Chapter 223: Konan's Choice
The shelters were opened, and the villagers inside were guided out in an orderly fashion.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Uchiha Obito leaped several times, landing atop the Hokage Monument. His eyes widened. "Dammit, this is even worse than last time..."
The Six-Tails Rampage last time hadn't caused nearly this much destruction to Konoha.
Yūhi Kurenai and Yamato also arrived beside Obito. Looking at the devastated village, Yamato said, "This scale of destruction... it must be the Akatsuki, right?"
Kurenai nodded, then suddenly pointed to the west. "Look over there!"
Obito and Yamato both looked. The village's western wall was gone, and the area outside, which should have been a dense forest, was now completely bare.
"Let's go check it out!" Obito said, leaping down from the monument.
"Wait, Obito!" Kurenai shouted, but he was already gone. She and Yamato glanced at each other. "We should go too, just in case he gets into trouble."
Yamato nodded. The two of them also leaped down, chasing after Obito.
It wasn't long before the three of them ran into Team Kakashi.
"Kakashi, what was the result?" Obito asked.
Kurenai also quickly asked, "Kakashi, where's Genichi?"
Kakashi looked slightly weary. "The enemy has been temporarily repelled. Genichi... is probably busy."
Just as he finished speaking, Might Guy, Ebisu, and a few others landed nearby.
"Dad!" Might Guy shouted excitedly upon seeing Might Duy.
"Guy!" Might Duy turned to greet him, and the two embraced, shedding passionate tears.
In an instant, everyone else felt a bit awkward. The slightly somber, heavy atmosphere vanished without a trace.
"Dad, were you in the battle just now?" Guy asked, wiping his tears. "We felt huge tremors in the shelter! It felt even stronger than the Six-Tails Rampage!"
"Of course!" Might Duy flashed his white teeth, full of pride. "I was with Captain Kakashi, fighting the strongest one... uh..."
Duy suddenly trailed off, then scratched his head and looked at Kakashi's group with embarrassment. "By the way, what was that guy's name again?"
Yamashiro Aoba pushed up his sunglasses. "Pain. The Deva Path."
Kurenai was shocked. "The strongest of the Six Paths of Pain?"
Might Duy nodded vigorously. "That's the one!"
"He was a really tough guy. The four of us teamed up, but all our attacks were useless against him."
"The Captain's Storm Release almost finished the enemy."
"I opened the Seventh Gate, but I still couldn't even hurt him. He was just too strong!"
Duy, who had been gesticulating wildly, finished with a grave and solemn expression.
His words captured everyone's attention. Gekkō Hayate, Mitarashi Anko, and the others gathered around.
Guy was stunned. "Dad, even with the Seventh Gate open, you couldn't hurt the enemy?"
Might Duy nodded. "That's right. That's why we all need to work even harder."
Kurenai couldn't help but ask, "Then who finished him in the end? The Deva Path... I remember his ability can repel all attacks, including ninjutsu, taijutsu, and ninja tools."
"It can't repel genjutsu, can it?"
"Aoba, did you use genjutsu?"
Yamashiro Aoba nodded. "Genjutsu can't be repelled, it's true. But normal genjutsu was also useless on that guy."
He then added, "My genjutsu is only average. If you had been there, Kurenai, it might have been effective."
Although he had also learned a lot about genjutsu from Kinoshita Genichi, Kurenai was the specialist in this field.
Kurenai said, "It's a shame Hokage-sama didn't let us join the fight."
Obito also chimed in, "There's strength in numbers. If we had been in the fight, at least the village wouldn't have been this badly damaged, right?"
Genma Shiranui, chewing on his senbon, said, "The enemies this time were on another level. Even though there were only a few of them, every single one—even their summons—was at least Jōnin-level."
"Having more people isn't always an advantage."
Anko asked, "Duy-senpai, who did take down the Deva Path? Was it Genichi?"
The surrounding listeners all nodded, eager to know.
Might Duy scratched his head with a good-natured laugh. "Nope. At that time, Genichi-sama was busy fighting Uchiha Madara and Pain's real body!"
"The ones who finished off the Deva Path were Minato-jōnin and Jiraiya-sama!"
Yamashiro Aoba followed up with a sigh of admiration. "As expected of the Yellow Flash. With his unparalleled speed, he grasped the tiny cooldown window of the Deva Path's dōjutsu and finished him in a single blow!"
"A single blow?"
"That's amazing!"
"I wonder when I'll ever be as strong as Minato-senpai."
"You should focus on becoming a Jōnin first. Even among Jōnin, Minato-senpai is one of the strongest!"
A wave of murmurs went through the Konoha shinobi.
When Uchiha Obito heard Uchiha Madara's name, he thought of the old man who had once saved him.
