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Sorry.
Nagato, Yahiko.
When Konan raised her head again, her heart was filled with the resolve to sacrifice herself for her best companions.
She looked directly into those brilliant, star-like azure eyes, her lips tightly pressed together.
Konan was not an ignorant novice.
In fact, after spending many years in Takigakure and the Moon Organization, she was now a mature Ninja.
For a Ninja like her, especially a female Ninja, she already had a general idea of the terrible things that could happen after being defeated and captured.
Don't expect a high moral bottom line in a Ninja World where the average education level doesn't exceed the third grade of elementary school. In an era where even rudimentary social ideologies like the Will of Fire or the Will of Stone can achieve large-scale brainwashing education, most commoners still live in an agricultural civilization, and the moral standards of Ninja are roughly equivalent to those of beasts.
At most, it might give them a slight sense of guilt after slaughtering clans, Villages, or towns according to mission standards, making them believe they have 'integrated into the darkness.'
In the entertainment districts and geisha quarters across various regions, many female Ninja who faced similar circumstances ended up in new professions because they couldn't afford their ransom—however, from another perspective, to some extent, this was also one of the unwritten rules for female Ninja's post-war survival, allowing their survival rate to be orders of magnitude higher than that of unfortunate male Ninja.
Compared to that, being able to humble herself before a prominent figure like Sawara Kiri might even be a fortunate outcome for her at this moment.
But...
'If it's for the lives of Nagato and Yahiko, I can accept any price.'
Konan silently repeated this countless times in her heart, slowly exhaling.
"Hmph."
"I didn't expect a prominent figure like you would also be interested in ordinary people like us."
The beauty hanging on the torture rack had chilling eyes.
Her disheveled short hair and pale skin were slightly damp with sweat. Her body, bound in a cross shape, was immobile, which only further accentuated her graceful figure. The ropes tightened around her waist forced her chest to protrude irresistibly, yet it drooped slightly due to its volume, making her appear exceptionally pitiable at this moment.
Konan stared at Sawara Kiri, who was close at hand, for a long time, then turned her face to the side and said coldly, "Come on."
Sawara Kiri looked at the 'Bond Level: One' prompt that had appeared on the panel at some point, then at Konan, who had already given up struggling and adopted a self-abandoning demeanor, and felt a little confused.
You're still tied up, and you're already thinking of getting into my bed?
Dream on!
After realizing that the other party had misunderstood his meaning, Sawara Kiri thought for a moment and rephrased, "You'd rather sacrifice your body than reveal Nagato's plan?"
"It's a pity you probably don't know, do you?"
"Nagato is just a pawn being used by that guy next to Uchiha Hikari."
"The guy even Uchiha Hikari is wary of, yet you all trust him so much?"
Upon hearing this, Konan's expression froze, and she abruptly turned her head towards him.
"What do you mean?"
Sawara Kiri noticed the change in her expression and softened his tone a bit: "Your plan this time, it wasn't Nagato's idea, was it? That black and white plant who follows him around, you should see him often, right?"
"..."
"Tell me, what exactly were you originally planning to do in Hidden Rain Village?"
Konan glanced at the crystal ball beside him, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.
Doesn't this thing see the past and future?
If so, why don't you just check it yourself?
However, looking at Sawara Kiri's composed demeanor, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty—what if he was just trying to extract information from her mouth with a simpler method because the cost was too high?
Moreover, although Konan didn't say it aloud.
In reality, even she herself had always been somewhat suspicious of Nagato's 'impulsiveness' this time, and that mysterious guy, Zetsu, did indeed seem to be plotting something, just as Sawara Kiri had said.
This contradictory emotion made her worry about Nagato and Yahiko's safety.
If it was really as this guy said, and they were all being used...
If she could dig some information out of Sawara Kiri, seeing his captivated expression, and then perhaps subtly tempting him with her body, she might not be entirely without a chance to send the relevant information out.
Bargaining with a tiger.
Almost instinctively, this thought popped into Konan's mind.
However, did she really have any other choice now?
The words about to come out were mulled over repeatedly in her mind. Konan lowered her head slightly and said softly, "I don't know much. I only know that this operation was indeed a deal between Nagato and Zetsu."
