Hi again, so recently I have been catching up on my hero academia. I love the setting, even though sometime plot armors are very thick and and power scale is all over the place (like any shonen although it does bother me). And well I thought of a little something so here it is.

This might be updated more often than Aged Soul. It is easier to write than anything Dragon age related after all.

I really like Nagato/Pein as a character. His appearance and philosophy made him one of the best antihero in my humble opinion. I hope I will do his charater justice.

I hope you will enjoy.

If you do (or don't) please leave a comment or a constructive critic if possible, that would be appreciated.

And as it is a custom here. I own nothing.

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Betareader: Sophiebybophie. Thanks to her talent, and dark magic (I don't know how many chicken she had to sacriface for this) the following chapter is now way better! So thank you so much !

Enjoy :)

"In the end I never received my teacher acknowledgment…

Please… become a masterpiece so sublime it wipes away my mistakes… Naruto. Farewell..."

Those were the last things Nagato had thought of.

He had died and died again, his body desecrated as a mere pawn to someone else's game. A puppet on someone else's hand. The irony wasn't lost on him. But, he didn't care anymore. It was over and he was finally at peace. What he couldn't accomplish in life, he left to others to pursue. He was confident that his teacher's second student wouldn't fail where he had. Naruto would not fail him.

He could finally rest.

...Or, at least that's what he had hoped for. However, it wouldn't come to pass...

For one shouldn't call himself a god and expect to get away without consequence. The universe is not so forgiving.

Nagato awoke to the sound of a busy street— Voices, honks, and the buzz of many people. All he could see was foreign to him, nothing held a lick of familiarity. Weird rectangular vehicles— not cariages, but closer to the trains of his world— went and came from all directions. People were in in strange clothing, even stranger than the bright colors some Shinobi would wear. But it wasn't just the clothing that was strange, but the people themselves. Lot of strange people actually, here the populous seemed to be clother in looks whith his underling Kisame... with stranger styled ouftits.

He was on an extremely busy sidewalk. That much brought him some confort as Ame, the village hidden in the rain, had some similarity. Admittedly, the roads were less frequented but still…

It didn't matter, he needed to find out How, Where? And most importantly...Why?

Looking up, he could see some tall buildings, once again, not unlike the ones in his village, although, there was less drainpipe and, somehow, the atmosphere wasn't as gloomy. The buildings were of various shapes and colors, with all kinds of glowing signs and letters on or around them. The signs had some strange logos or drawings on them and some were… 'Wait, are some of those images moving? What kind of Ninjtsu does that?'

But most importantly… it wasn't raining. In fact, the sun was setting, plunging the city into a strange ambiance. The buildings surrounding him started to give off their own light. Neon signs flashed and window turned to bright glimpses of peoples homes. Each source of light helped replace the setting sun as it illuminated the ciry in all kinds of different colors... The sight was so different from the war torn country he had led.

The thought only furthered to confirm his conclusions, 'This isn't Ame...' Awestruck by the sight, Nagato extended his arm toward the sky, as if trying to grab it. Only to stop at the realization that something was off…

After quick glance at his hand, Nagato found the answer to why he was feeling so... werid.

His hand. It was so… small— Pinkish and healthy too. Young looking, something he was not. 'Not anymore.' After all, he was sick and had used up of all his remaining chakra to bring the village of Konoha back to life. During that time, he looked...—

Nagato paused— During that time... Nagato had pushed himself to the brink of...

'...I died...'

"Are you lost, kid?"

Turning his head Nagato saw an elderly man looking at him with what he could only describe as concern. Unsure of what to answer he was stuck starring at him.

The silence that followed was upsetting.

If the good old man had to be honest with himself, being scrutinized by the weird purplish-grey eyed youth wasn't the weirdest thing he'd ever experienced. But it was still unconfortable and he couldn't help but sweat under the other's gaze. The old man thoughts were loud, 'I shouldn't be thinking this way about a kid, especially one so young, but his gaze is trully unsettling.'

While the elder was fidgeting before the sight of the once self-proclaimed God, Nagato was still deep in thought, examining the situation, '… not Ame, that much is clear. The level of technology available is much too high. Most of the things I've seen have probably never been conceived in the Elemental Nations... the land of iron perhaps? No, not the style of architecture the samurai tend to use... The last thing I remember, I died. So is this simply the afterlife? No... Maybe? I might still be alive. Still in Konoha? Interrogation perharps…? No, wait I was brought back for a moment during the Fourth Shinobi War… this might just be some type of powerfull Genjutsu…"

"—Excuse me, would you like me to call the cops? Or perhaps, some Pro-Heroes? I've heard there are some specialized in bringing people home…—"

"—Kai !"

