Naruto: Manipulation-Chapter 85: The Forgotten Masked Man

You guy's unfortunately didn't beat my pokemon fic in powerstones so no 10 Chapters. Though you will get 5 extra Chapters when the powerstone rankings reset at 11. Let's try climbing up the rankings.

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"This... should be our honor."

Nagato shook his head slightly. He didn't think he deserved Shigen's gratitude. In fact, Shigen's attitude toward them deeply affected him.

Silently...

The leadership of the Akatsuki had shifted hands.

Neither Nagato nor Konan realized it, but in their minds, Shigen had naturally become one of them. Since the Akatsuki had always walked the two paths Shigen had laid out, there was no struggle for control. They didn't even notice it being taken from them.

It simply felt...

Like the Akatsuki had always belonged to Shigen.

After all, both iterations of the organization had been built upon his ideals.

Of course...

The truth was, neither Nagato nor Konan had ever fully controlled the Akatsuki. The real power had always rested with the masked man pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

To be honest...

Compared to that high-and-mighty masked man who called himself Uchiha Madara—who constantly issued orders and spoke as if guiding them down some grand path—

The man standing before them, Shigen, was nothing like that.

He was calm, compassionate...

Like something out of the childhood tales they had once believed in—someone who truly cared for the world and its people.

"This is your companion?"

Shigen's gaze landed on the Deva Path, then shifted to Nagato and Konan, who lowered their heads in pain. His voice was casual, yet carried a deep understanding.

"It seems you were very close... Even now, you wish for him to remain by your side."

"...Yes."

Nagato lowered his head instinctively, answering without hesitation.

"But..."

"He must have known you would always remember him."

"I've spent countless days in the rift between life and death, guiding lost souls trapped by their regrets. But I never encountered his spirit."

"That means when he died, he must have believed his death was meaningful. He left this world without regrets and returned peacefully to the Pure Land."

"Yahiko..."

Nagato's eyes welled up with tears.

Even Konan couldn't help but quietly wipe at her damp eyes.

For so long, Nagato had carried the crushing guilt of Yahiko's death. But in this moment, it felt... just a little lighter.

"..."

Konan clenched her fists tightly, a sorrowful expression flickering across her face as she asked:

"Lord Shigen, when someone dies and their soul enters the Pure Land... what is it like?"

"No two souls experience it the same way."

Having once been among the dead himself, Shigen understood the Pure Land better than anyone. His voice carried the weight of one who had truly walked between worlds.

He looked at the Deva Path, his expression filled with quiet compassion, as if he could see the soul that had once inhabited that body.

"If it's him...

He's probably watching over you from there."

Shigen's voice had a way of slipping past defenses, seeping into the heart like a gentle stream.

"There is no time in the Pure Land. No space.

To those who have passed, the ones still living are their only tether to this world."

Perhaps...

His words only made their emotions more intense.

Nagato and Konan couldn't help but picture Yahiko, watching over them from the Pure Land with his usual bright, determined smile...

It was a long time before Konan snapped out of her thoughts.

She gripped the handles of Nagato's wheelchair tightly.

Her gaze fell on the black chakra rods embedded deep into Nagato's back, still stained with blood.

She had come here with another purpose.

But before she could speak, Shigen beat her to it.

"So...

Don't let your friend down."

Shigen reached out and gently grasped Nagato's wrist, his gaze steady as he studied the rods.

"At the very least... you need to live properly. Your body can no longer bear the burden of the Rinnegan."

"This is nothing serious... cough, cough..."

Nagato tried to brush it off, but the moment he spoke, he was wracked by a violent coughing fit.

"Heh... Hehehe..."

Black Zetsu let out a low, eerie laugh, shattering the solemn atmosphere.

"But Lord Shigen won't stand by and watch a patient suffer right in front of him."

"Nagato!"

Konan's worry was evident in her voice.

"Overexerting your life force just to wield the Rinnegan's power?"

Shigen diagnosed Nagato's condition with a single glance.

Green medical chakra flared in his palm as he placed it over Nagato's chest.

"Your chakra reserves are vast, but even that isn't enough to sustain the Rinnegan properly..."

"Lord Shigen... is there a way to help him?"

