บท 236: Chapter 234: Nagato’s Social Anxiety and Good Health

When Byakuya arrived at Kusagakure with Mui and Muku, the battle inside the village had already ended.

Passing through the main street of Kusagakure, Byakuya soon reached the Kusagakure Headquarters and found Nagato, wearing his Akatsuki cloak, looking bewildered. Around him lay defeated Kusagakure shinobi, unconscious on the ground.

Witnessing the scene, Mui felt a chill down his spine. Watching his fellow Kusagakure shinobi fall in a live battle was much more shocking than seeing it happen through a distant projection.

He couldn't fathom how these ninjas, who were around his own strength level, had lost even when fighting together. Could this plain, skinny young man before him really have a beast hidden within him?

Ignoring the defeated Kusagakure shinobi on the ground, Byakuya approached Nagato and said, "Nagato, didn't you call for backup just now? Where is the enemy?"

Nagato's expression turned awkward upon hearing this.

Earlier, he had infiltrated the Kusagakure Headquarters and was discovered and surrounded by the village's leader. Feeling he might not be able to handle the combined force of the Kusagakure leader and several Jonin, he had sent a request for aid to Byakuya.

The Kusagakure leader, while not on par with the Five Kage, should be at least as strong as an elder of one of the Great Five Shinobi Villages.

But when the real battle began, Nagato quickly realized...

The Kusagakure leader was merely an elite Jonin, and the other Kusagakure ninjas were even weaker than he had expected, barely at the level of special Jonin.

Using only three of his Six Paths, Nagato had effortlessly taken down the entire Kusagakure force.

After dealing with the Kusagakure's higher-ups, Nagato, lacking negotiation skills, could only wait helplessly for Byakuya to arrive.

Of course, while Nagato felt embarrassed, his image was perceived very differently by others.

At this moment, Kusagakure was in the midst of a fierce struggle between the Hawk and Dove factions.

The Dove faction, holding the advantage, was actively capturing spies from the Hawk faction throughout the village when they unexpectedly encountered Nagato.

Initially, two Kusagakure Chunin had tried to apprehend Nagato but were quickly defeated, prompting the village to send special Jonin, then Jonin, and finally even the Kusagakure leader.

Yet all of them were no match for Nagato and ended up sprawled across the ground, defeated.

The Kusagakure leader had attempted to negotiate with Nagato, but Nagato remained indifferent and unresponsive, making them feel as though they were staring into an abyss.

After a moment of silence, Nagato finally spoke, "The enemies were weaker than I expected. I didn't know how to negotiate, so I waited for you here."

He paused before adding, "Also, were you lying to me before? I seem to be quite strong."

At this, the Kusagakure shinobi around them looked on in shock, struggling to believe what they were hearing.

Byakuya patted Nagato on the shoulder and replied, "The situation in Kusagakure is unique and doesn't represent the entire Shinobi World. There are still many powerful shinobi out there, at least a dozen stronger than us. For example, do you think you could defeat one of the Legendary Sannin like Jiraiya?"

Nagato thought for a moment, then shook his head, "I don't think I could take on Jiraiya-sensei. Even if I used all Six Paths of Rinnegan, I couldn't bring him down."

Byakuya continued to guide him patiently, "Exactly. If you can't even be sure of defeating Jiraiya, how could we ever contend with the Five Kage, the pinnacle of the Shinobi World? That's why you'll still need to keep training hard."

Nagato nodded in agreement, seeming to accept Byakuya's words.

Seeing that he'd successfully convinced Nagato again, Byakuya sighed in relief, thinking he'd need a different line of reasoning next time.

As for how strong Nagato actually was, even Byakuya wasn't certain.

After all, both his battle experience and resolve were different from the Nagato of the original timeline.

Following the principle that "the darker, the stronger," the original Nagato might have had the edge.

However, the original Nagato was weakened by his injuries, whereas Byakuya's Nagato was "Healthy Nagato," which, although not as extreme as "Healthy Itachi," still represented a significant power boost.

Returning from his wandering thoughts, Byakuya approached the Kusagakure leader and knelt down beside him.

The Kusagakure leader looked up at Byakuya, suddenly recognizing him. "You're... I think I've seen you before?"

Byakuya glanced at the leader and smiled. "We did meet once a long time ago, but I'm surprised someone as important as the Kusagakure leader would remember someone like me."

"You're that little bit... I mean friend from back then… Haha…" the Kusagakure leader trailed off, remembering he was now a prisoner and his tone became subdued. "So, what's the reason for your visit this time? Kusagakure doesn't have any more ninjutsu scrolls to offer. You already took some of our shinobi last time."

Hearing this, Byakuya remained unfazed, but Nagato's expression shifted slightly.

As an orphan who had lost his parents and grown up in the war-torn era, Nagato didn't care much for his own safety, but he did worry about his friends and clan's well-being.

Years ago, if not for Byakuya's intervention, Karin might have died.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, the Kusagakure leader was confused. Wasn't Kusagakure the victim in the past? Why did they now look so furious?

Byakuya gave a cold laugh, then slashed his arm with a kunai, the wound healing almost instantly.

Seeing this, the Kusagakure leader realized with horror, "You... you're descendants of the Uzumaki Clan, just like that woman?"

Byakuya nodded. "If we had been stronger back then, we wouldn't have settled for just a few ninjutsu scrolls. Consider yourselves lucky we left it at that."

The Kusagakure leader's voice trembled, "So... this time you're here..."

Fearfully, the Kusagakure leader imagined what Byakuya and Nagato might do next. These people, exiled and vengeful, could be even more extreme than the Hawks.

Byakuya looked at him and replied, "This time, we're here to address the recent attacks by Kusagakure on the Amegakure border."

The Kusagakure leader hesitated, surprised. "When did Kusagakure attack the Amegakure border? Could it have been the Hawks?"

Considering this, he quickly added, "Sir, it was the Hawk faction. This has nothing to do with Kusagakure. I believe there's been a misunderstanding between us."

Byakuya replied impassively, "Are the Hawks not still Kusagakure shinobi?"