The rhythmic sound of the sewing machine pedal echoed through the room as Nagato skillfully worked the machine. The wheel spun rapidly, and the long needle darted through the fabric with precision. His eyes were locked onto the material, his hands firmly pressing down on the edges, guiding it forward bit by bit. In no time, a perfectly straight seam was completed.
The pedal stopped. Nagato picked up the garment, quickly tied off the thread at the end of the seam, and snipped the excess with a pair of scissors. He held up the piece of clothing, carefully inspecting it from top to bottom.
It was a standard tactical vest for Sand Village shinobi—sturdy fabric, white-and-yellow camouflage, multifunctional pockets. Lightweight, practical, and durable.
After a thorough check, Nagato nodded in satisfaction, folding the vest neatly and placing it into a bamboo basket beside him. Just as he did, a hand reached out and picked up the vest he had just finished.
"Not bad craftsmanship! How many have you made so far?"
"That’s the 103rd one. Put it down; don’t mess up the order," Nagato replied without looking up.
"Oh, my bad, my bad," the visitor said apologetically, quickly placing the vest back into the basket.
It wasn’t until then that Nagato looked up. The first thing he noticed was a striking head of blue hair. When he raised his head further, he realized who it was—none other than the Kazekage, Jing Hang.
Nagato stared at Jing Hang in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief. He quickly stood up, clearly not expecting the Kazekage himself to visit him, a mere laborer, in the Abyss prison.
"No need to be so formal. Sit, sit," Jing Hang said, waving a hand dismissively.
As he looked at Nagato’s distinctive concentric-ringed eyes, Jing Hang felt a bit dizzy. It wasn’t because Nagato had activated his Rinnegan—it was just that staring at those eyes for too long was visually disorienting.
Having recently sent off both the Third Raikage and Danzo Shimura, Jing Hang’s diplomatic obligations were mostly wrapped up. The village’s anti-corruption efforts and the aftermath of the rebellion had also settled down, with the remaining ideological work delegated to Rasa, Maki, and other department heads. This freed Jing Hang up to visit the Abyss, where Yahiko, Nagato, and their companions were undergoing labor reform.
These individuals, despite their current plight, were destined to shake the ninja world in the future. Alienating them too much would be detrimental to the Sand Village. Killing them, on the other hand, felt like a waste. After all, if they were dead, who would go and make trouble for the Hidden Leaf? Thus, after some discussion with Yamashita Tetsu, the intelligence department devised a plan—codenamed the "Iron Beetle Plan" (named after the tree-boring pests known for destroying wood).
Jing Hang’s visit today was the first step in implementing that plan.
As for Nagato’s world-renowned Rinnegan, Jing Hang had certainly considered it. However, the chakra consumption of the Rinnegan was even more taxing than the Sharingan, and there was also the risk of rejection. If something went wrong and his eyes were ruined, what was he supposed to do—get a massage? For now, he decided to set that idea aside.
But there was no harm in building rapport with the young man.
"How have you been lately?" Jing Hang asked in a calm tone.
"Not bad. There’s a lot of work every day, but it’s manageable. The sooner we pay off our debts, the sooner we can go home," Nagato replied with a smile.
At this point in his life, Nagato was still relatively pure-hearted and kind. Unlike Yahiko, who was more aggressive and impulsive, Nagato was a moderate idealist with revolutionary aspirations but not the same level of fervor. He was nothing like the "disabled youth" he would later become, the one who would dramatically declare, "How many flights of stairs must a bag of rice be carried up?"
Deep down, Nagato had never fully agreed with the plan to attack the Sand Village. Thankfully, the operation had failed without any loss of life. Now, he was like an honest kid who had been coaxed into breaking a window and just wanted to make amends, piece by piece.
"The food here isn’t great, is it?" Jing Hang asked.
"It’s not that bad. At least we don’t go hungry," Nagato replied with a gentle smile.
Since this was a labor reform program, the shinobi from the Hidden Rain Village ate and worked alongside other prisoners from the Sand Village. Naturally, the food and accommodations weren’t anything to write home about. The main difference was that while regular prisoners returned to their cells after work, these shinobi were housed in temporary metal barracks with relatively lax supervision. Most importantly, they hadn’t been injected with chakra-weakening agents.
"By the way, where’s your leader?" Jing Hang asked.
"Oh, him? He’s not suited for this kind of delicate work. He’s in the parts workshop, assembling screws," Nagato explained.
"Ah, I see. That’s a skill too. Alright, I’m here to share three pieces of news with you," Jing Hang said.
"What news?" Nagato asked, curious.
"First, thanks to your hard work, the debt from destroying the Copper Puppet Array has almost been repaid," Jing Hang said with a smile.
In truth, the Copper Puppet Array, part of the Sand Village’s defensive system, wasn’t particularly expensive. The real cost lay in its control systems. The damage caused by the Akatsuki’s thousand-strong force amounted to only thirty or forty million ryo. If Yahiko hadn’t been so tight-fisted (the Hidden Rain Village only had the three billion ryo deposit they had extorted from the Hidden Stone, and they still had a lot of workers to feed), they could have settled the debt and left long ago.
"Does that mean we can leave soon?" Nagato asked excitedly.
"That’s correct," Jing Hang nodded.
"Second, your comrade Daibutsu has regained consciousness. After some rest, he’ll be able to leave with you," Jing Hang added.
"Really?!" Nagato was visibly moved.
Daibutsu was a core member of the Akatsuki, and Nagato had always felt deeply guilty about his "sacrifice." Hearing that Daibutsu had survived was a huge relief.
"It’s true. I have to say, your comrade has an incredible constitution. Sixteen fractures all over his body, and he still pulled through. It’s nothing short of a miracle," Jing Hang said.
Indeed, it was a miracle. But the real credit went to Jing Hang, who had instructed the Sand Village’s medical team to do everything possible to save Daibutsu. While Daibutsu was merely a minor character in the original manga, his position within the Akatsuki was significant. There was no need to let his death sow resentment among these still-idealistic youths. Better to leave the blame and hatred for the Hidden Leaf.
"And the third piece of news: Higashi Shijin has confessed," Jing Hang said.
"Oh," Nagato responded, unsurprised. He was already aware of the Hidden Stone Village’s bounty on their heads.
"However, his confession doesn’t quite match your version of events," Jing Hang continued.
"What’s the discrepancy?" Nagato asked, puzzled.
"That’s a long story. How about this: I’ll treat you all to a meal, and we can discuss it over dinner. It’ll also be a chance to improve the food around here," Jing Hang said with a smile, dangling the bait.
"That would be great! I’ll go get Yahiko right now!" Nagato exclaimed, leaping to his feet and running straight toward the parts workshop.
Jing Hang didn’t stop him. Watching Nagato’s retreating figure, he sighed softly, "Such a pure-hearted young man. Makes me feel almost guilty for deceiving him. Almost."
He turned to a nearby guard and called out, "Hey, you there."
A prison officer in ninja attire quickly approached. "Yes, Lord Kazekage. What are your orders?"
"Inform Warden Zhenshan Bao to set up a feast in the reception hall. Nothing too fancy—just heavy on the meat and oil, no vegetables. I’ll cover the cost personally; no need to charge it to the public accounts."
After half a year of labor reform, they were probably malnourished. Time to give these two a proper meal.
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