WARNING: Unless you've been reading the manga, or don't care if the future plot of the anime is spoiled for you, read on. Otherwise, turn back now, or there's no going back...
You have been warned...
So as a lot of you may know, the latest two chapters of the manga have been particularly crucial in explaining a lot of things. Some of you may be disappointed in the lack of action, but I enjoy chapters like these, where things start to make sense. We're far from having a complete and total understanding of everything, where it's all heading, but at least Kishimoto has started to give us answers.
Naruto and Sasuke have had this 'bond' for the longest while, and now we know that it's majorly because of who they are - the successors of the Sage of Six Path's sons, Ashura and Indra. That doesn't mean they are Ashura and Indra; Kishimoto gave 'reincarnation' a special twist here: The chakra of Ashura and Indra are a part of Naruto's being and Sasuke's being respectively, but they do not make up the entirety of who Naruto and Sasuke are. Naruto is still Naruto, and Sasuke is still Sasuke. They're still going to do things their own way.
Now, whether or not this will lead to an inevitable clash somewhere down the line remains to be seen. Kishimoto has hinted at it, and we can see why that would happen, since they're the successors of Ashura and Indra, but will this clash be in the traditional sense, or will it be something new? I suppose we'll have to wait and see. The Sage is giving Naruto and Sasuke some of his power, but what that will enable them to do, or whether the power is temporary or permanent, remains to be seen. Guy might very well die for nothing, if Madara lives through his next attack through a miraculous healing, and Naruto and Sasuke might still be needed; or Madara might very well lose to Guy, and now is the time for that fight between Naruto and Sasuke.
Again, we don't know yet. That's in the weeks to come.
I'm kind of beating around the bush, but the point I'm trying to make is that Naruto and Sasuke are, essentially, the central figures in the Naruto universe. Madara and Hashirama were their most recent predecessors, and it's up to Naruto and Sasuke to end the 'natural flow' of things, where the powerful come out on top and rule over the weak. The Rinnegan seems to be caused by joining together the Chakra of Ashura and Indra, which is why only Madara and the Sage have it; the Sage because he's the father of Ashura and Indra, and Madara because he made Hashirama's 'power' a part of himself. Obito isn't going to awaken the Rinnegan. Danzo never did. And Naruto and Sasuke likely won't, unless that's the 'power' that the Sage is bestowing upon them (which I'm really hoping isn't the case).
I began writing TToNU because I thought I could make Naruto and Nagato the saviors of the world, that it wouldn't mess with the overall plot too badly, since it seemed only Naruto was going to be the main hero as the successor of the Sage (when in reality, he's the successor of Ashura). Sasuke was (and still is) an enigma, and I wasn't sure what his role in things would be. He has been so conflicted for the longest time, and only now does it seem like he's resolved to go down a path, finally; his own path, whether that be good or bad, in the end. We still don't know Sasuke's intentions and ambitions, but if he truly succeeds Indra, I can see him changing for the better, even if it doesn't appear that way at first. Of course, I can see it go the other way, too, ending up similar or worse than Indra, but I'd like to think Madara has that base covered, and that Sasuke will help Naruto instead of hinder him to the end.
At any rate. Sasuke and Naruto are the central figures because of who they are. That doesn't mean I can't add Nagato into the mix; he's not gonna be some 'third son' of the Sage or anything like that, but he's still going to have a role to play at the end of things. Nagato will make mistakes, and there's no guarantee he'll be able to safeguard the Rinnegan forever with Black Zetsu about. But if there's one thing I can guarantee, it's that Nagato's not going to die a sacrificial death; not for resurrecting everyone after the war's over, not for resurrecting Madara. Rinne Tensei may very well be a technique of the Rinnegan, but he won't be aware of it for a looong time. There will be the threat of Black Zetsu taking him over, of course, perhaps even Shisui influencing him to hand over the Rinnegan, but Nagato won't die by using Rinne Tensei.
Nagato will aid in ending the war, he just won't have this huge role like I initially imagined. That's okay, the story's still young. Part One will slowly introduce Naruto's significance, while Nagato paves the way for him by attempting to right things himself. "Great men are forged in fire, it's the privilege of lesser men to light the flame." Nagato will go further than Minato did, but he'll still fall short of ideal peace; he'll have high moments and low moments, but he won't waver from his shared dream of an ideal peace. He just won't be the one to achieve that. When it comes down to it, no single person will be able to do that on their own, no matter how powerful, and I think the canon will reflect this. Ninshuu will probably become the new way, like the Sage intended, and Ninjutsu might very well die out. Time will tell.
