Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom - ep. 101
"Vi et Animo"
[Ultima Ratio: Conclusion]

I take a minute to replenish my senjutsu chakra, then move on through the village.

The devastation is apparent.

"So this is what the Sage's power looks like in real life. They spoke about him creating the Moon itself...it doesn't sound so impossible now, if a mere imposter could do this."

Everything is torn up and damaged thanks to that technique, called Chibaku Tensei. A miniature planetary body that threatened to pull the entire village up from its roots. A mark of desperation if there ever was one. But I also can't imagine that it was easy to create. I would hope not, otherwise I might need to be on my best behaviour when it comes to this Nagato fellow. Erika is still at the far edge of the village, waiting to see what happens next. There are people moving around in the background, shocked and injured. Acceptable sacrifices for one man's delusion.

I can't let this go on.

"And now you show yourself again. For what purpose..."

Someone is approaching, though not from above like I expected. Pain's Tower is a few blocks ahead, and Konan walks towards me on the ruined road. At a glance, she looks as collected as ever. On a closer look, she's not doing very well. Worry has taken over every part of her. She must know that this is the end. For now, she walks the earth as one of the mortals so beneath her would do.

"The die has been cast, woman of parchment. I'm sure you understand that better than anyone, save your companion in the lodgings above," I say to her. She stops a fair distance away, and I follow suit. "What do you mean to accomplish by confronting me here? I have routed the invincible Pain, just as he routed Hanzo of the Salamander, terror of the shinobi and samurai both."

"..."

"You have no place between the true servants of the divine. Be on your way, Konan."

"None of it has come to an end yet," she says. "I stand as one of the pillars...on this bridge to peace. I will not abandon my precious friend to the ruthless jaws of a serpent. The world's fate...will not be left in your hands. I will not allow it."

In this stillness, and with this strength...I can notice a great deal of things. Things that even the Sharingan would pass over with its insight. Konan's lack of chakra for having done so little earlier is obvious.

The fact that the earth beneath my feet isn't real, not so much.

"It is faint, but there. Your expression."

I tilt my head while looking at her.

"And I must apologize to someone of your stature, but the hour was late, and I did not realize the full scope of your ability. As a result, I was only able to prepare this much for you."

Konan raises her hands. The earth, the ruins of buildings, even the few corpses that I could see. All of them transform into sheets of paper. No...more specific and dangerous than that.

These are almost all explosive tags.

They swirl around us, a whirling dome of impending death and destruction. Konan walks forward, and the paper dome starts to shrink. Every tag is primed and there is no space left to run through. No wonder she was lacking energy. She prepared this while I was recovering and on my way here. Knowing that I would come to the tower.

"You would make yourself a sacrifice?" I ask her.

"Anything for him. He is all that I have left...this dream is all that I have left. And I will not let you take it away from us. Yahiko...he fought, and sacrificed, and died for this one chance. You may have surpassed Pain, but I am the messenger of God. I will not allow a demon such as you to spread your darkness over the land. Not when we are so close."

She stops in front of me.

"If this is what it takes, then...we will die here, together. What is your choice, woman of scarlet?"

She really is serious. Truly a shame.

"The god you claim to serve is nothing but a man. And you are no heavenly messenger. Just a servant, reaching past her station."

"Then I have my answer. These five hundred million exploding tags were prepared in short order...but be assured. No expense was spared when it came to you. Thirty seconds of continuous explosions, something that not even you can escape. It is the end, for both of us."

Konan raises one hand to the sky. The stony facade finally softens, enough for a faint smile and slowly falling tears.

"You were brave, Lilith Kobayashi. For that, you will be remembered...as will I."

No. I don't think it's my time quite yet.

The swirling wall of tags has closed in on us, and are moments away from detonation. In that case, I need to move. Time for something creative.

"Full Boost, activate!"

Have to pull this off as quickly as possible. The world is slowing down, just enough for me to make it. Next...

"Sage Art: Rasengan!"

The sphere of chakra whirls to life immediately in my right hand.

"Sage Art Water Release: True Tearing Torrent!"

The violent spiral of water forms in my left hand.

"Gattai! Sage Art: Typhoon Water Vortex!"

