At dusk, in the quiet room of Amegakure Tower, Konan slowly opened her eyes and placed the back of her hand on her forehead.
Just before she lost consciousness last night, fragments of memory had flashed through her mind...
After a moment, she lifted the sheet and noticed she was wearing a clean white shirt.
Her orange eyes narrowed slightly.
"Last night... I remember Naruto wanted to go into the village to find a woman, and I stopped him. What happened after that...?"
She let out a soft breath and sat up in bed, beginning to fix her makeup.
No woman dislikes makeup, and even someone as calm and composed as Konan was no exception.
She applied light purple eyeshadow and wore a light blue paper flower in her hair. The small stud under her lip had been with her since her coming-of-age ceremony.
After doing her makeup, she got out of bed and changed her clothes.
She removed the white shirt, folded it neatly, and placed it in the closet.
Standing in front of the mirror, her graceful figure was reflected clearly. Her fair skin glowed softly, and her toned stomach was smooth and flat. A small ring sparkled on her navel, a secret even Nagato didn't know.
Rustle...
She slipped into her usual outfit: a zip-up, backless fishnet top, tight light purple pants, and the iconic black cloak with red clouds trimmed in white. She tied her Amegakure forehead protector at her right hip.
It was her signature look, practical for battle and symbolic of both her Akatsuki role and her identity as a Ame Shinobi.
When she stepped out into the hallway, Naruto was already there, waiting.
Konan looked at his back and asked
"You didn't sleep at all?"
Naruto nodded slightly, then turned to her and said quietly,
"Sister Konan... I'm sorry about last night."
Naruto apologized because he felt responsible Konan had stayed out in the rain with him and his Shadow Clones all night, and he believed that's what caused her to fall ill.
Konan lowered her eyes and said calmly, "It's fine. I should be the one apologizing…"
Naruto didn't think too much about it and smiled. "Let's go eat something together."
In Amegakure's kitchen, breakfast had already been prepared. Most of the dishes were made to Naruto's taste.
Konan, who usually preferred light vegetarian meals, only had grilled fish as her meat dish.
As they ate, Naruto said, "I got some new information. Akatsuki is planning a series of big moves…"
He shared what he had read from White Zetsu's mind.
Konan's eyes narrowed slightly. "They're going to such lengths... just to target you?"
Naruto sighed. "Yeah. Obito's a master strategist, he's great at manipulating people. I have to admit, his plan is well thought out."
He paused, then said seriously, "We need to start building our own intelligence network."
"Akatsuki has White Zetsu agents spread all over the ninja world. They can track every movement."
He frowned. "Honestly, I only found out in time by luck. If I hadn't, it could've been a disaster."
"We can't keep going like this. If we stay reactive, we'll fall behind. We need to get this done fast."
Konan set down her bowl and chopsticks, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and said firmly,
"Leave that to me."
Naruto asked, "Is it difficult?"
Konan replied, "Amegakure still has reserve ninjas who aren't part of Akatsuki. I plan to gather them and pick the most suitable ones."
Naruto nodded. "If there are talented people among them, we can train them and assign them important roles."
After their meal, Naruto and Konan went to the shore of Amegakure. Kisame was resting shirtless on a reef by the sea, clearly just back from underwater training.
"Thanks for your hard work, Kisame," Naruto said.
"I'll help with the next part."
He stepped onto the water's surface and formed hand seals.
—Summoning Technique!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
White smoke rose as crabs, squids, crocodiles, turtles, octopuses, jellyfish, and snakes, various amphibious Summoning Beasts appeared.
Unlike the ones from the Samsara Realm, these creatures were covered in black chakra rods, and their eyes reflected Naruto's Rinnegan.
These Summons were enhanced by the Animal Path of the Rinnegan.
While they kept their wild instincts and combat abilities, they could move under Naruto's chakra control and they shared vision with him as well.
Naruto gave Kisame instructions:
"When your chakra gets low underwater, you can absorb it from them. Just take what you need. Don't worry about how much I lose."
"I see. That'll make things easier for me."
Kisame nodded, re-fused with Samehada, and dove back into the ocean.
Konan said, "Rinnegan Summons draw chakra from the user to act. Normally, they can't go too far. But there are two modes, one allows you to pre-load chakra into them, which lets them act freely at any distance. But once that chakra runs out, they'll stop."
Naruto nodded. "That makes sense. After all, they're technically dead. We've got more things to do, so let's use the second mode for now."
Naruto pressed his palms together and used the black chakra rods to distribute chakra to each of the Summoning Beasts in balanced amounts.
Once he finished, he waved his hand, and the creatures dove into the sea one after another.
Konan asked, "Are you heading out?"
Naruto replied, "Yeah. Akatsuki is about to make a big move, so we have to move faster. Before Orochimaru returns, we need to finish what we started."
Konan stepped forward. Naruto placed his left hand on her shoulder and activated the Flying Thunder God technique.
"Let's go to Kumogakure."
Swish!
In an instant, they appeared at the base of Lighting Gorge, near Kumogakure. But instead of climbing up, Naruto walked to a place not far away.
From White Zetsu's memories, he already knew: Akatsuki had captured the Eight-Tails. Killer Bee had fallen.
Killer Bee was a friend from Naruto's previous life, they had shared good times together.
Lighting Gorge looked the same as ever, but the loud, carefree rapping voice was gone.
At the top of Thundercloud Gorge, Naruto gently placed a bunch of paper flowers. He took off his mask, closed his eyes, and silently paid his respects.
"Uncle Bee... my return changed the timeline and indirectly caused your death."
"I'm really sorry."
He looked up at the sky. The clouds drifted by, but Naruto's expression remained heavy and filled with sorrow.
"But even after living through that hellish future, I no longer have the confidence to say I can protect everyone this time…"
"I'll keep moving forward, on my own path, with resolve."
"In the days ahead, more people will fall, directly or indirectly, because of me…"
"I don't know if this is right or wrong. But right now, it's the only thing I can do."
Naruto wasn't cold-blooded. He had just witnessed too many people die like insects before him. He knew how terrifying that clan was.
Being naive would only lead to more pointless deaths.
Konan quietly watched Naruto's back.
Only she understood the weight he carried, the scars of a boy who had lived through another world.
At that moment, she felt a deep desire to stand by him and follow him to the very end.
After the silent tribute, Naruto placed the mask back on his face. His solemn presence returned.
He declared firmly,
"Inform Kumogakure. Either prepare what I asked for or be ready for war. Tonight, Hikari Akatsuki will visit."
.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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