"His request was for us to occupy Hidden Rain Village and establish a huge sealing array based on this location—using the Ryumakyu."
"It's not just me; Nagato also knows very little information. I don't know why he agreed. Perhaps, we are indeed the ones being used."
Konan's voice was very low when she spoke, her tone soft. Coupled with her weak face after prolonged mental pressure and water torture, and her bound, graceful figure, it especially highlighted the deeper sense of vulnerability in this cold beauty.
This was also a technique of showing weakness by utilizing her own 'advantages'.
She felt that she hadn't revealed any crucial information, nor had she exposed Nagato's potential future actions—in fact, even she herself couldn't say what Nagato would do next.
However, what Konan didn't know was that Sawara Kiri possessed far more information than she imagined.
A thoughtful look appeared in Sawara Kiri's eyes.
In fact, as soon as he learned of Minato's battle with Nagato, he began to ponder why these people had once again returned to the original timeline, attempting to establish dominance in Hidden Rain Village.
If they merely wanted to kill Hanzo, the cause of their war, they had many, many opportunities to strike over the past seven years.
Sure enough.
Now, with just a slight provocation, he had extracted information from Konan.
They were indeed led back to Hidden Rain Village by Zetsu.
Additionally, they planned to establish a large-scale Ryumakyu-based seal in Hidden Rain Village.
Zetsu's goal was easy to guess.
For an entire millennium, he had been working to save Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Although he didn't know what this Ryumakyu seal was for, it must be related to the seal on the moon.
Was he planning to convert large amounts of Chakra through the Dragon Veins to plant the God Tree? Or did he intend to use the entire Hidden Rain Village to complete some large-scale sacrifice ritual that didn't appear in the original story? Or perhaps he simply wanted to bring Uchiha Madara back out to continue the plan that had been interrupted for various reasons?
No, the current Ninja World situation was already different.
His mere existence would prevent Black Zetsu from making such a foolish move, and there were certainly more than just one or two powerful individuals comparable to Uchiha Madara...
Could it be that, besides planting the God Tree, Black Zetsu had other ways to undo the 'Six Paths – Chibaku Tensei'?
Sawara Kiri gazed at Konan's vulnerable expression, pondering for a long time.
Ultimately, by process of elimination, he arrived at two conclusions.
First, he needed to increase the intensity of reconnaissance in various regions to prevent Black Zetsu and Nagato from hiding in some corner and completing some large-scale ritual.
Second, he needed to further strengthen the monitoring of the moon's seal.
At this thought, Sawara Kiri's mind gradually cleared, and his gaze towards Konan softened considerably.
Conversely, when Konan noticed his gaze, her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she suddenly wondered if she had said something wrong earlier, exposing some information.
However, Sawara Kiri had no intention of continuing this topic.
"Then what's going on with you three?"
"By taking such actions without authorization, have you already decided to leave the Moon Organization?"
Hearing him ask this, even though she knew her previous words had accidentally exposed some information, Konan had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue, saying softly, "Uchiha Hikari is a madwoman who wants to destroy the world. She plans to seal all the Chakra in this world, making everyone return to an era where no one has Chakra, so that everyone will be under her control."
"This isn't just a plan."
"When we were in Takigakure, this phenomenon was very obvious."
"All members of the Moon Organization must have a special ocular jutsu imprint. With just a thought from her, others will become her puppets!"
"That kind of ocular jutsu, even you wouldn't be able to resist—"
Although her voice was intermittent due to weakness, Konan still desperately tried to guide Sawara Kiri's attention, doing everything she could to shift his gaze away from herself and Nagato, hoping he would go fight Uchiha Hikari, that monster, to the death. Whichever one died, it would be good news for them.
Sawara Kiri merely nodded indifferently when he heard her speak.
Are you kidding?
He had known about the Engraved Tsukuyomi for years; Uchiha Hikari herself had told him. She even said she wanted to live an ordinary life with him, which almost drove Megumi insane.
Konan pursed her lips and said softly, "...So, we want to break free from her control and establish a truly peaceful Village for everyone."
