Hahaha!
For a brief moment, Nagato saw that scene so clearly. He instinctively turned to his side, where Konan stood, her pale face carrying that same gentle smile.
He turned the other way. There was Yahiko, his ever-radiant grin shining like the only light under the cloudy skies of the Land of Rain, bringing warmth to everyone beneath the falling rain.
"Konan… Yahiko…" Nagato covered his face. No matter how much pain he endured, he couldn't let them see his tears. Only they—only they could thaw his frozen heart.
"I'm sorry…"
When lives cross paths, something new is always born. Sometimes it's hope. Sometimes it's despair. And sometimes… it's a fragile light found in the depths of darkness.
"I will tell Yahiko those words myself…" Nagato wiped his tears and, with Konan's support, slowly sat up. "I'm sorry, Konan. I have to go first."
Konan said nothing. Maybe she already knew. Maybe she agreed with him. She simply looked at him quietly, her pale face filled with warmth.
No matter what you choose, no matter what you do… I will always, always be by your side.
A smile as gentle as a blooming flower…
Nagato's hands trembled as he formed a seal. Even though his body could barely handle the overwhelming power, his resolve never wavered.
"Jiraiya-sensei… thank you."
I won't back down from my choice. So, Jiraiya-sensei, please stop me.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
This is the last one.
I'm really sorry for troubling you until the very end.
But just like you said, you might just be a tiny speck of dust, desperately reflecting light, so small that no one pays attention. But in our eyes, you are still the one who guides us, leading us toward our future—the best teacher we could ever have.
"Konan... no need to rush home. I need a little time to apologize to Yahiko."
Nagato smiled, shining brightly in the darkness where no starlight could be seen—just like the stars themselves. "Even though Yahiko wouldn't scold me, I still have to apologize properly. For your sake too."
"If that's not enough, maybe learn a bit more from Jiraiya-sensei. Or... look at the future for me and Yahiko. See what the future Jiraiya-sensei believed in looks like. Then, come home and tell us all about it."
"Maybe Yahiko will be happy too."
A black light floated from Nagato's hand, passing through the endless darkness, rising straight into the sky.
"Ah..." Konan responded softly. "When you get home, take a good rest. Yahiko isn't great at taking care of people, so if I'm not there, just bear with him. And make sure to apologize properly—for both of us."
"I will."
Nagato closed his eyes, his smile shining brighter than ever before. "I'm... a little scared to see Yahiko again. Maybe I should think about... how to apologize properly."
"Don't worry. Yahiko's not that bright. When he sees you, he might just start crying and forget whatever he wanted to say to you."
Konan reached out and gently patted Nagato's back, as if comforting a child.
"Then... I'll go on ahead."
His breath faded away...
Konan's smile remained just as gentle, but for some reason, tears quietly slipped from the corners of her eyes.
"Take care on the way."
...
"I thought you would try to convince him to give up," Tsunade said, looking at Jiraiya as if seeing him for the first time.
Jiraiya looked a little surprised. "What kind of teacher tells their student to give up?"
As he spoke, Jiraiya looked up at the sky. That small black sphere rising in the distance radiated an overwhelming sense of danger.
"That's probably the last thing Nagato wanted to tell me."
"What an irresponsible teacher." Tsunade also looked toward the sky. "So, how do we deal with this? I'm guessing that thing is at least as dangerous as the last jutsu Nagato used, right?"
"Actually, we don't need to worry anymore."
Jiraiya let out a laugh, his gaze fixed on the distant sky.
There, beneath the endless blue, two figures stood out. They might not have been towering giants, but no one could afford to underestimate them.
Seeing this, Tsunade finally let out a breath of relief. "The battle's over. Those two brats are finally back."
On the horizon, Naruto stood frozen, staring at the flattened remains of Konohagakure. His hand trembled as he pointed at the ruined land, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Sasuke, this is Konohagakure, right?"
Sasuke's Rinnegan flashed, then he nodded firmly. "It's Konohagakure. I can see Pervy Sage and Granny Tsunade."
Naruto stood there, dumbfounded. "Where's the village? My huge village—where is it? Why is there nothing left but ruins?"
"That means—"
"We came back late." Sasuke's expression darkened slightly. "That guy Obito… I can't believe he actually went this far."
The only relief was that Sasuke could sense the people of Konohagakure hadn't suffered too much damage. Based on the chakra he was detecting, it seemed like the village's ninja hadn't lost too many people—most of them were just injured.
Thinking about it, Sasuke nodded. "There's chakra from Katsuyu-sama everywhere. Granny Tsunade must have used some kind of large-scale healing jutsu."
Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "But why do I feel strong natural energy mixed in with the healing jutsu? Isn't that Sage Jutsu? Since when did Granny Tsunade learn Sage Jutsu?"
Hearing this, Sasuke frowned as well. "I didn't even notice until you mentioned it… That much natural energy… Other than us, someone else can use it?"
Even stronger than Jiraiya.
"Wait, there's something else!" Sasuke's Rinnegan spun slightly as his gaze locked onto the forming black sphere. "That's… Chibaku Tensei! Someone with the Rinnegan is using Chibaku Tensei!"
"The Rinnegan… Pain?" Naruto's eyes narrowed, and his sensory ability expanded, covering the entire Land of Fire. In an instant, he pinpointed the source of Chibaku Tensei's chakra. But why… why did it feel like the chakra was getting weaker?
There was no time to think about it. Naruto immediately spoke. "I sensed an unknown chakra. Sasuke, you take care of Chibaku Tensei. I'll go deal with… the enemy."
"Why did you hesitate?" Sasuke found it suspicious.
Naruto waved him off. "Don't overthink it. It's just that I don't sense any hostility from them, so I'm not sure if they're really enemies."
"Is that so?" Sasuke remained skeptical.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'm not Kurama. Stop acting like I mess with you all the time like he does. I'm serious."
Kurama (alert): "Hmm?"
"Alright." Sasuke nodded. "Then I'll handle things here."
With that, Sasuke activated his full-body Susano'o and charged toward the forming Chibaku Tensei. At the same time, Naruto turned and flew toward the source of the unknown chakra.
Kurama scowled. "Are you two seriously not going to explain how you just slandered me?"
Who slandered you…
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