Everything had gone perfectly according to Anya's plan—the Master had been reborn, and Sasori's parents had also been resurrected. Now, only one final step remained before achieving her ideal outcome.
Anya could clearly feel the burning warmth radiating from Sasori's soul—the joy was overflowing, written all over his face. Still, she knew better than to stir too much emotion in a soul that had long been split apart.
"Sasori, take your parents back to the village. On the way, tell them everything that's happened these years. And why not give Grandma Chiyo a pleasant surprise too?"
"Okay," Sasori replied, speaking with deep emotion: "Big Brother Kurotsuchi, thank you."
Anya smiled slightly and responded, "You and I don't need to thank each other."
After Sasori left, Anya turned toward White Fang and said, "Teacher, you've been away for many years. Kakashi has grown up and endured much hardship. Why don't you return to the village first and see him?"
"Yeah, I can imagine," sighed White Fang as he nodded at Anya and began to turn away.
"Uh, wait..." Anya suddenly called him back.
White Fang looked puzzled and asked, "What is it?"
Anya thought carefully for a moment and hesitantly said, "The current Konoha might seem somewhat different than what you remember. How about I accompany you there?"
White Fang laughed heartily and said, "Don't worry. Although you've grown significantly now, don't underestimate your teacher. Konoha is the village where I grew up. Even if it were flattened into the ground, I'd still know my way around."
Watching White Fang's dashing figure disappear into the distance, Anya couldn't help but remark, "No wonder he's the Master—his judgment is beyond compare. He can already picture Konoha's layout from that far away."
After saying this, Anya walked toward Konan and released her from the binds holding her body.
Within such a short time, Konan had already figured everything out. From the very beginning, the Master had been watching Nagato's Rinnegan—it was always meant to be used for resurrection. All these years… had she really just been waiting for this moment?
Konan couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, did you have everything figured out about Akatsuki? And yet you did nothing—was it all just for bringing back those three? How could you be so certain Nagato would use that jutsu? And how did he end up under your manipulation?"
"Konan, I know you have many doubts. Don't rush. Ask whatever you want, and I'll explain everything to you." With this, Anya took the lead walking out of the Tree Hollow, continuing while walking, "Follow me—I've got a gift for you."
Konan shook her head and refused, saying, "Sorry, I must go to Konoha first to recover Yahiko."
Without turning her head, Anya replied, "I've already sent someone to bring him back. He's with them now."
Konan's expression became complicated. She activated her paper technique, wrapping Nagato's body in paper before chasing after Anya's retreating figure.
When the Genjutsu inside Naruto faded, he found himself alone and clueless—completely unaware of what had just happened here.
Seeing Konan drifting behind him like a soulless ghost, Anya sighed deeply and said, "Konan, you should know—since Yahiko's death, Akatsuki has strayed from its original course. Before dying, Nagato chose to use that jutsu—he found himself again. And you… what will you choose?"
Konan stayed quiet for a while before answering, "Yahiko and Nagato mean everything to me..."
"Don't talk nonsense," Anya coldly interrupted. "No one really belongs entirely to someone else. They're gone while you're still alive — doesn't that say something? Everyone is their own person. No one's so indispensable that life becomes impossible without them. Lean too hard on others just to get by, and you'll only end up suffering more."
Konan trembled, replying with a confused look, "But don't you think part of the pain I've endured was your doing? If you hadn't taken me back then..."
"Foolish girl, the outcome wouldn't have changed at all. The moment Nagato obtained the Rinnegan, tragedy was inevitable."
As they spoke, the two arrived at the Uchiha Clan District. Due to past ostracism from the village, the clan's territory lay on the outskirts of Konoha — thus escaping the effects of Shinra Tensei. Though the buildings had sustained slight tremors, the damage was minimal.
Stepping into the training ground inside the compound, they saw two individuals bound to a torture platform. Pale and exhausted, their eyes were dull and lifeless. Only the uneven rise and fall of their chests confirmed they were still alive.
Anya pointed toward the two men and said, "Go ahead. Their lives are in your hands now — think of it as a present from me."
Konan looked upon them, and her previously hopeless gaze suddenly turned murderous.
Hanzo and Danzo. These two left deep scars in Konan's heart. It was precisely because of their actions that Yahiko had died, which triggered Nagato's descent into darkness, steering Akatsuki off its original path and transforming it into a terrorist organization.
After successfully creating the Six Paths of Pain, Nagato had even set aside time searching for Hanzo, but found not a trace of him. He never expected that both Hanzo and Danzo had been captured by her Master.
Hatred drove Konan forward until she stood before the pair. Her voice was icy as she asked, "Do you remember me?"
At the unfamiliar voice, the two struggled to open their eyes. Yet their expressions held only confusion — clearly, they barely remembered the hostage they once used as leverage.
"All the better you don't remember. Think of it as a stranger coming to collect a debt — one you never knew you owed. Die with that uncertainty in your hearts!"
Her expression hardening, Konan quickly lost what little patience she had left for conversation. [Paper Person of God Technique] activated, countless sheets of paper formed wings behind her back before slicing through the air like shuriken aimed straight at the two.
Powerless to resist, both men were instantly pierced with countless wounds. Blood splattered across the courtyard as they met horrifying deaths.
Even after both men were clearly dead, Konan kept unleashing her jutsu without mercy. More paper kept forming behind her, slicing into the corpses over and over with unrelenting fury.
"Enough, Konan." A figure rushed forward and gently clasped Konan's icy hand in comfort. "It's over. They're already dead."
Jolted out of her hollow revenge, Konan looked up and felt tears welling in her eyes. "Big sis Haku... So you're still alive."
Haku shared his warmth with Konan as he spoke gently, "Yeah, I'm still alive. We—all of us—will live on. No matter how much pain we've been through, there'll come a day when all of it feels like the past."
"Konan, you're a gentle person. I knew that from the moment we first met," Kurenai Yuhi, another figure in red, stepped forward, holding a glass jar in her arms. Inside were origami cranes Konan folded during her school days in Konoha.
A tear slid down from the corner of Konan's eye. At this moment, seeing these origami cranes, she finally realized she had once traveled to another realm—a different world entirely.
Kurenai Yuhi stepped closer and took Konan's other hand, urging, "Come back. Don't keep wandering out there alone. We were best friends at school before, and from now on, we still will be."
Caught between them, left and right, Konan ceased her ninjutsu. The three wrapped their arms around each other and held on tightly.
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