Although the person speaking to Konan wasn't the real Yahiko but a corpse controlled by Nagato, for some reason, Shinji suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of fighting spirit!
"Hmm!"
Konan's heart trembled slightly, feeling the deep assault on her spirit by her opponent's intensity. She covered her mouth with one hand, forcibly enduring, then turned around to glare at Shinji with misty eyes, biting her lip.
At the same time, she couldn't help but wonder why the enemy had suddenly grown stronger, as if stimulated by something. "Konan, what's wrong?"
"Nothing... I just spilled some water. The information on the new recruit suggests it'll take three days to get back."
"So, the jutsu used is mostly clear, and the weakness of the immortality is understood, but the secret behind the immortality is still unknown... Alright, I understand."
"Mmm... let's leave it at that. We'll return soon."
Konan pretended to remain calm, but in truth, she wanted to end the call quickly because... the battlefield enemy suddenly launched a powerful offensive.
It felt like they were about to launch an all-out attack.
"Wait, what about Angolamanue? Doesn't he know the secret behind the immortality?"
After Pain said this, there was a silence of nearly five seconds. Pain, seemingly waiting too long, called out again.
"Konan? Konan?"
"I was just drinking water. I'm not sure if he knows the secret. I'll ask him. Cough, cough..."
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just choked on some water," Konan quickly replied. She wiped her mouth, then glared at Shinji, her eyes filled with both embarrassment and frustration.
"Angolamanue, do you know the secret behind Hidan's immortality?"
Standing over her, Shinji smiled faintly. He gestured as if to signal 'clean up the battlefield,' then placed his hand on the back of Konan's head, replying casually.
"Even if I explained, you wouldn't understand. To me, it's just like exploiting a bug in a game. Don't worry about it."
Five seconds later, Konan conveyed Shinji's answer verbatim to Pain (Nagato). Hearing such a cryptic response, Pain didn't press further.
After a couple of casual reminders, Pain ended the communication.
"You bastard!"
Only then did Konan get up, her fists trembling as she gritted her teeth. She was furious but also helpless; this bastard's penchant for taking advantage of her wasn't new.
There was only one way to deal with him in the entire world! And that was to defeat him! To make him submit!
The Southern Army was ready to charge once more! And so, the battle song resumed.
...
Outside, dawn was breaking. Exhausted, Konan only wanted to nestle next to Shinji and sleep for a bit before sunrise to wash away her fatigue.
The person cherished in her heart and the person cherished in her bed could be different people—Konan had already accepted that.
Watching Konan place her hands on his neck, nestle against his chest, and fall asleep with light snores in mere seconds, Shinji thought for a moment but ultimately refrained from pushing her away like a scumbag.
"Sweet dreams~"
...
Morning, 7 a.m.
Konan awoke with a start from a nightmare, her eyes snapping open as she hugged herself tightly, curling into a ball.
It was just because that dream felt so real!
Konan hadn't taken much stock in the island, the chosen young people, or the ceremony. After all, she'd seen even worse tragedies in the real world.
What left her shaken, though, even after waking, was the endless stream of curses, resentments, and darkness in the dream.
Konan didn't know how to describe the pain of the spirit. If she had to, it felt like a physical pain so intense she'd want to roll on the ground.
She wanted to scream! Wanted to end herself! But none of that was possible—in that dark, filthy hell, rolling on the ground, screaming, even suicide were impossible.
There was no option to refuse. Every curse forced its way into her mind and spirit. The most frequent one was, "It's all that demon's fault!"
The curses clung like a rusty knife, ripping open her scalp and drilling into her head.
And it wasn't just once—it happened every single second.
It was a true prison! Rights, dignity, freedom—all stripped away, leaving only a hellish world filled with slander, cursing, and contempt.
Endless, relentless agony.
Sigh—
Closing her eyes, Konan took a deep breath and exhaled, forcing herself to calm down and not think about that strange dream. Her trembling body gradually settled.
Opening her eyes, Konan finally realized she was alone on the boat, and the room... it wasn't his room, but her own.
Suddenly, Konan felt as if a needle had pricked her heart. The face of that man, which had just flashed through her mind, looked exactly like the young man chosen in her dream...
Identical.
...
After breakfast, Konan and the others were preparing to leave.
