Konan frowned slightly.
Teizawa was right.
Pain was currently fighting the forces of Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure in the western sector.
Those people were no weaklings.
Kakashi from Konoha and Yugito from Kumogakure were especially troublesome.
It wasn't that any one of them was overwhelmingly powerful. There were simply too many of them, and each had an array of troublesome abilities.
With all of them working together, Pain might hold the advantage, but he wouldn't be able to disengage anytime soon.
She couldn't afford to waste too much time here.
She had to end this quickly.
"I won't allow you to interfere with Pain."
Konan's voice turned cold as an astonishing surge of chakra erupted from her body.
Countless sheets of paper poured out of her and gathered in the air, forming an enormous paper humanoid nearly thirty feet tall.
It wielded a long paper sword in each hand and brought both blades down upon Teizawa.
Teizawa didn't dodge.
Iron Sand gathered in his hand, forming a pitch-black blade.
He charged forward to meet the paper giant's swords head-on.
The blades collided, scattering sparks in every direction.
The Iron Sand blade severed one of the giant swords, but fresh paper immediately grew from the broken edge and reformed the weapon.
Teizawa frowned.
This thing wasn't a true physical entity.
No matter how many times he cut it apart, it would regenerate.
The only way to destroy it was to eliminate the chakra core controlling it.
"Mei…"
Without looking back, Teizawa called out, "Keep her occupied. I need time to locate her true body."
Mei nodded.
She alternated between Lava Release and Boil Release, forcing Konan to retreat beneath a barrage of scorching lava and searing steam.
The lava burned away Konan's paper, while the steam softened it.
The paper giant's movements visibly slowed.
Seizing the opportunity, Teizawa slashed at its chest with his Iron Sand blade.
"Found it."
A smile appeared on his lips.
The Iron Sand blade pierced the paper giant's chest.
Its tip struck something small and solid.
It was Konan's chakra core—the key to controlling the paper giant.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Scattered Blossoms."
Countless Iron Sand needles burst from the tip of the blade, riddling the core with holes.
The paper giant lost control and collapsed with a thunderous crash, disintegrating into countless sheets of paper that scattered across the ground.
Konan's true body emerged from among them.
Her face was pale, and a thin trail of blood ran from the corner of her mouth.
"You…"
Her voice was dry and hoarse, as though her throat were filled with sand.
Holding the Iron Sand blade, Teizawa walked toward her.
"I told you. Your abilities are useless against me."
"Your paper, your paper constructs, your Paper Person of God Technique… I know everything about them."
Konan's eyes were filled with shock and wariness.
"Now…"
Teizawa stopped in front of her and looked down.
"Tell me where Nagato is."
Konan's pupils contracted sharply.
How did he know about Nagato?
A storm of disbelief surged through her, but she merely bit her lip and remained silent.
Teizawa sighed.
"Forget it. There's no point asking. You wouldn't tell me anyway."
He turned and walked back toward Mei.
Konan stared at his back before suddenly speaking.
"How… How do you know so much about my abilities?"
"Secret."
Teizawa waved without looking back.
Konan gritted her teeth.
A trace of grim resolve flashed through her dark orange eyes.
"I won't let you hurt Nagato."
Her voice was soft, yet every word seemed to drive itself into the curtain of rain like a nail.
She suddenly spread her arms.
Countless explosive tags poured from her sleeves, clothes, and hair.
They flooded the entire area, their sheer number reaching an almost absurd extreme.
Every inch of space was packed with them.
Crimson seals covered each explosive tag, glowing with an eerie light beneath the rain.
The scent of gunpowder and death permeated the air.
The oppressive atmosphere made everyone's scalp prickle and their hearts race. Even breathing became difficult.
The corner of Teizawa's mouth twitched.
This woman truly had no fear of death.
If that many explosive tags detonated simultaneously, not only would he be finished—the entire village would be reduced to rubble.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Mei's face turn pale.
