"Don't look so surprised."
"You've been through worse."
Nagato shut the door behind him and took a seat across from Genji at the table.
"Did you come here to kill me?"
Genji's grip on his cane tightened, the veins on his hand bulging from the pressure.
"If I wanted to kill you, why would I go through all this trouble?"
Nagato leaned back slightly. The chair was surprisingly comfortable.
"Then what do you want?"
Genji remained wary, his tone unfriendly.
"Sit down and talk."
"That cane of yours—do you really think it'll protect you?"
Nagato gestured for Genji to sit. A tense standoff wasn't the right atmosphere for this discussion.
"You're invaders."
"What's there to talk about?"
A hint of embarrassment flickered across Genji's face.
Still, after a brief hesitation, he set his cane aside and sat down, his expression cold.
He understood that if Nagato truly intended to kill him, a wooden stick wouldn't make the slightest difference.
"This is better. A proper conversation."
"We're not exactly strangers, after all."
"Years ago, I had the pleasure of your hospitality in Kirigakure."
Nagato gave Genji a long look, putting extra weight on the word hospitality.
"No need to dig up the past."
"Just get to the point."
Genji's eyelid twitched. For a moment, he thought Nagato had come to settle old scores.
He had never treated the boy kindly back then. If not for the Third Mizukage's orders, he would have ensured Nagato never forgot his time in Kirigakure.
And if he had done that?
Well, he'd already be dead by now.
"I thought old men liked reminiscing, but I see you're quite direct, Elder Genji."
Nagato smiled, though whether it was mockery or simple observation was unclear.
"If you were really here to chat about the past, I wouldn't expect to walk out of this room alive."
"So just say what you came to say."
Genji watched Nagato carefully. This boy clearly had no patience for pleasantries.
And not all past connections were worth revisiting.
What if, mid-conversation, Nagato got angry and killed him? What a pointless death that would be.
"Fine."
"I'll be straightforward."
Nagato sat up, his expression turning serious.
"Elder Genji, I came here for one reason."
"I want you to surrender Kirigakure."
He fell silent after that, watching Genji's reaction.
His gaze was calm. There was no threat in his eyes, no killing intent in his voice.
"Surrender?"
"Are you serious?"
Genji didn't look particularly shocked, as if he had already expected this.
"Do you want the truth or a lie?"
Nagato didn't answer directly. Instead, he smirked slightly and threw the question back at him.
"What do you mean?"
The tense atmosphere between them began to ease, and Genji settled into his usual composure.
"Kirigakure has capable shinobi, many of whom are worth recruiting."
"Just the other day, I saw a little girl with two Kekkei Genkai."
"We'd love to bring in such exceptional talent—including all the Kiri shinobi."
Nagato spoke as if he were praising a promising ally rather than addressing a defeated enemy. He even offered Genji a polite smile.
"That girl is Mei Terumī. She's got potential."
"But you're lying, aren't you?"
Genji brought up Mei's name, knowing full well that Nagato's words were just a formality.
With Konoha backing Akatsuki, they had no need for Kirigakure's remnants.
If the Fourth Mizukage and the Six-Tails Jinchūriki were still around, this might have been believable. But now? Not a chance.
"Kirigakure is a fish on the chopping block."
"The only reason we haven't wiped you out is because we took pity on you."
"But you—how could you send old men and children onto the battlefield?"
"Is your heart made of stone?"
Nagato's words were like knives, cutting deep into Genji's conscience.
For a moment, it felt like a blade had sliced through his chest.
What truly shocked him, though, was Nagato's apparent mercy.
"I never thought you'd hesitate to finish us off."
Genji's reaction was only natural. Given the circumstances, he had no choice but to fight to the bitter end.
If Akatsuki had chosen brute force, Kirigakure would have had no alternative but to resist with everything they had.
"Heh."
"I'm giving you a choice—think carefully before you answer."
"If you refuse to surrender, then sit here and wait for news of your forces being wiped out."
Nagato had said all he needed to. He wasn't going to waste more words.
His sharp gaze bore into Genji, and the room grew cold.
"What will happen to our shinobi?"
Genji finally broke the silence.
"If you surrender, you become one of us."
"We take care of our own."
"That gifted girl—Mei Terumī—we could give her proper training."
"Maybe even send her to Konoha someday."
Nagato spoke of Konoha as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Can I trust you?"
Genji wasn't expecting special treatment for his shinobi. Just survival was already more than he could hope for.
He didn't want to see his people slaughtered on the battlefield.
This fight had never been fair. Since the Fourth Mizukage's defeat, Kirigakure had lost the right to choose its own fate.
"You shouldn't ask that."
"Do you even have a choice?"
Nagato smirked. The fact that Genji was asking at all meant he was already considering it.
"Heh. You're right."
"I don't have a choice."
"I'll order our shinobi back to the village. Kirigakure will open its gates to you."
Genji let out a bitter laugh and shook his head. But his decision was made.
He wasn't the type to hesitate.
This was the best outcome Kirigakure could hope for.
"Good. The shinobi of Kirigakure will thank you for this choice, Elder Genji."
"Do you need me to stay?"
Nagato wasn't offering to monitor him, but he knew not everyone in Kirigakure would accept this decision easily.
If anyone resisted, he could deal with them on Genji's behalf.
"No need. My word still carries weight here."
Genji declined the offer. He was still in control of Kirigakure—he didn't need Nagato's interference.
"Very well."
"Then I won't stay any longer."
"We'll be right behind your people. I trust there won't be any unexpected trouble."
Nagato stood as he spoke, giving Genji a subtle warning.
"Don't worry."
Genji didn't take offense. He simply nodded and stood as well, personally opening the door to see Nagato out.
"Oh, by the way—"
"You should be thanking my sensei for this."
"If he hadn't spoken on your behalf, things might have ended differently."
"Farewell."
Without waiting for a response, Nagato vanished with a flicker.
"Kawakaze Hatake…"
Genji muttered to himself, staring at the now-empty hallway.
"What the First Hokage was unwilling to do back then… Kawakaze might just accomplish now."
His mind pieced together everything—Konoha's movements in the Land of Earth, Akatsuki's actions, the entire war itself.
It all fit together like an intricate puzzle.
And the more he thought about it, the clearer it became—
This had all been planned from the start.