Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I probably wouldn't be doing this. And if I owned Naruto, the Eight-Tails would be a main character for the rest of the manga. And Orochimaru would stop jobbing to the Uchihas.

AN: Well, here's the sequel/prequel/companion fic to Oath. I'm honestly not sure which of them to call it. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy.

Thoughts

Demon/Inner Conversation

Time Passage

"Nagato…" She had no doubt that it was him, even in spite of the fact that not only had she not seen him in years, but he'd gone through some vast changes. He looked…older. His hair was shorter, more ragged, and almost completely grey, with only a few black strands standing out. His skin was cracked and wrinkling, and his voice was almost unrecognizable. It was almost as if he'd aged decades, rather than the short number of years they'd been apart.

But even with all of that, she knew those eyes. Not just the Rin'negan, but Nagato's eyes. No one else had ever been able to look at her and Yahiko quite like he had. It was beyond friendship, beyond family. He didn't simply look at them as though they were close. It was almost as if when he saw them, he saw extensions of himself. To him, they were him. They were closer to him than any separate person could ever be.

And that was the look she could see in this man's eyes. So she knew it was him, regardless of the changes the years had apparently forced on him. Nagato lifted his hand a few inches from the arm of his throne, turning his hand palm-up, as if beckoning her. Standing, she began to walk forward, but stopped at Yahiko's slightly concerned voice. She hadn't heard Pain, or Yahiko as she supposed she should call him, speak with anything besides calm, controlled confidence in years.

"Nagato!"

At his outburst, Nagato's smile faded, and he turned his hand back over, allowing it to drop to the arm of the throne. Konan turned to Yahiko in confusion, only to be even more surprised at the realization that his eyes no longer held the Rin'negan. Noticing her obvious confusion, he stood and gave Nagato a small bow, before placing his hand on Konan's back, and leading her from the room.

The entrance began to shut behind them, and she turned to her friend, intent on figuring out what was going on. However, before she could ask, Yahiko spoke, already appearing to know her question.

"It's the Rin'negan." At her continued silence, he elaborated.

"You know, as I do, that the Rin'negan is said to be the ultimate power. And that comes with a price. It's too much power for any individual to handle for long. Even the Sage of Six Paths, the original creator of the shinobi world, eventually fell victim to its power. Even the slighest activity weakens him even more."

Konan took a moment to think the situation over, before filling in the blanks. "That's why he looks the way he does." She couldn't help but remember how old he'd looked, at least compared to how old he was supposed to be. "And it's why uses you and the others. Because he doesn't have to take the entire burden himself."

Yahiko nodded an affirmative. "At first, it was just me. But that wasn't enough. It was subtle, but surely you noticed that I was looking a little older."

"I thought you'd just hit a growth spurt." He nodded again, expecting her to say something of the sort. They'd still been relatively young when he'd started to take part of the Rin'negan's power. It was only logical to assume that, as a young teenage boy, the small changes were simply normal. Continuing his explanation, Yahiko felt the Rin'negan take shape again, and felt its power flow back through him, as Nagato reconnected with his mind.

"We needed more vessels like myself. But there were few we trusted to accept the power willingly, and still remain loyal to our cause." His expression turned serious, a frown coming across his face. "So we took them by force. Shinobi from different clans across the world, beasts that we could summon and control…Defeated enemies, who were incapable of resisting or rebelling." Pain gave her a pointed look, and she remembered seeing someone all too familiar in one of the tubes that had been in the room with Nagato.

"You used Hanzo too, didn't you?" It was barely a question. She just needed confirmation.

"Yes. We used Hanzo. We didn't just need vessels. We needed strong vessels. Worthy vessels. And Hanzo was able to defeat the Sannin on his own. He seemed…perfect. The others were excellent for what we needed, as all of them were respected among their peers, but Hanzo was simply on another level. Every vessel we added slowed Nagato's aging more and more."

"So earlier, you said that others would join you. Was Hanzo not enough?"

"Unfortunately. Even with one of the most powerful shinobi we know of at our disposal, he continues to age, continues to weaken. But it's been slowed enough to buy us time. The Kages are only the beginning. We need the strongest shinobi of each village, of each nation, even. We're not certain how many we'll need, but there are a number of powerful shinobi in this world. There should be enough to spread the Rin'negan's power properly before it's too late." Pain looked over at Konan, not sure as to why she was so silent when he was certain she would have more questions.

"Is something wrong, Konan?"

"…Why didn't you tell me? Did you think I wasn't trustworthy? Or just not worthy? You should have known I'd agree to help you without a second thought."

So that's the problem. "We do trust you. And you're certainly worthy. More than anyone. But we also needed someone who could maintain contact with the outside world without raising suspicion."

He stopped walking. "And I think these eyes would have drawn attention."

"I see."

"Konan." He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly. "Rest assured, in due time, you will be able to join us as well. And so will Master Jiraiya. Then we'll truly be together once more, as a family."

He placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head so she was looking at him.

"I promise. The promise of a lifetime."

AN: So, what did you think? Love to hear what you have to say, and I hope y'all enjoy this as much as you're enjoying Oath…If you're enjoying Oath, of course.