"Like the Five Great Nations?"
Sawara Kiri asked with interest.
"No."
Konan took a deep breath. When she spoke of their goal, this cold beauty's eyes gleamed with a torch-like brilliance: "Peace cannot be achieved through everyone's compromise."
"To stop all slaughter, we must possess a powerful force capable of destroying all resistance in an instant."
"Only the deterrence of such terrifying power can make others lay down their weapons."
"That's why Nagato would cooperate with that bastard Zetsu, no matter the cost!"
"As long as we can achieve that level, even if…"
Just as she was speaking, as if narrating an ideal, and talking more than usual, Konan's voice was suddenly interrupted by Sawara Kiri.
He stood in front of Konan, who was hanging on the torture rack, smiled, pointed to himself, and said:
"Aren't I the kind of guy you're talking about?"
"…"
Konan's voice suddenly faltered.
She looked at him with a hint of astonishment.
That's right.
Unparalleled power, the Second Hokage who far surpassed the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi, who single-handedly subdued the entire Hidden Mist Village and disarmed it completely, a monster that even a Tailed Beast could hardly match.
Seven years is enough time for an infant to grow into a talkative child, for a rule to become a consensus in society, and naturally, for a name to become synonymous with invincibility.
Sawara Kiri = Invincible.
Although he rarely flaunted this terrifying power, it had long been common knowledge in the Ninja World.
Even opposing Ninja, upon seeing him, would naturally call out 'Lord Sawara'.
However, the Ninja World did not achieve peace because of his existence.
At most, it shifted from the previous chaotic large-scale wars to occasional small-scale conflicts.
Although the situation in the Five Great Nations remained stable, the rise and fall of various small nations did not cease.
Just like their childhood in the Land of Rain.
Konan remained in a daze for a long time, as if her logic had suddenly entered an endless loop.
"No, it's not just that level…"
"Our idea is… if…"
The cold beauty subconsciously wanted to retort, but being tongue-tied, she stumbled and couldn't form a complete sentence.
Instead, questions inadvertently flooded her mind.
Why, even with Sawara Kiri's immense strength, has he not subdued the other Great Nations?
Why do the other Great Nations, knowing Sawara Kiri's power, still try every means to resist him?
Isn't it natural for Ninja to obey the strong?
Why was she resisting again?
Konan unknowingly questioned her own heart.
"Naive fellow."
Sawara Kiri gently patted the pale cheek of the beauty in front of him, making her suddenly snap back to reality and instinctively shrink her neck, but then she immediately reacted, stiffening her upper body as if to appear tough, almost thrusting her chest into his face.
He, however, completely ignored her small movements, turned his back to her, took a sip of tea, and continued:
"Peace is a luxury; it can never be bought with power."
"A power that can destroy millions, tens of millions, or even shatter a Great Nation in an instant, might indeed make some people hesitant and afraid to easily start wars."
"But…"
Sawara Kiri suddenly turned his head again, meeting Konan's puzzled gaze with his clear blue eyes, and asked:
"How much power do you think it takes to feed hundreds of millions of people?"
"…"
Konan didn't know how to answer.
Or rather, in their naive conception, they had never considered how to maintain peace after the wars had been settled.
This can be seen not only now; in the original storyline, their approach was quite crude.
The Akatsuki Organization, an underground organization composed of ten Kage-level experts, had its primary mission during the period from Minato's era to the Shippuden arc: making money.
For this, they even hired the most famous financial management master in the entire Ninja World, Mr. Kakuzu, as their accountant. Most of their assets were diverted by Nagato to rebuild the Hidden Rain Village.
A perfectly good alliance of Kage-level experts was essentially turned into a Ponzi scheme, with people constantly dying on the path to making money and new members joining on the same path.
It wasn't until this Ponzi scheme was almost complete, the Hidden Rain Village was barely rebuilt, and Nagato's body was finally nearing its limit, almost completely drained, that they reluctantly began the Tailed Beast collection mission.
From the perspective of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Tailed Beast collection was naturally a series of humanitarian disasters, with one Village after another being attacked by top-tier experts.
