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"There are still many people in Konoha willing to believe in these two fools. So, why don't you try believing one more time, Nagato… Uncle?" Naruto hesitated for a moment. Calling a man in his thirties "Uncle" at fifteen didn't seem like too bad of a deal.
"Heh… Uncle…? Even someone like me can be called that?" Nagato chuckled softly before coughing violently.
"Nagato!" Konan called out in concern. "Tsunade… Lady Tsunade, how is he?"
Tsunade withdrew her hands after examining Nagato and said, "The bleeding in his eyes has stopped, but his body is in a terrible state. He's suffering from extreme chakra exhaustion. Normally, someone in this condition would already be dead. Also, those devices on his back need to be removed as soon as possible. Even though there aren't many, they're constantly draining his chakra. At this rate, he won't last much longer."
Nagato spoke weakly, "Don't worry about me, Konan. There's no point anymore. For so many years, the reason I held on was to protect you and Yahiko, but I failed. Later, my purpose became fulfilling Yahiko's dream in his place, but now, I've failed again… Just like Jiraiya-sensei described himself, I'm nothing but a fool, a complete failure. Someone like me… dying here wouldn't be so bad, would it?"
"No, Nagato. I have one last request, and only you can help me," Konan said with a quiet smile.
"What is it? Can someone like me even accomplish it?" Nagato asked, puzzled.
"Yes, you can. Jiraiya-sensei once gave us an assignment 'How to achieve peace.' You, me, and Yahiko, without a doubt, turned in an unqualified answer. Now, I want to see how the Fourth Hokage, who learned from the same teacher, will answer. That's my wish. Will you stay with me and wait for that day?" Konan's smile was warm and full of determination. I've already lost Yahiko. I don't want to lose you too. That kind of pain I never want to experience it again.
Nagato lifted his head, his empty eye sockets facing the sky. Though his vision was pitch black, a faint light appeared in his heart.
"If… if it's your wish… then I suppose I have no choice. I… will try to live on."
"That's good." Konan let out a relieved sigh and smiled genuinely. "Now, Lord Fourth Hokage, we are willing to surrender completely and provide Konoha with as much intelligence as possible. How will Konoha handle us?"
Jiraiya's face lit up with joy as he saw his students change their minds. He turned to Minato expectantly.
Minato thought for a moment before responding, "Nagato will be placed in Konoha Hospital for treatment, with Konan allowed to care for him. Of course, I will place certain restrictions on both of you. Since you are highly dangerous individuals, Jiraiya-sensei will personally oversee your supervision."
"I see. In that case, Nagato and I are willing to go with you to Konoha. Thank you, Fourth Hokage, for your kindness." Konan, of course, understood that this was an exceptionally generous arrangement. Rather than calling it surveillance, it was more like protection and care. For captives, there could hardly be a better outcome.
At this moment, Naruto realized that his "Talk no Jutsu" really did work. Even if he hadn't maxed out his own persuasion skills, everyone around him was ridiculously talented. That meant his role was clear beat people up first, then let the pros handle the talking.
Yeah, you better stick to being a brawler.
Minato patted Naruto's shoulder. "Alright, Naruto, time to head back!"
"Got it!" Naruto nodded. Besides fighting, he also had the job of transportation.
…
To avoid unnecessary chaos, Konan removed her Akatsuki cloak and put on a spare robe that Naruto conveniently carried around. Nagato, however, still had numerous black rods embedded in his back, making it difficult for him to change clothes.
These two had narrowly escaped Akatsuki's infamous "strip-and-you-die" rule.
By the way, when Konan removed her cloak, her long, black-stocking-clad legs were nothing short of breathtaking easily on par with Kurotsuchi, the so-called "Leg Shadow."
But the real shock awaited Konoha upon their arrival Konan's sincerity: over five trillion explosive tags. It left the Konoha higher-ups in complete disbelief for an entire year. Even if they raided Konoha's entire armoury, they wouldn't find nearly as many explosive tags!
At that moment, everyone realized just how serious Konan was when she said they would surrender without resistance. Five trillion explosive tags spread out, they could blanket the entire Land of Fire in explosions.
The ever-opportunistic Tsunade nearly fell to her knees in front of the newly crowned "rich lady." If she could convert all these little beauties into cash, her gambling debts would be a joke! Thankfully, she retained some sanity and forced herself to look away, instead focusing on treating Nagato.
Konan casually said, "I have no use for these anymore. Please put them to good use. If possible, I hope this war does not bring more harm to the Land of Rain."
If a certain long-dead old man had heard this, he might have been so enraged that he would claw his way out of the grave.
Behind Minato, Hayate Gekkō and Yugao Uzuki, each carrying a massive scroll filled with explosive tags, gulped nervously. They were now breathing as carefully as possible if even one of these things went off, Konoha would be wiped off the map.
Five trillion! Compared to this, the old man Genno, who tried to blow up Konoha with scattered explosive tags, was nothing but a rookie!
"I don't think this war will take place in the Land of Rain," Minato said thoughtfully. "Its location makes it too easy to be surrounded. Before the Allied Forces are fully assembled, the enemy will most likely relocate and only reappear when they're ready for a decisive battle. I'll dispatch recon units to confirm this. But even if the war does reach the Land of Rain, I will make sure to evacuate the civilians first. Konoha's transportation capabilities are the best in the entire ninja world, after all." He smiled and patted Naruto's shoulder.
Naruto looked up at the sky, feeling utterly defeated. I never should have saved that girl named Celeria! And I definitely shouldn't have learned the Flying Thunder God technique!
See what happens when you mess around? Now you're the official Transport Captain, right alongside Might Guy's "Delivery Service."
Konan glanced at Naruto, finding him quite remarkable. "Thank you for understanding. Then, Nagato and I will await your answer, Minato-senpai."
Minato smiled. "I won't let you down."
…
Just as Minato predicted, after Black Zetsu delivered the Rinnegan to Obito, they immediately relocated their base. The Land of Rain was now fully exposed. Before they were ready, they had no choice but to go into hiding for a while at the very least, Obito needed time to undergo an eye transplant.
Nowadays, even eye transplants follow some basic medical procedures. After all, Obito's Sharingan and Rinnegan weren't quite "plug-and-play" yet.
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