How did Nagato get Rinnegan in Naruto?

Since the beginning, Naruto’s storyline has always been engulfed in unsolved mysteries and plot holes, and although a few were answered, the rest were disregarded, despite their importance. One of those puzzling mysteries revolves around how Nagato got Rinnegan, even though he’s neither a member of the Uchiha clan nor anyone related to him.

Even the legendary Sannin Jiraiya didn’t manage to figure out how Nagato got Rinnegan when the former met the latter during the Second Great Ninja War. Jiraiya simply presumed Nagato to be the child of prophecy and the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths, but he never knew that the Rinnegan didn’t belong to the latter in the first place.

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Exploring the reason behind how Nagato got the Rinnegan in Naruto

With Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden combining a whopping 720 episodes, even die-hard fans of the series have overlooked some of the most important details that serve as an answer to the unsolved mysteries. In the aftermath of the Pain Assault Arc, Konan hid the bodies of Nagato and Yahiko and became the de facto leader of Amegakure.

Subsequently, Konan also left Akatsuki, leaving Nagato and Yahiko’s long-sought dream of peace in the hands of Naruto Uzumaki. However, Tobi confronted Konan in Amegakure, asking for Nagato’s body, which the latter denied revealing. Much to Tobi’s surprise, Konan knew about the evil intentions of the former from the beginning.

Like many people, Konan was also being kept in the dark; however, Tobi revealed the actual truth stating how he drove Yahiko to instate Akatsuki and how he gave Rinnegan to Nagato in the first place. Tobi further told Konan that what he was asking belongs to him rightfully, but it was just a lie. The only person to whom Rinnegan rightfully belonged was Madara Uchiha.

Madara has always been curious about Rinnegan and its powers, which will play a crucial role in commencing the Eye of the Moon Plan inscribed on the Uchiha Tablet. Somehow, Madara managed to discover the truth regarding his Sharingan and how Sage of Six Paths divided his powers into his two sons, Indra and Ashura.

In order to awaken his Rinnegan, all Madara needed was Hashirama Cells. Even after obtaining the powers, it took decades for Madara to awaken Rinnegan, but his old and fragile body was not in a condition to carry out his will. Finally, he came to a conclusion and decided to lend his eyes to an orphan in Amegakure, who turned out to be Nagato Uzumaki.

Madara chose Nagato to be the inheritor of Rinnegan due to the latter's Uzumaki prowess and also because he was away from the sights of Konoha. Madara also left his final will so that one day when Nagato awakens the true potential of Rinnegan, he will be able to use the Outer Path - Samsara of Heavenly Life technique to revive the former from the dead.

Madara knew he was going to die eventually due to his age and his condition, so he entrusted his grand plan and his will to Obito Uchiha to make sure everything turned out according to what he had planned.

Obito not only carried out Madara’s will but also deceived everyone by pretending to be the latter. Nagato, Konan, Itachi, and Kisame presumed Tobi to be Madara from the start, and the only individuals who knew about Tobi's real identity to be Obito were Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.

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