedly already caused Nagato and Konan to become alert and suspicious.
According to common logic, their trust in Obito—the man posing as the deceased Madara—should be far less solid at this moment than it was in the original story.
Takuno wanted to know exactly how Obito had depicted the enticing vision of that forbidden power known as the 'Ten-Tails' to Nagato.
Nagato fell into silence; time seemed to freeze.
His deep-set eyes stared intently at Takuno's mask as a battle raged within his mind.
Ultimately, one thought gained the upper hand.
This might be a test from the mysterious powerhouse before him.
The other party's proactive inquiry about the plan didn't necessarily mean he was truly ignorant; it was more likely he was testing whether they were being honest.
He could take a gamble, betting that the other party knew nothing and choosing to hide the truth...
However, as soon as this thought surfaced, Nagato's gaze involuntarily shifted to Konan beside him and the shell of a body carrying the will of his dear friend Yahiko.
Yahiko was already gone forever; he absolutely could not let anything happen to Konan as well!
This protective urge overwhelmed all thoughts of taking a chance.
Thus, Nagato's low voice broke the silence as he revealed the entire plan that Obito had instilled in him under the name of 'Madara'.
The ultimate goal of the Akatsuki was to gather the nine Tailed Beasts scattered across the world and infuse their massive chakra into the 'Gedo Statue'.
This act aimed to forge an ultimate weapon capable of transcending all Shinobi villages and destroying the world.
Nagato planned to use the absolute deterrent power of this weapon to force the major hidden villages to submit.
Should anyone dare to initiate war again, it would be the moment for this world-ending weapon to demonstrate its terrifying power.
What Nagato pursued was a world of superficial 'peace' maintained by the threat of ultimate force—a false tranquility forged in fear.
Takuno listened quietly. As someone with a modern mindset, he understood a simple truth.
The foundation of peace is often built upon absolute strength.
Choosing not to use a powerful force when you possess it is worlds apart from not possessing such power at all.
Therefore, he did not entirely reject Nagato's core philosophy of seeking peace through power.
However, he was actually not optimistic about Nagato's plan.
Even if that weapon were truly as powerful as Obito claimed and could be controlled, Nagato's conception was far too idealized.
A peace system entirely dependent on a single deterrent force is inherently extremely fragile.
It lacks resilience and cannot handle the unpredictability of the human heart or the changes of the world; it is destined to be unsustainable in the long run.
This peace under authoritarian power is nothing more than a tower built on sand.
But Takuno didn't say much about this; he understood the roots of this plan.
It was a compromise solution for the cruel reality, born from Nagato's despair and pain after Yahiko's tragic death.
Compared to the era of Yahiko, who naively fantasized about creating peace without relying on any military force, this plan of maintaining a brief tranquility through deterrence at least seemed more realistically feasible.
While that ultimate weapon wasn't a fabrication, the tragedy was that with Nagato's current abilities, he was utterly incapable of wielding the power of the complete Ten-Tails.
Therefore, this grand blueprint that seemed capable of bringing a brief 'peace' was destined to be an unachievable dream from the very beginning.
Moreover, from Nagato's words, Takuno could also sense that he didn't actually have much trust in Obito.
Nagato's choice to accept Obito's proposal wasn't fundamentally driven by personal trust in Obito, but rather by his conviction in the power of the Tailed Beasts and the Gedo Statue.
Particularly after obtaining the Sealing Jutsu 'Phantom Dragon Nine Seals', Nagato was certain that the Gedo Statue's power to seal Tailed Beasts was genuine.
He knew that even without absorbing any Tailed Beast chakra, the destructive power displayed by the Gedo Statue itself was already terrifyingly peerless.
Hanzou could testify to that!
By extension, if the power of all nine Tailed Beasts could truly be devoured, the realm the Gedo Statue could reach would likely completely transcend his limits of cognition.
Thus, what Nagato truly relied on and trusted deep down was not Obito as a person, but the Gedo Statue itself, which he summoned with his own Rinnegan.
Furthermore, regarding Obito's claim of being 'Madara', Nagato similarly held a skeptical attitude.
However, this suspicion was irrelevant to Nagato.
Whether the other party was truly the legendary Madara or not would not affect the current situation or cooperation in the slightest.
In Nagato's view, while Obito was certainly powerful, he was not yet so powerful that Nagato would be helpless or unable to contend with him.