Of course, now he was an enemy.
He quickly asked, "Uncle Duy, Kakashi, what about Uchiha Madara? Was he beaten by Genichi?"
Might Duy looked embarrassed. "This... I'm not too sure."
Kakashi said flatly, "The battlefield where Genichi, Madara, and Nagato fought wasn't in the village. We'll have to wait for an official announcement for the results."
Kurenai said, "Was that the battlefield west of the village?"
"Why don't we go take a look?" Obito suggested, and Kakashi nodded after a moment's hesitation.
And so, the group of more than a dozen people took off, heading west.
The sky was growing dark, but Konoha had already turned on every available light. The entire village was a hive of activity, with people clearing rubble.
Halfway there, Kakashi and Yamato were intercepted by Anbu members.
Hokage-sama had a mission for them.
...
Meanwhile.
Uchiha Itachi, carrying his sleeping little brother Sasuke on his back, followed behind his mother, Uchiha Mikoto. He looked from side to side, seeing many collapsed houses and sunken streets.
"It really wasn't a drill. A powerful enemy invaded."
"What kind of enemy could be so strong as to cause such massive losses to the village?"
As Itachi was thinking, he heard his mother say, "Itachi, it's your father."
Itachi looked and saw his father, Uchiha Fugaku, directing people in front of a ruined building.
"Your father is busy. Let's go home first," Uchiha Mikoto said.
Itachi nodded, then asked, "Mom, do you know who the enemy was this time?"
Mikoto hesitated for a moment before saying, "It was Nagato of the Akatsuki. And Uchiha Madara, and Uchiha Tekka."
She was also a Konoha Jōnin, so she was privy to this information.
"You know who they are, don't you, Itachi?" Mikoto asked.
Itachi nodded. "They are all rogue-nin from the village and the clan."
Mikoto sighed. "Yes."
Then she turned and smiled. "So, Itachi, don't you ever become like them, okay?"
Itachi nodded emphatically. "Yes, I won't!"
He wanted to become a shinobi like Genichi-sama, quietly protecting the village. How could he ever become a rogue-nin?
...
Elsewhere, Namikaze Minato was escorting Uzumaki Kushina and their son home. Beside them were Karura and Gaara, followed by three Suna shinobi.
Looking at the ruins and rubble everywhere, Karura and the three Suna guards were all in a state of shock.
Just from the destruction, they could tell what an immense battle had just taken place.
Moreover, they had heard the commotion from inside the shelter and sensed the terrifying chakra fluctuations outside.
Karura secretly felt fortunate about the decision she had made. If this had been Sunagakure, she feared they would not have been able to withstand such an attack.
Naruto and Gaara walked hand-in-hand in front, curiously looking this way and that.
Although they had only just met, Naruto, a natural-born social butterfly, had quickly won over the reserved Gaara.
"Mom, what... what happened?" Naruto asked, looking back.
Gaara also looked at his mother.
Karura looked at Kushina.
Kushina said, "Bad guys attacked the village. But your dad and Uncle Genichi already beat them and chased them away!"
Naruto's eyes lit up. He let go of Gaara's hand and ran back to Minato, tugging on his dad's pants. "Dad! What kind of bad guys? Were they strong?"
"Where's Uncle Genichi?"
"Next time you fight bad guys, can you take me with you?"
Kushina put on a mock-threatening voice. "Naruto, the enemies were super strong and scary! Hmph, you'd probably have wet your pants in fright!"
Naruto pouted. "I'm not scared!"
"I'm Namikaze Naruto! I'm the son of the Yellow Flash and the disciple of the strongest man in the world!"
"Hmph! I'm going to be the second strongest man in the world when I grow up!" Naruto proclaimed, his chin held high.
Kushina's hand rapped him on the head. "Then why don't you try to mold some chakra first, you dummy!"
"Look, Gaara is just a little bit older than you, but he can already use his chakra very well."
"Naruto, becoming strong isn't something you can just talk about!"
Naruto yelped and held his head, then made a face at his mom. He zipped back up to Gaara and shouted, "I'm not a dummy!"
"Bleh!"
"I'm going to mold chakra tonight!"
Kushina pouted. "Tch."
Minato stood by, smiling as he watched his wife and son, not interfering.
In his view, it didn't matter that Naruto couldn't mold chakra yet. He wasn't even four years old. There was still time.
He just wanted his son to have a happier childhood.
Gaara watched this scene, a little envious.
He didn't have a father...
Karura said to Kushina, "Gaara also didn't mold chakra until he was almost four. The children are still young, there's no need to rush."
Kushina sighed in exasperation. "This kid... he's just too mischievous!"
"Gaara is so much cuter!"
