"The one who awakehe Rinnegan wasn't Nagato—it was Madara Uchiha?! That's impossible!"

  Konan's beliefs were utterly shattered, leaving her uo accept this revetion.

  Naruto added to the blow, "Oh, and the 'Madara' I'm talking about isn't the masked man in Akatsuki. He only cimed to be Madara to deceive you all..."

  Konan's voice was filled with despair. "One cims to be Madara, and now you're tellihere's another Madara? Both of you are liars. I don't believe anyone!"

  "This is... a bit tricky," Naruto muttered, falling into deep thought. His left hand unsciously tapped oable.

  It’s worth mentioning that Naruto had lost his right arm during his battle with Sasuke in his previous life. Although he now used a prosthetic arm, he had developed the habit of relying on his left hand, being a lefty by y. This habit persisted even after his soul traveled back through time.

  Naruto rummaged through his memories, trying to find information that could vince Konan. It had been so long that recalling the details took siderable effort.

  "Ah, I remember now! You meticulously prepared to kill that masked Madara, didn't you? If I recall correctly, it was six hundred million—no, six hundred billion explosive tags, right?"

  "How do you know that?!" Konan's face turned pale in an instant.

  Her secret preparations, unknowo Nagato, had been exposed!

  "Did you... read my mind?" Konan could only think of one possible expnation.

  Naruto chuckled helplessly. "e on, I know nothing about genjutsu! And without the help of the Yamanaka , how could I possibly do such a thing?"

  In his previous life, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto had gleahis information from Obito's memories while extrag the Ten-Tails from him. That was how he learned about Konan's six hundred billion explosive tags.

  Seeing Konan's uled expression, Naruto pressed on, "So? Does this at least prove that I'm not just spouting nonsense?"

  Konan took a deep breath, trying tain her posure aore her usual calm demeanor. "Even if you know this secret, it doesn't prove that everything you said about Madara is true."

  Naruto replied didly, "You're right. Whether you believe me or not is up to you. But before you decide, could you at least hear me out?"

  By revealing Konan's deepest secret, Naruto had gained signifit leverage in the versation.

  Half-g, Konan said, "Fine. Speak."

  Naruto began, his toeady and deliberate. "It all started a long time ago. After losing to Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha obtained his former rival's power and awakehe Rinnegan. The Sharingan's ultimate evolution is the Rinnegan, which requires the bined power of both the Senju and Uchiha s to awaken. [To simplify the narrative, Naruto deliberately omitted details about the reinations of Indra and Asura.]

  "When Madara awakehe Rinnegan, he was already on the brink of death, uo fulfill his ambitions. So, he transphose eyes into Nagato when he was just a child. Nagato, being a desdant of the Senju with Uzumaki blood, was the perfect didate to wield those eyes. That red hair, the same as my mother's, Kushina Uzumaki, is the best evidence. Madara was fident Nagato could hahe Rinnegan.

  "The reason Madara gave Nagato the Rinnegan was to prepare for his own resurre. The *Rinh Jutsu*—that was the teique Madara inteo use for his revival, with Nagato as the executor."

  "In other words, the real Madara is already dead."

  Following Naruto's expnation, Konan naturally asked, "Then who is that masked man g to be Madara?"

  Naruto answered holy, "Uchiha Obito, the Uchiha hero who supposedly died during the Third Shinobi World War at the Battle of Kannabi Bridge. In truth, he was saved by Madara and chosen to guide Nagato in resurreg him. Obito is the true driving force behind the Eye of the Moon Pn."

  Konan's heart sank. He even knows about the Eye of the Moon Pn... Could it be that everything he's saying is true?

  But she still couldn't bring herself to believe that the ideals they had upheld for so many years were nothing more than a fabricated lie.

  Seeing Konan's distress, Naruto refrained from mentioning the deepest secret of all—that Bck Zetsu was the one pulling the strings from the shadows.

  "Konan-sensei," Naruto said gently, "I know this truth is unbearably cruel to you, but it's not too te to face reality now."

