Through the battle in the arena, Yuki Seisui and Minato didn't need to say much—Konan already understood her own strength and where she stood.
Just as a sense of joy filled her heart, a commotion erupted from the side of Kushina Uzumaki. Konan glanced over and saw Yahiko getting scolded for some mischief.
"Yahiko is really rude," Konan muttered quietly, pouting.
"Konan," Seisui's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Your strength has already reached the level of a Kage."
"Really?" Konan's eyes lit up instantly.
Previously, she had only considered herself slightly above elite jonin level—just stepping into the Shadow tier.
But now, Big Brother Seisui was telling her she had fully stepped into Shadow-level strength.
Konan had no doubts.
Seisui's power was acknowledged by all of Konoha.
He had once single-handedly held back the Sand ninja and, without backup, slain the Third Kazekage in front of the Sand's main forces.
And just a few days ago, reports had caused a stir in Konoha.
On the Kusagakure battlefield, Seisui, together with Jiraiya-sensei, Sister Tsunade, Minato-senpai, and Uchiha Haru, led Konoha ninja to crush the Sand forces.
Even the Sunagakure's unique One-Tail was brought back to Konoha.
Seisui's contributions were posted on the bulletin board under the Hokage's office.
Konan and Nagato had gone to see it firsthand.
Now, hearing that Seisui considered her Shadow-level, Konan couldn't help but feel elated.
Looking at her excitement, Seisui continued, "Your advantage is aerial combat and long-range attacks."
"You already know this," he added.
Konan nodded; she knew her strengths well. But she couldn't resist asking:
"Brother Seisui… so my path is to attack enemies from the air at long range?"
Her tone was hesitant.
All of her current abilities were thanks to Seisui—Dance of the Shikigami itself had been developed under his guidance.
Even her paper tools—if not for Seisui, she didn't know how long it would have taken to improve them to combat-ready quality.
Sometimes, a person's power leap required just two key things.
Konan was a perfect example.
Before meeting Seisui, she was merely a chunin, barely touching elite jonin level. But after developing Dance of the Shikigami and improving her paper techniques, her strength skyrocketed to Shadow rank.
Seisui stroked his chin, thinking for a moment, then said, "If you have an advantage, why not use it?"
"I recall an old senior… his long-range abilities were incredible."
Konan's curiosity peaked, and even Minato tilted his head, intrigued.
"That senior could go toe-to-toe with the First Hokage," Seisui continued.
"Kakuzu once threw shuriken from over eight hundred ri away at the First Hokage."
Konan blinked in disbelief, thinking it was a joke—but then she pondered.
If she could develop Dance of the Shikigami under Seisui's guidance, perhaps even someone facing the First Hokage could perform incredible feats at long range.
Unlike her, Minato had seen Kakuzu firsthand—he knew Seisui was exaggerating. Kakuzu wasn't that powerful.
Seisui glanced at Minato and continued, "Develop more long-range techniques. Strike from afar, and you become nearly invincible.
"At least you can fly. Except for a few from Iwagakure, other flying ninja are rare—you already have a natural advantage.
"Diversify your attacks. That way, you can handle any situation."
Konan pondered, then looked up with sparkling eyes.
"Brother Seisui, can you give me an example?"
"I'm so dumb… you explained so clearly, but I still don't understand."
Seisui's lips twitched. If you're dumb, then what am I?
He'd casually mentioned ideas, and she had already developed Dance of the Shikigami—a technique rivaling Minato's Flying Raijin in utility, but much safer and easier to learn.
Seisui's expression remained serious as he advised, "Have you considered turning your papers into explosive tags?"
"Explosive tags?" Konan paused, then nodded hesitantly.
"Imagine mixing explosive tags into large amounts of paper. The effect would be unexpected."
"That's one method, but it's a bit crude. You could try layering the tags—creating one or two paper figures the size of a normal person.
"Control them to attack the enemy. Start with normal attacks. Then, when the paper figure is about to break, detonate the tags—or use the figure as bait to blast the enemy away."
"Someone like Zetsu loves stepping into traps like that," Seisui added.
His advice mirrored the skill of Edo Tensei Deidara in the Naruto mobile game—summon clay bombs, attack, then detonate.
Konan's eyes lit up.
"I get it! Big Brother Seisui, you're guiding me, right?!"
Her voice was bright and excited, though Seisui was utterly confused.
When did I guide her?
Konan continued, "You want me to develop techniques on my own. Using two explosive-tag paper figures to attack is just showing me how to make paper figures, disguise them, and strike an enemy!"
Her eyes sparkled. Seisui had no words.
"I knew it! No one would be foolish enough to attack without disguise," she murmured, then looked confidently at him.
"I know how to develop new jutsu now!"
With that, she bowed respectfully and ran off, clearly ready to experiment with her new technique.
Seisui and Minato exchanged a glance, silently communicating their shared bemusement.
Minato knew Seisui wasn't trying to "guide" her; he had been speaking sincerely.
Yet Konan's interpretation of his advice was far superior to what he had even suggested.
…..
Completed version available on Available on [P]atreon.[c]om/Veltoria [remove brackets]