"Submit, and accept your fate!" Konan screams. "Final Art! Messenger of God!"

I slam the two techniques together just as the explosions start to go off. Every bit of energy is poured into maintaining the barrier that forms, made of a heavy, solidified mist. The blasts rip past my ears and send vibrations through my body, shrugged off just enough by the whirling barrier. And the worst is kept out safely, as long as I can hold this jutsu together. I don't know where Konan is right now, and I can't care. She said thirty seconds, but it feels like forever.

"..."

Finally, I feel everything outside come to a stop. I end my jutsu and let out a breath, able to relax. Maintaining that technique took a fair bit of energy. Even with this transformation, the shaking and pressure was terribly violent. The steam is clearing away, but the smoke is taking longer.

I can't sense Konan anywhere. Looking upward, I can see bits of burned paper falling slowly. One lone and intact sheet is floating off on the wind, to parts unknown.

"You loved those two enough to do this. If I couldn't respect that much, I would have no value as a person. I will remember your courage, Konan. I pray that you find peace in the next world."

I wait a bit for my energy to recharge, then walk through the thinning smoke.

Pain's Tower is a lonely place.

The black, spiral staircase has been diligently cleaned and maintained, but does not see regular use. It goes all the way to the top floor, with connections to every other floor as one rises. Nobody is coming after me, from above or from below. So I walk. The light comes through many small windows, providing a faint illumination. It makes for a special sort of atmosphere...fitting for what has been called a sacred place so often.

Finally, I reach the top floor. It's a short distance down the hall towards a large set of wooden double doors. The chakra being emitted by this Nagato character is very strong. It's large, dwarfing many shinobi in their prime. Even after all of that fighting earlier. Knowing that I'm here...I expected a different sort of feeling from him, but it's not the case. Maybe he's waiting to talk. That would be something nice, wouldn't it? After all of this...

I pull open the doors and walk into the room. Almost cozy. A minimalist design, dark and flat colours all around. Couches and chairs scattered about. Two working desks, a small kitchen area to one side with steam rising from a teapot. There's a large opening at the other end of the room that leads directly outside. It must be where Pain and Konan perched from time to time, looking over their village.

"An interesting thing, that you decided to take the stairs ahead of other options. A sense of drama, even now...I suppose you don't take yourself too seriously, then."

And from the shadows, the man of the hour approaches. A machine with six legs whirs and clicks while moving him to the middle of the room. Behind his back is a horizontal metal plate, with six chains linked to it that go towards the bindings around his arms. I can't see any part of his lower body, wrapped in metal and strong cloth. The rest of him...he's the closest I've seen to a living dead man. He's just about skeletal. Pale skin, no fat or muscle to be seen. Arms that are like twigs, the contours of his rib cage visible to all, and cheeks so sunken they might as well be inverted. The space around his eyes makes it seem like he's never slept a day in his life. And yet...his hair is a bright red, as if standing to mark the absurdity of his appearance. The current precision of my sensing allows me to pick out familiar things. Blood that is connected to Karin and Naruto. It explains a lot about his fortitude.

The Rinnegan glow boldly in their sockets, as if everything around them is right and normal.

Most striking to me are the numerous black rods extending from his back, with the largest one pointing straight upwards. I can see that they're made of the same material as the other rods I encountered before. It must be how he was transmitting chakra to the other Pain bodies. This man really is an invalid...it makes the Rinnegan look even more impressive for allowing him to carry on as he did for all these decades. These truly are the eyes of the Sage, aren't they.

"There would be nothing left of me if I misused such gravitas for every situation," I reply to him. I walk until we're a good distance from each other. "Removing stress and building suspense for us. It seemed a reasonable move, don't you think?"

"I suppose so, Scarlet Viper."

"I did not wish harm upon your beloved, but...things are as things are, you must realize."

"My beloved, then...so you realized how much she meant to me. I implored her not to go, after our realization that you had discovered this location of ours. But as you must have seen for yourself, this was a stubborn and passionate woman, in so many aspects. She was my guiding light. Without her...I don't know what I would do, truly. Even through my sadness, I understand what had to be done. We are shinobi, in the end."

"I see."

