During his conversation with Nagato, Kaito casually revealed the true identity of the masked man and laid out the entire Eye of the Moon plan—collecting the Tailed Beasts and using the Samsara Eye to cast the Infinite Moon Read upon the moon.

He even exposed Uchiha Madara's role as the mastermind behind everything and the identity of Otsutsuki Kaguya, who had become the embodiment of Madara's will.

After hearing this, Nagato was left questioning his life. He admitted that he could be naive at times, but he wasn't stupid—he immediately realized that the power he had been so proud of was nothing more than someone else's scheme.

He stood frozen in place, lost in thought, reflecting on everything from Yahiko's death to how he had been manipulated by Obito…

Meanwhile, Hikari, who had been listening nearby, was also questioning her own understanding of things.

Her gaze flickered between the two of them before she cautiously raised her hand, timidly breaking the heavy silence.

"Um…"

"I have a question."

Both of them turned their heads toward Hikari in unison. Kaito was slightly surprised by her interruption, while Nagato's eyes held curiosity—though mostly confusion.

"You mentioned those Tailed Beasts…"

"Are they really that strong?"

Truthfully, this question had been weighing on her for a while, but she had never found the right moment to ask.

The Tailed Beasts had existed even in her era, though the concept of Jinchuriki hadn't yet been established. Those beasts occasionally appeared on the battlefield, and as the strongest warrior of the Uchiha clan at the time, she had naturally encountered them.

But…

Could those Tailed Beasts really kill people?

Hikari had her doubts.

In fact, she wondered if the Tailed Beasts Kaito was talking about were different from what she understood.

"?"

Nagato was stunned by her words and immediately whipped his head toward Kaito, as if searching for some kind of answer on his face.

Even though he had become the second Foundation Establishment powerhouse in the Shinobi World, dealing with the Tailed Beasts was still an immense challenge for him—especially when all nine were gathered. He had no confidence in facing them at all.

The Tailed Beasts that Uchiha Hikari was talking about…

Were they the same as what they understood?

Kaito opened his mouth but hesitated. A sudden memory flashed through his mind—the First Hokage's confusion over why Minato had been killed by the Nine-Tails. He wanted to say something, but considering Hikari's era and her terrifying combat prowess…

Well, her perspective wasn't exactly wrong.

As the two of them stood dumbfounded, Hikari muttered again, "And that Infinite Moon Read thing…"

"Isn't it pretty simple? That Uchiha Obito guy…"

"Why did they make it so complicated?"

Kaito: "…"

Nagato: "…"

Hikari wasn't boasting at all. To her, casting the Infinite Moon Read was as easy as marking everyone in the Shinobi World with the Eight Thousand Spears Mark—after that, she could simply cast a world-wide Tsukuyomi.

Why did it have to be as convoluted as Kaito described, with all that nonsense about nine Tailed Beasts, the God Tree, and the Samsara Eye?

At this moment, neither of them could find the words to express their disbelief. Even Nagato's simmering anger over being manipulated was momentarily derailed.

He suddenly felt that this woman was even more pretentious than he was. Still, he made a mental note of Hikari's words—they might come in handy someday.

As for Kaito…

Despite knowing full well just how powerful Hikari was, even he couldn't help but think she was flexing.Hikari noticed the two remaining silent, and the atmosphere in the room began to grow awkward again. Eventually, she pursed her lips and waved her arms slightly, signaling,

"You two carry on..."

Though she had no idea what these two patients were thinking, she could tell Kaito and Nagato had no intention of engaging with her.

So she simply retreated to a corner, picked up a book at random, and sprawled on the sofa to read...

A long while later.

Nagato finally regained his earlier composure. Pointing at his Samsara Eye, he asked in a low voice,

"So..."

"These eyes belong to Uchiha Madara, don't they?"

As he spoke, his fingers suddenly tightened, clawing toward his own eyes. Fortunately, Kaito reacted swiftly, gripping Nagato's hand tightly to stop him from gouging them out.

"Are you insane!?"

Kaito had expected Nagato to react strongly, but he never imagined the man would be so prideful—learning that his eyes were a gift from Uchiha Madara and immediately choosing to tear them out without hesitation.

Unable to gouge his eyes, Nagato struggled fiercely. When he realized he couldn't break free, he spoke with grave seriousness,

"A god does not need charity from others!"

Yes.

In his view, the power he had once prided himself on was nothing but Madara's pity.

Had he learned this truth before mastering Sage Arts, he would have silently endured the humiliation and accepted the power of these eyes to fulfill his ideals.

But now...

Even without these eyes, he could still achieve his goals!

And so, Kaito held Nagato's hands firmly as the two stood locked in a standoff, like bulls in a fight. Meanwhile, Uchiha Hikari, lounging on the sofa, seemed accustomed to the antics of these two erratic individuals. She merely raised an eyebrow, casually pulled out earplugs from her pocket, put them in, and then rolled over.

"Wait—"

"Nagato, calm down first! What you've learned is just the cultivation method..."

"Without Sage Arts... you can't fully wield that immense power!"

"Listen to me! Just keep using the eyes for now!!"

Kaito hurriedly tried to persuade him. Sure, he could stop Nagato now, but he couldn't watch over him every second. The moment he stepped away, this guy would probably try to gouge his eyes out again.

Nagato's brow furrowed, his expression darkening slightly. But after three seconds, he looked at Kaito with confusion.

"So the method is just Chakra?"

He had heard and understood Kaito's words.

The water-attribute cultivation technique he had practiced before must be similar to Chakra, while Sage Arts corresponded to Ninjutsu. Without Sage Arts as an offensive means, the cultivation method could only enhance lifespan, physical strength, and the like—

But it couldn't unleash his full potential.

"Yeah... you could think of it that way..."

Nagato nodded, recalling the bits of cultivation knowledge Kaito had explained to him earlier. His tense expression gradually relaxed.

"Fine."

"Then I'll just refine these eyes into my own."

"Huh?" Kaito was stunned, completely unprepared for Nagato's sudden change in attitude. He had expected Nagato to say something like "I'll borrow them for now."

Who would've thought he'd jump straight to refining Madara's eyes...

Before, from the perspective of the Shinobi World, Nagato had indeed believed Uchiha Madara was merely bestowing power upon him out of pity. But from the lens of cultivation...

Heavenly treasures belong to the virtuous.The Samsara Eye is said to be nothing more than a magical artifact. If someone else's artifact is refined, doesn't it just become your own?

Nagato, feeling the abundant Spiritual Energy within his body, swept his Divine Sense over the Spirit Tree in Amegakure. As if struck by a thought, he adopted a serious expression and slowly spoke to Kaito.

"I have an idea..."

"Amegakure's current system no longer suits us."

"How about founding a Sect?"

Hikari: ?

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