Chapter 444 brings Naruto face to face with the frail Nagato, trading a final failed capture for a conversation that pulls back the curtain on the childhood grief behind the Rinnegan.
Face to face with Nagato, Naruto weathers one last grab meant to capture him, but the wasted, emaciated Nagato has no strength left to force the issue. Naruto makes plain that forgiving Nagato's atrocities is beyond him, yet he still wants to talk before settling on what comes next.
Noting that both of them once trained under Jiraiya, Naruto presses Nagato on how he could so thoroughly turn his back on their teacher's belief in peace. Curious to weigh Naruto's outlook against his own, Nagato recounts the day Konoha shinobi cut down his defenceless parents while he was still a child. That anguish, he explains, is what stirred his Rinnegan to life so he could take revenge on their behalf.

Naruto vs Luffy with the twist nobody asked for: Luffy tickled Hinata on date night, and she kind of liked it. We break down the whole fight and commit to a winner....

Naruto built the transformation jutsu himself, and the Hidden Leaf has been quietly not talking about it ever since. The story behind our 90s R&B record about the Naruko question everybody dodges....
The chapter comes from volume 48 in the Pain's Assault arc and appears under the Viz title "The Response." It first ran in the 21st issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump for 2009.
In chapter 444, "The Answer," it is Nagato who gives an answer, not Naruto: pressed by Naruto to explain why he turned his back on Jiraiya's vision of peace, Nagato reveals that watching Konoha shinobi kill his parents in childhood is what awakened his Rinnegan and drove him toward revenge.
Chapter 444 finds Naruto face to face with a frail, weakened Nagato after one final failed attempt to capture him, leading the two into a conversation about Nagato's past.
Naruto tells Nagato that forgiving his atrocities is beyond him, though he still chooses to talk with Nagato before deciding what to do next.
According to this chapter, Nagato's Rinnegan awakened after he watched Konoha shinobi kill his defenseless parents when he was a child, an event that pushed him toward revenge.
Chapter 444 is titled "The Response" in Viz Media's release and belongs to volume 48 of Naruto within the Pain's Assault arc.
Looking for more on The Answer? The Naruto Wiki on Fandom has a dedicated page with community notes.
View on FandomThis content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the Naruto anime series, manga, and official materials. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.
Rights holders
All rights belong to their respective owners.
Character and scene imagery on this site is original artwork by Daddy Jim Headquarters, not screenshots or licensed imagery. Official cover art is used on three types of pages for editorial commentary:
Official resources:
Daddy Jim Headquarters maintains this encyclopedia. If you spot an error, a translation issue, or something that doesn't look right, let us know.