CHAPTER 342: CHAPTER 342: I, THE SAGE OF SIX PATHS—PAY UP!

Yahiko and Konan.

They were Nagato’s eternal weakness. From childhood, they had been together—enduring the most brutal and painful years side by side. As comrades who had suffered and dreamed together, their bond ran deeper than words could ever describe.

And beyond that bond—

Yahiko and Nagato shared the same ideal:

Peace.

Even if true peace could not be achieved, they at least wanted to change Amegakure, to let the people of the Land of Rain live better lives. It might not have been the dream they started with, but at least they were walking the path toward it.

If, at this point, either Yahiko or Konan were to die—and worse, die at Konoha’s hands—Nagato couldn’t imagine what he might do.

"If that’s how we think about it, it all fits rather neatly," Tsunade said, nodding. "When the time comes, if Nagato helps collect the tailed beasts, then once Madara is resurrected, he’ll just take over the organization you built and the beasts you gathered."

Her tone was steady.

For now, if things followed their "original trajectory," that outcome seemed all too likely.

Of course—

Things were no longer normal.

"Then for now, let’s find that control seal and get rid of it," Nagato said firmly.

He didn’t want to be anyone’s puppet—not anymore, not ever again.

And besides—

Looking back, his own life felt almost like a farce.

His eyes, which he once thought were the product of destiny, were actually implanted by someone else. Even his parents’ deaths at the hands of Konoha shinobi—those, too, might have been part of another’s design.

Kyoichi hadn’t told him outright that his parents’ deaths were a conspiracy. He’d simply presented small details, fragments, and hints—forcing Nagato to reason it out himself.

Whether true or not, Kyoichi never said.

But after piecing together everything that had happened, Nagato was now certain—this was all part of Madara’s script.

A life written and directed by someone else.

How ridiculous.

Nagato drew a deep breath, steeling his resolve to open his own chest if necessary.

"No need to rush," Tsunade said calmly. "First, we just confirm whether Madara placed any control seal on you. If he did, then we move to the next step. But before that, the surgery will take time to prepare."

Heart surgery wasn’t a trivial matter.

Even though Tsunade and Kyoichi had practiced on animals earlier that day, animals weren’t humans—the anatomy was far too different. And more than just the two of them would be involved.

They’d need the hospital’s staff, too.

So before the operation, Tsunade planned to meet with the medical team to align on both technical and psychological preparation.

Nagato exhaled slowly, his anxiety easing—though not completely.

---

Later, back in his own quarters, Kyoichi took out the jar containing the sealed Sharingan and pondered how to handle it.

It was only a three-tomoe, but he suspected that Madara’s current eyes might be the same level. Even if Madara’s ocular power was stronger, the most he could likely do was summon Susanoo.

Still—the benefits of possessing such eyes were undeniable.

After much thought, Kyoichi decided to test it.

Just one eye, first. See what kind of strain it caused—and what power it granted.

As a medical expert, replacing eyes was child’s play for him. Even temporarily severing nerve connections was no obstacle.

The only issue was...

Removing his own eye felt rather brutal.

He couldn’t help but admire Madara—being able to just plug and play those things.

After carefully completing the swap, he used medical ninjutsu to preserve and seal his original eye.

The Sharingan worked.

Like others before him, he couldn’t deactivate it—it constantly consumed chakra. Fortunately, his chakra reserves and near-Sage-level body made the drain negligible.

For an ordinary person, though, that steady drain would be crippling—they’d barely get anything done in a day.

Visually, the enhancement was substantial. His perception and genjutsu control improved dramatically, and his resistance to illusionary techniques rose as well. With his already-strong genjutsu foundation, he could now almost counter illusions as effectively as Itachi himself.

He couldn’t complain.

Kyoichi had never planned to acquire a three-tomoe Sharingan, but now that he had one, he certainly wasn’t going to waste it.

After confirming no major side effects, he swapped back his original eye.

He wouldn’t need it yet.

When he eventually found Madara... perhaps he’d give the old ghost a little surprise.

---

Meanwhile, out at sea—

Minato Namikaze and the Fourth Raikage, A, were aboard a ship bound for the Land of Fire.

"I couldn’t say it earlier, but seriously—what’s Konoha up to this time?" A said bluntly. "Madara, tailed beasts... Do you take us for fools?"

A wasn’t one to mince words.

In Kumogakure, he had to maintain the composure of a Kage. But here, speaking privately as a fellow shinobi, he dropped all pretense.

Minato sighed.

"It’s all true. That’s why you agreed to come with me to Konoha, right? To confirm it yourself?"

"Of course I’ll confirm it! Otherwise what’s next—some ’corrupted Sage of Six Paths’ revival where you ask for our funding and troops? What a scam that’d be!"

A crossed his arms, unimpressed.

He was convinced Konoha and Kirigakure were colluding in some elaborate fraud.

Madara alive? Ridiculous.

Not a chance he’d believe that.

"Anyway, let’s hurry up," he said. "Once we reach the Land of Fire, we’ll go straight to Konoha."

"You can get there directly?" A blinked in surprise.

Once they landed, Minato explained—and A finally realized the Flying Thunder God could teleport them across vast distances.

Naturally, faster was better.

Tōdai tried to dissuade him, but A wouldn’t listen—charging forward with his usual fearless attitude.

That was A for you.

Or rather, that was every Raikage—strong, stubborn, unyielding.

The Third had been the same.

Powerful and obstinate.

A double-edged sword, really.

Dodai could only sigh. If this truly was a scam, and something happened to A in Konoha, then Kumogakure would be in serious trouble.

---

A arrived just outside the expanded Konoha village.

The place was huge—far larger than before.

"You guys in Konoha have been getting rich, huh?" he remarked.

"Ahem..." Minato coughed lightly.

Rich? That was one way to put it.

If not for all the "support" Konoha received from the other villages after the wars, they could never have expanded this fast.

Of course, that wasn’t something he could say aloud—not with A’s temper.

"Let’s go," Minato said.

"Yeah..."

A looked toward the towering gates of Konoha, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

He had come to expose a possible fraud—but part of him genuinely wanted to see what Konoha had become.

And sure enough—

it had changed.

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