"…" "…"

"..Kai? Did you hurt yourself?" The old man asked, while eyeing the kid in front of him. Said kid was holding out his left hand, two of his fingers extended. 'And what is he doing? Did he hurt his head? Or is that a trending thing amongst young kids this day? …'

"Your assistance is unnecessary."

"Huh?"

"I will find a way back on my own. " Although he didn't know what the term 'cop' meant, Nagato could infer the meaning due to his situation. Like these so called 'Pro-Heroes', 'Cops' must also be a form of civil authority. He was in a predicament then. If he was in an unknown place with unknown people for an unknown reason, it was best not to make a scene out of it. The less people informed about him the better. Nagato could always use his talents for information gathering later.

"Oh… well..." The man scratched at his face in puzzlement,"If you're alright..."

This man, however well meaning, was starting to be a hindrance; Nagato needed more time to think and analyze the situation he was in, as well as to try and make sense of his jumbled memories.

His eyes wandered, 'This is not a Genjutsu… So this is reality. Still I do not know my current location, nor why my body appears to be younger. I need more intel. And this old man is seriously starting to be a bother…'

Gathering information was part of a ninja life. Having the appearance of an unsuspecting kid might help diminish suspicion. The once 'All-mighty Gog' looked back to the older man, 'It could also be a hindrance to have someone so concerned over my well-being, I need to lose him before he calls someone to 'help' me out.'

The man persisted, "You're sure you don't need me to call anybody?"

"No" was all that he offered for an answer. "I'll be heading home this instant." A lie obviously, but deception was part of the ninja art. Getting rid of a nuisance without using violence was the best choice of action right now. Leaving the old man on the sidewalk, Nagato headed toward one of the adjacent avenues trying to gather more information and knowledge on this place while still remaining discreet.

'What kind of discussion was that?! This kid is weird! Is it because of his quirk or did he really hit his head? He gave me the creeps!'

Completely unaware of the old man's mental state, Nagato left to accomplish his most important objective.

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'This place is weird'.

Not just a bit weird, but almost...otherwordly. Just like the buildings, the people living in this city... everything was… different. Most of the people here appeared to hold some kind of Kekkei Genkai modifying their physical appearance or some other random thing.

While Kekkei Genkai were not exactly a rare occurrence in the Elemental Nations, the amount of people that appeared to have one in this place was simply staggering. Physical abnormalities usually pointed to a Kekkei Genkai, but it wasn't always the case. If part of the normal appearing crowd also held some sort of Kekkei genkai as well…'This place would hold incredibly high military power'. The thought was concerning.

Caution was needed to be taken.

Nagato was still concerned with his lack of understanding of this new place. While using the Ningendo (Human path) would help with information gathering. Ripping th soul out of some unsuspecting civilian would probably incur the wrath of whoever might be in charge of this place. That wasn't something he wanted, especially if they were the one— ones?—that brought him here in the first place... at least, not yet.

This reasoning was exactly what led him to his current location: a random back alley. Well, not so random to be exact. It was chosen with some precise criteria. Far from the main streets, dirty and not well frequented by the general public. It seemed no matter the place, cities had some things in common: You could always find punks or low-lifes in places like this one… people that nobody would miss or shed a tear for. The perfect opportunity for some 'Information Gathering'.

Nagato wouldn't obtain anything fancy around here, that much he was sure of. Even so, the street rats held lots of knowledge, more than most people gave them credit for— At least, more than the average citizen. They knew what was considered as common knowledge— something Nagato desperately needed— But more than that they also knew the underside of this technologically advanced city. They knew who was to fear and where to go for certain things; They also knew how the local authorites worked— and how to avoid them. To summarize, when it came to information, the roaming low-lives were gold mines.

Walking into the dark and trash-filled alley wasn't an enjoyable activity for the prideful god. Taking care not to step in whatever strange and unsavory thing littered the ground, he fought to keep his face blank. Even trying not to stain his clothes…

'Wait… my clothes.' Nagato stopped to take a look at himself. He didn't have time for that back in the main street when he was interrupted by the grandpa or taken by the sight. Now that there wasn't anyone to interrupt him, what he discovered was… shocking.

He was wrapped in a red robe, not the dark one with red clouds he was so fond of, the one that was used when he was called back to life as a puppet in the Fourth Ninja War. And his body was young, far younger than it had the right to be. He didn't have the body of a kid, but it certainly was not one of a man.

And that was not the only thing that had bothered him.