"Is this the moment where you crow of your triumph, and mock me for my ineptitude, Lilith Kobayashi? To say that you have surpassed God, and can now declare yourself the ruler of all existence?"

"You didn't hear what I said earlier, or the time before that, clearly. I am feeling benevolent enough to explain myself to you a third time." I flip my hair backwards. "I came to show you the hand of the Supreme God, and did so with authority. I have been given power in heaven and on the earth, but I do not declare myself more than the blessed daughter of heaven. There will come a day where I will take the flow of the cosmos in hand, but it is not today."

"Humility...another interesting thing to hear, especially from you. Maybe that man knew less than he said he did."

"The man who calls himself Madara Uchiha."

"You know. But it makes sense that you would. Then...if not to lord your hard earned victory over me, why stand here? You have no fear or worry of this Rinnegan, it seems."

"I came here to understand the man who called himself Pain, and showed a great many faces to the world in order to accomplish his goals. You are Nagato, and ultimately just a man. Is that not what you believe?"

He chuckles weakly. "And here I thought I had the ultimate eye of insight. But what I can see now..."

"..."

"I thought that I would be more upset. More...adamant about the state of the world never changing."

"Because of the many wars that consumed this continent," I say. "And the callousness that has come with the treatment of places like this. It came up again, in the recent Five Kage Summit. The same one that resolved to choke the life out of your organization, but not much else. No commitments to peace, antagonism and disagreement in too many cases..."

"And what do you see as the solution, Lilith? How would you solve this problem, if you think that my plan was so utterly wrong that you had to crush it?"

"I believe in much of what your master does. A world of peace for everyone, if we only keep moving forward. The spirit of hard work, courage, and camaraderie. But I don't believe in his way to get there. Peace through understanding? Hope? Useless things in the end, especially on their own."

"And so, your solution is to rule above all."

"Yes. The unrivalled daughter of heaven, who will sit in the sky's empty throne. I will become general, mother, and teacher. I will bring the five disparate powers into one unified empire. I will make chakra more than a tool or weapon, I will make it a part of humanity and the gift from heaven that it was meant to be. I will be the bridge between heaven and earth. I do not embrace blind, sleepless hope. Nor do I embrace devastating pain. I reject the paths that you children of men have set for yourself, and reach further into the great beyond for a better world, and most importantly, a better future. I am everything that every shinobi in this world is not. I am the woman of grace, I am the woman of glory, and I am the woman of strength."

Nagato is silent, staring at me for what seems like a long while. His chakra is not moving in any particular manner, save for downwards in line with his utter exhaustion. A wearied, yet calm man. Is he looking for something? Does he see something already? Perhaps he's formulating a way to tell me off. As Pain, he was adamant about so much, but now...there are so many things that are different. Even so, I know Pain was truly him. It wasn't some mask or facade, not entirely.

"What is your dream?" I ask, breaking the silence.

He jerks up, looking at me with confusion. "I...pardon?"

"What is your dream? As Nagato. I have no desire to hear more from the one called Pain. He always was beneath me. But I would like to understand what your dream was. Is peace the truest desire of your heart?"

"Yes. It...was. Once before, a very long time ago. I carried the same dream as Yahiko. That's why...he continued to be the face of our struggle."

I think back to the Deva Pain. He did give off a familiar sort of energy, not just based on his chakra either.

"So the lead body was him. You used his corpse to channel the most devastating of your powers, after losing your own mobility. If you would indulge me, how did he pass?"

"It was one of my greatest sources of pain. It made me who I am," Nagato says. "He saw me as the harbinger of peace, and sacrificed himself using my hand. To save me, and to save Konan especially. He wanted us to carry on without him. I...froze, during the worst situation of my life. And he, in his bravery, in his understanding..."

"..."

"He was the one to stand up for something. To fight for our future. He wanted to rule the world and bring an end to the endless rain. He always kept fighting, just like Master Jiraiya told us to. I inherited that spirit. I believed in him, in what we were fighting for. And when he died...I..."

"Lost faith."

He nods. "Yes."

