Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 403 Konoha Crisis 12

Pain's face remained perpetually cold and indifferent, as if nothing in the world could stir his emotions. Facing Naruto's furious gaze, he seemed completely unconcerned, not even bothering to lift an eyelid. He simply raised a hand slowly and calmly said to Naruto, "Universal Pull!"

The sudden gravitational pull caught Naruto off guard; he had no time to react. A powerful force bound him tightly and pulled him rapidly toward Pain. In the blink of an eye, Naruto was already in front of Pain.

A cold glint flashed in Pain's eyes as his hand gripped Naruto's neck like an iron clamp. Without hesitation, he used all his strength to slam Naruto violently into the ground. A deafening crash echoed as the ground shattered, dust billowing and debris flying everywhere.

Naruto was stunned by the sudden, heavy blow, and his body went into a brief state of disorientation. He tried to struggle, but found that his body was out of control and he was powerless to resist.

However, Pain didn't stop. He quickly grabbed Naruto's hands and pulled hard. With his strength, Naruto was flipped over, face down on the ground. At the same time, Pain slammed Naruto's hands into the ground, his black rod aiming directly at Naruto's pinned hands before stabbing down. The black rod pierced Naruto's palms, pinning his hands firmly to the ground. The sudden, excruciating pain caused Naruto to scream, but he was powerless to resist.

The mysterious black rod slowly sank into Naruto's body, and a special and powerful chakra began to flow within him. This chakra carried a strange power, seemingly able to penetrate everything and directly affect the deepest cells and soul of Naruto's body.

As the chakra flowed in, Naruto felt his entire body being suppressed by an invisible force, as if a pair of huge, ripple-like eyes were looking down at him from the sky, completely enveloping him with cold and merciless gaze. He couldn't move his body, and even breathing became difficult.

Worse still, this chakra severely interfered with Naruto's own chakra. His previously smooth chakra flow suddenly became chaotic, swirling wildly like disturbed lake water. This caused him to completely lose control of his chakra, making it impossible for him to freely manipulate it to unleash ninjutsu or defend himself as he usually did.

Faced with this predicament, Naruto felt a surge of despair. He struggled desperately, but his body remained immobile. He tried to gather chakra, but each attempt ended in failure. He realized that if he couldn't escape this state soon, he would face an unprecedented crisis.

Pain leaned slightly closer to Naruto and said calmly, "Now you'll behave yourself, Kurama!"

On the battlefield, a gentle breeze brought a sense of tranquility. However, this tranquility was merely a facade; in reality, the air was thick with the aura of death and destruction. The battlefield was a scene of utter devastation, littered with wreckage and blood, as if a fierce battle had just taken place.

The remaining five members of the Six Paths of Pain lay silently on the ground, their bodies scattered everywhere, lifeless. The once powerful and mysterious Six Paths of Pain had now lost five of their members.

On the other side, Fukasaku's body lay motionless in a pool of blood. His massive frame, once so strong and powerful, now appeared incredibly fragile. His eyes were closed, devoid of their former brilliance. Fukasaku, one of Konoha's most important fighting forces, sacrificed his life to support Naruto Uzumaki in battle. His sacrifice evoked endless sorrow and regret.

At this moment, Naruto Uzumaki was powerless to fight back, his body pinned firmly to the ground. He struggled to raise his head, his gaze falling on the unyielding Pain before him, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"Who exactly are you?" Naruto's voice trembled slightly. "Why are you doing this?" He couldn't understand the mysterious person's motives. If it was just to capture him, why go to such lengths, destroying the entire Hidden Leaf Village and harming so many innocent villagers and Hidden Leaf ninja?

Naruto was filled with anger and confusion. He couldn't understand why this person would launch such a cruel attack on Konoha. His eyes were firm and unwavering, as if trying to see through Pain's expression to his true intentions. However, he was powerless to do anything about it and could only lie on the ground, watching the carnage around him.

