Disclaimer: Same as before, don't own Naruto.
2. Regret
"Do you ever regret this?"
It's late at night, and Konan is lying in Pain's arms. A steady drumbeat of rain pounds on the roof of their tower, and occasional flashes of lightning illuminate the room. There's a contemplative tone in Konan's voice, and he's not sure what she's speaking of. Does she mean his transformation from a human into a god, or his transformation from Nagato into Pain?
In the end, it doesn't really matter, because both questions have the same answer. Beneath the tumult of the rain, Pain's shinobi hearing can pick up the sounds of Amegakure's citizens going about their nightly business. He hears the hurrying footsteps of people eager to get out of the downpour, the laughter of friends walking home in a group, the conversations of shopkeepers closing up for the night, and one man trying to sing the Ame no Kuni National Anthem while utterly plastered.
What he does not hear are explosions, screams, the weeping of the bereaved.
He turns his head to the side, looking directly into Konan's amber eyes. "No," he answers.
