"Nagato…"
As she watched Nagato's departing figure, Konan's heart ached deeply.
She had long harbored doubts about this so-called peace.
But because Nagato remained steadfast, she had kept her thoughts to herself, always hoping that one day she might change his mind.
She hadn't expected his determination to run so deep—to the point that he would keep going even if it meant death.
Seeing him like this, Konan hesitated.
She wavered—should she walk away or face everything alongside Nagato, even if it meant dying?
Sigh—
With a light sigh, Konan looked up at the sky, a faint smile forming on her lips as she murmured, "Yahiko… I miss you so much. I wonder how you're doing now. But don't worry, maybe soon we'll come see you. I really hate to trouble you again, but… please watch over me and Nagato."
With that, she stopped hesitating. Wings spread from her back, and she flew quickly toward Nagato.
Landing behind him, she took hold of his wheelchair and began pushing it gently forward.
"Konan? What are you doing? Get out of here!"
Nagato's expression turned fierce upon seeing her.
He didn't even know if he would survive this mission—how could he bring Konan along?
Konan shook her head. "I'm not leaving. We said it back then—we'd always be together."
Nagato fell silent for a moment but then said with concern, "But this time it's far too dangerous."
She shook her head again. "I'm going even if it is. I'm not the scared little girl I used to be."
Nagato hesitated, but upon seeing the unwavering look in her eyes, he gave in and stopped trying to persuade her.
…
Back at the Pokémon House, the thick smoke from the earlier explosion finally cleared, revealing the battlefield.
The Akatsuki members watching nearby could hardly believe their eyes.
The area where Dragonite had attacked now contained a massive crater—over ten meters deep and more than a hundred meters across.
Inside the crater lay five of the Six Paths of Pain.
Except for the Deva Path, the others were missing limbs or even entire body parts.
"Wh—what the hell?!"
Deidara's eyes widened, and he couldn't help blurting out the words.
His eyes sparkled as he looked at Dragonite. "Now that's art! The art of explosion!"
Sure, his own bombs had a wide range, but he couldn't match that level of destructive power.
The blast had carved a ten-meter-deep crater into solid ground—that kind of force was terrifying.
The remaining three members didn't say much, but their expressions showed the same shock.
Even Ryo himself couldn't believe what he was seeing.
He knew that Kage-level combatants were powerful—after all, the Valley of the End was created by two such monsters.
But still, this level of power was beyond what he expected.
Whoosh—
"Ryo, what happened here?"
Tsunade arrived just then, frowning as she looked at the massive crater.
She couldn't wrap her head around it—she had only stepped away for a moment, and now this?
"Nothing much. Someone came looking for trouble, so I gave them a little lesson."
Ryo shrugged as he replied.
Tsunade didn't know what to say. That crater—was he really calling that just a little lesson? Wasn't it more like sending someone straight to the afterlife?
Then she paused, frowning again. "Someone came looking for trouble? You mean them?"
Ryo shook his head. "Not all of them. The real threat hasn't shown up yet."
Tsunade said nothing more, instead leaping into the pit and studying the figures inside carefully.
"Is that…"
When she saw the Deva Path, she frowned again. "Why does he look familiar… like I've seen him before?"
"Ryo, is it over? What caused such a big commotion this time?"
Cynthia stepped out from the backyard when the sounds of battle finally stopped.
She looked at Ryo with concern. "Was this group difficult to deal with?"
After what happened last time—being spotted by Sasori—Cynthia hadn't dared to walk out so carelessly again.
Garchomp was strong, sure, but not invincible. And she didn't want to trouble Ryo. So unless things went quiet, she chose to stay put.
Ryo nodded. "Yeah, a bit of trouble. But nothing serious."
Cynthia gave a small nod and didn't press further.
However, the four Akatsuki members nearby couldn't help but twitch slightly at his words.
Probably only Ryo could face the Six Paths of Pain and still say something like "nothing serious."
Whoosh—
At that moment, Jiraiya and Kakashi appeared with a few other jōnin, eyes widening at the sight of the massive crater.
"Boss, what happened here?"
Jiraiya approached Ryo, gaze still fixed on the pit.
Ryo waved it off casually. "Nothing. Just a few people came to stir up trouble."
"Akatsuki?"
Kakashi noticed the tattered cloaks at the edge of the crater and turned to look at Itachi and the others.
But the four didn't respond, nor did they meet his gaze.
Jiraiya, hearing this, also leapt into the pit to investigate.
"Tsunade, you're here too?"
He greeted her as he landed.
At that moment, Jiraiya didn't respond to Tsunade. His eyes were wide as he stared intently at the Deva Path.
Tsunade noticed his reaction. "What is it? You recognize him too, don't you?"
"Yahiko?"
Jiraiya murmured, lips trembling as he spoke the name.
"Yahiko?" Tsunade frowned. "Jiraiya, who's Yahiko?"
Jiraiya replied, "Do you remember those three kids we met back in the Hidden Rain Village?"
Tsunade nodded, then looked again at the Deva Path. Her eyes widened in surprise. "He's one of them?"
Jiraiya nodded silently, then turned and leapt toward Ryo.
"Boss, what's going on here?"
Ryo glanced at Jiraiya and was just about to explain when he suddenly sensed something. His expression turned serious as he looked up toward the sky. "They're here."
"They're here? What do you mean?" Jiraiya asked.
"What's coming, Ryo?" Tsunade added as she and the other Konoha shinobi turned their attention to him.
Ryo answered calmly, "The real trouble's on its way."
Then he looked toward Jiraiya. "Once they arrive, you can ask your questions yourself."
"Huh?" Jiraiya blinked, momentarily stunned by the answer.
The four Akatsuki members nearby, however, suddenly understood what he meant. Their eyes also shifted toward the sky.
Moments later, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the rest of the shinobi followed suit—gazing upward into the sky.
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