A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Nagato had been comatose for a long time. It wasn't just his physical injuries, his mind was in a self-imposed shutdown.

As an intensely obsessive idealist, Nagato couldn't accept the loss of his identity as the "Child of Prophecy."

Thus, he had sealed his consciousness away. Even Aoba had been unable to breach his mental barriers using genjutsu.

During his recovery in Konoha, Nagato's physical injuries had fully healed.

There was a reason why Madara had chosen him as a vessel. Nagato's vitality far surpassed that of Karin and Yumi, his fellow Uzumaki Clan members, by a wide margin.

In Aoba's estimation, not even Naruto could match Nagato's potential in terms of raw physical vitality. Naruto's strength, however, lay not only in his body but also in his chakra.

As the reincarnation of Asura, Naruto's uniqueness stemmed from his chakra and spiritual dimensions.

Aoba didn't want to give up on Nagato, whose potential was unparalleled. Thus, he continued his efforts to awaken him.

In the lab, Konan sat quietly by Nagato's bedside.

Her feelings for Nagato were deep and complicated. As Yahiko's former lover, her relationship with Nagato was more akin to that of siblings.

But emotions between men and women are often nuanced. When Yahiko was alive, things were clear. When Yahiko died, and Nagato immersed himself in the role of the "God" and "Child of Prophecy," their dynamic remained stable.

Now, however, Yahiko was long gone, and Nagato, stripped of his Rinnegan, was no longer the invincible figure he once was. He had reverted to the vulnerable Nagato Uzumaki of old.

This transformation allowed Konan's repressed emotions to quietly surface.

When Aoba entered the room, Konan stood up and stepped aside to let him examine Nagato.

"His physical injuries have mostly healed. Without the Rinnegan draining his vitality, his recovery has been far more impressive than expected. In fact, his mind hasn't been externally damaged. It's more like a self-imposed barrier. If you want him to wake up sooner, you'll need to talk to him more and try to awaken the positive memories he has."

"…I talk to him every day, but it doesn't seem to help."

"Then you're not reaching deep enough. Nagato's current state is delicate. Since his body is already healed, he should be able to hear some of the outside world. As someone closest to him, you need to try harder."

In the forests surrounding Konoha, Sasuke's team had arrived at their target location.

After observing from a distance, Sasuke quickly realized something was off about this group of so-called "rogue ninjas."

"There are more of them than expected, and they've set up a complete defensive perimeter. This isn't something ordinary rogue ninjas would do."

"They're probably remnants of the daimyo's ninja army. After their defeat, they regrouped into smaller factions," Karin speculated, her analysis surprisingly accurate.

Of course, this wasn't due to exceptional intelligence. It was because she lived with Aoba and had absorbed a lot of knowledge by osmosis.

During the direct confrontation between Konoha and the Fire Daimyo's ninja army, Konoha had crushed them with overwhelming force but refrained from pursuing the survivors.

As a result, the defeated forces scattered and appeared across the Fire Country in small, disorganized groups.

Not all ninjas were as disciplined as Konoha's current forces. These rogue ninjas quickly descended into lawlessness, forming bandit groups that wreaked havoc across the land.

For a time, towns and villages in the Fire Country outside Konoha's direct protection were plunged into chaos.

This situation, however, was intentionally orchestrated by Aoba.

After all, comparisons breed discontent. Aoba aimed to dismantle the old Fire Country system and rebuild it with Konoha as its core.

This was no simple task. The old system was deeply entrenched, and much of the Fire Country's population still yearned for a new daimyo to take charge.

Even within Konoha, some citizens resented the war with the daimyo.

While ninja villages were less than a century old, the daimyo system had existed for over a thousand years. Breaking such a deeply ingrained system wasn't easy.

Since Aoba lacked the time and energy to forcefully unify the people, he chose a darker path.

By allowing the rogue ninjas to wreak havoc, he highlighted the incompetence of the old nobility.

In the face of such suffering, the Fire Country's populace began to see Konoha as a beacon of stability and prosperity.

Under subtle guidance, many started migrating toward Konoha.

This migration allowed Konoha to selectively accept skilled laborers and valuable immigrants, accelerating its development.

Others were directed to settle in villages surrounding Konoha, creating a buffer zone akin to modern suburbs.

While these settlements didn't offer the same privileges as living in Konoha, they still fell under the protection of Konoha's ninja forces, making them far safer than before.

The group of rogue ninjas Sasuke's team was targeting had begun preying on these outlying settlements.

This was beyond Konoha's tolerance. Once Aoba received the report, he immediately dispatched a team to eliminate them.

"There are twenty-four ninjas in total. One has a chakra level comparable to Konoha's average jōnin, and another matches the level of a tokubetsu jōnin. Among the rest, six are chūnin-level, and the rest are genin-level," Karin reported, her Mind's Eye of the Kagura effortlessly assessing the enemy's composition from several kilometers away.

"What? Just one jōnin? Let's charge in and take them down directly!"

Naruto started yelling again. After his intensive training with Minato, Naruto's confidence had skyrocketed. He didn't even consider a single jōnin to be a threat.

In truth, even Sasuke felt a sense of relief after hearing Karin's report.

Just one jōnin. For their team, it wasn't much of a challenge.

"Alright, let's quickly formulate a strategy. Our mission is to completely eliminate this group of rogue ninjas, so no one can escape.

Naruto, once the battle starts, use your Shadow Clones to block all escape routes. Make sure not a single one gets away. Karin will support you with her jutsu.

Yugito, you'll team up with me to handle the jōnin and tokubetsu jōnin. Now, check your gear. We move in one minute."

One minute later, as the team was just about to launch their attack, Karin suddenly called out.

"Wait a second... Someone's coming."

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Currently on Chapter 288 - Aoba's "Kotoamatsukami"