Konan's hands trembled slightly.

"First, we need to remove the chakra rods embedded in his back."

Shigen pressed two fingers against Nagato's spine. He intended to extract the rods transferring chakra to the Deva Path.

These rods allowed Nagato to constantly supply chakra to the puppet he had created from Yahiko's body, keeping the Deva Path active.

"Lord Shigen!"

Nagato refused.

Clearly...

He was unwilling to sever the connection.

"I must uphold your ideals..."

Nagato clenched his fists, his voice hoarse.

"Yahiko's dream... was always to bring peace to the world."

"If he is truly watching over Konan and me, I want him to continue being a part of this plan."

"...And how does that stop me from treating your body?"

Shigen frowned slightly, as if he didn't understand the issue.

"It... doesn't?"

Nagato hesitated.

"It doesn't," Shigen confirmed, tapping his fingers lightly against Nagato's back.

"I, too, possess the Rinnegan.

I have an understanding of Yin-Yang Release and chakra transmission.

I simply think your current method is harming your body too much."

"Trust Lord Shigen's decision!"

Black Zetsu's voice rang out once more, its eerie grin unwavering.

"You seem to have forgotten another identity of Lord Shigen's—he is the greatest medical ninja the world has ever known."

Though it sounded like flattery...

R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freewebnovёl.ƈom Only.

It was, in fact, the truth.

There was no medical issue in the ninja world that Shigen couldn't solve. Even the overconsumption of chakra from the Rinnegan had a viable solution.

And conveniently...

Shigen already had what he needed to fix it.

Thanks to Orochimaru.

Among the materials the snake had provided was something perfect for the situation—Hashirama's cells.

Even Shigen's cursed seals paled in comparison. His seals could replenish chakra, but Hashirama's cells could regulate and sustain it.

The Rinnegan was a chakra-hungry entity.

Shigen carefully implanted Hashirama's cells into Nagato, balancing the cell's aggressive nature against the Rinnegan's power.

At the same time, he inscribed his own cursed seal onto the Deva Path.

"This is my curse seal," he explained.

"It allows for the absorption of natural energy to replenish chakra."

"In theory, this should be enough to maintain the Deva Path's daily functions.

Only techniques with extreme chakra costs—like Shinra Tensei and Chibaku Tensei—will be restricted."

"...So you're saying..."

Nagato immediately grasped the implications.

Shigen nodded.

"When those techniques are needed, your chakra will still be required."

"I'll also integrate the chakra rods with my seal, embedding them into your body through surgery. That will ensure a steady energy flow to the Deva Path."

"Furthermore..."

"I will teach you a chakra control technique."

"This will help you regulate your chakra, storing excess energy instead of wasting it.

That way, you'll always maintain a stable condition while also preserving chakra for combat when needed."

"Because..."

Shigen's tone remained calm as he worked.

"There will be battles ahead.

There will always be those who oppose this path."

"...I understand."

Nagato nodded firmly.

"As for your legs..."

"They were burned and damaged in an explosion, weren't they?"

Shigen's fingers glowed with chakra as he delicately applied a scalpel-like energy to Nagato's paralyzed limbs.

"Compared to the Rinnegan's burden...

This is actually the easiest problem to fix."

—

Outside the operating room, Konan stood anxiously.

She had been asked to wait outside, but she couldn't help but worry.

"Hehehe..."

White Zetsu chuckled.

"No need to worry, Konan. Lord Shigen is the best healer there is!"

"..."

Konan remained skeptical of Zetsu's reassurances.

Instead, her mind wandered to another concern.

"If Lord Shigen has returned...

Then why hasn't that masked man—who always calls himself Uchiha Madara—come to greet him?"

"..."

Both Black and White Zetsu froze.

They...

Had completely forgotten about him.

With Shigen back, all other pieces had become irrelevant.

That arrogant fool had contributed nothing and could barely follow simple plans.

Had they...

Accidentally abandoned him?

This...

This might be a problem.

If left unchecked, he could become a serious nuisance.

"I'll send a clone to notify him immediately."

White Zetsu decided quickly.

"Hopefully...

He won't oppose Lord Shigen's will."

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