"Losing someone so close to you...losing people over and over and over...that becomes the sort of pain that you can't escape on your own. I have ambitions, as you already know. I have many hopes and dreams, just like those who came before me. You, Jiraiya, and Hanzo, to name a few. But beyond the power that I showed you, and that you can feel in your bones now...I have something else."

"Something else."

"Yes. I have love, and loved ones to supply me with it forever."

He blinks. "Love?"

"It's delicious food. It's hugs and kisses. It's phone calls and visits. It's worry and scolding. It's postcards and cake. Coffee and meetings. It's family, community, village, and country. It's a world of connections, connected to me. I am here, and I am not alone. And that, above most anything else in this world of shadows, is why I will win."

I place a hand over my heart.

"We will have peace in our time, Nagato. I once thought of myself as just a weapon that would bring prosperity to others. But I experienced love, and pain, and happiness, and struggle. I gained and lost. I hated myself for so long, too long, until someone helped me up. And I fell in love with her so much that I promised myself I would not let her down. And as I kept growing and changing, I realized something. That I didn't have to wait for a hero. That it could be me. And so, that's why we stand here face to face. The proud and invincible Pain, crushed by this world's true angel."

"..."

Nagato slowly pulls his arms out of the bindings at his sides. From thin wrist to bony elbow, they're embedded with many small black rods.

"You are...more boisterous than anyone I've come across since Yahiko's passing. You speak with elegance, yet loudly in your own way. So many people with this kind of confidence...it is inevitable that they will stumble and fall. Hanzo was the same way. He saw no path out of the endless conflict, and eventually degraded, becoming weak and useless. If he had continued to care, continued to see the world as more than something to extract luxury from...he might have been able to resist my advance. Everyone falls down, and most never get back up again. Everyone becomes disillusioned, because of the death and despair that cloaks the land. This world is a cursed one, and it will eventually consume everyone and everything. Nothing you can do will stop it."

"..."

"These are the things I believed, once I became Pain. And yet, I can't help thinking...about a world with you in our place. You and Yahiko...you would have changed this world a long time ago. If it were you by my side, on that day, you would have found some way to bring us through that crisis. If it were you standing where I was, devastated by the passing of your friend, your mentor, the person you promised to support no matter what in his dream...you would have made a different choice. You would have turned that pain into a great determination, and with this power, this Rinnegan...you would have changed the entire world."

"Nagato."

"It's not merely because of physical power. I can see it clearly...an impossibly stubborn woman who would change fate itself to get her desired outcome. In your hands, the Sage's eyes would be more than just a tool. They would be a path to the future itself. Saying that you understood my master's dream was enough. But you also know the path that you want to take, and how you want to take it. It's more than I could have imagined. I merely thought you arrogant and self-centred, like so many from the Leaf. One who would ignore suffering at their whim. But in your own way, you do care. And you're right. You have the spark that I lacked. You were able to rise above your own despair, over and over again."

"You saw that much with your own vision," I say. "Perhaps I underestimated you myself."

"I chose my path. I gave up on the dream of true peace, thinking that it would be impossible. That we would have to settle for a false, fragile world where eventually, so much pain would be inflicted that nobody would consider going to war again. But how long would that take? How many would have to die before humanity learned its lesson? I had no real faith in people. But you do, Lilith. Despite everything you must have experienced, you have not given up on humanity. My dream...my dream is to bring an end to war, and to deliver a true, lasting peace to the world. Yahiko and Konan had that great desire, and I did too, in my own way. I told Master Jiraiya that I would find the road to peace, long ago."

He grunts and starts to raise his hands. I call Murakumo to mine in response.

"There's nothing to worry about, Lilith. Without the Six Paths of Pain, I have little I can do against someone of your power. Even without your mastery of the sage techniques, I would be little more than practice fodder at this hour."

"Then...what is it you mean to do?" I ask.

"Kakuzu...I feel within me that you were behind his disappearance. Sasori, and Orochimaru. Stifling the beastly Kaitaikojo and his tactician sister. Several beings that could be called the closest things to immortals in this world. Thought to be unstoppable, but brought low by your hand. Do you still have the instrument?"

I realize what he means, and reach into my pouch to take out one of the black rods.

"Connect with me...through pain."