Based on this balance of strength assessment, both sides reached a consensus for cooperation.
As for Obito's true identity, it was undoubtedly the most secondary factor in Nagato's considerations.
At this moment, as Nagato gazed at Takuno, a small crack quietly appeared in his firm belief in the Akatsuki's plan.
Even if the plan ultimately succeeded, would the Gedo Statue that had absorbed all the Tailed Beasts' power truly ensure the realization of his ultimate vision to 'let the world feel pain' in exchange for peace?
This unprecedented doubt sprouted and spread in his heart.
For a long time, he had considered himself to be standing at the peak of the world, looking down upon all living beings in the name of a 'God'.
But the sudden emergence of Takuno was no different from a heavy blow to this almost arrogant self-confidence.
Since a powerhouse like Takuno existed in the world, did it mean there were even more unknown, powerful Shinobi hiding in the shadows?
Could there even be existences more powerful than Takuno among them?
Then, even if that ultimate weapon were created, could it truly defeat Takuno and those potentially existing powerhouses?
These worries, which had never occurred to him before, involuntarily surfaced in the sea of Nagato's mind.
Takuno leaned back on the throne. After Nagato finished explaining the Akatsuki's future plans, the corner of his mouth suddenly curled into a contemptuous arc, and he let out an undisguised sneer.
That laughter sounded exceptionally piercing in the empty room, filled with mockery for this grand plan.
Nagato's brow furrowed, and a flash of anger crossed his Rinnegan, but he ultimately suppressed it and spoke in a deep voice.
"May I ask what your views are on this plan?"
"Views?" Takuno's gaze shot toward Nagato. "Nagato, do you really believe in the illusory blueprint depicted by that fellow who hides his head and shows his tail while calling himself 'Uchiha Madara'?"
He threw out a sharp rhetorical question.
"In terms of hiding your head and showing your tail, you aren't much better..."
Nagato thought this, but he didn't dare say it openly.
He fell into a brief silence before slowly saying, "At least... before you appeared, I believed this plan was the most feasible path to achieving peace."
"Heh." Takuno gave another light laugh of ambiguous meaning. "Since that's the case, let me tell you a story."
Nagato and Konan exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.
They knew that whatever came out of Takuno's mouth would never be an ordinary story told without purpose; it likely had to do with the Akatsuki's plan.
Immediately, the two of them focused their minds, held their breath, and prepared to listen.
Takuno did not reveal the existence of Kaguya, but he eloquently recounted the origin of the God Tree, the power of the Ten-Tails, and the truth that the nine Tailed Beasts were merely the result of the Sage of Six Paths splitting the Ten-Tails' Chakra to seal it years ago.
As Takuno narrated, the expressions of Nagato and Konan gradually shifted from focus to extreme shock.
Nagato's Rinnegan fluctuated violently; clearly, a massive wave had been stirred in his heart.
They had never imagined that the Shinobi World hid such ancient secrets!
"So... that's how it is..." Nagato muttered to himself, his chaotic thoughts quickly sorting themselves out as a realization became clear.
"Then, Uchiha Madara indeed did not deceive me!
If the Gedo Statue is the shell of the Ten-Tails that lost its chakra, then re-infusing the power of the nine scattered Tailed Beasts into it would allow for the reconstruction of the complete Ten-Tails.
That would indeed be an ultimate weapon sufficient to deter the entire Shinobi World!"
Takuno did not directly refute this; he merely turned his gaze toward Nagato with an air of scrutiny and a trace of subtle inquiry.
"Theoretically, if one could become the Jinchuriki of that complete Ten-Tails, they might indeed possess world-destroying power. However..."
His tone suddenly shifted, becoming heavy and sharp.
"Nagato, the crux of the matter is whether, in your current state, you are truly certain you can endure that violent power—which far exceeds all existing Tailed Beasts—and successfully become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Konan's face beside him instantly turned pale, and she looked at Nagato with intense worry.
No more words were needed; she already understood the danger involved. That was by no means an ordinary Jinchuriki trial; the slightest mistake would result in being reduced to ashes.
Nagato did not respond immediately.
He lowered his eyes, as if falling into a long and profound memory. Past experiences—the pain, the struggle, the despair of losing Yahiko, the conviction of founding Akatsuki—all flashed before his eyes.
Finally, he raised his head, first casting a reassuring smile toward the anxious Konan—a smile that was weak yet incredibly firm.