Somehow… he could feel it, the Rinnegan; Eyes that weren't even his. Thoses accursed eyes that were always depriving him of his life energy, forcing him to live as a husk— No, a shadow of his former self… Those same eyes... they weren't bothering him. That was something he had never thought possible...unless.

'The only time that happened was when I…'

Swiftly, Nagato had taken out one of his kunai and sliced his left palm open.

…Nothing happened.

Well, not 'nothing', Nagato had still cut himself. Staring at his palm, he couldn't feel any pain from the wound. Though, more importantly, he wasn't bleeding. He brought his hand closer and watched as the wound started to mend itself. Little pieces of dirt, paper and leaves morphed into what appeared to be, healthy skin…

"Edo tensei?" 'This might very well be both a curse and a blessing'.

"Oya oya, what do we have here? You lost kiddo?"

"Need some help with that pointy thing? Careful you don't hurt yourself, hehehe"

"It would be such a shame with a face so cuuute~!"

"You should run to your mama, boy. Trust me, you don't want to be here!"

…

Slowly, turning his head, Nagato gazed at the five people that approached him.

A small smiled pulled at his lips.

People from this place, full of much needed informations. Seeing how they had surrounded him, Nagato doubted they'd be so willing to spill anything. But that was okay, he would just have to… collect it.

…

Night had fallen on Tokyo, giving the already dark alleyway an even creepier look. The walls shifted between red and blue; Illuminated by the dim beacon of police cars and random flashes from cameras.

A forensic team, gloved and masked were busying themselves with trying to preserve any evidence they could find. Others secured the area to keep any curious bystanders back from the site of investigation.

A tall man, in a matching overcoat and hat, raised the yellow 'Do not cross' police tape. He slipped under and approached the site. His face didn't convey anything that might have ran through his mind at the sight before him.

"Glad you finally made it here Detective." Greeted a man in a protective-vest whose most characteristic trait was his cat head.

Tsukaychi gave a small nod in gretting. "Sorry you had to wait, Officer Tamakawa; I made it as fast as I could. Heard this was bad."

The cat-man frowned, "Bad doesn't even come close to describe it."

The Detective rosed one of his eyebrows. Even though he didn't look like it, Tsukauchi knew that the man in front of him was a veteran. Tamakawa had been through, and seen, many things during his career. 'For him to make such a comment…'

Officer Tamakawa nodded and gestured to the scene aroud him, "You should go and see for yourself. Might catch something we overlook while you're at it."

Tsukauchi didn't answer, and with a stern look on his face, he approached the site.

Then…

He saw it…

Mangled corpses.

Four of them.

One was half burnt, still fuming, pinned to the ground with some kind of strange rod made of metal.

Another one was nailed to a wall with the same kind of weapon piercing his body, sprouting several cut, deep and shallow in several areas.

The third one, a female, was missing hole part of her body. One could only infer what might have happened to her looking at the sheer look of terror her face still captured in death.

The last one while also nailed to the ground was in what appeared to be a small crater. Most of his bones were broken and bent in way they were most definitely not made to bend in.

The sight was hellish.

The smell...Tsukauchi face scrunched up, 'Oh god the smell...'

This pungent odor… it would stick to his clothes for days…and only god knew how long it would remain in his mind.

"What manner of…what is that?!" Exclaimed Naomasa Tsukauchi, clearly disturbed by the sight. 'Bad doesn't come close to describe it?' Thought the detective. 'Talk about the understatement of the year.'

He swallowed and pushed passed those thoughts, he didn't come here to complain, he had a job to do.

Grabbing a pair of gloves and a much needed face-mask— All the while taking great care not to step in the blood on the floor— Tsukauchi stepped near one of the poor victims. Scanning the area, he began his investigation, trying to search for clues that might have been overlooked.

His voice came out muffled, "Do we know who they are?"

"We aren't clear on their names yet. But from their description and some testimonies they appear to be part of a small neighboring gang."

"So? You think this might be a conflict between some opposite factions that went out of hand?"

"That was the general consensus on the matter."

Carefully observing the corpse in front oh him, Tsukauchi hummed, "And what is your opinion on the matter, officer?"

"My opinion is, and forgive the crude language, that this is a load of bullshit! Meow!"

Tsukauchi kept his face blank. "And why would you think that?" 'Meow? This is clearly disturbing Tamakawa as well'.

"This is, too random. Factions that hate each other wouldn't leave such a gory mess unless it was to send a message. Even then, they wouldn't want to attract the police like this. We let them stay for a reason, and once we got enough against them, they're taken down. You don't leave tracks any old hero or detective could follow. Still, despite all the mess, there's nothing. We don't know who did this, and we don't know where they went. This isn't normal Tsukauchi."

