Chapter 322 - 322: Echoes of Pain, Purpose Restored

A while later, Ryusei headed into the depths of the Hokage Mountain.

Behind a layer of rock that no ordinary sensor could detect lay a vast hidden chamber, newly carved out by Ryusei's fragments and sealed under countless security matrices.

It was the headquarters of Konoha's newest exclusive shadowy organization.

A replacement for Hiruzen's ANBU.

But not loyal to the village.

Loyal to Ryusei.

And leading it… was Nagato.

A man who wasn't even officially a Konoha shinobi, who wasn't born here, now commanded the village's most dangerous hidden force.

But that was exactly the point.

Orochimaru had suggested it.

And Ryusei approved.

Shadow organizations were always the greatest threat to any Hokage.

By letting Nagato, Ryusei's direct subordinate, command it permanently, Orochimaru had made his loyalty crystal clear.

It was his way of showing Ryusei that he understood the hierarchy.

That he wasn't going to challenge it.

Orochimaru kept only a small private force for himself, made up of the elite soldiers who had followed him back from the Kumo front.

They were used mostly for experiments and research now.

Everyone else belonged to Nagato.

Pakura, surprisingly, held the title of vice commander.

Though "vice commander" was more for political structure than practicality.

She didn't spend much time here.

Most days, she stayed in her luxurious new home built into the central floor of the building, spacious, warm, beautifully furnished.

And at night, she had already received Ryusei more than once.

Scorching.

Exactly what one would expect from her element.

But tonight, Ryusei wasn't going to visit her again.

Instead, Nagato stood alone in the center of the chamber, reviewing a set of chakra-monitoring seals projected in midair.

His Golden Rinnegan flickered faintly, scanning each rune with calm precision.

He noticed Ryusei instantly.

Ryusei stepped forward, hands in pockets, the chamber's walls humming in response to his presence.

Nagato, the former god of Amegakure, now sharpened and reborn, served as its flawless blade.

Nagato lowered the chakra projections and faced him fully.

"You're settling in," Ryusei said as he walked closer. "Looks like you've adapted to command faster than I expected."

Nagato gave a small exhale, almost a laugh.

"It's… different," he admitted. "Having an entire force under me that isn't trying to betray me, sabotage me, or use me as a weapon." His eyes softened slightly.

"Strange, but not unpleasant."

Ryusei nodded.

"It suits you."

Nagato hesitated for a moment.

"…You kept your promise," he said quietly. "Konan is safe. Completely. More than she ever was in Amegakure."

"She deserves it," Ryusei replied.

Nagato lowered his gaze for a second, then looked back up with something unspoken in his expression.

"And thank you… for Akira," he said. "Even if I didn't strike the final blow myself, it ended the shadow of what he did to my home." A pause. "And for Madara."

Ryusei had also confirmed through Madara's memories that Madara himself and his schemes also played a direct role in Yahiko's death.

Knowing this made Nagato even more grateful that Ryusei was the one who ended Madara for good now, in front of his own eyes.

His loyalty ran even deeper as a result.

"Good," Ryusei said after a simple nod. "I like gratitude."

Nagato let out a small breath, almost amused.

"…Living here still feels strange," he admitted. "This village killed my parents. Danzo operated under its flag. Everything that shaped my hatred traces back here."

Ryusei shrugged.

"This isn't the same Konoha. Those responsible died last week. And not peacefully."

Nagato nodded slowly.

"I know. I can feel the change in the people here. They fear you… But they also feel safe under you, subconsciously, safer than ever perhaps."

He looked around the chamber, the seals, the quiet hum of stability.

"Home, security… purpose. You gave me that again."

Ryusei smirked.

"Good. Makes you easier to use."

Nagato didn't even deny it.

"I prefer being used by someone honest."

They stood silently for a few seconds. It was a comfortable quiet.

Ryusei eventually spoke.

"So. How's Konan?"

Nagato blinked.

"…Konan?"

Ryusei's smirk widened.

He leaned slightly closer.

"You're living in the same facility. Sharing command. She's practically glued to you half the time. And you're not some half-lifeless husk anymore, you're actually a handsome young man now." He paused, "So, don't tell me you're still pretending you don't see it.

Nagato stiffened.

"I… do see it," he admitted. "But I…" He frowned. "I don't know how to approach something like that."

Ryusei sighed softly.

"You're hopeless."

Nagato gave a helpless shrug.

"I was a war orphan raised in a dying country. Romance wasn't part of the curriculum."

Ryusei rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I'll give you some advice."

Nagato looked uneasy.

"…Should I be concerned?"

"Probably," Ryusei said. "But it will work."