Then, he turned his gaze back to Takuno, his pale face devoid of any hesitation as he clearly and forcefully uttered two words.
"I can!"
Takuno's gaze rested on Nagato for a long time.
This answer... didn't seem to be outside his expectations.
Gazing at this man who possessed the Uzumaki Clan bloodline and a will as resolute as steel, a thought vaguely rose in Takuno's heart.
Perhaps Nagato really could create a miracle?
True, Nagato's body had been eroded into a riddled mess by those Rinnegan that didn't originally belong to him, like a candle in the wind.
But was this broken shell, with the determination and potential hidden within, truly destined to be unable to withstand the impact of the God Tree's power?
Takuno suddenly felt that the answer wasn't necessarily negative.
Because this man named Nagato... he was another 'Child of Prophecy' chosen by the prophecy!
What others couldn't do, he might not necessarily be unable to achieve!
"Perhaps." Takuno ultimately did not mock the other's overestimation of his own strength.
His gaze fell on Nagato, and he suddenly threw out an earth-shattering question.
"So, regarding the Rinnegan... how much do you actually know? For example, its true origin?"
Nagato's brow furrowed tightly. Although the Rinnegan was the foundation of his power, as the leader of a small Shinobi village, he indeed didn't know much about it.
"I only know," he spoke in a deep voice, "that it is the eyes of the legendary Sage of Six Paths."
Most of this knowledge came from the gentle narrations of Jiraiya-sensei; it was one of the few marks of light in his life of suffering.
"Saying that... can't be considered wrong." Takuno nodded slightly.
Immediately after, he dropped the first bombshell.
"But did you know that the so-called 'Sage's Eyes' are, in essence, evolved from... the Sharingan?"
"What?! Impossible!!" A sharp cry of denial erupted almost simultaneously!
Nagato jerked his head up, an unbelievable light bursting from the Rinnegan covered in purple ripples. His body, trembling slightly from agitation, caused the wheelchair to make a faint sound.
"Absurd! If the Rinnegan evolved from the Sharingan, then why..." His voice suddenly rose, carrying a questioning tone, "...why was it I who awakened it?! My eyes are the best proof!"
These eyes were the power that burst forth in the pool of blood where his parents died, in his deepest abyss of despair. They were the ironclad evidence of his existence; how could they belong to someone else?
Takuno looked down from his height at the two people who were agitatedly arguing.
He leaned forward slightly, the shadow of the throne appearing to press more heavily upon Nagato and Konan.
"Proof?" He snorted lightly, his tone carrying a lethal inducement.
"Have you truly never had a single doubt? Nagato... those Rinnegan in your eye sockets... do they really belong to you?"
Nagato's heart jolted violently! The scene of his parents lying in a pool of blood and himself bursting with power to strike down the Konoha Shinobi flashed in his mind. This was an unforgettable brand, the source of his power!
If these eyes weren't his, whose could they be?
He instinctively wanted to roar in refutation, his lips moving, but he couldn't immediately make a sound.
Takuno didn't give him a chance to catch his breath, slowly raising a hand to point at his own left eye—that purple Rinnegan, fused with a tomoe pattern, eerie and profound, was clearly revealed in the dim light.
"Witnessing the existence of this eye," Takuno's voice continued, "do you still believe without doubt?"
"Furthermore, for the sake of argument... even if it 'belongs' to you, as the master, have you never wondered why these eyes bring you, besides power, more of an endless... extraction?"
He paused, each word clearly striking Nagato's heart.
"You know better than I. Even if you don't use any of its abilities, merely maintaining its existence itself is like a bottomless vortex placed inside your body, insanely devouring your life force and your chakra at every moment! If not for your special constitution..."
Takuno's voice suddenly became incredibly cold, revealing the cruelest reality.
"...you probably would have been completely sucked dry by these eyes long ago, turned into a withered skeleton!"
Takuno's words were like an icy hammer, striking down heavily.
Nagato froze completely.
He stared fixedly at Takuno's eye, his purple Rinnegan trembling involuntarily in their sockets.
Countless thoughts swirled crazily in his mind, plunging him into an unprecedented abyss of confusion.
Konan pursed her lips tightly on the side, looking at Nagato's soul-shaken appearance with worry.
Stormy waves also rose in her heart; Takuno's words had similarly overturned her perception.