Looking around to take another good look at the other victims, Tsukauchi could see where Tamakawa was coming from.

"Indeed, even the local lowlives wouldn't act like this." Whatever those metal rods were they all had something in common. They were deeply stabbed in articulations, not to kill, but to incapacitate while delivering extreme amount of pain at the same time. This could be said for all the other injuries as well; they avoided all vital parts but appeared extremely painful. "You think this would be the work of some new Villain?"

"Probably? Maybe? Either way, whoever did this to these sorry bastards did it with purpose. Especially if they were careful not to leave any trace of themself behind."

Tsukauchi stood back up, "...How did they die?" Seeing Tamakawa's face, the Detective waved a hand, "I mean, the metal rods seem to be placed in different places, like it didn't matter much where they were stabbed. But I don't think they simply bled out."

"You caught up on that then? I should expect no less from you Detevtive." Tamakawa looked away, back towards the flashing police cars, "your guess is as good as mine."

'Another mystery to add to the pile.' The detective sighted. This case was particularly unusual. Accidental or on purpose, violent action using quirks wasn't uncommon. This...? This was different. Precise, violent, clean and full of intent. This couldn't be the act of another gang fight.

'Could it be a villain then? But why bother with these bottom feeders?. A vigilante perhaps? Unlikely, they tend to act alone. This crime seems to indicate multiple quirks had been used. Or... had the assailant used weapons?'

As he was pondering this, something else caught his attention. Tsukauchi pointed at a building a little further away in the dark, "Officer, could you light up this wall?"

"Will do, meow" The cat-man took a flashlight from his vest to illuminate said wall.

As the light fell on the facade of the building, both men could see a huge impression on it. Like something had impacted it with tremendous force.

... Similar to the crater one of the victims was found in. The only difference being the hollow frame in the middle of it. It was reminiscent of a human figure, if only bigger and taller.

"This raises all kinds of new questions, meow."

It did, indeed. First this indicated that there were five victims and not four as they initially thought. But another one would be…

"Where is the body?"

...

Nagato was angry. No scratch that, angry didn't come even close to describe what he felt.

Livid? Humiliated? Frustrated? He couldn't put it into words…

This world, for he now knew— After ripping the soul of those four street thugs— this world was not his own.

If it was only this much, he could accept it. He knew from the start that this place was different— He did die after all— Nothing here was even remotely close to what he was familiar with in the Elemental Nations— Except the tall buildings like in his own Country.

But that wasn't what mattered.

No...

It wasn't the fact that he couldn't be reunited after death with his long lost friend Yahiko nor with Konan... Although this did hurt... NO, it wasn't that either!

What bothered him... was the fact that this world had just slapped him in the face, spit on his name and trampled on his pride!

Peace.

That was once his goal.

Peace and justice, it was his best friend's dream.

PEACE!

That was why he became Pain, why he had embodied it.

He had wanted to create a weapon so powerful and mighty that all would have to bow and abandon their hatred. They would be forced to know and understand each other, share the same pain! In doing so the world would have known peace!

Although he failed and hoped Naruto would find his own answer... deep down he believed that he wasn't in the wrong. He believed his way could have worked.

But this place, this damn world. It had done it. It did exactly just that. And it was a massive failure! It was common knowledge even street scum held. 'Nuclear bomb' they called it, a weapon that could glass entire cities if not small countries.

Oh it did bring peace all right…. for a time.

They even created so many bombs that they could have blasted this planet five times over and would still have more to continue…

But, at some point… nobody cared anymore. It became too powerful to even be used. Conflicts started anew, wars, on smaller scales but wars nonetheless.

And as if that wasn't enough. Out of nowhere 'quirks' appeared, Kekkei Genkai like powers that any individual could possess as long as they lived past their fourth birthday. Even sooner sometimes, if it was a mutant type quirk.

This world was sick. It's inhabitants individualistic. The more 'connected' they grew, the less they cared for each other. They didn't hold ideals, they only cared for themselves.

Heroes chasing after fame and money...

Villains creating havoc for the hell of it...

Quirkless people going along with it as long as nothing happened to them...

This was maddening.

Nagato had failed once and died...only to be brought back alive and in an undying body.

Edo Tensei... Whoever had breathed life into him again... and with an untold amount of chakra at his command... The one who did this, must be extremely powerful...

But for what purpose?

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"Teacher, Naruto… May you forgive me."

The path he had walked may not have been the correct one. But it was the only one he knew. He would bring salvation to this wretched world.

He would be a harbinger of peace and the bearer of justice.

"For we are Pain, for we are God".

And done.

Hope you enjoyed this one.

If you find any mistakes or anything please let me know.

Have a nice day !