The elite shinobi from Kirigakure and Sunagakure fared even worse.
Several instinctively retreated, their legs trembling beneath them.
Then Teizawa suddenly disappeared.
There were no hand seals and no chakra fluctuation.
There wasn't even the slightest warning.
His entire body simply vanished into thin air, like a drop of water evaporating amid the rain.
Konan's pupils contracted sharply.
She immediately extended her senses to their absolute limit.
No chakra fluctuation.
No spatial distortion.
Nothing at all.
In the next instant, Teizawa's voice came from behind her, so close it seemed he was whispering directly into her ear.
"Too slow."
Konan spun around.
One hand had already reached for the kunai at her waist, but she touched nothing.
Teizawa stood a single step behind her, looking at her as if she were an idiot.
His deep eyes brimmed with amusement.
"How…"
Konan's voice sounded as though her throat were filled with sand.
She hadn't even seen how he had gotten behind her.
Nor had she sensed the slightest chakra fluctuation.
That speed was beyond the reach of even her paper-based perception. It had completely surpassed the limits of her understanding.
And she wasn't the only one shaken.
Wariness flashed through Mei's eyes as well.
Her Lava Release and Boil Release were both designed for wide-area attacks. Speed wasn't her specialty.
However, as a Kage-level shinobi, her sensory abilities were exceptionally sharp.
That was precisely why she understood just how terrifying Teizawa's movement had been.
If he had wanted to kill her, she wouldn't have had an opportunity to react.
Just like Konan, she would have had her skull crushed from behind before she even realized he was there.
Smack!
Teizawa struck the back of Konan's neck with his palm.
The blow was neither too heavy nor too light, but it carried a strange magnetic force that instantly severed the flow of chakra through her body.
Paper scattered through the air like dandelion seeds caught in the wind.
Konan's entire body rustled apart into a heap of shredded paper and spilled across the ground.
The scraps slowly dissolved beneath the rain, revealing a dense mass of explosive tags underneath.
The seals flashed once before going dark.
None of them exploded.
Mei froze for a moment, then realized what had happened.
"A paper clone?"
She walked over, crouched down, and picked up a fragment of paper.
A faint trace of chakra still lingered on its surface.
"What else would it be?" Teizawa replied irritably. "This woman sent a paper clone packed from head to toe with explosive tags to stop us. Very amusing."
He kicked the shredded paper.
The explosive tags had become soaked and pulpy beneath the rain. They were no longer capable of detonating.
"Her real body disappeared a long time ago."
"You already knew it was a clone?"
"I had my suspicions."
Teizawa stared into the rain-shrouded darkness ahead.
"Konan's ability revolves around paper. Creating a paper clone is one of the easiest things in the world for her."
"She would never risk her true body in a direct confrontation with us. Her mission was to delay us and buy Pain more time."
"Sending a clone packed with explosive tags to its death could stop our advance without putting her true body at risk. Two birds with one stone. Very clever."
Mei remained silent for a moment before rising and brushing the mud from her clothes.
"What do we do now?"
"What else?"
Teizawa turned and began walking deeper into Amegakure.
"We go find the final boss."
Mei followed behind him.
"You know where he is?"
"I have a general idea."
Teizawa didn't look back. His voice drifted through the rain.
"The tallest tower in Amegakure should be where Pain's true body is hiding."
"Konan will be there. Once we find that tower, we'll find both of them."
The explosions in the distance grew increasingly frequent.
Flashes of fire flickered through the rain like a storm that would never end.
Kakashi and the others were probably still fighting, continuing to tie down Pain's main forces.
Teizawa quickened his pace.
Mei followed closely behind him.
The elite shinobi from Sunagakure and Kirigakure were gradually left behind.
No one spoke.
Only the sound of footsteps splashing through water and heavy breathing mingled beneath the rain.
The downpour grew heavier, as though it would never stop.
(End of Chapter)
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