Traveling through Nagato, from conquering Konan to dominating the ninja world

In front of Pain Tendou was Itachi, who was only four years old.

Having witnessed the horrors of the Third Ninja World War, he displayed a calmness and maturity beyond that of an adult.

"There was a fierce battle going on outside, but you ran to the Uchiha clan's base."

"You can even call out the name of a little-known child like me... Your target is my father, right?"

"You are wearing the forehead protector that symbolizes the rebellious ninjas in the Hidden Rain Village, which became the main battlefield of the countries in the past ninja wars... Is your goal in looking for my father to seek revenge? Did he... kill one or more important people of yours?"

As soon as Itachi opened his mouth, he showed his extraordinary intelligence.

But his clenched fists and shoulders trembling slightly in the rain still betrayed his inner panic.

After all, he was still a child who had not even attended ninja school and had not yet mastered the use of chakra.

And in the room… was his mother who had been pregnant not long ago.

Tian Dao approached with a cold step and said calmly: "If so, what would you do?"

Under the pressure from the front... Itachi suppressed the instinct to retreat and tried to say in a calm tone: "My father is not here."

"But if you go to great lengths to break into Konoha and come here and return empty-handed, you will definitely not give up. However, staying here for a long time will obviously be disadvantageous to you."

"So...so the best thing for you is to hold me, Fugaku's only son, hostage and use me as a bargaining chip to force him to submit in the future!"

"I... am willing to follow you and become your hostage."

"The condition is... to let my family go."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Tiandao couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. He stopped in front of Itachi, looked down at Itachi, whose height was only up to his knees, and said, "Under this situation, you would make such a decision? It really surprises me..."

Itachi stood in the shadow of the man in front of him, looking up at the cold face in the rain, without saying a word... He knew very well that the only bargaining chip he could use was himself.

A cold smile appeared on Tiandao's lips: "It's raining heavily here, can you invite me in to sit for a while?"

Itachi paused for a moment, then nodded, "Okay."

"Squeak."

The door was open, but the lights in the room were off, leaving only a dark corridor connecting to the living room.

At the entrance, Tiandao took off his rain-soaked shoes and walked into the house barefoot.

Itachi wanted to reach out to turn on the light, but Tiandao glanced at him and said, "There's no need to turn on the light."

Itachi withdrew his hand and followed Tendou without a word to the living room.

The living room without lights is dark and depressing.

Tiandao stood on the tatami in the living room, looking at the two futons.

It was in this place that Itachi, when he grew up, personally ended the lives of his parents...

Before crossing through the Growth Gate, Lin Feng was an orphan who was abandoned by his parents since childhood. Orphans like him often go to two extremes, either they hate the parents who abandoned them and are extremely indifferent to family affection, or... they desire parental love more than ordinary children.

He is the latter. He does not hate his parents for abandoning him, and subconsciously believes that his parents had their own difficulties.

So, after he grew up, he refused the opportunity to be adopted by a loving couple, firmly believing that his biological parents would appear and take him back.

Unfortunately, until the end... none of his wishes came true.

He had also been discouraged, but during that period of autism, he learned to talk to himself in the mirror, living in his own world, savoring the loneliness...

I thought that once I got used to loneliness, I wouldn't be so optimistic.

But when he saw other children talking and laughing with their parents, he still felt empty somewhere deep down in his heart.

Gradually, he developed a strong sense of estrangement and alienation from the real world.

After watching the anime Naruto, the experiences of the protagonist Naruto gave him a place to put his emotions that had nowhere to go in reality.

But Naruto's excessive optimism and strength only exist in the world of the second dimension after all. Lin Feng is a rational person at heart, and Naruto's "distorted" optimism cannot resonate with him deep in his soul.

This... is probably the most fundamental reason why he traveled through time and space and became 'Nagato'.

As an orphan and the 'child of prophecy', Nagato's personality may have flaws, but flaws make him more real.

Back to the core of the problem... He has an obsession with parental love that goes beyond ordinary people.

So... as for Uchiha Itachi, he could marvel at his talent, admire his mind, and lament his fate... but he could not agree with his actions!

He also knew... Itachi had his own difficulties. It was the limitations of his position as a Konoha ninja and a member of the Uchiha clan that made him decide to kill his parents and clan members.

However, Nagato just couldn't accept it emotionally.

No matter... how legitimate, just, great, or how unavoidable Itachi's reasons are, they are not a reason for him to kill his parents and his clan!

How many people desire so much and try their best to have a complete family, but cannot get it!

But Itachi, for the sake of peace... destroyed an entire family with his own hands.

Let's take a step back and really...besides exterminating the clan and saving Sasuke, is there no other way?

Well, perhaps the Uchiha coup came too hastily, and Itachi was unable to break out of his limited perspective when he was faced with the situation, so he put the matter of genocide aside for the time being.

After that...Itachi pretty much manipulated Sasuke's life.

He chose to use the cruelest method to force young Sasuke to grow in the way he expected.

Even if... the starting point is 'love', the underlying tone of that love is too dark and depressing.

When Naruto had not yet established a bond with Sasuke, I really didn't know how Itachi planned to take care of Sasuke after his death.

What he expected... was that after defeating him, Sasuke would use his eyes to continue protecting Konoha.

He ignored Sasuke's own feelings from the beginning to the end.

Facts have proved that his younger brother Sasuke, the only one he saved, would have completely sunk into darkness and destroyed the peace he was guarding without the shining light of Naruto!

Itachi, who was slow to realize this, also realized this, so he decided to find Naruto before his death and bestow the "Kotoamatsukami" eye technique on Naruto.

Unfortunately... the starting point is still 'manipulation'.

In the original work, Itachi didn't truly realize the right path until the moment before the Impure World Reincarnation was lifted. Unfortunately... the darkness in Sasuke's heart at that time could no longer be erased.

In the end... Sasuke and Naruto fought each other, and the two reached a heart-to-heart reconciliation.

The iron facts are irrefutable. Itachi's talent as a ninja is impeccable, but his practices of exterminating the clan and manipulating Sasuke's life... are wrong and unacceptable!

Back to the present, at this moment... in this dark and depressing room.

Tian Dao said in a deep voice: "Come here."

Itachi took a step and walked over.

Tendou grabbed Itachi's small arm, took out a kunai, and cut his forearm.

The pain... made Itachi's lips tremble, but he remained motionless, letting the blood flow.

Tiandao took out a small blood bottle, caught the blood flowing from the weasel, filled it up, closed the cap, and put it into his sleeve.

"The wound isn't deep, bandage it yourself."

Itachi was surprised, but he still pulled off his sleeve and quickly bandaged the wound with the help of his teeth in the dark... Then, he waited for the person in front of him to make the next move.

Nagato... would not take Itachi's life here. After all, from the perspective of self-interest, he still needed Itachi's spare eyes.

But… he still has to let his young heart experience despair and terror like he did with his younger brother Sasuke!

It's not about seeking justice for Sasuke's childhood, but about seeking justice for the beautiful expectations he has in his heart for his parents and brotherly love!

"Itachi, you just said outside that you are Fugaku's only son. Isn't that inappropriate..." As Tiandao spoke softly, his gaze turned to the tightly closed door!

Itachi's pupils suddenly widened: "You, what do you want to do...!!!"

"Boom!"

The lightning illuminated the dim room, and also illuminated the sinister smile on Pain Tiandao's lips.

"Itachi, do you want me to help look after your unborn brother... Sasuke?"