Nagato finishes his story by telling that after Yahiko's death, caused by Hanzo (who was supported by Danzo), he became the leader of Akatsuki, but more friends died, and more, and more. He also says that Konoha kept supporting war at the expenses of low poor villages like Amegakure, while claiming peace in public. This followed while the Land of Fire won resources, until the current peaceful times came. Still, the persons hurt others without even noticing. The hate is inevitable as long humanity exists. Jiraiya's words are an illusion. Then, Nagato demands the answer from Naruto. He understands his suffering, and what he said, all the story. Naruto tells that he even may agree with him. But he can't forgive him, he says he hates him. Anyway, he tells he won't kill them. Naruto chooses to believe in Jiraiya's words, what his sensei entrusted him. He will break the curse, if there's a way to find peace, he'll find it, he will never give up. These words, pronounced after taking the book, surprise Nagato. He remembers those words from the first novel Jiraiya ever wrote. Naruto explains what Jiraiya believed, and that at the end of the novel, he wrote a dedication to a student who inspired the story. Naruto realizes that student was Nagato. This information leaves Nagato stunned. So he starts remembering the day he went to talk to his sensei alone, after their talk about hate and being hurt. Jiraiya was trying to write something, as usual, but nothing came to him. Nagato told him that he figured out something, he doesn't know yet what he can do to change the shinobi world and achieve peace, but if there's a way, he will find it. Jiraiya was proud of him, smiled, and got an idea for his book. Some time later (less than three years), the day to leave arrived. Their sensei told them that the Hidden Rain village is a poor country, and bad things await them, but he knows they can change that. Now they can make the country a better place. At last, Jiraiya recognized how much they matured, to Nagato. When the three returned to their shelter, he found the finished novel (but it's clear that the dedicatory wasn't there yet, that book wasn't for selling), and imagined himself as the protagonist. Back to the present, the protagonist's name: Naruto, who now promises them that when he becomes Hokage, he will bring peace to Amegakure. He will do anything to get peace. Nagato questions how he can tell that he won't change, no matter how much pain he suffers in the future. Naruto then thinks about his own past suffering, the hardest moments of his life: as a kid, when everyone rejected him, making him cry (implying the pain of being an orphan). The crucial fight with Sasuke, where he lost a teammate, a friend. The time where as the four tailed Fox, he hurt Sakura. And finally, the time he mourned Jiraiya, alone on a bench with ice cream, like the two used to have. He knows that the future will bring him more pain, suffering, but if he lets that to change him, then he would not be Jiraiya's legacy. The protagonist of the story would change, and so the story. That would not be Naruto. So he promises to follow, and be like he is, for Jiraiya, and his book. Nagato now understands what he says. He tells that as students of the same sensei, they should understand each other. So, he chooses to trust him. He feels that Naruto can follow a different path than him. Nagato tells Konan that he changes his mind, and takes out his arms from the machine. He performs the resurrection jutsu, which brings back to life to all the deceased persons during the attack. Konan realizes that with the little chakra he has left, this will consume everything. Silently thinks about Naruto, the one who changed Nagato. At Mount Myoboku, The old Sage Toad sees what is happening in a crystal ball. He tells Gamabunta (who is recovering), that things turned out as predicted. But he couldn't guess that the prophecy referred to two children, who would come across to change the shinobi world. He notes that when Jiraiya decided to never give up, the destiny was decided.
This episode was great overall. It was written the best possible way. Nagato's change of mind won't convince everyone, that's for sure. If Jiraiya couldn't, why Naruto would? Still, there are some things to consider here. First, Nagato was unstable. His mind, his mental state was never straight. First, the Rinnegan was implanted on him by Madara who knows how. Second, seeing his parents being killed in front of him by accident, as a misunderstanding with shinobis from Konoha (even if he didn't realize that it wasn't because of hate), was detonant for trauma. The Rinnegan made him kill those shinobi mercilessly and bloody way. He was unstable from that moment. Meeting Yahiko and Konan returned him some stability and steadiness on his life. But losing Yahiko, in a cruel unfair situation, was the second traumatic moment that changed him. It was like losing his family again. Back then, he lost his mind once more, and committed a massacre. Konan wasn't enough reason to keep him calm. He fell on a path of hate, and chose to exterminate anyone against his idea of peace. No one ever could defeat him. When he saw Jiraiya again, he wasn't shaken, his thoughts remained firm. Besides, he killed him, and Pain faced everyone. That was crucial too. Nagato didn't interact with anyone besides Konan face to face. Not seeing anyone drives a person crazy. Worst if his legs were burned since the battle with Hanzo. So now, Naruto was not only the first person to defeat Pain, also the first one to see Nagato for a very long time. These two events were critical for him. His god complex, his proud, superiority was shattered, challenged by another Jiraiya's student. And then, there was the book and the dedicatory. Naruto not only reminded Nagato what the novel says, how was the protagonist, also that Jiraiya wrote that Nagato inspired him. This was a reminding