"Is that not enough?" Kyuushin said as a matter of course.
"You might not know much about shinobi. For shinobi, killing is commonplace. If your parents could potentially affect Uchiha Madara's plan, then he wouldn't have any psychological burden in taking action."[2][6]
"This... this..."
Nagato was angry but also a bit confused. He didn't have a strong obsession with becoming a shinobi; Yahiko was the main one pushing for them to catch up in the Land of Rain.
But if becoming a shinobi meant turning out like that, then he hesitated about whether to learn ninjutsu.
"Don't talk nonsense," Mito said to Kyuushin with a hint of annoyance, then turned to Nagato and said,
"Everyone's choices are different, and their behavior after becoming a shinobi is also different. Not every shinobi is a mass murderer. You also have your own choices; just protect yourself.
Kyuushin said that only to prepare you mentally. For someone like Uchiha Madara, killing a few ordinary people is indeed simple."[2]
Nagato felt a little better after hearing Mito say that, but then he asked,
"Was what you just said a guess or a fact? Was it that person who put these eyes on me?"
"Naturally, it's just a guess, but..."
Mito's words trailed off, half-finished. Clearly, she agreed with Kyuushin's speculation, and although the Nine-Tails didn't have a good relationship with her, Mito didn't think the information it provided was false.
If the Nine-Tails' information was true, then the subsequent deductions were almost logical. However, whether the person who placed the Rinnegan on Nagato was Uchiha Madara, Mito could only remain skeptical until she found conclusive evidence.
Although the existing evidence suggested that this person could only be Uchiha Madara, Mito still reserved her judgment.
Nagato also understood Mito's unfinished sentence, but then he thought of something else and asked urgently,
"If that's the case, won't you also be in danger? I mean, will he allow me to stay in Konoha?"
Upon hearing this, Mito's gaze towards Nagato softened a few shades. To still consider the safety of others after experiencing such events, Nagato's evaluation in her heart rose a few points.
"Actually, I'm also thinking about this problem," Kyuushin said, stroking his chin in thought.
"If it really is Uchiha Madara, then logically, there were many opportunities to abduct you again while I was bringing you to Konoha, but the journey was calm and peaceful, which is indeed a bit strange."
Nagato and Mito also showed expressions of agreement. For Uchiha Madara, the Rinnegan must be extremely important; he should have no reason to watch Nagato enter Konoha.[2]
But Kyuushin continued, "But then I thought, if Uchiha Madara were to intercept us halfway, wouldn't that clearly indicate that Nagato was arranged by someone? For someone like him, who is hidden, that might not be a good thing.
Secondly, even if someone in Konoha knew Nagato had the Rinnegan, they would certainly protect him well. Uchiha Madara wouldn't anticipate that we would guess his involvement, so Nagato would still be safe.
For him, as long as Nagato can become a shinobi, where he is might not be important. As long as Nagato can grow up successfully, Uchiha Madara will have the opportunity to take him out of Konoha at any time, won't he?"
Indeed, if it weren't for Kyuushin's spoiler-like reasoning here, even if someone in Konoha knew Nagato possessed the Rinnegan, the Third Hokage would not allow anyone to snatch him away and might even protect him better.
The current Third Hokage still had some prestige in Konoha; as long as he spoke, even if someone wanted to target Nagato, they certainly wouldn't act openly.
Once Nagato grew up, with Uchiha Madara's methods, there would be plenty of opportunities to make Nagato defect from Konoha. Even Kyuushin at this moment could think of several ways.
Moreover, during this process, Uchiha Madara could still hide well in the shadows without being exposed, and then proceed with his plan as usual.[5][2]
Uchiha Madara's idea was flawless. Under normal circumstances, even if Nagato was brought back to Konoha, it probably wouldn't stop his subsequent plans.
But the unfortunate part was that he hadn't anticipated Kyuushin, and certainly wouldn't have expected that under Kyuushin's guidance, his intentions would be completely revealed.
Some things are easier to do in secret, but once exposed, the probability of success becomes minuscule.
"What Kyuushin said is indeed very reasonable," Mito said after a moment of thought.
"If it really is Uchiha Madara, then his concealment is crucial. After all, his name is too well-known in the shinobi world. If he were exposed without absolute certainty, the attention of the entire shinobi world would focus on him, making anything he wanted to do much more difficult.
Thinking about it this way, was his battle with Hashirama also within his expectations? Then he would be too terrifying."
By the last sentence, Mito's tone couldn't help but sink again.
"Grandma, I actually think that even if Uchiha Madara faked his death, he must have been forced to do so. After all, who would hide themselves for decades for no reason?"
Regarding what Mito had just said, Kyuushin had a different opinion. In his view, Uchiha Madara was indeed defeated by Hashirama in the Valley of the End battle, which forced him to choose to fake his death.[2]
If he could have defeated Senju Hashirama, why would he need to stay in the dark underground for decades?