Nagato waited.

"First," Ryusei said, "Konan's the type who values quiet loyalty, not flashy gestures. She watches over you constantly, even when you pretend not to notice. So don't act like an emotionless statue. Give her something back."

Nagato considered that.

"She does hover," he admitted.

Ryusei snorted.

"She hovers because she cares, idiot. Take advantage of it."

Nagato stared.

"Take… advantage?"

Ryusei raised a hand.

"Not like that. Yet."

Nagato muttered something under his breath.

Ryusei continued.

"Next time she brings you tea at night, or sits next to you during a pause after some training? Just tell her she's important to you. Not in a dramatic way. Just a real one."

Nagato hesitated.

"And that's enough?"

"With her?" Ryusei nodded. "More than enough."

Nagato slowly exhaled, tension leaving his shoulders.

"…I'll try."

"Good," Ryusei said. "And if you keep acting like a meditation statue, I'll intervene personally. And trust me, you do not want that."

Nagato almost smiled.

"That's the first real threat you've given me since I came here."

"And the only one you should fear."

Nagato bowed his head slightly.

"…Thank you, Ryusei."

Ryusei waved a hand dismissively.

"Whatever. I need my lieutenants functioning properly. A lovesick god is still a bad soldier."

Nagato actually laughed at that, a soft, quiet sound that barely echoed.

Their dynamic had shifted.

Less subordination.

More… camaraderie.

Something clearer than mere obedience.

Ryusei gave him one last look.

"Good work here. Keep building the foundation. When the real enemies show up, I'll need you at the front."

Nagato's Golden Rinnegan gleamed.

"I'll be ready."

Ryusei turned and walked toward the exit, the chamber's lights dimming in response to his chakra.

Behind him, Nagato watched with a steady, resolute gaze.

A subordinate.

A comrade.

And, for the first time in months, a man with a future to defend.

Ryusei left the chamber satisfied.

Some pieces of the world were finally falling exactly where he wanted them.

As Ryusei left the chamber, his thoughts inadvertently shifted to Ashina.

Another invaluable Uzumaki ally, much like Nagato.

Another pillar in Ryusei's long-term plans for dealing with future Otsutsuki intruders, not only for his strength, but for his unmatched fuinjutsu expertise.

They stayed in contact only through fragment clones and Ryusei's constant chakra sensing.

After all, Ashina would never join Konoha.

Not the village he despised above all others for Uzushiogakure's destruction.

His pride and his history would never allow it.

But with Ryusei's influence now stretching across the entire planet, he could finally fulfill his promise.

Using his planetary-level sensing, Ryusei had already located every surviving Uzumaki scattered across the world.

Every last one.

And, keeping his word, he helped Ashina gather and bring them home to the slowly recovering Uzumaki clan and the rising Uzushiogakure, rebuilt on the reclaimed island in the Land of Whirlpools.

It had been Ashina's greatest dream since the day Ryusei awakened him.

And now it was happening.

Ashina had at last received what his clan had been denied for generations, a formal apology for Konoha's betrayal during Uzushiogakure's fall, alongside generous funding and the village's current full protection from every other nation.

For Ryusei, granting it was effortless. And Ashina had been more than an ally; his mastery of fuinjutsu had been vital to Ryusei's evolution, the key that allowed him to perfect the Yin–Yang Ritual and seal foreign powers within himself.

His gift for limitless integration hadn't come from his slug physiology alone; it was built on the foundation of Ashina's advanced teachings, refined further by Ryusei's own talent and relentless experimentation in this area of fuinjutsu.

Ryusei's thoughts then drifted to Renjiro.

Konoha's new ceremonial "Jonin Commander."

A faint smirk tugged at Ryusei's lips.

He had been teasing him repeatedly lately, no, 'advising him', in his own way, especially about the Hatake clan.

How depressingly empty it was.

How Renjiro had the responsibility to "repopulate" it properly.

How despite them already being sixteen, well past the marriageable age in this world, Renjiro remained very much a lone wolf around women.

Ryusei found the entire thing strangely funny again.

Yet he couldn't help grimacing for a moment, realizing he wasn't exactly in a position to lecture anyone on that topic.

His own Senju clan, once the greatest in the world, was now even more desolate than the Hatake.

Just his uncle Kazuo, finally brought back to Konoha in full honor, Tsunade, and himself.

A clan that once defined the entire shinobi world has been reduced to three people.

But the grimace faded just as fast, replaced by a slow, amused smirk.

Unlike Renjiro, Ryusei was already taking steps to fix his clan's numbers.

Very active steps.

That thought lingered pleasantly as he turned toward Pakura's residence deeper inside the mountain.