"By the way, didn't that teammate named Kakuzu die?" Hearing Shinji say this, Orochimaru smiled slightly, knowing that Shinji wasn't going to let Kakuzu go so easily. "Indeed. The leader mentioned that if Kakuzu didn't have a suitable teammate, you'd be assigned to his team. And if I'm correct, Kakuzu should arrive at the secret base today."
"Alright, I'll go then. I should at least say hello to my supposed new teammate."
After saying this, Shinji called over the three young ones and took Minato with him, following behind Konan, who hadn't said a word to him since getting up that morning.
...
"Big Bro, are we just going like this?"
On the boat, Huang Quan leaned over to Shinji, whispering.
"What other way would we go?"
"Don't you have a faster way to travel? Besides, if we spend two days on the sea, we'll get sunburned and wet from the rain. It's not worth the trouble if we end up wrecking our health!"
Seeing Huang Quan's sly expression, Shinji knew exactly what was going through his mind, but he didn't expose him.
"True, there's more to do once we're back. It wouldn't be good to take our time." Shinji nodded and snapped his fingers, then pointed at Minato. "Minato, take them to the Land of Rain."
Instantly, Minato felt his contract with the door break, and joy surged within him. All his selfless dedication had not gone unnoticed by Mr. Anri!
This was his reward! "Don't lose the door, though. We'll still need it."
Immediately, Minato's expression darkened.
Of course, he had been happy too soon! "Angel, Hidan, come to me," Minato called.
Huang Quan hurriedly stood in front of Shinji. In Huang Quan's mind, if Big Bro had Minato take Konan and Hidan, that meant Big Bro himself would take him and Orochimaru!
"Big Bro, this will be my first time experiencing time-space nin—"
Before he could finish, Huang Quan suddenly felt something was off. He turned and realized Shinji was gone.
Gone too were Minato, Konan, Hidan, and the door Minato never let strangers touch.
Seeing Orochimaru standing next to him, Huang Quan fell silent.
At least he still had company.
...
The Land of Rain, on a cliff near Amegakure.
"Impressive, black-haired guy, to teleport such a distance in an instant!"
Seeing the changed scenery, Hidan cheered. Though Konan was also surprised, she maintained her composure.
"This way, follow me."
...
Sometimes, destiny can be so coincidental.
Just as they arrived outside the so-called secret base, Shinji and his group happened to bump into Kakuzu, who was in a hurry.
Seeing Shinji, this embodiment of worldly evil, smiling warmly and even greeting him, Kakuzu's entire demeanor froze. What kind of sin had he committed?
And how could he be so unlucky to run into him here?
After freezing for a moment, Kakuzu quickly resumed his stride, waving his hand. His tone was urgent, "I... I have something important to discuss privately with the leader! The leader has already agreed beforehand!"
Hearing this, Konan frowned slightly. Was Kakuzu really asking them to wait while he went in first? Had he forgotten his place? Or did he really have something critical to report—like discovering a spy in the organization?
"We're going in anyway, might as well go together," Shinji said indifferently.
"This is serious business, not a joke!"
Without looking back, Kakuzu's pace quickened, eventually breaking into a run!
Only then did Konan notice the playful expression on Shinji's face. Kakuzu probably just feared being killed by this demon, right?
She hadn't expected this side of Kakuzu.
Turning her face away, shoulders trembling slightly, Konan caught Hidan's curiosity. "Angel, were you just laughing?"
"No," she replied, her face back to its cold demeanor.
"So, are we going in or not?"
Konan didn't answer, but she took a step towards the secret base's entrance.
...
Dark, damp—the cave felt similar to the one at the secret base in the Land of Rivers. Deva Path Pain, being not truly alive and fairly composed, managed to hold back from sighing.
He had thought Kakuzu had something urgent to discuss, but after entering, Kakuzu immediately hid behind him.
Before Pain could even ask, Kakuzu quickly relayed the news of Yihao's death, then began praising his own dedication—how he gave up all his days off and worked tirelessly for the organization, always putting missions first, etc.
When Pain heard this, he still didn't catch on, until Kakuzu added that 'that guy' had arrived outside the base.
So it was just because Kakuzu feared being assigned to a team with Angolamanue!
For a moment, Nagato, observing from elsewhere, was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.