"..." I look down at my hand, and then take the rod in my other. I stab lightly into my palm, enough to draw blood. Sage Mode allows me to connect his chakra with my own, and...

And I can see many things. The ruins. The flames of revolution. The struggle and sorrow. Memories of what used to be. Visions of the future. Pictures of things that exist here and now.

"I've seen enough."

His voice breaks the silence.

"I understand now. This...enlightened me, more than it must have done for you. You were right to say that I was just a man before. It's the truth. I was put on this path by the true God, in order to meet you. To give you the chance to break this endless cycle. And you are wise enough to walk forward with the strongest at your side. Those that might be called your own Six Paths."

"Nagato. Before you say anything else, you must realize this truth. Even though you failed, your dream is not worthless. It was Hanzo's dream that ignited the soul of the samurai general, which burns brightly to this day. It was Hashirama's dream that gave the world a fleeting chance at peace, and his spirit was passed on to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who has kept the world from descending entirely into war once more. It was Jiraiya's dream that created you, and Yahiko, and Konan, and what would become Akatsuki. In the same way that your master believed in you...you can believe in me to bring your dreams to pass. Kakuzu and Orocihmaru, those unfortunate souls, stood in denial until the end. But Sasori had a desire that he expressed to me. The sight of this world's brilliant colours, from the other side of existence."

"Art that would continue on endlessly. To honour the wishes of your enemies..." He nods. "Now I know for sure. I can do this."

He forms the ram seal.

"I am the Seventh Path of Pain, the Outer Path. My existence outside of the turning wheel...allows me control of life and death both."

"Men have wielded the power of death at great cost to themselves, as has been told before," I say. "I cannot be shocked that the Rinnegan, which holds dominion over chakra and commands an eminent flow, would be able to do the same and beyond."

"Well said. That is the power I will show to you now. My final act...and a sign of my faith in you. Even if you should somehow fall, you have already ignited the hearts of those in this world. The new age you seek will come to pass, with or without you in it."

He smiles. I can see the Nagato that once was...no, that has come to life once more, in these moments.

"But...between us, I dearly hope that you are the one overseeing the world's order."

His hands next make a seal I am intimate with. Snake.

"This...is it. The hour of judgement. Outer Path...Samsara of Heavenly Life."

The heretic's path. Walking outside of the cycle of samsara. Giving up on its teachings and beliefs.

This heresy is...to believe in a child of heaven for the first time. How terribly fitting.

I can feel his chakra draining so rapidly that it will kill him if he doesn't stop. But I think that's how it would have ended, no matter what we did. His goodbyes just now...those were because he knew. The choice was made well before this moment.

"You were right to despise Pain. And you might be right to despise me. But I will walk this path to its end. Not for redemption, or for forgiveness. It will be for justice."

The demonic king from earlier appears next to Nagato, strange dark flames surrounding it. It stretches and swells in size, its already massive mouth growing even bigger. And then, a series of flashing, blinding lights emerge from inside of it. They shoot everywhere, rushing through the windows and walls, spreading out over the entirety of the village.

"This is..."

I can feel them. Chakra sources, popping up one by one where they weren't before. The dead, rising again. Nagato is giving back the lives he sacrificed in the name of his justice. And even the one he never meant to.

A piece of paper flies in through the window, glowing brightly as one of the lights hits it. It transforms into a human shape.

"What...what happened..."

Dazed, confused, and whole, Konan holds her head as she stands next to Nagato. Perfectly restored and breathing, as if she never left.

"Nagato...?" she mumbles. Her eyes widen as she gains her focus again. "No...no! Nagato!"

"It's alright, Konan. This was the choice I made...you have to carry on."

Nagato slumps over and releases his hands, blood dripping from his nose. The brilliant red hair I saw moments ago has changed to white. This is the Rinnegan...how terrifying that it could do this to someone with such powerful chakra.

"Why?! Why did you...bring me back here?" Konan cries. "How can I-"

"You can live without me. You will. Yahiko's dream...our dream. It came back to me. It...can be carried on by this woman."

Konan looks at me.

"Her path...it was just like ours. But she has the strength, and the blessings to make it a reality. Our master had courage...and I had power. But Lilith has all that...and more. I was wrong, Konan. You don't...have to follow me into the next world. Not yet."