Faced with Naruto's question, Pain looked at him and calmly said, "You ask me why? Things always happen suddenly, and the reasons are only realized later. Hmm, in this situation, alright, let's talk about it briefly!"

Pain stretched his body, gathered his thoughts, and leaned down in front of Naruto Uzumaki again, saying, "'Why did you do this!' That's what you asked me, right? Even if I told you the reason, it wouldn't change anything. But what's wrong with telling you again? My goal is to fulfill the legacy that Jiraiya-sensei couldn't complete. I already said it, didn't I? It's to bring about peace and fulfill the mission of justice!"

When Naruto heard Pain mention peace again, his attitude changed, and he replied, "Peace, justice? Don't be ridiculous! You bastard who turned my master, my teacher, my comrades, and my village into this mess, don't spout such nonsense." As he spoke, his tone and expression became extremely angry, unable to suppress the rage within him.

Pain stood up, looked at Naruto Uzumaki, and asked in a calm tone, "Then what is your purpose?"

Upon hearing this question, Naruto's expression turned furious, and he shouted without hesitation, "Defeat you and restore peace to this ninja world!"

After hearing Naruto's answer, Pain looked up at the sky. His tone remained calm as he spoke indifferently, "I see. That's truly remarkable, that's justice! However, you Konoha ninjas who turned my family, my comrades, and my village into something like this village are absolutely not allowed to talk about peace and justice!"

Upon hearing Pain's words, Naruto trembled violently and looked up at Pain again. His voice was filled with confusion and bewilderment as he asked, "What's going on?" His anger and hatred had lessened considerably, and he stared at the figure before him with great uncertainty.

Seeing the dramatic change in Naruto's expression, Pain didn't hide anything and began to explain: "The Land of Fire and Konoha Village have become too powerful. In order to protect national interests, it is necessary to engage in war between major powers to obtain benefits for our country. Otherwise, the people of the country and the village will starve."

However, it is small countries and villages like ours that become the battlefields for these great powers. Every time war breaks out, our nation is ravaged and trampled upon. After numerous wars, the great powers achieve peace, but countless sufferings are left for us small nations. Your goal and mine are the same: to achieve the peace that Jiraiya-sensei spoke of. You and I are no different; we both act for our own sense of justice. The justice I do for Konoha is no different from the justice you want to do for me. The pain of losing someone precious is the same for everyone; you and I are kindred spirits who understand this pain. You fight for your justice, and I fight for mine; we are both ordinary people who raise the banner of justice and embark on the path of revenge. However, if revenge is called justice, this justice will breed even greater hatred, triggering a chain reaction of resentment. Now, living in this environment, understanding the past and foreseeing the future, we realize this is history. From this, we can only understand that humans are creatures that can never truly understand each other. The world of ninjas is ruled by hatred.

Pain's tone softened, and he spoke to Naruto in a questioning tone: "If it were you, how would you face this hatred in order to create peace? Let me hear your answer!"

Naruto Uzumaki, who had been filled with rage at Pain, suddenly changed his expression, becoming confused and at a loss. He had never imagined things would turn out this way, and he didn't know how to face the enemy who had destroyed Konoha and killed his master, teacher, and comrades.

Naruto Uzumaki recalled the dream his master, Jiraiya, had told him during their training. At the time, he hadn't fully grasped Jiraiya's words. Jiraiya had said that he knew the ninja world was filled with hatred, and while he wanted to resolve that hatred, he didn't know how. He simply firmly believed that one day, an era of true mutual understanding would arrive. Jiraiya had entrusted this answer to him, and Naruto had vowed to find it.

But faced with Pain's question, Naruto Uzumaki didn't know how to explain or how to begin. He could only lower his proud head and say in a low voice, "I don't know about this."

Faced with Naruto's answer, Pain turned to look at the sky, not immediately continuing his explanation. He had assumed that as Jiraiya's disciple, Naruto would possess similar understanding and insights, perhaps offering new perspectives on his plans. Unfortunately, Naruto disappointed him; Naruto had not inherited Jiraiya's will at all.