In Amegakure, Naruto returned with everyone.
As soon as they landed, Nagato's Rain Tiger at Will Technique (Ame no Hi Rōjutsu) activated. Tobirama immediately noticed the rain falling on him and frowned slightly.
"Naruto, this is a large-scale sensory technique, isn't it?"
Naruto nodded. "Yes. As long as someone foreign enters the village, the rain won't touch them normally. The one casting the jutsu will sense it immediately."
Just as he finished speaking, Nagato flew over swiftly on his mechanical platform.
"Naruto , you're back?"
Naruto nodded with a soft smile. "Yeah, I'm back. Is the village safe?"
Nagato nodded. "Nothing happened."
Naruto smiled faintly. It seemed Obito really was preoccupied. Otherwise, with his usual personality, he would've come to Amegakure to investigate already.
In recent days, Naruto had captured several White Zetsu. More importantly, he had deliberately allowed some to escape so they could inform the others. Still, neither Obito nor Kabuto had made a move. That confirmed they were deeply entangled in some other business.
That meant he needed to move faster.
Naruto turned to Nagato. "Big Bro, you should go rest. We start tomorrow. I'll take watch tonight."
Nagato's eyes lit up with gratitude. "Really? Naruto!"
Naruto smiled and nodded.
"Itachi-san!"
Kisame came rushing over and stopped at Itachi's side.
Itachi turned and smiled slightly. "Kisame, what's wrong?"
Scratching his head, Kisame said, "I heard from the others that you and Naruto disappeared. I didn't know where you went. This strange village has been pretty dull without you around."
Itachi patted Kisame's shoulder. Shisui chuckled softly from the side. It was clear Kisame viewed Itachi as more than a comrade — a treasured friend. The moment he found out Itachi had gone missing, he was visibly anxious.
Naruto looked around at everyone and said, "Alright, everyone, get some rest. I'll handle the night watch."
Tobirama stepped forward. "Naruto, have you forgotten? We're Edo Tensei. We don't need rest. You go get some sleep. Let the four Hokage handle the night watch — gives us a good chance to reminisce."
Minato smiled and agreed. "That's right, Naruto. We'll guard the area. Don't worry."
Naruto wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he nodded. With the four Hokage standing guard, there was nothing to fear — not even Obito could easily breach that defense.
So, Naruto took Shisui, Itachi, Kisame, and Nagato to rest without worry.
After a hot shower, Naruto dried his hair and thought for a moment. He was preparing to visit Orochimaru's laboratory when, just as he opened the door, he saw Konan standing silently in the hallway.
"Hmm? Konan , what's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Konan smiled softly. "Nothing. I just heard you were back and came to see you."
Naruto noticed something odd in her expression. Her aura tonight felt a bit off. He stepped aside and gestured. "Come in and sit, Konan."
Konan nodded and walked in.
Naruto closed the door behind her, poured a glass of water, and handed it to her.
"What's troubling you, Konan? You seem... a little down."
Holding the glass with both hands, Konan let out a faint sigh. "Naruto... are you planning to revive Yahiko tomorrow?"
Naruto nodded slowly. "Yes. Why? Do you think there's something wrong with that?"
Konan bit her lower lip, shook her head, and said quietly, "No... it's just... my heart feels unsettled."
Naruto offered a warm smile. "Konan, if there's something on your mind, you can talk to me. I'll help however I can."
She gazed at him seriously. "Naruto... I've always seen you as a younger brother. But also as someone dependable... almost like an older brother at times. Can I confide in you?"
Naruto's smile was sincere. "Of course, Konan . You know I've never hidden anything from you."
Konan took a small sip from her cup and inhaled deeply. There was a hint of resentment in her usually calm eyes.
"Tell me, Naruto... have you ever been in love?"
Naruto blinked. That caught him off guard. Was Konan really here to talk about romantic feelings?
In the past, he might not have understood love that well. But after reincarnation — after letting go of his childhood crush on Sakura, experiencing love with Hinata, marrying her, and having children — he had his own understanding of love.
He smiled calmly. "Yes, I have."
Konan's interest piqued. She leaned forward. "Can you tell me how it felt? Your experience?"
Naruto nodded, took a moment to collect his thoughts, then began.
"My story is in two parts. First was my first love — Sakura. I liked her since I was little. But she didn't feel the same way. She always liked Sasuke.
No matter how much effort I put in or how kind I was, she only saw me as a good friend. Her heart never wavered from Sasuke.
Eventually, I let go of that love. And when I did, I realized... there was someone who had always liked me — from the very beginning. She had silently stayed by my side since we were kids. But I never noticed her until later."
Naruto chuckled to himself, his expression tender.
"It surprised me. When I finally saw it, I thought — why me? Why would the heiress of the Hyuga clan fall for someone like me? Do I really have the protagonist's aura or something?"
Konan smiled, amused by his joke. "And then? What happened next?"
Naruto leaned back and smiled brighter. "Then, during a mission, we confessed to each other. Fell in love. Got married. And she gave birth to two wonderful kids. I'm a father."
Konan's eyes glimmered with gentle envy. "That's... beautiful."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. That's why, after being reborn this time, I didn't hesitate. I kissed her the moment I saw her and confessed right away. She made the first move in my previous life — this time, I wanted to be the one."
Konan chuckled quietly, covering her mouth.
Then she paused, her tone turning thoughtful. "Naruto... Nagato trusts you completely. I heard everything you've said. But I still find it difficult to believe... that you've actually come back from another timeline.
Be honest with me. What were Nagato and I like in your past life?"
Naruto looked at her seriously.
" Sister... both you and Nagato died."
Konan's lips parted slightly in shock.
Naruto continued. "Did you ever think about using every last resource to buy exploding tags just to blow Obito up?"
Konan's eyes widened. She hadn't told anyone that thought — but she had seriously considered it before. After Naruto's appearance, she abandoned the idea.
"How... how did you know?"
Naruto gave a gentle, knowing smile. "Because it happened. That idea you had — it was brilliant. You knew Kamui's time limit was five seconds. You used countless exploding tags to attack after that time gap... and you would have succeeded.
But Obito had more Sharingan than anyone expected. He used a forbidden Uchiha technique — one that could alter reality."
"Izanagi?" Konan whispered.
Naruto nodded. "Yes. By pre-setting the technique in the Sharingan, the user can rewrite reality at the cost of going blind in that eye. Obito had plenty of spare eyes. He wasn't afraid of sacrificing one."
Konan lowered her eyes. She hadn't known about Izanagi, but hearing Naruto explain her strategy so precisely proved one thing — he truly had lived through it.
If that were the case, then Naruto's rebirth had saved her and Nagato from death.
Naruto looked at her kindly. "Now that I've told you about my past and my love story... Sister, it's your turn. What's weighing so heavily on your heart?"
Konan exhaled deeply. Her expression darkened slightly.
"I..."
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