Naruto carefully handed a steaming bowl of Three-Treasure Porridge to Konan, who lay resting in bed. "Drink slowly, be careful not to burn yourself," he said gently.
They were currently in a modest inn in the Snow Country, in a small town called Kasuga Castle. Though the town was small, it had sufficient provisions for food and lodging—if you had the money. Fortunately, Naruto had two things in abundance: chakra and cash.
Thanks to the wealth he kept in his storage space—enough to fill entire classrooms—Naruto could afford to live here for a long time without worry.
"Whew~" Konan sighed in satisfaction, setting the bowl aside and patting her full belly. "It feels good to be full."
Naruto smiled as he watched her. She caught his gaze and asked, "Why are you smiling like that?"
"Because if you're happy, I'm happy too."
Konan's cheeks flushed a delicate pink. She looked away shyly and muttered, "We've been together so long, why are you still saying cheesy things like that? So annoying..."
"You don't like it?" Naruto blinked.
Konan looked down and murmured, "I don't like it," though her heart said otherwise.
Misinterpreting her words, Naruto nodded inwardly. Maybe feelings should grow slowly over time... licking boots never ends well.
"Your legs are still healing. Let me give you another massage," he offered, placing his hand gently on her calf and infusing chakra.
Konan sighed softly, twitching slightly as sensation returned. She blushed. "It tickles."
"Where does it tickle?" Naruto asked with a grin, his hands now slowly tracing up her smooth legs.
"Everywhere," she whispered, curling her toes slightly. Naruto's gentle touch moved from thighs to knees to her soft ankles and delicate feet.
"So your nose is itchy too? I got you," Naruto teased, causing her to pout playfully. "You're so bad."
Konan closed her eyes, clearly not intending to stop him.
Outside, light snow blanketed the road, and a deer-drawn sleigh trudged through the wintry landscape.
Suddenly, six figures appeared, their hair yellow, faces pierced with black rods. They silently charged the sleigh.
"Bansho Ten'in!" the central figure, Tendo Pain, commanded.
The deer sleigh flew toward him uncontrollably before exploding with a thunderous boom. Three teenagers leapt from the wreckage—Sasuke Uchiha among them.
Without hesitation, Sasuke launched a massive fireball.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Pain countered with his repulsive Shinra Tensei, dispersing the fire with ease.
"So, Sharingan... you must be Itachi's brother. Mangekyō Sharingan, no less," Pain observed.
"Wrong. It's the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, idiot," Sasuke snapped.
Pain's gaze hardened. "So Konoha's truly declared war on us. You took down Itachi. I'll take those eyes in return."
With that, Pain's Six Paths launched their attack.
Nagato, observing from Amegakure, had sensed Konan nearby. Konoha ninjas appearing in the Snow Country confirmed his suspicions—Konan may have been taken. There was no time for diplomacy.
"Neji, Shikamaru, hang in there! I'll handle this guy!" Sasuke yelled.
He activated his third-form Susanoo and engaged Tendo Pain directly.
"You want my eyes? Do you think you're as strong as Naruto? Amaterasu!"
The black flames of Amaterasu collided with Tendo's gravitational pull.
Meanwhile, Neji and Shikamaru were severely outmatched. Neji, fighting three opponents alone, gritted his teeth.
"Why do I have to fight three people right after arriving to find Naruto?! This is too much!"
What he didn't know was that his mother, Hyuga Mari, had already slept with Naruto.
Neji retaliated with palm strikes and rotations:
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms! Rotation!"
The tide of battle rested on Sasuke versus Pain. Once decided, Neji and Shikamaru's fates would follow.
Back in the inn, Naruto wrapped Konan in a quilt and sighed. Konan lay on his chest, her eyes dreamy.
"Husband, will you ever not want me anymore?" she asked softly.
Naruto replied firmly, "No. I'll always be responsible for you. Always."
His voice, however, had lost its earlier warmth. Konan noticed the shift instantly. Her heart sank.
"Okay... I believe you," she whispered. Still, anxiety gnawed at her. Could Naruto truly accept her broken body?
Perhaps... she thought... she could ask other women to help him if she couldn't.
Bitterness welled up in her chest. Damn Rinnegan user... if not for him, Naruto and I would have lived happily ever after.
She reached into Naruto's shirt, tracing his firm abs.
"What is it?" he asked playfully.
"My nose is itchy again... can you dig it out for me?" she said, blushing.
They looked at each other.
Naruto finally chuckled and reached up to gently press her cute, round nose.
Unable to sleep, Naruto left the room quietly. Outside, he began contacting others using the Devil's Seal.
First was Yugito.
"Hey, Naruto-kun, surprised you're calling," she said lazily.
"Did you try to contact me earlier?"
"I thought about it... but didn't want to disturb you."
"You can always reach out. Just don't overdo it, or I might end up with another woman. That wouldn't be good for you."
"Tsk. You're such a jerk," she replied, rolling her eyes, remembering how he dragged her and Izumi into his games.
Next, he contacted Haku. She was thrilled and wanted to sail to the Snow Country immediately.
Naruto agreed. He could use help from her and Zabuza.
But if it wasn't Yugito or Haku who contacted him before... could it be Orochimaru?
Soon, Naruto received Orochimaru's update: cloning the Sharingan and Byakugan was ongoing. Most research focused on Hidan's immortal body, which contained strange powers. Progress was made, but not success.
The bright spot? Karin, the new Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, had great compatibility with the tailed beast.
That meant another perfect Jinchuriki could emerge.
Pleased but puzzled, Naruto realized there was only one other possibility.
Sasuke.
He sent the signal.
"Boom! Chidori!"
The moment the link opened, Naruto heard the chaos of battle.
He froze.
"Shit! My son's getting attacked!"