Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

The light inside the tree hollow was very dim, a sickly yellow like a dying candle.

Nagato sat in that device, his body as thin as a skeleton. His red hair hung down, covering half his face. His breathing was heavy, his chest heaving.

Konan stood beside him, her reaction much faster than Nagato's.

The moment Uchiha Taiga appeared at the entrance of the tree trunk, Konan's hands had already formed a hand sign. Her fingers were slender, her movements so fast that it was almost impossible to see how she wove the signs.

Then, something materialized in the air around her.

Sheets of white paper emerged around her body, each radiating chakra fluctuations. They floated and swirled around Konan like white petals caught in the wind.

The white paper looked ordinary, but Uchiha Taiga knew very well that they were actually paper bombs. The sealing formulas on them simply hadn't manifested, hidden away by some special method.

As such, more and more paper bombs gathered, quickly weaving into a dense net that enveloped Konan and the entire tree hollow.

But this was only the beginning, as the environment in the valley was also changing.

Standing outside the tree trunk, Taiga shifted his gaze away from Konan and scanned his surroundings.

Along the narrow path he had taken to enter, sheets of white paper surfaced on the trunks of the trees on both sides.

The white paper flipped up from beneath the bark, as if something was pushing the bark open from the inside to reveal a corner. The trunk of every single tree was plastered with white paper, densely packed and layered on top of one another.

The grass beneath his feet was also changing.

The seemingly ordinary blades of grass unfurled, gradually transforming into white paper with visible creases. The flowers did the same.

The branches overhead and the rocks around them were no different.

Everything in the entire valley—the trees, the grass, the rocks, the dirt—every visible surface had white paper emerging from it.

The white paper swayed gently in the breeze, rustling softly as if the entire valley were breathing.

Everything here, as far as the eye could see, was composed of white paper. The mountains and plains were completely covered in paper bombs.

Konan stood at the entrance of the tree hollow. Her expression remained cold, but her eyes were fixed on Taiga. Her hands maintained the hand sign; if she so wished, the countless paper bombs covering the landscape could all detonate in the exact same instant.

If that happened, the resulting commotion would be anything but small.

Taiga glanced at the white paper, then withdrew his gaze.

His expression didn't change at all, as if he were merely looking at some weeds by the roadside. He then stepped forward, walking through the opened trunk door and entering the tree hollow.

At this moment, his demeanor—or rather, his state—was no different from before. With his hands shoved in his pockets, he still wore that same lazy expression.

The paper bombs floating around Konan drifted past him. Some flew right past his ear, some brushed against his shoulder, and some hovered less than an inch from his face, their edges quivering slightly.

But he didn't dodge, nor did he look at them. He just walked straight through.

When he reached Konan, he paused and gave her a glance before shifting his gaze away from her, his eyes landing on Nagato.

Konan still maintained her one-handed sign. Seeing Taiga approach, she took a deep breath to steady her violently racing heart.

It was obvious that she was somewhat nervous.

Meanwhile, Taiga's attention was no longer on Konan, but on the red-haired man sitting in the device. This was the person he was looking for.

Nagato opened his eyes.

Those Rinnegan emitted a faint purple glow in the dim tree hollow, the concentric ripple patterns expanding outward from the pupils. His breathing had yet to steady, his chest still heaving, and a thin layer of sweat coated his forehead.

However, the look in his eyes as he stared at Taiga was very calm.

It was clear that this wasn't a feigned calmness, but rather an unsurprised calmness, as if Taiga's appearance here was something he had anticipated all along.

Taiga stood before Nagato, looking him up and down.

The tree hollow wasn't large. The distance between the two was less than five paces. He could clearly see every wrinkle on Nagato's face, every pore on his skin, and the exact spots where those long black receivers pierced his flesh.

Those black receivers were very long, inserted into Nagato's back like iron nails pinning a person to a chair. The tips were exposed, gleaming coldly in the dim yellow light.

