In the early morning, Yuzuru stretched lazily as he stepped out of the room feeling refreshed.
Behind him, Kushina, Mikoto, and Karura covered their mouths, their eyes full of silent resentment.
Thinking about it, Kushina couldn't help saying, "Yuzuru, maybe you should go visit Konan. She hasn't taken on a mission recently."
Hearing that, Yuzuru raised a brow and looked at her with surprise. "Kushina, what do you mean by that?"
Kushina gave a huff, annoyed. "Interpret it however you want. The three of us need a long, proper rest."
With that, she dragged Mikoto and Karura back inside and shut the door.
They weren't afraid of hard work, but constant toil would make anyone lose their appetite.
Hearing this, Yuzuru rubbed his nose.
Even after living two lifetimes, this kind of request was definitely a first.
'As expected, you have to be strong enough yourself to withstand the hammering.'
Leaving the courtyard, Yuzuru first went to the Research Institute and then headed toward the outskirts of the Uchiha compound.
Konan's home wasn't far from there — a small two-story villa.
"Konan!"
Yuzuru called out, and soon Konan came running out with excitement.
Seeing him, she smiled. "Yuzuru, I wasn't expecting you. Did something happen?"
Walking inside with her, Yuzuru explained, "Last time we talked about using the special paper I gave you to create explosive tags, right?"
"I brought some samples today. Let's 'study' them together."
"Sounds good."
Naturally, Konan took his hand and led him into the house.
Yuzuru laid out the prepared explosive tags and said, "If we use these tags as the base material for your Paper Ninjutsu, they should fix the problem of its lack of offensive power."
Hearing his idea, Konan hesitated. "These special sheets really help me a lot, but… isn't the cost way too high?"
Paper Style required an enormous amount of paper. Replacing regular sheets with high-grade explosive tags would mean spending an unimaginable amount of money.
Seeing her worry, Yuzuru smiled. "A problem that can be solved with money is not a problem."
"Just like when we reformed the Land of Lightning — if we run out of funds, we can always make Konoha cough up a bit more."
Konan couldn't help laughing. "You're treating Konoha like a money tree. Keep plucking it and there won't be any leaves left?"
"It's fine. I have a Plan B."
Seeing his confident expression, Konan asked curiously, "What's Plan B?"
Yuzuru smiled and whispered: "I know a person who is excellent at making money, practically the strongest beast of burden... cough... the strongest hired worker."
"I'll have him become your subordinate, and then you won't have to worry about money anymore."
Konan was moved by his words. "Yuzuru… you're really good to me."
Looking at Konan's aloof yet seductive face, Yuzuru reached out a finger and lifted her chin: "I can be even better to you. Would you like to try?"
Konan, flustered by his unabashed gaze, looked away. "Do… do whatever you want…"
'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, old time is still a-flying.' (T/N: Robert Herrick)
He had invested so much effort into Konan — without getting something in return, wouldn't that make him a simp?
—
—
"Konan! Konan!"
Nagato stood before Konan's home, unable to hide his excitement.
After long months of effort, he had finally mastered all the basic abilities of the Rinnegan. Overjoyed, he wanted to share the news with Konan right away.
Upstairs, Konan poked her head out the window. "Nagato, wait just a moment."
After a while, she opened the door and asked, "Nagato, did something happen?"
Nagato said excitedly, "Konan, I've completely mastered the Rinnegan. Let's celebrate today!"
At that, Konan tucked her hair behind her ear and glanced back over her shoulder.
Just as Nagato was puzzling over her reaction, Yuzuru stepped out. "Nagato, you don't mind having one more person, right?"
Seeing Yuzuru, Nagato froze.
He wasn't a clueless kid. He could clearly sense the not-so-ordinary atmosphere between Yuzuru and Konan.
After stiffening for a moment, he forced himself to nod. "Of course not, Yuzuru."
Konan smiled. "I'll go get ready first."
Noticing the faint blush still lingering on Konan's cheeks, Nagato sighed inwardly.
Yahiko… I wasn't able to revive you as soon as I wanted. I hope you can forgive me…
After Konan left, Yuzuru looked at the dazed Nagato. "Nagato, now that you've gained such power, do you have any plans?"
Nagato came back to himself and said quietly, "I only want to fulfill Yahiko's dream. Everything else is up to you."
Yuzuru patted his shoulder with a smile. "Then let's make a trip back to Amegakure."
Nagato blinked, confused. "Back to Amegakure?"
"Kill Hanzō the Salamander, take control of Amegakure, and then the entire Land of Rain," Yuzuru explained. "Our first step to unifying the ninja world is to gain control over all the small countries."
"But…" Nagato frowned. "If the plan is to unify the small nations, shouldn't we start with those bordering the Land of Lightning?"
Yuzuru said calmly, "Hanzō killed all your Akatsuki comrades. Now that you have the strength, you should avenge them. Bottling it up isn't healthy."
"I'll go with you."
Nagato was deeply moved.
Once, thanks to Yahiko, he had admired Hanzō greatly. But after Hanzō slaughtered their comrades, that admiration had turned into hatred.
Yet everything he had now came from Yuzuru — he had no choice but to swallow that hatred.
But he never expected Yuzuru to make this decision for his sake.
To help him take revenge, Yuzuru was even willing to advance the attack on the Land of Rain.
The Land of Rain was far from the Land of Lightning — attacking it now offered no benefit to Yuzuru's current plan.
Konan was right. Yuzuru truly was… different.
While they were talking, Konan finished getting ready and stepped out.
She affectionately took Yuzuru's arm and smiled at Nagato. "Shall we go?"
This time, a smile also appeared on Nagato's face. "Sure. Today, the barbecue is on me."
With Yuzuru at his side and the power he now possessed—
Even Hanzō the Salamander, known as a 'demigod', had only one fate awaiting him:
Death.