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

In the experimental base, Orochimaru was collecting blood for the last time from Nagato.

Xiaonan held onto the outer wall of the culture dish with both hands, and stared at the little life that was being nurtured through the clear liquid inside the wall, without blinking.

Recently, observing the growth of Nagato's second embryo has become her biggest hobby.

After three months, the embryo's heartbeat and fetal bud have grown out.

According to Orochimaru, when the little guy inside grows up, he will have almost the same appearance as Nagato, but... under the dual influence of Senju and Uchiha cells, his hair color will probably turn into 'pure black'.

That is, when he grows up, he will become the black-haired Nagato!

In another seven months, this new life form will leave the culture dish and officially come into the world.

For Nagato, this time also has a special meaning, as it is exactly one year since he traveled through time.

Of course, this new life will serve himself and will eventually return to Nagato with a brand new pair of Rinnegan and all his power. Nagato will not allow him to develop independent consciousness!

In that case... it would be equivalent to erasing another existence someday in the future!

Although there are many similar plots in many stories... the people who create the stories like to use them to extend the discussion on human nature.

However, Nagato did not want to discuss human nature. Knowing that the impact of the incident would be disastrous, it was a necessary quality for a rational adult to intervene as soon as possible before it happened to avoid bad results.

This point, when Nagato proposed the plan for the second body, he specifically emphasized to Orochimaru that this body must have - 'my consciousness'!

This was necessary, this second body carried Nagato's future. A lot of effort would be put into the past, present and future, and it had to be completely controlled by Nagato.

Therefore, it is necessary to possess Nagato's consciousness.

Moreover, the requirements for this consciousness are extremely strict, and it cannot even be like a shadow clone, which has the same but independent consciousness.

This consciousness must be completely and real-time synchronized with Nagato.

This sounds unrealistic because only the Six Paths of Pain, which are made of dead people, can have a consciousness that is completely synchronized with the original body.

But the second body cannot exist as one of Pain's Six Paths.

Because the purpose of this second body's existence is to obtain the power of the Senju and Uchiha, Ashura and Indra, to open the Rinnegan, and to be the ultimate carrier of Nagato's own lack of power. Therefore, it must be a living person with the potential to grow.

So...how to make it an independent life form and possess a consciousness that is completely synchronized with Nagato in real time like the Six Paths of Pain has become the ultimate problem.

Faced with this difficult problem, even Orochimaru was at a loss at first.

Like a dead person, yet having the characteristics of a living person... One day during these three months, a flash of inspiration came to his mind, and he suddenly thought of three words!

That’s right… “vegetable”!

Just like the artificial body of Hashirama Senju hanging high on the golem, it is dead, yet alive!

In order to verify whether his idea was feasible, he asked Konan to find a ninja who had suffered brain damage in his early years and was on the verge of death from the sanatorium in the Hidden Rain Village. After giving his family a large sum of compensation, he used him as an experimental subject.

He tried to have Nagato use the Six Paths Technique to transform the experimental subject into 'Pein'.

The results of the experiment shocked not only Orochimaru but even Nagato!

That experimental subject...successfully transformed into Pain!

But... unlike the Six Paths of Pain, this experimental subject Pain does not have the projection of the Rinnegan and does not possess any of the abilities of the Six Paths of Pain.

Moreover...it does not require Nagato's chakra transmission, but uses the subject's own chakra, so it is not affected by the chakra transmission distance!

The only thing that allows him to be called 'Pein' is his consciousness. Like the Six Paths of Pein, he is completely synchronized with Nagato on this matter!

Just when Orochimaru and Nagato were shocked by the results of the experiment...something unexpected happened again.

The experimental subject 'Pain' was finally out of control of Nagato and died of natural causes!

Yes...the experimental subject was already on the verge of death, and his lifespan was not affected at all by turning into Pain!

It's simply... like, letting Nagato's consciousness take over and completing the life process that was supposed to take place!

What on earth was going on? Of course, Nagato, who claimed to know everything about the Naruto world, especially the Samsara Eye, was frightened by this unknown phenomenon.

He seemed to be able to understand...why Orochimaru was so fascinated by the truth and the unknown!

The unknown is not only accompanied by fear, but also by an extreme desire to find out. Yes, curiosity is a human instinct. For people with high spiritual pursuits, it is even greater than the basic needs of food, sex and nature.

Orochimaru is such a person with high spiritual pursuits.

After solemnly burying the experimental subject, Orochimaru pondered for three days and suddenly asked Nagato a question!

"Nagato-kun, is it true that the Rinnegan only has the power of the Six Paths?"

This question was earth-shattering!

At that time, Nagato forced himself to remain calm and did not show any sign of losing his composure.

"As far as I know, in addition to the six powers of the Samsara Eye, there is also the seventh 'Outer Path Power'. The Outer Path Power transcends the cycle of life and death."

"In the future I saw with the Ayahashi, Madara gave me the Rinnegan for the purpose of using the power of the Outer Path and the Natural Power of the Rinnegan to revive him."

"Is that so? Nagato, my initial guess is that the miraculous phenomenon that occurred to that experimental subject came from this mysterious 'outer power'."

In fact...when Orochimaru asked that question, Nagato had the same guess in his mind.

The power of heretics? Indeed, only heretics who have transcended the cycle of life and death can do such a thing, right?

Orochimaru's exploration of the truth is based on an extremely rigorous attitude.

The above is just a preliminary hypothesis.

Could it be that not only vegetative patients, but also healthy living people can be Pain?

We can't rule out this possibility.

The remnants of Hanzo who sneaked back to the Hidden Rain Village became the second experimental subject.

As a result, the other party was not successfully made into Payne.

Orochimaru came to a further conclusion: "It seems that to trigger this phenomenon, only a plant can do it? Could the truth behind this be what Nagato-kun said, the power of the Rinnegan Outer Path? Hmph, the truth awaits further exploration."

Orochimaru was unable to come to a definite conclusion.

However, as the holder of the Rinnegan, Nagato was able to determine based on his own feelings that the phenomenon was caused by the power of the outsider!

In the original work, when Nagato and Naruto reconciled and were about to activate the Rinnegan Technique, Konan said that Nagato was the seventh Pain who controlled the cycle of life and death.

It seems that the role of the external path is not only to activate the "Art of Reincarnation", but also has other unexpected uses.

The phenomenon that happened to the experimental subject... is one of them.

Back to the topic, Orochimaru was not able to completely solve the mystery behind the phenomenon, but the existing results are enough to solve the existing problems.

The second body should be a living person with the potential to grow, and at the same time, be able to completely synchronize Nagato's consciousness like the Six Paths of Pain.

"All we need to do is make a slight adjustment in the genes, let it be born as a vegetable, and synchronize its consciousness at birth using Payne's method!"

That’s right, the second incarnation is also “Gateway Pain”!

(I have spent quite a lot of space to explain this, but there is no other way. ‘Consciousness’ is a very important issue and it is necessary to explain it clearly. I hope you will not find it superficial.)

Come back to the present moment.

Xiaonan looked at the little life in the vessel in front of him, which was about to evolve into a long gate, and an indescribable wonderful feeling surged in his heart.

She said hopefully, "Nagato, can you give this other you a name?"

Nagato walked over to Konan and looked at 'himself' with her, "There is no other me. This is also me, the same me."

Xiaonan said, "Take it. After all, they are two different bodies. It's better to distinguish them."

"Hmm." Nagato pinched his chin, thought about it seriously, and his expression changed slightly.

He put down his hand and said softly: "Then, let's call him 'Feng'..."