"Who are you?"

Pain's voice was low and majestic, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth, imbued with an unquestionable power. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, his nails digging so deeply into his palms that they drew blood, but he felt no pain, only a surging wave of shock and alertness.

Just moments before, Pain, relying on the all-pervasive perception of his Rinnegan, had sensed a strange, powerful aura breach the defenses of the Hidden Rain Village. A primal instinct drove him to drop everything and rush to the source. But when he actually faced the intruder, he was not prepared for what he saw: a young boy with the same Rinnegan as himself. And though the boy was young, Pain felt an immense pressure radiating from him.

Without a moment's hesitation, Pain gave a silent order, and five figures appeared noiselessly around the boy, completing an inescapable encirclement in an instant. They were the other five Paths of Pain. The oppressive quiet of the Hidden Rain Village was shattered by this sudden, tense standoff. The only sound was the faint rumble of distant thunder, a sound that echoed the surging storm in Pain's own heart.

The Sage of Six Paths stood there, unfazed by the sudden encirclement. His eyes were firm and bright, his Rinnegan looking even more mysterious under the curtain of rain.

"Do not worry, child," Naruto's mouth moved, but the voice that came out was ancient and steady. "I am not your enemy."

Pain was taken aback by the strange dissonance.

The Sage of Six Paths noticed this and smiled faintly. "I am the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki. This body is just that of a poor child I have possessed."

What?! The Sage of Six Paths?!

Tendo Pain's pupils shrank, his mind reeling with shock. He instantly realized that the young man before him was the most difficult enemy he had ever faced. But still, a sliver of doubt remained. "The Sage of Six Paths is a legend," he said, his voice laced with disbelief. "What proof do you have?" He desperately hoped this was all a lie, a trick. Otherwise...

The Sage simply smiled. The next moment, his eyes focused, and Nagato, the true puppeteer behind the scenes, was pulled into an illusion space without any resistance. After what felt like an eternity, he was released.

The Sage looked at Pain with a knowing smile. "Do you believe me now, Nagato?"

Hearing his true name, Nagato's eyes narrowed, his mind filled with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. After a long moment, he controlled Pain to nod. "I believe you."

Ordinarily, his Rinnegan made him immune to all illusions. But just now, the Sage had trapped him effortlessly, and he had been completely powerless to escape. That experience, combined with the fact that this being possessed the Rinnegan and the power to defeat him in an instant, convinced him. There was no need for someone so powerful to lie.

But this realization also caused Nagato's heart to sink. The appearance of the Sage of Six Paths was something he had never anticipated. How could he possibly deal with such a legendary being? The very Rinnegan he relied on was, according to legend, the Sage's own eyes. What could he possibly use to fight him?

After a moment of silence, Pain spoke. "Sage of Six Paths... what do you want here?" Facing this legendary being, Nagato saw no hope of victory. He could only pray that the Sage's purpose did not involve the Akatsuki.

Hearing this, the Sage of Six Paths smiled gently. "Do not worry, child. I have no ill will towards you. I have come because a great change has occurred in the Ninja World. A man named Uchiha Kagami has appeared, and he will drag the entire world into a never-ending war."

As he spoke of Kagami, a hint of cold, murderous intent flashed in his ancient eyes. "I want to help you. We will gather our strength and destroy him."

Kagami's appearance was an uncontrollable variable, a threat to his carefully laid plans to control the ninja world. He would not allow it. Kagami had to die.

Uchiha Kagami... The name reminded Nagato of what the man claiming to be "Madara" had told him. He never imagined that this Kagami's existence would be so significant as to draw out the legendary Sage of Six Paths himself. Dragging the entire world into an endless war... The purpose of the Akatsuki was to bring about peace through pain. He despised anyone who would start a war.

But knowing that the Sage was not targeting them, Nagato felt a wave of relief. At the same time, he was confused. "Sage of Six Paths," he asked, "can't you just kill Uchiha Kagami yourself?"

The Sage smiled, his expression kind and fatherly. "I am already a dead man. I should not interfere in the affairs of the mortal world. It is only because I do not wish to see the future of the ninja world filled with war that I have come to you in this child's body. But I am still, in essence, a dead man. I cannot attack Uchiha Kagami directly. I can only deal with him through you."

He would never tell Nagato the truth: that his true body was in a critical period of transformation and he was temporarily unable to act. The consciousness possessing Naruto was only a fragment, its power limited, not enough to deal with Kagami alone. But Kagami's power was terrifying, and his growth was impossibly fast. He had to use Naruto's body, to gather allies, to kill Kagami before he grew any stronger. Otherwise, even when his true body awakened, he might not be able to defeat him. As for what he said about Kagami dragging the world into war... that was true. Just not this world.

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