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Chapter 8: The Fight for the Rinnegan
1,309 Words
High in the air.
Konan silently observed Alex.
The strong winds from their high-speed flight buffeted his paper body, making it flap loudly.
But it didn't affect his stable flight.
"You said you were 'fragile' and couldn't fly on your own in strong winds?"
Uh...
Alex was speechless.
He couldn't just say he was greedy for her softness, could he?
Luckily, Konan didn't press the issue.
After their brief contact, she had a basic understanding of "Alex."
He was serious when it mattered.
He knew many of the ninja world's secrets, he was helpful to her, he wasn't a threat, and he could be trusted.
But on small, trivial matters, he had a strange persistence, which revealed his true nature.
Lazy. If he could lie down, he would absolutely not move on his own.
But he was also... full of sunlight. Energetic.
He had even infected Konan's long-dormant heart with a bit of vitality.
He was like a child who hadn't grown up, brimming with youthful energy.
Just a bit... glib. And eccentric.
'Maybe he is just a child. He was just born, after all...' Konan came to a preliminary conclusion.
She would have to observe him more.
She lightly pinched Alex between two fingers and looked straight ahead. "Before we leave, I must return to Amegakure. You should know why."
"My two comrades are resting there. I will absolutely not allow their bodies to be desecrated or disturbed!"
As she spoke, her beautiful face frosted over, filled with killing intent.
Yahiko. Nagato.
They had grown up together, supported each other, and shared the same dream. Their friendship had long since become family.
Before she left, Konan had to take their bodies with her, to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.
Alex didn't try to persuade her otherwise.
Because he understood Konan's history, he knew she would never change her mind.
"I hope we have enough time..."
Alex looked behind him.
The rolling smoke from the blast center was already weakening. It was not as intense as before.
"This might be good. Maybe we can grab the Rinnegan before Obito does."
On second thought, this was his best chance to get the Rinnegan.
He didn't know if it was useful to him, but as long as Obito didn't get it, it was a win.
He and Konan were bound together now. If Obito wanted to kill Konan, he wanted to kill Alex.
They were mortal enemies.
The Village Hidden in the Rain. Perennially covered in rain.
The mist made it look hazy.
"We're here." Alex looked down from the sky. The mist was too thick; he could only see a rough outline.
"Hold on." Konan said softly. She then plummeted like a cannonball.
Alex quickly attached himself to her right shoulder, so he wouldn't be ripped away by the wind.
His entire paper body flapped wildly.
In less than three seconds, they had descended from nearly a thousand meters to just above Amegakure.
They were only a few dozen meters off the ground.
Konan stabilized herself. Without pausing, she flew across the village, heading for the tallest building in the center.
There was no one on the streets.
Aside from the gurgle of water from the various drainage pipes, the entire village was silent, as if asleep. Lifeless.
Seeing Alex 'looking around,' Konan seemed to guess his confusion.
"The fight between 'Madara' and me was very loud. The villagers must have gone to the shelters immediately."
"The Land of Rain exists in the cracks between the great nations. After constant wars, the villagers have mastered their own rules of survival."
Alex "nodded" in a human-like way.
Konan said no more, continuing her high-speed flight.
Soon, the unique, steampunk-style building came into view.
The tongue-shaped sculpture on top extended from the building.
That was where the Deva Path of Pain often stood.
Seeing it, Alex could feel the sadness radiating from Konan.
But she knew time was short. She only glanced at it for a moment before flying straight into the building.
She passed directly through a false wall and headed down into an underground space.
It was extremely well-hidden. Nagato had used the power of the Rinnegan to build it.
It was where his real body usually stayed.
In the entire Akatsuki, only Konan and Nagato knew of this place.
After passing through a dark tunnel, Konan stopped in front of a large, chestnut-colored door.
Creeaak.
She took a deep breath, gently pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
The moment they entered, Alex was enveloped in a soft light.
The space behind the door was several hundred square meters.
The walls were embedded with glowing stones.
It wasn't blinding. It was warm.
The floor was covered in pure white paper flowers.
Konan had folded every single one by hand.
As she entered, the flowers began to sway, and a pleasant fragrance filled the air.
In the very center, on a bed of flowers, lay two figures.
"Yahiko! Nagato!"
Konan's icy expression shattered. Tears welled in her eyes. She flew toward their bodies.
"I'm sorry to disturb your rest. But I have to do this."
She waved her hand. A large sheet of white paper flew out, moving to wrap the bodies of Yahiko and Nagato.
"Aha! So this is where it was... You really made us look for it, hehe..."
Suddenly, a playful voice came from beneath the ground.
A pale head with only a few strands of green hair popped out of the floor.
"Found it... found it..."
"We searched the whole village... finally found it..."
"Lord Madara should give us a reward..."
In an instant, more and more White Zetsus emerged from the ground, from the walls, from everywhere.
Two Zetsus even popped up from the flower bed itself.
One of them immediately jumped into the paper, blocking Konan's jutsu.
Another, just before Konan could reach them, grabbed Nagato's emaciated leg and threw him backward.
Several Zetsus were already waiting in that spot. One of them was different.
His face was black and white. A yin-yang face.
"Zetsu! You will die for this!" Seeing her jutsu interrupted and her comrades' bodies desecrated, Konan flew into a rage.
She erupted with killing intent, charging toward Zetsu.
In the chaos, Alex flew off Konan.
The moment they entered the room, while Konan was lost in grief, he had flown straight toward Nagato.
He wanted to get the Rinnegan.
Unfortunately, he was too late.
White Zetsu had appeared first and thrown the body.
Alex instinctively wanted to grab it, but the moment he saw the yin-yang face emerge from the ground, he aborted the attempt.
It was too dangerous.
Black Zetsu still possessed Kaguya's power. Alex knew he couldn't steal the Rinnegan from him.
Those eyes were the key to reviving his "mother." They were his life. He wouldn't let anyone take them.
Black Zetsu was half-submerged in the ground, Nagato's body at his side.
The Rinnegan were within his grasp.
Seeing Konan's murderous expression, he just cackled.
"White Tiger. You can't stop this. These aren't your comrade's eyes anyway. It's time they were returned to their original owner."
In Konan's despairing, hate-filled gaze, Black Zetsu's dark claws shot out...
And mercilessly dug out the Rinnegan from Nagato's eye sockets.
"No!!" Konan went completely insane, attacking with desperation.
All manner of paper weapons shot toward Black Zetsu and the surrounding White Zetsus.
Alex, however, was completely calm.
If the situation was lost, they had to retreat.
He didn't consult Konan. She was blinded by rage and wouldn't listen.
However.
Before Alex could act, a familiar spatial vortex appeared right in front of Konan.
"Damn it! Obito is fast!"
A light brown branch shot out of the vortex, stabbing straight for Konan's heart.
A furious roar followed it: "Wood Style: Cutting Jutsu!"