Konan, transformed into paper sheets, flew high into the sky without stopping for a moment, speeding immediately towards the northern continent. She knew clearly how terrifying the enemy who could create Black Receivers was. That mysterious monk calling himself 'Jigen' was definitely a powerhouse surpassing Kage-level!
Only when Konan's figure completely disappeared into the horizon did the explosions in the base subside.
In the collapsed deep pit, the smoke gradually dispersed, revealing Jigen's figure. He gazed in the direction Konan fled, his eyes full of annoyance!
Obviously, before taking action, he didn't expect that Nagato and Konan's hideout would hide so many paper bombs, as if the entire hideout was designed to deal with powerful enemies coming to the door.
One must know that in the original timeline, even just using this body of Jigen, Isshiki Otsutsuki was capable of suppressing Naruto and Sasuke, the strongest pair in the Ninja World, after they had exhausted their 'Yang Power' and 'Yin Power' following the Fourth Great Ninja War.
So Konan's escape was a major mistake for him.
Nagato, slumped to the side, heavily injured and having lost the ability to resist, seeing Konan escape safely, immediately spat out the bloody water in his mouth and chuckled lightly: "No matter what you want to get from me, it's futile! I have nothing left to lose!"
Jigen withdrew his gazing eyes, looked at Nagato on the ground, and said coldly: "No, I will dig out value from you!"
Saying this, while lifting the heavily injured Nagato, he activated Space-Time Ninjutsu, opening a space-time gate and stepping in.
In just a blink of an eye, Jigen carried Nagato to a gloomy underground laboratory.
Nagato looked shocked: "Space-Time Ninjutsu?! Who exactly are you? Why can you use Black Receivers?"
Jigen casually threw Nagato to the ground: "I gave you a chance to cooperate, unfortunately you missed it yourself!"
At this time, Nagato gradually adapted to the dimness of the underground laboratory, then his pupils contracted.
He had seen quite a few underground laboratories, like Hiruko's, Sasori's, even Orochimaru's, but the underground laboratory in front of him was completely different from what he had seen before.
In his sight were not rows of precision instruments or operating tables, but jars one after another!
Looking carefully, his expression became more solemn, because what was contained in the jars were all people, their life or death unknown.
Jigen ignored Nagato but paced to the jars one by one.
After checking carefully, he sighed faintly: "All trash!"
For thousands of years, Jigen's top priority was finding a 'vessel' that could accommodate him liberating all his chakra.
To achieve this goal, he secretly kidnapped many ninjas for experiments. Among them were ordinary ninjas as well as those with noble bloodlines. For example, quite a few clansmen of prestigious clans like Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki were secretly captured by him and brought back to the laboratory.
However, a thousand years passed, and he gained nothing.
Whether ordinary ninjas or children of noble clans, none could become the 'vessel' he wanted. But relatively speaking, noble clans containing Kaguya Otsutsuki's bloodline like Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki could withstand a much higher upper limit of his chakra than ordinary ninjas, so he brought Nagato back to the laboratory conveniently.
Taking an experimental subject that had already become a corpse out of a jar, Jigen changed the nutrient solution in the jar, then threw Nagato in.
Nagato questioned: "Damn it, what are you going to do to me?"
Jigen injected a part of his chakra into Nagato's body in the form of 'Karma', then observed Nagato indifferently.
Invaded by foreign chakra, veins on Nagato's whole body bulged instantly, and his own chakra also began a fierce rejection reaction. As the rejection reaction intensified continuously, Nagato's consciousness became trance-like, the whole person falling into a dying state.
"Still not working..." After whispering a sentence, Jigen thought of something, leaned into Nagato's ear and said: "I'll go hunt down your escaped companion right now!"
Nagato murmured: "No, don't hurt her!"
Seeing Nagato could still answer him lucidly, Jigen's eyes lit up, corners of his mouth curling up: "That depends on how long you can live! As long as you can withstand my experiment, I'll let her go temporarily. But if you die, I'll kill her immediately!"
Hearing this, clarity returned to Nagato's chaotic eyes.
Jigen smiled: "Then let us see how much you actually care about her!"
Nagato stopped making sounds, just silently gritted his teeth and persisted.
Konoha Village.
Naruto, who just returned to Konoha from Mount Myoboku, was wandering on the street. For some reason, he always felt the village had changed a lot.
"Is it becoming desolate?"
He scratched his head.
Just when Naruto was puzzled, Menma in his mental world said: "Idiot, look at the people coming and going on this street, where is it desolate?"
The Fourth Great Ninja War came to an abrupt end due to the ownership of the Ten-Tails. Although various forces including Konoha suffered considerable casualties, compared to previous Ninja Wars that easily lasted several years or even a decade, the casualties of this Ninja War were acceptable.
So after the war ended, Konoha quickly recovered its past liveliness.
Naruto said: "But I always feel like something in the village has changed!"
Menma snorted coldly: "Hmph, people's hearts have changed!"
"People's hearts have changed?!"
Naruto looked confused.
Menma began to explain: "Before this Ninja War, Konoha was the head of the Five Great Ninja Villages, the center of the Ninja World! But after this Ninja War, the Ten-Tails was taken by 'A', Konoha was defeated utterly on the battlefield, the status of Ninja World center naturally vanished."
Naruto still didn't understand: "Is that so?"
Menma laughed: "You haven't realized? Now the peace of the Ninja World no longer needs Konoha to maintain. Konoha is no longer the savior, Konoha ninjas are no longer heroes!"
Pausing, Menma continued: "Although I also find 'A' annoying, have to admit he did things we didn't dare to do! Hmph, as for these guys in Konoha, without the transcendent status of the past, only now they realize they are just ordinary ninjas too, no essential difference from ninjas of small ninja villages like Grass, Waterfall, Snow. So their spirit is gone!"
Naruto said: "But didn't the Great Toad Sage say the threat to the Ninja World hasn't gone far? How can they slack off now?"
"Counting on them to protect the Ninja World?" Smiling, Menma said: "Naruto, what stupidity are you committing!"
Naruto looked around, finding it indeed as Menma said. The Konoha ninjas on the street had lost their spirit, so he said: "I'll go find Shinji. He is the Chief, must have a way!"
Not long after, Naruto arrived outside the Konoha Military Police building.
Coincidentally, Shinji, Karin, Haku and others walked out of the building.
"Shinji!"
Naruto greeted from afar.
But just then, Menma suddenly warned: "Don't go over, he is not Shinji Uchiha!"