"Kai!" Konan cried out, fear spurring her into action as she dashed towards Uchiha Kai.
However, her body trembled uncontrollably, hindering her speed. She stumbled, losing her balance and falling towards the ruins.
Her pale face contorted with panic; she couldn't afford to fall; it would cost her the crucial moment to plead.
Bang! A muffled thud. Konan's fall was abruptly stopped. Warm hands encircled her waist, pulling her into a strong embrace.
Kai's face, inches from hers, held a gentle smile. Konan, her heart pounding, ignored the pressure on her body.
"Kai, don't! They know they were wrong!"
"Can you stop the meteor? I know you can. I'll grant you anything if you do!"
Her urgent plea echoed in the face of impending doom. Within Akatsuki, Konan was known for her compassion.
As Jiraiya had observed, her pure heart, like pristine paper, was the source of her angelic Paper Release jutsu.
Seeing Konan's frantic plea, Kai gently ruffled her hair. "I have a weakness—I can't refuse a woman's request."
"Mei, wouldn't you agree?"
Mei, despairing, was taken aback. Normally, she would have ignored him, but now, she bowed deeply. "Please, save us!"
Pakura also called out Kai's name, her plea unexpected given their current situation.
Kai shrugged. "Then wake up!"
His words, like a spell, pierced their souls. A sharp cracking sound echoed as the sky shattered like a mirror. Before they could react, the world twisted into a vortex, pulling their consciousness away.
When their senses returned, the scene was jarringly familiar. Time seemed to have rewound. Uchiha Kai sat calmly, sipping tea.
Suigetsu's broken sword was embedded in a pillar. Kai's blood-red nine-tomoe Sharingan glowed menacingly.
The only constant was the thudding sound of bodies hitting the ground. The Anbu, Akatsuki members, Mei, Konan, and even Suigetsu were all collapsed, gasping for breath, their clothes soaked.
Only Kai and the bewildered innkeeper remained unaffected.
"Was that a genjutsu?" Pakura asked after a moment, having experienced a near-apocalyptic vision within the genjutsu.
Her subconscious knowledge of Kai's alliance prevented complete despair, allowing her to recover quickly. The others were still reeling from the sudden shift.
"One of my dōjutsu," Kai said, sipping his tea. Madara's obsession with Infinite Tsukuyomi proved its power. With his enhanced Sharingan, he could trap almost anyone.
Only those with Kage-level skills, mastery of genjutsu, or prior knowledge of Tsukuyomi could escape.
"Just a genjutsu?" Pakura was stunned. One genjutsu had subdued her rivals. But remembering the devastating Tengai Shinsei, she asked urgently, "Was all that real?"
No one dared to mock her seemingly foolish question. They understood she was asking if Kai could perform those feats in reality.
"You guess," Kai chuckled, stretching. "Tea's finished, let's move. All at once, or one by one?"
His casual question, after the terrifying experience, would have elicited a defiant response from Mei under normal circumstances. But facing Kai's crimson eyes, her pride was subdued.
"I surrender. Please, make it quick," Mei said.
The others, even the terrified Rō, nodded in agreement.
Kai, finding this uninteresting, appeared beside Mei, gently lifting her chin. He tapped her forehead.
"Don't worry, I'm not a killer. Otherwise, that genjutsu would have been real." He ruffled her hair. "Next time you challenge me… it's a spanking."
Slap! A sharp sound echoed. Mei stiffened, her face flushing. "Wasn't it supposed to be next time?"
"One slap for a life saved. Any complaints?" Kai asked, amused, then instantly regretted his words as the Anbu and Akatsuki members presented their buttocks.
"I'll take one too!" Suigetsu declared resolutely.
Seeing Suigetsu's brazen offer, Kai's face twitched uncontrollably.
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