that Jiraiya always considered Nagato highly, he really trusted him to change the shinobi world. Learning about the dedicatory, triggered all the good memories with his sensei, the wonderful, kind, gentle, man he was. And also, triggered memories of Yahiko, who entrusted Nagato to find peace, on the way they were. Yahiko founded Akatsuki, but he never intended to create a weapon to exterminate countries, or to produce more orphans like they were. At last, Nagato only tested Naruto to see if he could be mentally strong enough to stay in the good moral path no matter the pain. For all this, I think the change was well written. Still, the first reason is Jiraiya. I don't agree with the Old Sage Toad, the destiny was decided when Jiraiya chose to be a kind, gentle, wise man who raised and gave hope to young orphans like Naruto, Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan. He was a parental figure for all of them, even for Minato (though that story was never told). They are Jiraiya's legacy. To finish, Naruto had his own challenge by accepting his sensei, and his father's encharge. He knew that the first step to stop the cycle of hate, was to show the example himself. If he killed Nagato, he'd be like the rest of the shinobi. And this wasn't like facing Hidan, Kakuzu or others who will never reason. He told this to Inoichi before, he can't do this. He knows Nagato and Konan are different somehow. But he had to get over his own feeling of revenge. What I liked also were the moments he acknowledged as the hardest of his life: growing up alone rejected by everyone, not being able to retrieve or stop Sasuke, hurting Sakura, and losing Jiraiya. These events hit him hard. But he feels he can follow despite the future painful events that could wait for him. And Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan appeared when he thought about the future. This means that he knows Sasuke will bring him more pain in the future. Still, he won't change because of that. He is the legacy of his father, and Jiraiya.
This episode was great overall. It was written the best possible way. Nagato's change of mind won't convince everyone, that's for sure. If Jiraiya couldn't, why Naruto would? Still, there are some things to consider here. First, Nagato was unstable. His mind, his mental state was never straight. First, the Rinnegan was implanted on him by Madara who knows how. Second, seeing his parents being killed in front of him by accident, as a misunderstanding with shinobis from Konoha (even if he didn't realize that it wasn't because of hate), was detonant for trauma. The Rinnegan made him kill those shinobi mercilessly and bloody way. He was unstable from that moment. Meeting Yahiko and Konan returned him some stability and steadiness on his life. But losing Yahiko, in a cruel unfair situation, was the second traumatic moment that changed him. It was like losing his family again. Back then, he lost his mind once more, and committed a massacre. Konan wasn't enough reason to keep him calm. He fell on a path of hate, and chose to exterminate anyone against his idea of peace. No one ever could defeat him. When he saw Jiraiya again, he wasn't shaken, his thoughts remained firm. Besides, he killed him, and Pain faced everyone. That was crucial too. Nagato didn't interact with anyone besides Konan face to face. Not seeing anyone drives a person crazy. Worst if his legs were burned since the battle with Hanzo. So now, Naruto was not only the first person to defeat Pain, also the first one to see Nagato for a very long time. These two events were critical for him. His god complex, his proud, superiority was shattered, challenged by another Jiraiya's student. And then, there was the book and the dedicatory. Naruto not only reminded Nagato what the novel says, how was the protagonist, also that Jiraiya wrote that Nagato inspired him. This was a reminding that Jiraiya always considered Nagato highly, he really trusted him to change the shinobi world. Learning about the dedicatory, triggered all the good memories with his sensei, the wonderful, kind, gentle, man he was. And also, triggered memories of Yahiko, who entrusted Nagato to find peace, on the way they were. Yahiko founded Akatsuki, but he never intended to create a weapon to exterminate countries, or to produce more orphans like they were. At last, Nagato only tested Naruto to see if he could be mentally strong enough to stay in the good moral path no matter the pain. For all this, I think the change was well written. Still, the first reason is Jiraiya. I don't agree with the Old Sage Toad, the destiny was decided when Jiraiya chose to be a kind, gentle, wise man who raised and gave hope to young orphans like Naruto, Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan. He was a parental figure for all of them, even for Minato (though that story was never told). They are Jiraiya's legacy. To finish, Naruto had his own challenge by accepting his sensei, and his father's encharge. He knew that the first step to stop the cycle of hate, was to show the example himself. If he killed Nagato, he'd be like the rest of the shinobi. And this wasn't like facing Hidan, Kakuzu or others who will never reason. He told this to Inoichi before, he can't do this. He knows Nagato and Konan are different somehow. But he had to get over his own feeling of revenge. What I liked also were the moments he acknowledged as the hardest of his life: growing up alone rejected by everyone, not being able to retrieve or stop Sasuke, hurting Sakura, and losing Jiraiya. These events hit him hard. But he feels he can follow despite the future painful events that could wait for him. And Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan appeared when he thought about the future. This means that he knows Sasuke will bring him more pain in the future. Still, he won't change because of that. He is the legacy of his father, and Jiraiya.