"I...I don't know what to do..."

"You do, Konan. You will...know. Lilith Kobayashi...the one who stands above even the Six Paths of Pain...above even this Second Sage..."

"Yes."

"I leave these blessed eyes...and I leave this world...to you."

"Nagato Uzumaki. I promise I will bring your dream to life, as this world's most beloved tyrant. Be at peace, and take your rest. Until we meet again, dearest child."

"Thank you."

"Nagato...I..."

Konan tearfully takes his hand and presses it to her cheek.

"I love you. I will always...love you."

"I love you too, Konan. Please...do not run away from living..."

"I promise you...I'll live."

Nagato smiles, before breathing his last breath. His eyes close, and he goes still as the last wisps of chakra disappear.

I hold my hands together in prayer as Konan cries.

"We will not be retrieving the others at this time. Those bodies held no meaning to me."

We've returned to the site where the Deva Pain's, rather Yahiko's, body lay. Konan has wrapped his and Nagato's bodies up in paper for transport, floating above the earth.

"Nagato...trusted you so much that he gave up his life. To revive me, and all of the other villagers. I don't know exactly what he was thinking...but I can guess. You managed to get ahead of me, even with all of the advantages that I had at the moment. And instead of just killing Nagato, which I know you could have from afar...you chose to speak with him. To understand him."

She turns to me.

"You are more than I assumed. More than just a dog of the Leaf who kills at their behest. You do not doubt or hesitate, and yet you have restraint and compassion."

"I never did get to argue with Nagato about it...but I know that because of my elite upbringing, I am the best one to lead this world into the future," I say.

"How so?" she asks.

"To be born into decadence and luxury, and then to live in the most rugged ways known to man or beast...or as I said to a gentleman once before, to descend from the sacred mountain peak to the base, and then climb it again."

Konan thinks on it and nods. "No wonder Nagato was so impressed. That is powerful insight. Did the gentleman understand your meaning?"

"Not entirely, but I cannot blame him. There are many unenlightened in the world."

"I might count myself among those. All I ever did since Akatsuki's change was follow Nagato to and fro. He cared for me more than I cared for myself much of the time. All I wanted was...to not lose him."

"Change. Was your organization different at some point? I remember you both telling me earlier that Akatsuki was Yahiko's creation."

"It was. We gathered many friends to change our fates in this land. Akatsuki was the result of our work and the faith of the masses, who wanted to see war brought to an end, just as we did. The red clouds on our dark cloaks...they represented the rain of blood that constantly fell upon us in the Hidden Rain."

"I see."

"I have no need of the organization now. Yahiko and Nagato were the reasons that I stayed...and now, with both of them in the next world, there is nothing to fight for underneath that man's command."

"Madara Uchiha."

"Yes...though I suspected-"

"That he held more secrets. I know. He has another identity."

"Another?" Konan says with surprise. "With all of his knowledge...he isn't the real one?"

"He was given understanding and power by the true Madara. I can tell you more, if your desire is to remain in this conflict. He will come after you once he finds out about Pain's defeat."

"I know. More than anything, Nagato believed in you. He entrusted you with his will. That means I belong to you from now on, Lilith Kobayashi. You may do what you want with me. The attack I intended to destroy you with...it was based on a larger scale simulation I had created to defeat Madara, or rather the masked man, and his migration powers."

"Based on a larger scale? How much larger?"

"It was for six hundred trillion exploding tags, hidden in such a way that the Sharingan could not discover them in time."

"Hm." I do the calculations in my head. "Enough for about ten minutes, then."

"Yes."

How fortunate for me that she was so pressed for time. I'm not sure what I would have done then, but it would have been troublesome to deal with. That much is obvious. "I've been doing my own research on his abilities, but nothing so thorough as that," I say. "Why ten minutes, specifically?"

"He can only remain in his phased state for about five minutes at a time."

"Well. That's very nice to know." I think on that. "Do you mean to kill him yourself?"

"If that is what you wish."

I shake my head. "No. Nagato wanted more for you than a lonely end against a fraud. We will deal with him in our own way, and your analysis will help greatly. In the meantime, since you're keen on following orders...I want you in protective custody in the Leaf, until the false Madara is out of the way. Is there a limit to the range of your paper clones?"

