Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 78 Unmasking Him (55 chapters, requesting first subscription)
Bang!

A piercing metallic clang suddenly exploded on the ground.

The sudden sound made Xiao Nan, who had been keeping her eyes closed, tremble and instinctively open them to look.

Under Nagato's sudden increase in gravity, Hanzo's scythe flew out of his hand and fell to a greater distance.

"Nagato, you..."

Hanzo couldn't help but frown, feeling no joy, only utter disappointment.

If Nagato continues to believe that Yahiko's so-called understanding can bring peace, then he is destined to be unable to lead Amegakure to bring true peace to the Land of Rain.

"Don't misunderstand, I still hate you and can't forgive you, but..."

Nagato interrupted Hanzo, speaking in an almost rationally calm tone: "You are no longer an obstacle for me. Killing you would be meaningless and would only be self-satisfying."

"I don't need pointless venting of hatred. Letting you burn your last bit of warmth and value is the best choice for the Akatsuki."

Upon hearing this, Hanzo and Konan's pupils trembled slightly as they looked at Nagato's purple eyes, but they could not see any emotional fluctuation in those eyes.

Calm, rational, indifferent...

At that moment, he seemed to be a "god" who had severed all human emotions and impulses.

Nagato calmly gazed at the kneeling figure, a hero and legend of Amegakure and even the Land of Rain.

Although Hanzo did not have the title of "demigod," for many people, the name Hanzo is indeed a legend, and he is one of the ninjas who reached the pinnacle in the hearts of countless people.

However, in Nagato's view, the hero had become the new dragon after killing it.

The heroes of yesteryear have grown old, their hands that once held the sword are now frail and devoid of faith. Fearful and timid due to the clamor of the outside world, they hide in the tower, their cowardly and aged appearance ugly and wretched.

If Hanzo continues to rule Amegakure during the upcoming Fourth Shinobi World War, the Land of Rain will inevitably be plunged into catastrophe.

So, despite Jue's repeated warnings, he went to kill the evil dragon.

It wasn't just out of hatred in his heart, but more because Hanzo was in his way.

But now, it's different.

Now, Hanzo, who is willing to believe in him and even die for him, is no longer an obstacle to his and Akatsuki's future; on the contrary, he can become an important asset to them.

Nagato did not forgive Hanzo for his past mistakes; he still harbored resentment towards Hanzo.

He simply understood that Hanzo was only of value to him now that he was alive, and that killing him was just a childish and meaningless act of venting.

"God" will not be controlled by resentment in his heart and will not act impulsively or recklessly.

Whoever it is, whatever it may be, is willing to sacrifice and abandon everything for the peace they desire.

Including his hatred.

Including himself.

Hanzo was willing to die for a peaceful future, and he could also suppress his hatred and let Hanzo live for his own ideal of peace.

This is Nagato's resolve.

"..."

Overwhelmed with shock, Hanzo fell silent for a long time, a smile appearing on his face as he softly said, "Indeed, entrusting the future to you was the right decision."

The current Nagato is capable of going further than him, Yahiko, or anyone else.

'Of course, the premise is that you are not deceived by anyone and stay on the right path.' Hinata Kumokawa, who had been silently observing, smiled to himself.

Those present were unaware of his thoughts. Hanzo stood up, looked at Nagato, and said in a deep voice, "As long as your original intention remains unchanged, this life is still yours..."

"Wait a minute, I have an objection."

Just then, the silent Hyuga Kumokawa suddenly raised his hand, instantly attracting the attention of everyone present.

"Although I don't want to interrupt such a wonderful scene, I'm sorry I need to correct something."

Meeting the three men's varied gazes, he remained humble and said, "Half of Mr. Hanzo's life belongs to my lord; this is the price he has to pay for his rebirth."

Upon hearing this, Hanzo and Nagato were stunned for a moment. The former quickly thought of the changes in his own body, while the latter subconsciously thought of that terrifying being.

"Hey." Hanzo realized what was happening, and his face darkened. "You didn't say I would have to pay this price."

"Sorry, sorry, it was my oversight. I'm not very familiar with the work yet." Hinata Yunchuan apologized insincerely and laughed, "But I have another piece of information, consider it compensation."

Seeing that Hanzo and Nagato remained unmoved, he paused and smiled meaningfully, "This information can change the fate of Mr. Nagato and Miss Konan, who are destined to die."

