Boom boom boom!
The sound of explosions echoed incessantly, and despite the rain, the rising dust was unstoppable.
The explosions lasted for a full minute before finally coming to a halt.
Whoosh!
Konan's real body emerged, stepping forward to confront the black-robed figure.
"Now, it's your turn."
Konan said calmly, "Surrendering would be in your best interest."
"Have you asked for my opinion?"
A cold snort came from behind the black-robed figure.
Sasuke slowly stepped out from behind, completely unscathed, there wasn't even a trace of having endured an explosion.
"How is that possible? I clearly..."
Konan stopped mid-sentence as her gaze fell on Sasuke's scarlet Sharingan. Realization dawned on her, "It's actually a Genjutsu!"
"Pfft!"
Before she could react further, Konan coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her eyes widened as the tip of the Kusanagi Sword pierced through her abdomen.
She weakly fell to her knees, and the figure of Sasuke behind the black-robed figure gradually blurred. Turning her head sharply, she saw the real Sasuke gripping his Kusanagi Sword, his expression icy cold.
The Sasuke in the explosion was a fake. The one who had walked out from behind the black-robed figure was also fake. It was a double-layered Genjutsu!
The entire purpose was to force Konan to reveal her real body.
Konan couldn't believe how thoroughly she had been outmaneuvered.
"Now, it's time to send you to hell."
Sasuke sneered.
Following the black-robed figure's earlier reminder, Sasuke had anticipated that entering Amegakure would draw the attention of Akatsuki's members. So, from the moment he stepped foot in the village, he had activated his Sharingan, intending to use Genjutsu.
No matter who it is, when approaching, they wouldn't immediately guard against a Genjutsu. The Sharingan's instantaneous Genjutsu not only conserved Sasuke's energy, but also allowed him to catch his opponent off guard.
Of course, Sasuke had also prepared for scenarios where genjutsu might fail, but he had been fortunate, as it worked on the first try.
Raising his sword, he swung down, aiming to sever Konan's head.
But in the next moment, a loud explosion echoed again. The wounded Konan exploded in place.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke quickly used the Body Replacement Technique and narrowly avoided the explosion.
"What a shame… I couldn't blow you to pieces."
From a shadowy corner, Konan stepped out slowly.
She wasn't some novice Shinobi. Having been through countless battles, there was no way she wouldn't guard against genjutsu.
Moreover, when she first arrived, she had already recognized Sasuke.
The Akatsuki had always collected intelligence on Missing-nin.
She had merely played along, hoping to catch Sasuke off guard in a moment of triumph and cripple him with an unexpected explosion.
Unfortunately, she still underestimated Sasuke's reaction speed.
Now, Konan and Sasuke stood facing each other once more, both seemingly unscathed. It was as if the earlier explosions and skirmishes had never happened.
This was the essence of a true confrontation between Shinobi… it wasn't about direct physical clashes but rather psychological warfare.
Straightforward fights were the domain of Samurai, who clung to outdated traditions. True Shinobi sought victory by any means necessary, even if it involved underhanded tactics. As long as the objective was achieved, everything was fair game!
"I underestimated you. As expected, there isn't a single weak member in the Akatsuki."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly and retracted his Sharingan.
How could Sasuke not see that Konan was a veteran Shinobi? Even though he had never heard of her before, her combat prowess and experience were evident. Using minor tricks like Genjutsu again would be futile. So Sasuke decided to deactivate his Sharingan to conserve his energy.
Of course, if his Genjutsu mastery reached Itachi's near-divine level, Sasuke would still prefer to rely on Genjutsu to secure victory.
"Since you've become a Missing-nin and possess considerable strength, why not join the Akatsuki and work alongside your brother?"
Konan furrowed her brows.
She knew a Shinobi of Sasuke's age with such abilities was bound to have a limitless future. With Itachi as a guide, she felt reassured about bringing Sasuke into the fold.
"Don't mention that bastard! Pretending not to know anything… how disgusting!"
Hearing Itachi's name, Sasuke instantly snapped. His murderous intent flared, and the Sharingan involuntarily reactivated, its black pupils once again dyed scarlet.
"Pretending? How would I know what conflicts you two have?"
Konan frowned and said, "Even if you have issues with Itachi, you should at least think about Naruto-kun. My investigation shows you two were quite close."
"How dare you mention him!"
Konan's words felt like needles stabbing Sasuke's heart.
"It was your group that captured Naruto! Itachi poisoned him, and now you're acting innocent? Just die already!"
Sasuke stomped his feet and rushed towards Konan.
"Wait!"
Konan, sensing something amiss, asked as she stepped back, "It's true that we captured Naruto, but poisoning him? That wasn't on us. Don't misunderstand us based on hearsay."
"What do you mean?"
Sasuke froze in his tracks, his brow furrowed.
Konan explained, "Naruto didn't want to die, so he agreed to join the Akatsuki. However, we weren't entirely sure he'd obey, so we used poison as leverage. He took it willingly, knowing full well what it was. We were in a cooperative relationship."
"You're full of crap!"
Sasuke scoffed, 'Admitting to the poisoning yet denying coercion? And calling it a 'cooperation'? Did they take me for a fool?'
Still, hearing from Konan herself that the poisoning was orchestrated by the Akatsuki and not solely Itachi deepened Sasuke's resolve to eliminate the entire organization.
"Enough nonsense! Naruto was poisoned to death by you people. There's nothing left to explain. If you have anything to say, go apologize to him in hell!"
Enraged, Sasuke prepared to strike again.
"What? Naruto-kun is dead?"
Konan was shocked and said, "But the poison takes three months to activate. Could it be that the poison Orochimaru provided was faulty?"
Konan couldn't believe Naruto had died. By her estimation, as long as Naruto returned for the antidote before the poison took full effect, he could buy another three months. After all, the Akatsuki's intention was to control Naruto, not kill him.
"Orochimaru's poison?"
Sasuke was stunned. Hearing these words from Konan himself confirmed his previous suspicions.
'No wonder Orochimaru couldn't save Naruto before!'
'No wonder Orochimaru didn't let him see his treatment!'
'No wonder Naruto died after being treated by Orochimaru!'
'It all added up. Orochimaru and the Akatsuki had been working together all along. His supposed defection from the Akatsuki was nothing but a facade, concealing their ongoing collusion!'
Sasuke now felt grateful for taking the black-robed figure's advice and not seeking Orochimaru's help earlier, otherwise, he too might have been killed.
"You conniving bastards. I'll kill every last one of you!"
The more Sasuke thought about it, the angrier he became.
It wasn't just the Akatsuki that enraged him, as they were villains to begin with. But Orochimaru's betrayal stung far worse.
'Naruto had given Orochimaru so much, only to be repaid with treachery.'
At this moment, Sasuke's desire to kill Orochimaru, the traitorous snake, surpassed even his hatred for the Akatsuki.