Chapter 602: Could it be... Am I really Otsutsuki Nagato?
Reborn in Konoha as the Anbu Torturer Chapter 602 Could it be... Am I really Otsutsuki Nagato?
"Have you ever thought that you are not from here, and the parents you know are not your real parents?"
Konan spoke slowly, her tone so indifferent, as if she were mentioning something unrelated.
With these words spoken, both Yahiko and Nagato were stunned.
"This..."
Nagato took a deep breath, instinctively shaking his head. He had never considered such a thing before.
His parents…
Is not his real parents?
How could that be?
"How is that possible?!"
Yahiko chimed in, his expression turning puzzled. Now he vaguely felt that Konan was lying, concocting various strange reasons to move the Akatsuki Organization to Konohagakure.
But he had no evidence.
He just felt that portraying Nagato's parents as not his real parents was too absurd, beyond comprehension.
It was as if it were a joke!
Not even a joke could be this far-fetched.
"Konan, are you suggesting that my parents aren't my biological parents?" Nagato's expression turned incredibly serious. This wasn't something to take lightly; he wouldn't just brush past it. He immediately followed up, "Do you have any evidence?"
After Nagato asked this, Yahiko also focused his gaze on Konan, his eyes filled with strong suspicion.
Exactly!
This was a crucial matter!
If there was no evidence beyond the words of that person, then this claim wouldn't hold water.
"Of course."
Konan's lips curled into a confident smile, her face exuding assurance. She was certain for a simple reason: she had come to this conclusion on her own, not because Toneri had told her.
After her contemplation, she found the explanation reasonable, making it her basis.
"Let's talk about your Rinnegan!"
Konan pinpointed the breakthrough. She stared into Nagato's eyes, shining brightly, confident that her words would influence his thoughts.
"What about my Rinnegan?" Nagato immediately retorted. He could have let past matters slide, but not now. Now it involved his parents, he had to get to the bottom of it, or at least understand it fully.
"Don't you understand?" Konan blinked, locking eyes with Nagato. In fact, it was Toneri who had guided her to this realization. She hadn't considered it before, but now the glaring loophole was undeniable.
"Understand what?" Nagato grew increasingly puzzled, with Yahiko mirroring his confusion. They weren't sure what exactly was going on.
"Alright, let me explain!"
Konan nodded. She knew expecting Nagato to figure it out on his own was unlikely, so she decided to lay it out herself.
"Your Rinnegan is a bloodline limit. You should know this, right?" Konan said, but she preferred interactive dialogue. She believed it would subtly influence Nagato's thinking. Merely speaking in a monologue might come off as too forceful, and she wasn't sure if the other party was truly listening.
"Know!" Nagato mechanically nodded. The fact that the Rinnegan was a bloodline limit had been mentioned when Jiraiya was teaching them.
"Now the question is..."
Konan's smile grew wider. Before proceeding, she paused deliberately, adding to the mystery.
At this moment.
She hadn't revealed the full picture yet.
Still maintaining an air of mystery.
But...
Nagato was still puzzled, waiting for Konan's next words.
It was Yahiko whose pupils contracted suddenly, sensing something. He hadn't thought much about it before due to his young age, but now he felt there were some logical inconsistencies.
In an instant.
Whether it was Nagato or Yahiko, they were both more eager for Konan's next words.
"Nagato."
"Your parents..."
"Do they have the Rinnegan?"
Konan directly posed this soul-searching question. Her words seemed casual, but they hit Nagato's most vulnerable spot like a heavy hammer.
In fact.
Nagato had thought about this question before.
But he simply couldn't face it.
He dared not.
He feared what he might find if he delved deeper.
So...
He knew about it, but he had never really contemplated it. It wasn't that he wasn't aware of it; he just didn't dare to think about it.
Exactly because of this.
Nagato, like a snail, kept his inner struggles tightly wrapped within his hardened shell, refusing to bring them out, afraid of what might happen if he did.
However.
Now, this matter was brought out into the open by Konan, presented before them, leaving him no choice but to face it.
