Rain fell from the sky.
Pain looked up, not a single glimmer of emotion on his stoic face. His eyes, those bloody violet gems, regarded the town. "How long do we have to suffer, Konan?" he asked, then glanced astern.
A lady with short violet hair stepped out from the darkness. Her walk was slow and elegant, as if it had been fused with the rain plopping against the ground.
"The time for the world to be reborn is soon going to come," Konan answered, remaining a few feet away from her comrade. "It shouldn't take long."
Pain nodded. At the street down below, he noticed a youth eating on a piece of soaked bread. His face was covered in soot, his clothes ripped, yet the kid smiled.
'I was also like that before. Struggling to survive in this harsh world... I was happy each moment the fate has granted me some luck.' Pain thought.
But was that enough? Was it really the fate of humanity? While one side of the world struggles to keep their bellies full, the other side is living in leisure. Is it how God wanted the world to be?
No, it doesn't matter anymore. Pain has become the god to rewrite the world. He will make sure that all people will experience pain. Only then will everybody be equal.
"Pain," Konan said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I know you are eager for the plan to be executed as soon as possible, but you are putting too much strain on your body. You need some rest."
"God's don't need rest." Pain answered indifferently, not sparing a look backward. Konan seemed strangely uncomfortable with the answer.
"Nagato-"
"Don't call me that, it's the name of my former self." Pain turned around, looking Konan straight in the eyes. "You are excused, Konan. Don't bother me for the rest of the day."
Konan opened her mouth to object, but Pain already jumped upon the railing. Then he, not even thinking for a second, stepped forward. However, instead of falling, he lingered in the air.
Pain stood above the town, flying low enough for the civilians to see him. That didn't bother him as he skillfully moved through the air until eventually reaching several tunnels leading underground.
Taking a deep breath, Pain stepped forward into the one on the right.
'Just as I thought.' Pain looked in front of him. There, in the center of the tunnel, strange energy was forming into a circle. It looked like a portal. Strange thing was, however, that he didn't feel any kind of chakra coming from it.
Instead, it was an extremely violent accumulation of force. "Even with rinnegan, it took me five hours to detect this thing." Pain stepped closer to the portal. It wasn't time to be cautious now.
Something was definitely strange about this entire situation, but Pain could feel it. That turbulent power... that ancient power. Whatever it was, it couldn't simply be left to be.
Pain fell into the portal.
-
Nagato felt pain, the feeling he has already forgotten. Not the empty abyss that was constantly throbbing in his heart, but the physical pain. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see that the world was turned upside down.
No. It was him who was upside down. Nagato looked around and saw his feet tied to the rope. He reached for his weap- weapon? Something was wrong.
His gown was changed into a strange cotton clothing of blue color(T-shirt). Not only that, but his entire body felt weak... as if he had been drained of power.
His chakra... the energy that he could feel in his body was definitely not it. It was similar in comparison. It seemed to be weaker, yet extremely violent.
"What happened?" Nagato didn't think anymore and just reacted on instinct. Despite his weakness, he removed the rope around his feet. He fell to the ground but promptly regained posture.
"It's not just that my energy was entirely drained, I don't have any physical strength." Nagato sighed, then silently, almost reluctantly, walked to the piece of the broken window near him.
Nagato looked into his reflection. He frowned, standing there for an extremely long time. Many thoughts passed through his mind at that moment as he could remember stepping into the portal and suddenly appearing here.
The person in the reflection was a deity, the one who has created Pain and the one who has defeated the infamous Hanzo. Nagato.
"This is the place." A group of three people suddenly walked into the valley, whispering quietly. They, however, stopped after noticing Nagato.
"Nagato," The person in the center of the group, dressed in a strange dark coat, stepped forward. "How did you escape? I have left you on the brink of death. If anything, you shouldn't be able to stand either."
Nagato ignored the group, focusing on his reflection in the glass. There was no other explanation. He was in a completely different place, perhaps even the dimension.
Judging by this strange energy in his body, the fundamentals of reality have been changed. These people, for example, didn't have enough of this chakra-like energy to be even be considered a genin.
"I am sorry for the inconvenience, gentlemen. Perhaps it's also a splendid chance for you to see that I am delivering you only the top goods." A mischievous smile formed on the face of the man. "Just half an hour ago, he was on the brink of death, yet now he is standing as if nothing happened. He will make an inestimable slave."
"Ah, Mark. Just sell me whoever. I just need a few more pairs of hands." The man further away from Nagato said as the other one nodded.
"I will be sure to comply, just let me have a moment." The man in coat walked towards Nagato, bearing a revolting expression on his face. Nagato, however, did little as to point his hand towards the man.
"Even in another dimension where chakra was replaced by something much weaker, nothing is any different. There are those who suffer and those who profit from the suffering of others." Nagato finally turned to glance at the approaching man, who has already taken out a knife from his pocket.
"Nagato, you have always been obedient since I have purchased you, yet at the most crucial moment, you do something like this?" The man increased his pace. "You were lucky it didn't destroy my reputation, now be obedient and greet your new owners."
Nagato glanced at his hand, still pointed towards the man. "Banshou Ten'in" Nagato said, his expression indifferent. Suddenly, the man was pushed forward towards Nagato.
Nagato grabbed the man by the neck and took a moment to look the man in the eyes, whose expression changed significantly. All his playful attitude disappeared and was replaced by that of horror.
"Your eyes..." The man mumbled, yet Nagato didn't bother answering. He grabbed the piece of broken glass and cleanly slit the man's throat. It didn't even take a second for the man to die.
The other two gentlemen were shocked at the scene; they were slowly retreating, taking careful steps back. Nagato didn't give any chance of hope as he pushed the pieces of broken glass towards them and killed them as easily.
"They probably caused so much pain for the people of this world, yet they were so weak." Nagato grabbed the man's coat, then put it onto himself. "This place isn't any different from mine. Everything is filled with such hatred. Weak hurt the weaker just to make themselves feel superior."