NOVEL NEXT Chapter 123: Chapter 123: Konan
At the gates of Konohagakure, several ANBU surrounded a figure flying mid-air—Konan.
Although the figure was female, the crimson cloak adorned with black clouds unmistakably marked her identity.
Civilians near the village entrance had already been evacuated.
"Konan, is it really you?"
The moment Jiraiya heard about a blue-haired kunoichi at the gates, he rushed to the scene. He had to confirm his suspicion.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, seeing Konan's face caused a tremor in Jiraiya's heart.
The Akatsuki… it truly was the organization formed by his three former students.
"Jiraiya-sensei…"
Konan's voice was calm as she hovered, though she faltered momentarily at the sight of her former mentor.
"Jiraiya-sensei, this doesn't concern you. I'm here to see Senju Tobirama!"
Descending slowly, she laid Nagato's paper-wrapped corpse gently on the ground behind her.
"What is going on here?" Jiraiya muttered, confused. He couldn't reconcile how the Akatsuki, once full of hope and idealism, had become a terror organization. And Nagato—how did he die? Where was Yahiko?
Soon, flanked by ANBU, Tobirama appeared. Beside him, wearing an ANBU mask, stood Uchiha Madara.
Madara's identity was known only to a select few and remained classified. Despite his disdain for such secrecy, Madara wore the mask at Tobirama's insistence.
"Are you here for revenge?" Tobirama asked Konan.
Konan's solitary presence in the current fortified state of Konoha suggested she no longer valued her life, something Tobirama found both admirable and tragic.
"Hokage-sama, could this be a misunderstanding?" Jiraiya asked hastily. He desperately wanted to avoid a clash between the Hokage and his student.
"No, Jiraiya-sensei, there's no misunderstanding."
"Nagato was the Akatsuki's leader. The one who conspired with Orochimaru against the Hokage—it was Akatsuki," Konan said, her eyes betraying a flash of sorrow.
"The Rinnegan… I should have realized…" Jiraiya hung his head in regret, unable to piece together the tangled web of events.
"I don't seek revenge against Konoha. Nagato lost to you, and I accept that. You defeated him with strength—I harbor no resentment," Konan said firmly.
"I didn't kill Nagato," Tobirama replied slowly.
"Although his life force was nearly drained from using Chibaku Tensei, Shinra Tensei, and summoning the Gedo Statue, he wasn't at death's door. He had time to return to Amegakure and settle his affairs—if I'd allowed it."
Through the final words of Tendo Pain, Tobirama had deduced that someone killed Nagato and stole his Rinnegan after his defeat.
"Was it Madara?" Konan's body trembled. She had long distrusted that enigmatic masked man, suspecting him of scheming in the shadows.
"Nagato's eyes…"
"It wasn't me," Tobirama declared, cutting Konan's speculation short.
"My Rinnegan is far superior to the hand-me-down version Nagato wielded."
"So, it's all the masked man's doing!" Konan's voice seethed with anger at the betrayal.
"Do you truly believe Nagato's Rinnegan was his to begin with?" Tobirama's question struck like a thunderclap.
"What do you mean?"
Konan's sharp gaze bore into Tobirama, awaiting his explanation.
Behind his mask, Madara's body stiffened. He had anticipated this revelation and knew his plans would soon be exposed.
"Let's discuss this somewhere more private," Tobirama said, dismissing the ANBU with a wave of his hand.
"Jiraiya, you come too."
"Ah? Sure!" Jiraiya quickly followed Tobirama.
"What… those were Madara's eyes?!"
Konan bit her lip, struggling to accept the truth. Jiraiya's expression mirrored her disbelief.
They had always believed Nagato's Rinnegan to be his birthright. For years, Jiraiya had considered Nagato the child of prophecy.
But now, a cruel reality stared them in the face.
Piecing together the Akatsuki's actions—collecting tailed beasts and the Rinnegan's ultimate powers, including the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique Nagato had once spoken of—Konan finally understood.
Yahiko's dreams, Nagato's ambitions, her hopes… to Madara, they were all mere pawns in his grand design.
If all the tailed beasts were collected, Nagato's goals would never be realized. Instead, his efforts would only serve another's ambition.
"Thank you for telling me this." Konan's voice carried genuine gratitude. Without Tobirama's explanation, she would have remained in the dark, manipulated by the masked man.
"Do you plan to take revenge on the fake Madara?" Tobirama asked with a faint smile.
"Yes," Konan answered, her determination unwavering.
"Yahiko founded the Akatsuki to unite Amegakure and shine a light amidst the darkness. After Yahiko's death, the masked man approached Nagato and me, and everything changed.
"Nagato desperately wanted to fulfill Yahiko's dream, but his methods strayed far from Yahiko's ideals.
"All of this… was the masked man's doing." Konan's voice carried clarity and resolve.
"I'd like to ask for Konoha's assistance…" she said, her head bowing hesitantly.
The Akatsuki had targeted the Hokage before. Now, she needed their help—a request that didn't come easily.
"Very well," Tobirama nodded. Defeating Obito aligned with his plans.
Konan looked up, startled.
"However, it won't come without a price."
"All other Akatsuki members have already joined Konoha. If I help you, you'll have to join us as well, and bring Amegakure under Konoha's wing."
Tobirama's smile was both shrewd and inviting.
"If the Hokage will help me take my revenge, I, along with Amegakure, will join Konoha," Konan agreed after a brief pause, her tone resolute.
Satisfied, Tobirama nodded. Amegakure, under Konan's leadership, would be a formidable ally for Konoha.
"Jiraiya, escort Konan back to Amegakure. Ensure her safety and facilitate communication between our villages."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Jiraiya's voice brimmed with emotion. He had much to say to Konan.
"I'll hold onto Nagato's body for now. Someday, he may yet be revived."
"What?!" Konan was visibly shaken. The idea of resurrection beyond the Rinnegan seemed unfathomable.
"Trust the Hokage," Jiraiya reassured her. Having seen Tobirama's capabilities firsthand, he wasn't surprised.
"Thank you!"
Konan bowed deeply, her gratitude evident. She hadn't expected such benevolence from the Hokage.
"Don't mention it," Tobirama said with a faint nod.
As Jiraiya and Konan departed for Amegakure, Tobirama turned his gaze elsewhere.
"Madara, look at the lives sacrificed for the Moon's Eye Plan—a plan that's nothing but a lie."
Behind him, an ANBU ninja removed his mask, revealing Madara's face. His expression was somber.
"I've wronged them," Madara said quietly—a rare admission of guilt.
Even Tobirama was momentarily taken aback by Madara's words.
"Don't look at me like that," Madara said, brushing off Tobirama's surprise.
"I, Uchiha Madara, am not the type to deny my mistakes."
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