The first corpse Nagato selects to control is none other than his best friend, Yahiko. While the Six Paths of Pain gives Nagato god-like power that makes him nearly invincible, its morbid methods are painful and traumatizing for its wielder. He's also able to see everything each body sees, connecting them all through the all-seeing eyes of the Rinnegan. As Nagato channels his own chakra into these bodies through the receivers, each vessel gains control of a different Rinnegan ability or path, like the Deva Path and Animal Path. With this jutsu, he can control up to six corpses as an extension of himself by implanting black receivers into them. Nagato mastered the Six Paths of Pain after he was immobilized during a battle with Hanzō.
RELATED: Why Naruto's Sharingan Is Anime's Saddest Power - and One of Its Strongest The Use of the Six Paths of Pain Nagato later adopts his Pain persona and masters the Six Paths of Pain through his Rinnegan. But, given his friend's tragic death and Obito's manipulative words, Nagato starts to believe that peace can only be achieved after everyone knows true pain. When Hanzō nearly kills Konan, Yahiko sacrifices himself to save her and entrusts the Akatsuki's mission to Nagato. However, they're soon tricked by Obito Uchiha and Hanzō, who believed the Akatsuki threatened his rule over Amegakure. With his inspirational and charismatic personality, Yahiko is appointed the Akatsuki's leader. Now a war orphan wandering in the Amegakure and struggling to survive, he meets Konan and Yahiko, another pair of war orphans. The trio comes together with the common goal to bring about peace before they're taken in by Master Jiraiya, who trains them in the art of ninjutsu so they can defend themselves during the violent and turbulent time of the Second Great Ninja War.Īfter they grow into strong and independent fighters, Jiraiya leaves and the trio forms the Akatsuki, making it their mission to end all war and promote peace.
When Nagato was a baby, Madara Uchiha transplanted his Rinnegan into him so he could later return and reclaim this powerful set of eyes. After a pair of Konoha shinobi break into his house and kill his parents, the young Nagato retaliates by killing them with his Rinnegan, though he doesn't understand what he's doing.