"As long as I use only one, I will be able to traverse the entire continent at any time, without interruption."

"Good. Make use of one to run interference here. I am sure that the masked man will have other means to continue Akatsuki's operations, but you can ensure that his efforts are constrained. It will also help to protect the people of this village for as long as you can. We're going to call in a few people of our own to help actively manage the village in your stead, as soon as we ensure everything is in order."

"You plan to do much for this village," Konan says. "Why is that?"

I let out a breath. "I didn't think much of your friend, to be very honest. Reckless use of the Sage's eyes, and throwing away the opportunity to make real changes to this tumultuous world. He was weak and foolish. He caused great devastation to the world, and threatened many of my loved ones across it. All of those choices, not merely wrong, but unbearably selfish. Still. In the end, he did far more than most men would. Those who have been given power often scratch and snarl to the very end of their pathetic existences. A few utter words of apology and such. Even fewer take tangible action and provide reparations for the harm they've caused. Nagato was a man of honour. He used the great power given to him to make the greatest amends for his previous actions. He humbled himself, and sought to understand his enemy. And he peacefully entrusted his hopes and dreams to the one who stood above him. I want to honour the wishes of such a person, even if I agreed with nothing he said, or thought nothing of his misguided ambition."

"Ah."

"And making you happy doesn't hurt, does it? At some point, we'll have to share dinner together so that I can flirt with you properly."

"I see." She smiles. "Then I will be looking forward to that, Lady Lilith."

"You know what I like already. Well done."

"Nagato also entrusted his inherited eyes to you."

"He did. Would you allow me?"

"Something so valuable...but...this is what he wanted. I would be wrong to dismiss my precious friend's final wish. Please, go ahead."

"Thank you." She has the paper come off of Nagato's head. He still has the smile I remembered him with. To pass on, happy like that. That too is a blessing, I would say. I take out the proper medical tools and carefully remove the Rinnegan from their sockets, then close his eyelids again gently. Konan seals his head with paper once more. "Where will you lay him to rest?"

"I have a special place. One for him and Yahiko. Perhaps one day, I will join them properly. But for now, there is work to be done."

"Alright. Then we can get to it." After making sure the eyes are sealed in a proper container, I put in my earpiece and make sure my radio is on. "Major Kotowari, report in."

"This is Kotowari, reporting. Welcome back, ma'am."

"Thank you. All clear, primary target down. Secondary target in custody with me. Meet me at my current location...let's bring everything to a proper end."

Konan makes her paper clone under our supervision. I don't expect her to do anything troublesome...Nagato truly was everything to her, and I could see from our surveillance that she had an intense distrust of Obito. But just to be safe and secure, I've given her one of our serpent children to hold onto for a while. Oga, a black water snake who should be very comfortable in this land of constant rain. If anything dramatic happens, he'll be spirited back to the serpent kingdom, and I'll be one of the first to hear about it.

After Konan confirms that Yahiko and Nagato are safely put to rest, we quietly leave the village. The afternoon sun is high in the sky. Crossing the lake on foot, we find the other girls on land as expected, concealed within a tree line. I can see that they've spotted us and are holding their positions until we arrive.

"Visual contact," Erika says.

The usual hand signs are exchanged, twice for good measure. As soon as we confirm our identities, Hina drops all of her bags and runs straight into me. She says nothing and simply squeezes me tightly. It takes a few moments for my mind to catch up.

She was watching everything. Even those difficult parts. In all of the chaos, I had forgotten. Worrying so much is only fair.

"Ino, we should be able to take care of the mind scan now. Konan has given her consent," I hear Erika say.

"Yeah, we'll do that now. Welcome back, Lili." Ino pecks me on the lips and smiles. "You two take your time, we'll catch up in a bit."

Erika gives me a kiss of her own and nods. I nod back and watch them leave, before rubbing Hina's head gently.

"As long as you need, Hina. I'm finally home."

I feel her head move before she squeezes me a bit tighter. And for the first time in a long while, I finally do relax in her arms.

It's over, really and truly. We won.

In every way that mattered...we won.