How have I survived all this time?
Although I narrowly escaped Konoha, and fueled by my hatred for "Konoha" and my unique traits, I joined the Akatsuki.
Ultimately, at that time, I was merely seeking the Akatsuki's protection.
After all, only the Akatsuki was a place where a "freak" like me could possibly fit in.
Given the prevailing circumstances back then, no country or ninja village could have harbored me.
If I had fallen into the hands of any other power, my fate would have been even worse than it was in Konoha.
However, the Akatsuki seemed to be the most likely place where I wouldn't be seen as an anomaly, because everyone there was an anomaly.
Did I want revenge?
Yes!
But in the end, did I truly hate Konoha?
No, all my hatred was directed at a single individual.
Lin Nan liked Naruto, liked Sasuke, and liked the village after the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, took over.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed into Konoha with such fervor and excitement back then.
But for revenge, strength was necessary.
Unfortunately, I lacked strength.
Even after gaining some strength through the system, I never found an opportunity.
To be precise, Lin Nan was a slacker, and thus not favored by Pain. This was common knowledge, which is why he was paired with Tobi.
Lin Nan disliked missions and fighting; he only enjoyed slacking off in Konan's office in Amegakure.
At least, before considering Danzo, Lin Nan harbored no murderous intent.
Ajisai, to be precise, was the first person Lin Nan met in Amegakure.
From the moment he met her, Lin Nan was deeply healed by her.
She would urge Lin Nan to let go of his hatred, because hatred led to killing, killing led to war, and war inevitably prevented peace.
Ajisai was then just a little girl, barely ten years old, unfamiliar with deceit and the harsh realities of the world.
She simply yearned, much like a flower craves sunlight.
For her sake, Lin Nan abandoned his revenge and the initial surge of burning passion.
He just wanted to be a slacker, to loaf around, to drift along, and to tease Ajisai.
But all of that ended with Ajisai's demise.
Lin Nan still remembered the feeling he had when he received the news.
Lin Nan was out at the time, not on a mission. If it were a mission, Lin Nan would have avoided it if possible.
This time, however, Lin Nan had a compelling reason to go.
Because it was the battle between Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke.
Lin Nan wasn't intervening in the fight, but rather this high-quality battle was a feast for Lin Nan, whose strength was precarious and who lacked any ultimate techniques.
What could Lin Nan do before that?
He knew many miscellaneous skills, including the five basic nature transformations and even kekkei genkai, but he had no true trump cards.
In essence, if Lin Nan were a game ninja, he would have no ultimate moves and would have to rely on improvisation.
This was undoubtedly a terrifying situation for his survival.
After all, the plot was rapidly approaching its climax, and soon the entire Akatsuki and Amegakure would be in disarray.
Lin Nan absolutely needed a skill that could hold his own.
At that time, Lin Nan had no idea that Ajisai was the precursor to Pain's second Animal Path.
Even after watching the anime, Lin Nan couldn't connect the two.
The difference was too great, and Lin Nan wasn't particularly attentive to anime-original filler, so naturally, he had no memory of Ajisai from the original manga.
At that time, he merely considered Ajisai an ordinary Amegakure ninja.
While observing the battle between Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke, Lin Nan kept his distance. At that time, his skill set included Gaara's "Sand Vision," which allowed him to steal techniques during combat at extreme distances.
After witnessing Susanoo and Yamata no Orochi, Lin Nan quietly left the battlefield.
As Lin Nan, elated and beaming, returned to the village, preparing to show off his newfound SSS-rank skill to Ajisai, he suddenly couldn't find her.
Upon inquiring with Konan, he learned that Ajisai had accepted a mission outside the village.
However, the rank of this mission sent Lin Nan into a panic.
An S-rank mission, for a newly promoted Chunin like Ajisai.
How dare she?
Lin Nan questioned Konan about why Ajisai was allowed to take on such a mission.
Konan, however, explained that the mission's rating was incorrect and its difficulty was likely no more than A-rank. For a Chunin, with caution, safely retreating should be no problem.
After all, Ajisai and Lin Nan had a good relationship, so Konan had no reason to lie to Lin Nan.
Konan hadn't intended for Ajisai to go, but missions outside the village were rare for Amegakure.
Lin Nan knew that Ajisai was going out to embrace the sunlight.
After ascertaining the mission location, Lin Nan set off immediately. However, upon arriving, he found the place in ruins.
Lin Nan searched for three days before returning to Amegakure.
But when Lin Nan saw Ajisai again, all he found was a cold corpse.
Crucially, Ajisai's hair color had changed to orange.
At that moment, Lin Nan felt a torrent of thoughts flood his mind. Ajisai was the Animal Path. Had Konan intentionally orchestrated this?
Questions like these instantly drove Lin Nan to the brink of madness.
If Lin Nan had been content to lay low and avoid any risk before, he changed afterward.
Being killed by Obito was, for Lin Nan at that time, almost a release.
In other words.
Lin Nan, for Ajisai, to see Ajisai grow up, to see her become a Chunin and go on missions with her, had been an ultimate slacker, living a life of extreme caution.
To accompany her, Lin Nan had forgone training his chakra, which is why he was perpetually in a severely low chakra state.
And for her, Lin Nan had abandoned revenge, stopped traveling far and wide, copying the myriad ninjutsu of this ninja world, only participating in a few missions and unavoidable plot-related tasks.
But she died.
Lin Nan died with her.
Except, Lin Nan was resurrected.
So, what was the meaning of his resurrection?
Whether the Edo Tensei realm existed, Lin Nan didn't know; whether it was the real Ajisai, Lin Nan wasn't too concerned.
Because Lin Nan himself didn't really believe in the concept of the afterlife.
But one thing was true: the world Ajisai loved more...
In reality, Lin Nan opened his eyes.
His two eyes, one a red Sharingan and the other a purple Rinnegan, now presented a bizarre appearance against his pale skin.
"I understand, Ajisai! I'm coming for you..."
"When you awaken again, you will see a world of absolute peace and stability, filled with sunshine!"