"Two lives for half a life, that should be enough, right?" Upon hearing this, the pupils of the three people present immediately narrowed, and their expressions changed slightly.

"Do you know what you're saying?" Nagato said in a deep voice.

Only then did he suddenly realize that Hanzo knew too much, even the Akatsuki's plan and purpose for collecting the Tailed Beasts, and he seemed to have learned these things from this "Kage".

And Hanzo's current physical condition and strength, could they also be the work of this "Shadow"?

Who is this guy?

Hinata Kumokawa didn't care about Nagato's attitude, but instead looked at Tobi, who was squatting in the shadows in the corner of the cave, pretending to be dead despite being completely confused.

“Before we discuss this,” he suddenly said, “could we first take that White Zetsu under control?”

Upon hearing this, Hanzo, Nagato, and Konan all turned their gazes toward Tobi.

Upon seeing this, Afei, who had been eavesdropping there, sensed something was wrong and immediately tried to use the "Mayfly Technique" to burrow into the ground and escape.

But in the next moment, its body suddenly stiffened and it lost control.

Unbeknownst to them, Hinata Kumokawa's shadow had already connected with its own, gradually spreading and binding from its feet up its body.

"W-what happened? My chakra... What did you do?"

Afei's tone was extremely panicked, as if he had suddenly remembered something, and he shouted, "It's you! So it was you! You're the one who killed those White Zetsu who were monitoring Amegakure!"

Only this kind of bizarre shadow technique that can seal chakra can prevent the White Zetsu from sending back even information!
"Lord Nagato! Save me! Save me! Don't listen to his nonsense, kill him! He's the enemy! He's the enemy!"

Nagato ignored the noisy Tobi and instead looked at Hinata Kumokawa with a frown.

Those eyes do not belong to you.

Hyuga Kumokawa didn't waste any words and said directly, "And its true owner is that Uchiha Madara."

……

what?
Nagato and Konan stood there, stunned.

It's as if they've lost the ability to discern the meaning of words.

"Oh, right." Seeing the blank stares in Nagato and Konan's eyes, Hyuga Kumokawa paused before adding, "It's not the 'Uchiha Madara' you know."

"The real Madara Uchiha would not wear a mask to hide his true identity even in his old age. The one wearing the mask was just a pathetic pawn."

After saying those words, meeting Nagato's gaze that seemed to shatter his worldview, Hyuga Kumokawa felt an overwhelming sense of pleasure.

Sorry, Obito, but rivals are enemies, so who else should I mess with if not you?

If I don't kick you out, how can I guide the Akatsuki organization and control the war situation?
Once we completely control the Akatsuki, we'll have even more tools to do the dirty work for Hyuga Kumokawa. For example, we can hand over the Paradise Box to them to steal, and we can hand over the bloodline limit ninjas to them to kill.

Therefore, I can only make things difficult for Obito; I will take on the responsibility for the Akatsuki.

"No no no!"

Even though Ah Fei's body and mouth were bound, he still managed to make a sound. Even if you couldn't hear what he was saying, you could clearly hear the immense fear in his voice.

How could this guy possibly know?
"Impossible!" Nagato was also jolted awake, recovering from the immense shock, and blurted out, "What you're saying is utter nonsense!"

Whether it was that these Rinnegan eyes did not belong to him, or that the Madara he had always feared was fake, he simply could not believe or accept either of these things.

He knew that "Ban" had other purposes, but he could never have imagined that he had been living in a lie from the very beginning, and was a pawn in someone else's game.

"Whether it's true or false," Hinata Kumokawa said with a smile, "we'll know as soon as we take off his mask, won't we?"

Upon hearing this, Nagato instinctively wanted to refuse, but he couldn't afford to break ties with Madara yet.

But the next second, the image of that figure atop the mountain of corpses and blood suddenly appeared in his mind, and the words spoken by that person seemed to echo in his ears.

"Who do you think you are?"

"It is nothing more than a lowly vessel used to hold those eyes."

"Without these eyes that don't belong to you, you would be nothing more than a weak ant."

A lowly container... a weak ant...

A surge of inexplicable anger welled up in Nagato's heart. He suddenly stared intently at Hyuga Kumokawa and asked coldly, "Tell me, what do you want to do?"

(10,000 words! Still in progress, please vote with monthly tickets!)

(End of this chapter)