Nagato's body was so emaciated that the outlines of those black receivers could be seen through his skin, looking as if something were slithering inside his body.

He looked to be in immense pain. His breathing was slow, but every breath was labored, his chest having to rise high just to draw in enough air. His hands rested on the armrests of the device, his fingers slender and bony, his nails a pale grayish-white.

Taiga looked at all this, clicking his tongue in wonder.

It wasn't out of mockery, but rather a genuine feeling that for this man to reduce himself to such a state just to achieve his so-called peace was a bit too idealistic.

At this moment, Nagato spoke.

"How did you find this place?"

His voice was very weak, but his tone was steady. There was no fear or anger, only a curious inquiry.

Taiga pointed to his own eyes. Those white eyes looked very unique in the dim yellow light, appearing more beautiful than anyone else's eyes.

"My eyes are a bit special."

Taiga didn't hide anything, stating, "Although they haven't reached the level of a true Tenseigan yet, they still possess a portion of its functions."

He paused, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Besides that, I've also developed some other functions based on the Tenseigan, such as chakra vision."

He pulled a hand out of his pocket and waved it in front of his eyes, as if demonstrating something.

A thread of chakra condensed in the air, then dissipated.

"I can see minute chakra flows. Although it's not perfect yet, it's more than enough for tracking."

Upon hearing this, Nagato let out a soft breath.

It was a heavy breath, like someone finally setting down a heavy burden after carrying it for a long time. His shoulders sank slightly, and his entire posture relaxed somewhat from its previous tense state.

"So that's how it is."

He looked at Taiga, an indescribable emotion swirling within those Rinnegan.

"An existence like yours is truly enviable."

The words were spoken with utmost sincerity; it was evident that Nagato meant them from the bottom of his heart.

He looked at Taiga, then looked down at his own body.

He was confined to that massive device, his back pierced with black receivers, tubes connected to his body, as thin as a skeleton.

His body was deteriorating every single day. In this state, he didn't even know how much longer he could live.

Yet the person standing before him was young, vibrant, healthy, possessed immense power, and held infinite possibilities.

Uchiha Taiga looked to be only in his teens.

Meanwhile, he was already approaching middle age. If one were to judge by his current physical condition, calling him an old man wouldn't be an exaggeration.

At just a teenager, this boy had defeated Uchiha Madara, possessed Wood Style, awakened the Tenseigan, and could match his Deva Path's repulsive force without losing ground.

Nagato couldn't even begin to imagine where this person's future lay.

And what about himself?

His future was simply sitting in this device, waiting to die.

Hearing these words, Taiga said nothing. He looked at Nagato's gaunt face, looking at this man who had once sworn to change the world, now reduced to a living wreck. He felt no sympathy, nor did he offer any mockery.

Everyone chose their own path. The current outcome was simply the result of past decisions; there was nothing more to say on the matter.

Taiga took a few more steps forward, passing Konan and the floating paper bombs, stopping right in front of Nagato.

Konan's fingers twitched, and the paper bombs trembled in response, but they didn't detonate.

She watched Taiga's figure as he walked up to Nagato, leaned in, and scrutinized Nagato's body from top to bottom.

As Taiga inspected him, he clicked his tongue again.

"You really are pitiful."

His tone was casual, devoid of any discernible mockery.

"Chosen by Uchiha Madara, only to end up being manipulated your entire life."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was spoken with absolute clarity.

Konan's expression changed. Her fingers twitched again, causing the paper bombs to rustle loudly in unison.

But Nagato didn't speak. He just sat there, staring at Taiga.

The purple halos of his Rinnegan suddenly contracted at that moment, his pupils focusing like a camera lens.

There was no expression on his face, but the look in his eyes changed.

That calmness had been shattered.

"What do you mean by that?" Nagato asked.

His voice was still just as weak, but beneath that weakness lay something else—something heavy, like a power that had been accumulating for a long time.

Nagato's fingers curled slightly against the armrests.