With Hanzō of the Salamander gone, the Akatsuki's future would be unshackled.Yahiko would no longer need to sacrifice himself, and with Raiden Takuma—this near-immortal cultivator—guiding them from the shadows, their potential was boundless.
The sight of the three children stirred something in Raiden's heart. But it was not the desire to take disciples. No, he wanted something else—servants. Loyal retainers would make his movements in this shinobi world far more convenient.
Even from afar, Raiden's divine sense picked up the whispers between the three children.
"If we had the strength of those three Leaf shinobi, we wouldn't have to just stand by and watch wars erupt without being able to stop them."
"Then let's seek them out. If we could become their disciples…"
Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan—war orphans of the Hidden Rain. Having lived through bloodshed and loss, the only thought left in their hearts was strength. Strength to change this world. Strength to end the wars and restore peace.
Raiden Takuma did not slow his flight. With the Three Sannin of Konoha in tow, he continued toward the village. But the three didn't notice a sliver of light slip free from behind Raiden's head. That light streaked downward, racing straight toward the children.
The three orphans had just resolved themselves, their spirits reignited, preparing to seek out the Sannin and beg for training.
Instead, a streak of brilliance descended from the sky, condensing into the form of a strangely dressed young shinobi. He landed before them with an aura that didn't belong to any ordinary man.
This was Raiden Takuma's Soul Avatar. Cloaked in an unnatural haze, his figure looked blurred, as though veiled by mist—mysterious, untouchable.
The three children froze in place, then instinctively shifted into a defensive stance. These were times of war. For a foreign shinobi to appear before them without warning—there was only one explanation. Enemy.
But before they could react further, the Soul Avatar merely raised his hand.
Nagato and the others instantly felt it—a crushing, alien force binding their bodies. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't move even a finger.
The Soul Avatar gave a mocking chuckle.
"With a snap of my fingers, I could erase you three from existence. If I wished to kill you, do you really think you'd have lived this long?"
The words cut straight through their defiance. The children ceased their resistance, lowering their heads, waiting silently for what would come next.
"You three crave strength, don't you? You want the power to change this world with your own hands?"
The question was cruel in its playfulness. Raiden didn't even consider that he was speaking to mere children.
"We do!" Yahiko declared first, his eyes burning with conviction.Nagato followed with a firm nod, though his lips trembled.Konan, however, shrank back, half-hiding behind the two boys. But even she, timid as she was, gave a quiet nod.
The Soul Avatar's smile deepened, though there was no warmth in it.
"Very well. Then I shall grant you the chance to become my servants. What follows will hurt—a great deal. Endure it, or fall unconscious and lose forever the opportunity to grow stronger."
Before they could respond, the Avatar dissolved into three streaks of dazzling light, each one piercing into the center of their foreheads.
Agonizing pain ripped through their minds. It felt as though their very souls were being torn open. The forest rang with the screams of children, their cries echoing long into the distance.
For half a day, the screams rose and fell, until finally they ceased.
Nagato was the first to rise. His body still trembled, but when he closed his eyes, he felt it—something new, carved into the depths of his soul. Knowledge, power, memory not his own.
He understood. The light that had pierced into them was not an attack, but a Soul Seed—an inheritance far beyond any scroll of jutsu. The Soul Seed didn't just pass down techniques; it carried energy, knowledge, and strength itself.