And Naruto, covered in dirt and blood, simply nods. Because he knows. He finally knows.
After Naruto defeats Pain, he doesn't kill Nagato. He walks to the crippled, skeletal man connected to the machine, and he sits down. He listens. naruto pain arc
It has been well over a decade since the airwaves first crackled with the sound of a metallic chime and a quiet, godlike voice declaring, "Shinra Tensei." Yet, in the pantheon of anime history, few arcs have aged as gracefully—or hit as hard—as the Pain's Assault arc (often simply called the Pain Arc) in Naruto Shippuden. And Naruto, covered in dirt and blood, simply nods
He isn't trying to destroy the world; he is trying to fix it with a nuclear deterrent. The "Eye of the Moon" plan was ridiculous, but Pain’s "fear of God" philosophy (giving everyone a shared enemy via a massive Tailed Beast bomb) felt chillingly plausible. One of the most brilliant moves Kishimoto made was denying us the catharsis of Naruto saving the village in real-time. After Naruto defeats Pain, he doesn't kill Nagato
And then? Pain impales Naruto.
The Pain Arc worked because it was small in a huge way. It was about two students of the same legendary teacher who read the same book and came to opposite conclusions about humanity. It was about grief. It was about the cost of war (look at Nagato’s destroyed legs; look at Naruto’s scarred hands). If you recommend Naruto to a skeptic, tell them to watch the Pain Arc. They will be confused by the "Believe it!" kid in the orange jumpsuit at first. But by the time Naruto returns to the village, greeted by a rain of paper bombs and the ghost of a pervy sage, they will understand.
Pain’s logic is terrifyingly sound: "In this world, wherever there is light, there are always shadows. As long as the concept of winners exists, losers must exist. The selfish desire of wanting to maintain peace causes wars, and hatred is born to protect love."