So he said to Nagato, "At least until you grow up, you don't have to worry about this. Even if Uchiha Madara is alive, he certainly doesn't have much power left. In my opinion, it's impossible for him to provoke Konoha."
"So it's still possible in the future?" Nagato said, looking at Kyuushin.
Kyuushin hesitated for a moment, but looking into Nagato's eyes, he sighed and said,
"If I were Uchiha Madara, once you grew up, I would find a way to make you defect from Konoha, such as by spreading false information, or by having Yahiko or Konan undertake a mission that would guarantee their deaths.
This way, you would direct your anger at Konoha. If it didn't work once, I could try again until you defected. This is the simplest method."[6][2]
If Nagato were in the Land of Rain, Kyuushin would still have some guesses about Uchiha Madara's actions, but after coming to Konoha, the situation became many times more complex, and the difficulty of guarding against Uchiha Madara would also be much greater at this time.
"Is that how it is? Make me a lonely person, despair of this world, and then he approaches me, making me willingly work for him."
Nagato wasn't a fool. Kyuushin merely gave a small example, and he could understand Uchiha Madara's purpose in doing so.[7][2]
"Indeed, that's the greatest possibility, but you don't need to rush now. It will be at least ten years until you truly grow up, and that much time is enough for us to prepare."
Nagato was a few years younger than Kyuushin now. No matter how anxious Uchiha Madara was, he would at least wait until Nagato came of age before making a move.
Ten years from now, optimistically, Kyuushin would also have enough power to contend with Uchiha Madara head-on—of course, this refers to Uchiha Madara without the Rinnegan.
Madara's Rinnegan exclusive abilities were simply too unresolvable. One either needed to possess the Rinnegan to see through them, or reach the Six Paths Level to sense them.[8][2]
Without these two conditions, no matter how much power one possessed, one could only be passively beaten in front of Madara with the Rinnegan.
After hearing Kyuushin's comfort, Nagato gradually calmed down. The amount of information he received today was simply too vast, leaving him feeling mentally exhausted.
Now that he had relaxed a little, he felt like he couldn't hold on. Seeing this, Mito immediately said,
"You'll stay with me for a while. I still need to think about sealing the Rinnegan. First, I'm afraid I'll have to study the Rinnegan. What do you think?"
"I'll listen to you," Nagato nodded without objection. He now largely knew that Yahiko and Konan would be in danger because of him in the future. He even dared not stay with them anymore.
"My name is Mito. You can call me Grandma from now on."
Mito walked over and stroked Nagato's hair, saying kindly, "Come on, don't overthink it. I'll take you to rest first."
Mito settled Nagato into his room and only came out after he had fallen asleep. Seeing Kyuushin still following, she said with a hint of annoyance,
"You've given me quite a fright today. My old bones were almost scared to death by you."
"Grandma, I couldn't help it. Whenever there's a problem, I think of you," Kyuushin said, seeing Mito like this, quickly going forward to hug her arm and saying some kind words.
In his previous life, Kyuushin's grandmother passed away early, but in this world, he truly regarded Mito as his own grandmother.
"Never mind. While I can still protect you for a few years, go ahead and cause trouble. I won't ask how you know all this information anymore," Mito said, shaking her head.
Earlier, when Kyuushin was reasoning, Mito felt something was off, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.
But now, thinking calmly, such significant information was completely exposed within Kyuushin's every word, as if everything was within Kyuushin's predictions.
It seemed that her eldest grandson definitely had things about him that she didn't understand, but Mito was old and wise and knew that Kyuushin should not be detrimental to Konoha, so she simply let it go.
"Hehe, Grandma is so good. Oh, right, Grandma, I've successfully synthesized a kekkei genkai."
Kyuushin also knew that the previous reasoning process was too smooth, and Mito probably noticed it, but it didn't matter. He trusted Mito, just as Mito trusted him.
So he simply moved on, and he also took the opportunity to talk about his Ice Release. As expected, after hearing this information, Mito's face indeed showed a surprised expression.
"Really? What kekkei genkai is it?" Mito asked.
"Grandma, look."
Kyuushin immediately condensed a wisp of Ice Release chakra, guiding it to his hand, and instantly, a piece of ice crystal appeared in his hand.
"It's Ice Release, after all."
Mito stroked the ice crystal, feeling its coolness, and couldn't help but feel a little dazed.
She had seen many kekkei genkai; Senju Hashirama possessed the unique Wood Release. But those kekkei genkai were either inherited from a family or suddenly awakened.
And for someone like Kyuushin, who synthesized one himself, she had not only never seen it but had never even heard of it.
Clearly, Kyuushin had given her another big surprise.