Uchiha Raizen walked back into the room.
anwhile, Nagato looked at the scroll Raizen had tossed to him with a face full of doubt. He opened the scroll and released the seal.
Poof! Poof!
Two dull thuds echoed as two corpses appeared before Nagato.
As his gaze fell upon the two bodies, Nagato's entire fra shook violently, his eyes filling with pure disbelief. He stared at the corpses as if he had seen a ghost, a flicker of genuine terror flashing in his violet eyes. "Uchiha Raizen... you... how!?"
One Day Later
On the roof of Nagato's stronghold in the Hidden Rain.
Nagato gazed calmly at Konan and said, "You should leave, Konan."
"Nagato, you—" Konan looked at him, unable to believe her ears.
Nagato offered a small, weary smile. "Don't worry about my body. You've found your happiness, Konan. You shouldn't stay by my side any longer; staying here will only hold you back."
"But..." Konan started, her voice trailing off as she bit her lip.
"Uchiha Raizen can protect you," Nagato interrupted. "Leaving you in his hands... I can finally be at peace."
"The child... he should have the love of both a father and a mother. We cannot let him walk the sa dark path of loneliness and helplessness we endured as children. For the sake of the child's future, you must leave with Raizen."
Konan's heart was heavy with worry for his health. "Nagato, co with us! Here, we can never establish the peace we dread of! Why don't we try going to Konoha together!?"
Nagato shook his head with a faint smile. "Konan, if I fail here in the Land of Rain, you can continue to pursue our dream in the Leaf. We can try different paths and see who succeeds in the end—or at least, who cos closest."
"Nagato, I don't want to leave." As his lifelong companion, she couldn't bear to leave his broken body behind.
"You must go," Nagato said, his expression becoming resolute.
Ever since he had seen the two corpses Raizen presented to him, Nagato had made up his mind. He could not let Konan stay in the Land of Rain any longer. He could die, but Konan had to be saved.
"Nagato, what happened to you today?" Konan asked, her confusion growing. "Why are you suddenly demanding I leave? Did Raizen-kun say sothing to you?"
She couldn't understand. Before the birth, Nagato was fine; he had even said he wanted to be the child's teacher once he was born. Now that the baby was here, he was chasing her away?
"I told you," Nagato said firmly. "A child cannot grow up without a father's love. I don't want to see your child suffer that void."
"It would have been one thing if Raizen didn't know, but now that he does, he shouldn't be separated from his son. Let the boy have a happy, peaceful childhood. Don't let him beco the next 'us'."
"Konoha is a Great Village. The Land of Fire is powerful, and other nations wouldn't dare provoke it lightly. Life there will be infinitely more stable for the child than here in the Rain. For the child's happiness... go to Konoha, Konan!!!"
Without giving her another chance to argue, Nagato turned his wheelchair and rolled away.
Watching his retreating back, Konan's eyes welled with tears.
Raizen appeared behind her, holding the baby. He gently wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Let's go, Konan. Nagato possesses the Rinnegan. Even if his legs are paralyzed, there are very few in the shinobi world who can truly threaten him. You don't need to worry about his safety."
"It's not his strength I'm worried about," Konan whispered. "It's his body."
She knew that every ti he used the Six Paths of Pain or summoned the Gedo Statue, it caused imnse damage to his physical form. With countless chakra rods piercing his back, his life force was being drained every second. If not for his Uzumaki lineage, he would have been a husk long ago.
Raizen placed the baby into Konan's arms. "Don't worry. Nagato's constitution is different from normal people. He won't go down that easily."
As he spoke, Raizen embraced Konan from behind.
"We're leaving."
With a simple thought, Raizen activated the Flying Thunder God. He didn't even need to weave hand signs.
(Note: When he brought Tsunade and Shizune back earlier, he had claid he needed to weave signs—but that was purely so he could enjoy the feeling of being pressed against Tsunade's 'Great' chest for a few extra seconds.)
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