Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 417 Negotiations Break Down

"You've blocked the path to peace, so I have nothing to say to you."

Pain's voice was icy, and his Rinnegan showed no emotion whatsoever, only indifference and a sense of judgment.

"Is that so?" Menma maintained his calm demeanor. "Then why haven't you made a move yet?"

Payne remained silent.

Nagato's mind raced beneath the mask—unless things escalated to a point of no return, it was indeed unwise for him to take direct action at this moment.

This is Amegakure, his foundation, the land he promised to give peace to. And since the other party was able to appear silently at the core of the tower... knowing the other party's specific methods and arrangements, all the villagers of Amegakure are now no different from hostages in the other party's hands.

Judging from [Jin]'s past actions, he doesn't seem to be someone who indiscriminately kills innocent people, but Nagato dares not gamble—the peace he carries is too heavy a burden to bear, and he cannot afford to take any risks.

"Are you testing... God's limits?" Pain slowly spoke. "Do you really believe... you possess the power to rival me?"

It was a kind of obsessive arrogance and self-importance rooted in absolute power and a tragic past—perhaps it could also be called a heavy and lonely kind of "chuunibyou" (adolescent delusions of grandeur).

Having experienced extreme suffering and seen through the futility of war, Nagato firmly believes that the path to peace is not weak diplomacy and negotiation, but absolute deterrence that can instill fear in everyone and prevent them from fighting again.

Menma even held a hint of admiration for this—if the other party's "deterrence" wasn't based on a dangerous deception plan to capture the Tailed Beasts and create the ultimate weapon.

"Let me give you some advice." Menma's voice carried a hint of solemnity. "You don't want to be my enemy. Your Rinnegan... isn't truly your power."

"boom--!!!"

A violent surge of chakra exploded without warning, sweeping through the entire interior of the tower centered on Pain! Dust and debris were violently pushed aside, and a hum of pressure filled the air.

For the first time, Pain's Rinnegan erupted with a tangible, furious killing intent, locking onto Menma.

"Having merely gained a little power... you dare to presume to judge the gods?" The voice of the Heavenly Dao was slightly distorted by suppressed anger. "Relying solely on superficial intimidation, you think you're the protagonist of the world? Indulging in the illusion of fleeting peace... do you think death is far away?"

"BOOM—!!!"

In response, an even more vast and profound torrent of chakra erupted from Menma's body! The power was not ostentatious, but it carried a weight and antiquity originating from the stars themselves, instantly crushing and annihilating the pressure released by Pain!

The tower's sturdy iron walls groaned under the weight, and the stone slabs on the ground cracked inch by inch, with the cracks spreading wildly like a spider web to the corners.

The entire space trembled under the weight of these two silent, colliding forces.

"Don't get so agitated." Menma's voice remained calm. "It seems you can't believe what I'm saying now... What a pity... Although I agree that 'mutual deterrence' might be a path to peace, your plan has always been nothing more than a pawn used by Uchiha Obito."

"Why should I believe you?" Pain's low growl echoed amidst the surging chakra.

"As long as we grasp the 'absolute' key, the truth will come to light."

"You want me to attack members of Akatsuki without any evidence?!"

"I told you, calm down." Menma shook his head slightly. "I don't want to fight here either. If we really start fighting... the entire Amegakure will probably be reduced to ruins in the aftershocks."

Upon hearing this, Konan's face turned deathly pale. Her gaze toward Menma was filled with unprecedented solemnity and vigilance—she absolutely could not stand idly by and watch this "peaceful" land, which she and Nagato had painstakingly maintained and cherished, be completely destroyed because of an uncontrollable battle.

"...I will not stop." Pain slowly lowered his hand, the killing intent in his Rinnegan undiminished. "The only path to peace...is this one. I will never back down on this."

Mianma sighed silently to himself.

It seems that Nagato won't listen to anything anymore.

Obito was obviously not here either, so it seems impossible to capture him here immediately and reveal the truth.

"...Alright." Menma finally made a decision. "Then, two days from now...I'll be waiting for you outside Amegakure."

At that time, everything will become clear.

He thought to himself that if he pushed Nagato too hard at this moment and insisted on stopping his plan to capture the Tailed Beasts, then even if Amegakure was destroyed, Nagato would probably not hesitate to take action—which would not be surprising.

For the sake of "peace," Nagato was even willing to kill his mentor who had taught him diligently for three years... Compared to that, he might indeed seem somewhat indecisive.

But if that kind of decisiveness is what constitutes "decisiveness"... Menma would rather stay as it is now.

He said no more and turned to face the dark void gate that had silently reappeared in the air.

There's another reason for giving two days—according to intelligence, the Akatsuki organization seems to have been re-filled after its original members were poached one by one. Who could it be?

But it doesn't matter, it's fine, we can solve it together when the time comes.

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(Sorry it's a bit short today, the author has to go on a trip, but doesn't want to stop updating)