"Obito actually has a way to slip past the detection range of Rain no Jutsu…?"
Konan's expression darkened instantly. Her pale pink fists tightened, and her amber-orange pupils contracted. Killing intent poured off her in waves, growing sharper and sharper.
She was actually considering whether she should detonate the six hundred billion explosive tags she had hand-crafted and sealed beneath the lake of Amegakure.
Facing Konan—his sister in everything but blood—Nagato immediately sensed what she was thinking.
"Forget it, Konan. He's probably already left Amegakure by now."
"Even though I lost one Rinnegan, my body feels far less burdened. In a way… this might actually be a good thing."
Nagato even let out a faint smile, as if this disaster had turned into some strange blessing.
"Maybe in half a month… when I fight Uchiha Hikaru, my odds of winning will be higher. With less strain on my body."
The moment those words left him, Konan's internal fury exploded. Right now she wasn't the White Tiger of Akatsuki, nor the Angel of the Hidden Rain.
She was simply a sister—a sister who felt she had failed to protect her little brother. Tears burned in her eyes. Her shoulders trembled. Her expression hardened with fierce resolve. She had made up her mind.
"No. You are not fighting in half a month."
"You have almost zero chance of winning right now. If you really can't do it, then join the Shinobi Alliance."
"What if Obito hides somewhere again like today and steals your Rinnegan with some sneaky trick!?"
"Don't think I don't understand. With one Rinnegan gone, your pupil power is cut in half. If you use those large-scale techniques like before, the toll on your body will double. I absolutely will not agree to this. So drop the idea!"
Her words stabbed straight into Nagato's thoughts.
If Nagato still had both Rinnegan, his current chakra reserves would let him unleash two large-scale, catastrophic jutsu. He wouldn't be able to defeat Uchiha Hikaru—but he could at least fight a few symbolic rounds.
Because to Konan… Hikaru was her lover ♥ (๑˘︶˘๑).
And Nagato was her brother.
She didn't want either of them hurt.
But without the battle, there was no legitimate way for Akatsuki to join the Shinobi Alliance and become a real family.
She had selfish motives… but she also knew Nagato too well. If she didn't stop him, Nagato would—no, he definitely would—burn his life away for the jutsu, just like he had after Yahiko's death.
Nagato clenched his fists, saying nothing. He silently summoned the Hell Path.
Under his control, Jigokudō walked over. Nagato took the Hell Path's left eye and implanted it directly into his empty eye socket.
Even though Pain bodies were corpses, Hell could repair them, and they remained perfectly functional with their chakra receivers.
Once blessed by the Rinnegan's power, their vision could synchronize.
Nagato now used Pain's eye to replace his own missing field of sight.
Silence stretched for a long time. Then Nagato—who had almost never opposed Konan since they were children—finally voiced his true feelings.
"Konan… I know you worry about me. And I know that losing half my pupil power cuts my chances of victory."
"But that doesn't mean I can't win."
"Peace in the shinobi world—that's not just your dream. It was Yahiko's and mine as well."
"For this battle… I must go all out. No matter what. Because it's the dream of the three of us."
"Even if I've lost a Rinnegan… I can still win!"
Konan said nothing. For once, she didn't argue. She only stood there silently.
Finally, she nodded.
"Fine. But you must agree to one condition."
Nagato felt a weight lift from his chest. She wasn't opposing the battle anymore.
"No problem. Tell me."
"These eyes were never mine anyway. Don't blame yourself. In fact, with one gone, my other ninjutsu feel even less restricted."
He tried to soothe her with a faint smile.
"You may use one large-scale Rinnegan technique. Only one. Absolutely no second use."
"If you still had both eyes, you could barely use two. That was with all your pupil power and chakra."
"But now you only have one Rinnegan—so only once."
Konan's voice was absolute—unyielding. She had pierced his intentions again.
The two stared at each other for a long moment, until Nagato finally sighed.
"Alright. I understand. Just once."
"I'll need to find the perfect moment and win with a single strike."
Konan nodded, satisfied. Then she turned and left, intending to send word to Uchiha Hikaru by carrier bird.
After all… Hikaru was her future brother-in-law. They were family. She had to give him a warning.
He must be careful of Black Zetsu's uncanny, undetectable stealth.
Before leaving the tower, Konan slapped explosive tags across every wall—just in case Obito appeared again.
If he did… she would bury him in detonations.
…
After Konan left, Nagato lowered his head as his chest tightened. The dull throb in his new left eye was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
He had forced himself to act confident earlier so she wouldn't worry. But now that she was gone… he no longer needed to pretend.
With his right eye, he controlled the Deva Path and made it walk toward him. Looking at that familiar face, he saw Yahiko standing there, smiling as he once had.
"Yahiko… I'm not the Child of Prophecy. I'm not the Sage of Six Paths' reincarnation."
"These Rinnegan… never belonged to me. I'm just a container. A pawn in someone else's plan."
"What should I do? Can I really defeat Uchiha Hikaru?"
"Do we… have to rely on others to achieve the ideals we've chased all these years?"
The "Yahiko" in front of him said nothing. He only stared back quietly.
Nagato closed his eyes, mind deep in turmoil, thinking about what kind of jutsu he could create—something to rival Chibaku Tensei or Shinra Tensei.
He had promised Konan.
He would only use one large-scale Rinnegan technique.
He would not deceive his companions.
Those were Yahiko's words… and Nagato had never forgotten them.
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