"Huff..."
Nagato took a deep breath, then shook his head. He had a vivid memory of this. He had never seen his parents with such eyes; otherwise, their family would have been highly regarded.
"My parents don't have the Rinnegan."
Nagato said firmly. By saying this, he believed Konan's words were proven true. After all, bloodline limits were inherited. If one could inherit the Rinnegan, then at least one of the parents should have it.
But neither of his parents did.
The Rinnegan couldn't just appear out of thin air!
However.
While this reasoning was sound convincing, it wasn't sufficient to fully convince Nagato and, especially, Yahiko.
"Konan, were these words from Otsutsuki Toneri?" Yahiko furrowed his brows, suspecting foul play in this matter to drive a wedge between them.
"Yes and no." Konan nodded at first, then shook her head and explained, "Otsutsuki Toneri only told me about Nagato's specific background. How to interpret Nagato not being his current parents' biological child was based on my own judgment from these clues, not from Otsutsuki Toneri."
"Really?" Yahiko was somewhat incredulous.
"I have no reason to deceive you!" Konan nodded earnestly.
"I understand." Yahiko nodded as well. There was indeed a problem in this matter. Now he only questioned Konan to confirm something, not that he doubted Konan.
"But..."
Nagato took another deep breath. He still wasn't willing to easily accept such a thing. After all, his parents had always been, in his understanding, his parents.
"This doesn't prove that I'm not their biological child!"
"I've also studied about bloodline limit!"
"This includes the Uchiha clan!"
"The Uchiha clan possesses the Sharingan, one of the three great dojutsu. But not everyone in the clan awakens it."
"Perhaps my parents just happened not to awaken it..."
Nagato was grasping at straws, not just for himself but also for his parents. He didn't want to admit such a thing so easily. The fact that neither of his parents had the Rinnegan wasn't enough to persuade him completely.
"Right, you're correct."
Konan smoothly took over Nagato's line of thought. She knew that merely relying on the absence of the Rinnegan in Nagato's parents wasn't enough to convince them. After all, this reason couldn't even convince her. But she had another reason.
"Nagato, do you remember what Jiraiya-sensei said? Besides you, who else possesses the Rinnegan?" Konan asked in a deep voice.
"The Sage of Six Paths!" Nagato blurted out almost instinctively. This name was so familiar to him; Jiraiya and Yahiko had both hoped he would become like the Sage of Six Paths.
"Do you know the Sage of Six Paths' name?" Konan asked again.
"This..." Nagato was at a loss for words. Not only did he not know, but Jiraiya probably didn't either. He immediately asked, "Konan, do you know?"
"I do." Konan nodded. "The Sage of Six Paths' name is Otsutsuki Hagoromo."
"Hiss..."
Both Nagato and Yahiko gasped simultaneously, understanding the significance of the name, Otsutsuki.
They had just heard about the Otsutsuki clan, and now they knew that the Sage of Six Paths was also from the Otsutsuki clan, and he also possessed the Rinnegan.
With this realization.
Yahiko's eyes widened, radiating a strong sense of shock.
"Konan!"
"Are you saying..."
"The Rinnegan is a characteristic of the Otsutsuki clan's bloodline!"
"Does that mean..."
"The Otsutsuki who took you away..."
"Also had the Rinnegan?!"
As Yahiko spoke the last words, even goosebumps rose on his skin. He understood the significance of this information.
If everything was as he deduced.
Then...
Nagato truly could be called Otsutsuki Nagato!
Both Rinnegan wielders were from the Otsutsuki clan, indicating that the Rinnegan was a bloodline trait of the Otsutsuki. And Nagato possessing the Rinnegan implied something obvious.
After hearing Yahiko's words, Nagato also held his breath, his eyes filled with intense struggle.
At this moment.
He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing for him.
He was a bit afraid to face it.
But he had no choice but to face it!
"Could it be that... I am really Otsutsuki Nagato?" Nagato's heart was beating wildly, and his head was in a mess.