Hearing this, Karura felt a twinge of bitterness.
As a Jinchūriki, back in Suna, no one ever thought Gaara was "cute."
But she quickly felt grateful again. Her son had just arrived in Konoha and had already made a friend.
Although Naruto seemed rowdy and mischievous, Karura felt he was a perfect match for her quieter son.
After escorting Karura and Gaara home, Kushina's family headed to their own house. On the way, Kushina asked, "How is Genichi? He wasn't injured, was he?"
Minato, carrying a tired and drowsy Naruto, smiled softly. "Don't worry. Genichi's strength... is even greater than we imagined."
Kushina let out a long breath. "That's good. The chakra I sensed... it was just so powerful."
Minato nodded, his expression turning serious. "The fully revived Uchiha Madara is truly astonishing. He's at least ten times stronger than his Edo Tensei form."
"If it weren't for Genichi, the village might have actually been breached."
Kushina was worried. "Uchiha Madara escaped. Won't that be a huge problem for the future?"
Minato first nodded, then smiled. "Don't worry. He still has to deal with Genichi and all of us."
Kushina smiled at that. "Genichi was right about one thing: 'If you beat them once, you can beat them a second, a third, and countless times. No one Genichi has defeated has ever come back to win against him!'"
...
Land of Rain, Amegakure.
Atop the tallest tower, Konan stood, gazing east.
Suddenly, her brow furrowed. She turned her head to the north. "That's... Jiraiya-sensei!"
Konan stared at the slightly blurry figure on a distant tower. She froze, and then her expression changed. A bad premonition filled her heart.
Taking a deep breath, she formed her paper wings and flew north.
Jiraiya saw Konan approaching and turned, leaping down from the tower.
One in front and one behind, the two quickly left Amegakure and arrived at a cave.
"Jiraiya-sensei, what is your purpose in luring me out here?" Konan asked, hovering at the cave entrance.
Jiraiya turned and smiled. "We haven't seen each other in so long. Is that any way to talk to your teacher? It's a bit rude, don't you think?"
"Still, the little kid from back then has grown into a beautiful woman."
Konan ignored his slightly frivolous tone and asked, "Is this about Nagato?"
Jiraiya's smile faded. He nodded.
Konan's heart trembled. She entered the cave.
Only then did she see that Kinoshita Genichi was also there.
But her gaze was immediately drawn to the two bodies on the ground.
The charred remains of Yahiko, and... Nagato, his hair now white, completely devoid of life.
"I knew... this day would come..."
Konan did not cry, but her eyes were filled with sorrow.
She couldn't help but remember the days the three of them spent in that small wooden cabin. If only... if only they had never left that place, how wonderful it would have been.
Kinoshita Genichi looked at Konan and spoke calmly. "Nagato died from using the Saṃsāra of Heavenly Life Technique. Of course, it was not of his own free will."
Konan was startled. "The price for that jutsu is one's life? That means..."
Genichi nodded. "Nagato's Rinnegan came from Uchiha Madara. And that was the truth."
"After his revival, Uchiha Madara took back his Rinnegan and unleashed the true power of those eyes... far surpassing Nagato's."
"Before he died, Nagato entrusted you to me. But I felt your teacher might be a more suitable guardian."
Jiraiya immediately spoke up. "Konan, come back to Konoha with us."
"You know a lot of information. Uchiha Madara might not let you go."
"And... you probably won't even be able to protect Nagato's body."
Konan was silent. After a moment, she said, "I want to avenge Nagato and Yahiko."
"I want to continue the ideal they died for!"
Jiraiya's expression changed. "You're no match for Uchiha Madara!"
Konan looked at Kinoshita Genichi. "Nagato told me to choose you. I will go with you."
Jiraiya was stunned, then annoyed. "Hey, I'm your teacher! Aren't I more reliable than this guy?"
Konan said flatly, "Jiraiya-sensei, your ideology is different from ours."
"Only he can complete Yahiko's and Nagato's ideal."
Her words cut deep.
All these rebellious students, Jiraiya thought. Not a single one is on the same page as me.
His eye twitched, and he snorted. "Well, you'd better be careful. This guy is a..."
Considering the atmosphere, Jiraiya held back his last words.
Genichi wasn't bothered in the slightest by Jiraiya's slander. "In that case, let's go."
"As for Amegakure, leave a clone behind. Pick a suitable successor to be the leader. In the future, you can deepen the cooperation with Konoha and the Land of Fire."
"To be honest, your management skills are... deeply worrying."
Konan did not refute him. She simply nodded, then created a Paper Clone to stay behind. Her real body stepped forward, using her paper to wrap up the bodies of Nagato and Yahiko.
(End of Chapter)
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