  Konan's sharp gaze locked onto him. "No! Your perspective is all wrong. Akatsuki has iigated you. You've spent most of your life in Konoha and only left in the past three years to train with Jiraiya. How could you possibly know all this?"

  Sigh... So I 't avoid this question after all.

  Naruto sighed inwardly, then stood up and approached Konan to untie her restraints. Extending his left fist, he said, "Let's fist bump. Then you'll uand everything."

  Konaated, but the inteions swirling in Narutht eye pelled her to uhe truth.

  Taking a deep breath, she reached out her hand.

  Drip.

  The moment their fists touched, ripples spread across her sciousness, and tless images flooded her mind.

  "This..."

  Konan's inner world was in turmoil. Her e eyes flickered intensely. "Is this all true?"

  "Every word," Naruto said solemnly. "This is the real future. I escaped to this era on the brink of death. It's ironic, isn't it? The only reason I could return was because of the treasures of that . On our own, we couldn't do anything!"

  "Since I've returned, I have only one goal: to defeat those people and protect this world. For that... I need power—power strong enough to stand against them!"

  Konan had mostly e to believe Naruto. After all, words could be fabricated, but the emotions within one's heart could not lie.

  She asked, "What do you pn to do?"

  Naruto replied, "I will do whatever it takes to grow stronger! Based on this premise, I will take a. For now, my pn is to gather the secret teiques and kekkei genkai of the major shinobi vilges and unite all the Tailed Beasts' powers."

  Konan responded, "Secret teiques and kekkei genkai are the top secrets of each vilge. The Tailed Beasts are key to maintaining the bance of power among the Five Great Nations. Are you pnning to make enemies of the entire shinobi world?"

  Naruto smiled. "Exactly. I'll oppose the whole world first to save it ter! Nobody would believe suonsense, right? There's only one person in this world who would trust me unditionally, but I don't want to involve her too soon..."

  "Besides, I must defect from Konoha first. Otherwise, as a Konoha shinobi, my every move would bring disaster to the vilge."

  At this point, Naruto sincerely asked, "Konan-sensei, now that you know the full story, you uand my as?"

  Konan tered, "Where is Nagato's body?"

  "Follow me."

  Naruto turned, and the stone door rumbled open, revealing two coffins inside.

  Konan stepped forward to examihem. Nagato y peacefully in the first coffin, his fatact but his eye sockets empty.

  She then looked at the sed coffin, which taihe body of Pain's Deva Path.

  This surprised Konan.

  Naruto smiled faintly. "That's Yahiko, isn't it? Someone very important to you, Konan-sensei."

  Konaly stroked Yahiko's face. "Yes. He was my rade... and my lover."

  Naruto remarked, "Only someone as handsome as him would be worthy of Konan-sensei!"

  Konan smiled softly. There could be er response. She fave Naruto.

  Outside the cave, Konan surveyed the surroundings. Despite the protective barrier, there was still a risk of being discovered.

  "This is within the Land of Fire. Konoha must be searg for you everywhere," Konan noted.

  "My Sage Mode allows me to detey disturbances. I won't be found so easily," Naruto replied, adjusting the bandage over his left eye. "I'll stay here until I fully adapt to this eye."

  "Where is Nagato's other eye?" Konan asked.

  "I've kept it safe. I've heard that transpnting the Rinnegan carries signifit risks, so I thought I'd do it o a time to be cautious. So far, I haven't felt any abnormalities."

  "If you 't return to Konoha, where will you go?" Konan asked.

  "I'll wander wherever I . The shinobi world is vast—I'll find a pce to stay..."

  After a long silence, Konan finally said, "In that case... e with me to Amegakure."

  Naruto was taken aback. "Konan-sensei, you?!"

  At st, Konan revealed her true thoughts. "Such a dangerous pn 't succeed with you alone. You've ied Nagato's will and his eyes. I have no reason not to support you with all my strength... Amegakure is willing to be your stronghold!"

  Naruto was overwhelmed with gratitude. Words failed him, and all he could manage was, "Thank you..."

  Konan responded calmly, "When do we leave?"

  Naruto's gaze turned resolute. "Not yet. There's someone I must meet first."