Yahiko's decision to enter the war was not approved by everyone.
Many ninjas of Amegakure had joined Akatsuki precisely to escape the endless wars. Now that peace was still out of reach, they were being pulled back into another conflict.
No one wanted to die after finally finding a place to belong.
But as the leader, Yahiko had already made his decision. The rest could only follow.
In truth, none of them could ignore what had happened. Everything had started because of Akatsuki, and they had a responsibility to respond.
Konan, however, was not thinking about the war at all.
She was instead focused on something far more important to her right now, a meeting gift.
Since it was a reunion after so many years, they could not arrive empty handed.
What exactly counted as an appropriate gift became a serious discussion between Konan and Nagato during their journey back. Despite both of them being quiet by nature, they argued about it the entire way, yet still reached no conclusion.
Nagato suggested they follow the past.
When they parted years ago, Tatsumi had given them kunai for self defense. So he proposed bringing kunai in return.
Konan immediately rejected the idea.
That was not a gift, it was just returning a favor in the most meaningless way possible. Bringing three kunai to a reunion would only make things awkward.
Nagato then suggested local specialties from the Land of Rain.
Konan rejected that even faster.
The Land of Rain had no proper specialty worth mentioning. The climate was too damp, and the most famous things there were poisonous mushrooms that could barely be considered food.
In the end, Yahiko made the final decision with a wave of his hand.
Konan would bring two Flame Chickens to cook.
Konan wanted to object, but Akatsuki had no money or resources for anything better, so she could only accept it and seal the small animals away in a scroll.
Before she left, Yahiko repeatedly reminded her that this was a mission to deliver information, not a casual visit.
Konan nodded seriously.
Then immediately forgot it.
When she arrived at the Konoha encampment, she was stopped by patrol ninjas.
"Who goes there," the leading shinobi asked sharply, eyes filled with caution.
Konan raised her hands slightly to show she was not hostile.
"My name is Konan. I am from Amegakure. Lord Hanzō sent me to deliver an important message to Lord Tatsumi."
She did not mention Akatsuki.
After several failed attempts at diplomacy, she had learned that Hanzō's name carried far more weight than Akatsuki's.
However, the Konoha shinobi did not relax.
"Amegakure has established official communication protocols with us. There is no need to send a personal messenger."
Konan froze slightly.
Her cover had been seen through immediately.
After a brief pause, she changed her approach.
"I am Lord Jiraiya's disciple, and I also know Lord Tatsumi. I have urgent intelligence regarding Sunagakure."
As she spoke, she took out a white paper flower from her pocket.
"Please report this. Tell him Konan is here. Or Nawaki, the one who looks a little foolish, or Mikoto, a very beautiful girl."
The guards exchanged glances.
Those were all names they recognized.
If she truly had intelligence regarding Sunagakure, then this could be classified information.
After a moment of hesitation, the captain nodded.
"Stay here. I will report this."
The rest of the team remained alert, surrounding her to prevent any possible escape.
Konan stood quietly, looking toward the Konoha encampment.
A faint sense of hesitation rose in her chest.
She suddenly wondered if she had been too impulsive.
When they first met, they were all children. Tatsumi and the others were only a few years older than her.
Eight years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Would they still remember the three children they once met by chance in the Land of Rain?
For Konan, that memory was special.
It was the first time she had felt warmth in a world filled with suffering.
That moment, along with her time under Jiraiya, became something she treasured deeply.
Yahiko and Nagato felt the same way. That was why they often returned to that old cave, holding onto the past.
But for Tatsumi and the others, it might not have meant the same thing at all.
Perhaps they had simply seen them as passing orphans and forgotten them completely.
She did not like that possibility.
Konan lightly touched her chest, where a kunai was hidden.
That moment had become one of the reasons she began taking ninjutsu seriously.
Before that, she had simply followed Yahiko and Nagato wherever they went.
Her thoughts were interrupted.
A shadow flashed across the air.
Tatsumi arrived at high speed from the main tent, followed by Nawaki and Mikoto.
Konan's expression, which had been slightly clouded with doubt, instantly brightened.
A genuine smile appeared on her face.
Inside the main tent, Tatsumi took a sip of tea and looked at Konan with mild curiosity.
"So Konan, how did you end up as Hanzō's subordinate?"
Konan was currently helping Mikoto prepare the Flame Chickens.
She looked up casually and stuck out her tongue.
"I am not. I just used his name. If I said Akatsuki, no one would have taken me seriously."
Akatsuki was still an unknown organization at this stage.
On the side, Nawaki laughed.
"That is not good, Konan. If you want to build reputation, you have to use your organization's name more often."
"People in the ninja world like that sort of thing. Strong mysterious identities are not popular anymore. For example, I call myself Konoha's Sea King."
Konan covered her mouth and laughed.
She thought Nawaki had not changed at all, still as foolish as before.
Nawaki did not notice her thoughts and simply grinned back.
He had not expected the three children they once helped to survive were actually Jiraiya's disciples. Not only were they alive, they had even formed an organization called Akatsuki.
"Naruto… Nagato," Nawaki muttered as if remembering something important.
"Isn't the protagonist of Big Brother Jiraiya's novel that gloomy red haired kid?"
"Yes," Konan replied with a smile, "but Nagato is not gloomy."
"Tch, I do not agree," Nawaki said, crossing his arms. "That kid can be the main character, but I am stuck as a supporting role."
Konan laughed again, finding herself laughing more than she had in a long time.
When she smiled, dimples appeared on her cheeks. Tatsumi glanced at her for a moment, slightly distracted.
He had not expected to meet Konan again like this.
At one point, he had thought their next meeting would be as enemies. Reality, however, had taken a different turn.
Konan today was not the cold and distant figure she would become in the future.
That likely meant Yahiko was still alive.
Nagato's condition was probably the same.
Then the question remained.
Now that Madara was confirmed dead, should he take Nagato's Rinnegan?
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