But from the perspective of the Akatsuki Organization members, wasn't this also a series of suicidal attacks?
Just because they were strong enough, it didn't mean their lives weren't valuable, right?
Only Orochimaru was clear-headed enough to get out of the Ponzi scheme before the mission even started, embarking early on his immortality project and Konoha attack plan. Otherwise, his eventual fate would have been hard to predict.
The entire Shippuden arc was the process of Nagato and Konan, these two CEOs, working for Uchiha Madara's 'Moon's Eye Plan', while also self-sufficiently 'borrowing chickens to lay eggs', and incidentally raising an entire new Hidden Rain Village and six hundred billion explosive tags.
From this, it can be seen that they completely lacked the concept of 'managing a faction'.
Peace is, of course, a good thing.
But what about afterwards?
What Sawara Kiri was thinking about was the 'afterwards'.
He had kept these thoughts to himself for a long time, until he met Konan, such a suitable person, and finally had the opportunity to speak them aloud:
"Konoha's development to date is completely different in scale from seven years ago."
"There are over thirty-five thousand Chunin who found employment after 'elementary school graduation', and over four thousand Jonin who found employment after 'high school graduation'."
"To support these personnel, most of Konoha's state-owned enterprises' annual profits are remitted to Konoha's central treasury. The resources of other countries encroached upon during business expansion are countless. Most B-rank and lower missions posted on the mission board are related to production and medical care. Over thirty percent of Konoha Ninja have forgotten how to fight during these seven years of diversion and have transitioned to specialized production roles."
"But even so, Konoha's economy is in deficit year after year."
Sawara Kiri looked at Konan and asked, "Do you know how many unemployed Ninja there are in the other four Great Nations in these short seven years?"
"I… I don't know…"
Under Sawara Kiri's questioning, the cold beauty hanging on the torture rack felt as if she had suddenly returned to the special class Uchiha Hikari had set up for them, appearing as naive and ridiculous as when she first started learning basic Chakra refinement.
"The answer is, over thirty thousand," Sawara Kiri put down his teacup.
"Such a large number of unemployed Ninja has created countless hidden dangers for trade routes in various regions. After the transportation industry was gradually handed over to Cat Cat Express, the targets of misfortune became Villages, market towns, railways…"
"Many of them were once upright Ninja who gave everything for their Village; they didn't want to do these things."
"But."
"People need to eat, Konan."
"Ninja, who have been trained as killing machines from the very beginning of their lives, find themselves not knowing what else they can do besides killing."
"Do you think these people can all be wiped out by the unparalleled power you speak of?"
"…"
Sawara Kiri's questioning continued: "Suppose one day, it really is as you say, and no one wants to continue fighting, Konan, do you think they would be scared by you?"
"…"
"…"
Konan's silence grew longer and longer.
When a man who truly possesses invincible power in the Ninja World, who is immeasurably stronger than you, and who has wisdom so profound it cannot be fathomed, begins to reason with you, it usually means only one thing.
He is merely stating an obvious 'common sense'.
Suddenly, Konan felt as if her entire worldview accumulated over her first half of life was shattered by these few words. Her so-called ideals seemed so fragile and ridiculous, even childish, in front of someone who was truly practicing an ideal, much like a child describing how they would build a big house later where everyone could be warm.
That kind of belief cannot be shaken by pure strength and fearlessness.
What shakes them are often facts so simple they are terrifying.
Although Konan still hadn't fully believed anything the man in front of her said, a thought she herself couldn't believe inexplicably arose deep within her.
'Perhaps, even if Nagato and the others gained power stronger than this man's, they wouldn't be able to defeat him?'
Just a tiny thought, yet it filled Konan with more fear than any cruel torture or humiliating treatment.
Almost instinctively, she asked like an eager student questioning a teacher:
"Then… then what should I do?"
She didn't even realize how helpless and pitiful her voice sounded at that moment.
Gazing at Konan's expression, Sawara Kiri subtly curved his lips, revealing a gentle smile.
See, that's the power of 'ideals'.
As soon as the [Bond Level] appeared, he had already decided.
He wanted Konan's person, and her heart too!
He wanted it all!
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr