"Konan, stay by my side from now on. I'll take good care of you..."
Murmuring in his sleep, Jiraiya suddenly snapped awake. Looking at Konan with deep affection, he spoke with emotion.
"It's too late, Jiraiya..."
"Master..."
Konan's cold voice echoed, and in her heart, she quietly called him "Master," as if it were the past again.
But she quickly crushed the fleeting ripple of emotion within herself.
---
"What a touching bond between master and student, don't you think, Obito? The one behind Jiraiya—isn't that Kakashi?"
Zetsu's eyes briefly flashed with malice as he glanced at the dejected Obito standing beside him.
He then roused Obito from his daze.
Obito couldn't afford to lose himself here.
Hearing Zetsu's words, Obito snapped back to reality and gave Kakashi a long, piercing look.
A swirling vortex enveloped Obito, wrapping him up entirely...
He vanished from the scene.
He couldn't bear to look at Kakashi.
He feared he might lose control and kill Kakashi with his own hands...
It wasn't avoidance.
Absolutely not.
---
As Obito disappeared, Zetsu scanned the area briefly, then melded into the branches and quietly slipped away.
The time wasn't right yet. Their whereabouts—his and Obito's—could not be revealed.
Obito's ability to restrain himself left Zetsu quite satisfied.
---
Itachi looked at the strange turn of events he had inadvertently caused, which had now become an awkward reunion, and found the situation somewhat odd.
Sensing Obito's departure, he fell into brief contemplation.
He quickly brushed it aside. Since Obito held back, he decided he could wait a little longer too. How long, he wasn't sure...
"Would you like to talk, Blood Moon?"
Konan no longer looked at Jiraiya. Instead, she softly invited Itachi, her voice tinged with an icy gentleness, like a glacier that had endured millennia.
"Aren't you going to reminisce?"
Itachi glanced at Konan in front of him and at Jiraiya below, speaking softly.
Blood Moon's words left Konan feeling deeply irritated.
She had anticipated this mission wouldn't go smoothly, but she hadn't expected to run into Jiraiya.
She knew Jiraiya well enough to realize that now he knew she was alive, he would stop at nothing to find them.
If Jiraiya ever encountered Pain, the consequences would be unimaginable.
---
Nagato had already undergone a drastic change in personality, so much so that even Konan could no longer persuade him.
As a woman, she had little interest in the so-called plan.
All she knew was that she was Nagato's only support now. She would stay by his side and support him, no matter what.
---
"Konan..."
Jiraiya's heart ached as he saw Konan ignore him. At the same time, it felt as though he had awoken from a dream.
This time, he resolved not to let Konan leave his side, even if it meant resorting to ninja methods to keep her here.
He needed to understand what had happened all these years. At the very least... At the very least... He wanted to visit Nagato's and Yahiko's graves...
He no longer wanted to remain passive. He had to act.
It was time to voice his desires and tell others what he wanted.
Jiraiya wasn't good with words and often struggled to express himself. So, he decided to let his actions do the talking...
---
"No, it's already late. I need to rest now..."
Konan seemed to sense Jiraiya's growing seriousness. She spoke softly but firmly to Itachi.
Her words made Itachi's face darken. She hated being refused, and at this moment, her mood was particularly foul.
For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to have a fierce battle with Itachi, to vent her frustration.
But Jiraiya's gaze unsettled her deeply.
"I'll come find you another time, then."
After considering the organization and Nagato's grand plan, Konan's cold voice broke the silence.
She turned and prepared to leave.
---
"Konan..."
Seeing Konan about to leave, Jiraiya panicked.
But he couldn't fly. If he used a jutsu, he feared he might harm Konan.
Kakashi, who had been silently standing behind Jiraiya, seemed to understand something as he observed Jiraiya's expression.
Both hands moved quickly in a dazzling series of hand signs.
"Water Style: Water Shark Bullet Jutsu!"
"Come down! Ignoring your teacher like this is bound to bring retribution!"
Kakashi glanced at the distance between himself and the two, then decided to unleash a C-rank jutsu. He avoided using a higher-level technique, fearing he might accidentally harm Konan.
His plan was simple: since Konan's wings were made of paper, he thought soaking them with water would stop her from flying.
…
Kakashi's actions and words made Jiraiya pause momentarily.
"This kid… he's grown into someone reliable…"
[As seen in the flawless version from a certain book source.]
At this point, Jiraiya already knew who the masked man was.
The masked man had been following him for some time, and Jiraiya had initially assumed he was sent by the old man. However, a sudden shift in his memories occurred.
He suddenly recalled that Konan had discovered the weakness of paper techniques in the past and had even asked him how to make paper waterproof. He had given her advice back then…
Noticing the chakra fluctuations of the jutsu behind her, Konan turned to glance back. She gave Jiraiya a deep look, though it was unclear whether she was observing the jutsu or taking the opportunity to see her long-absent teacher once more.
When she saw the feeble Water Shark Bullet heading her way, she felt disdain and ignored it entirely.
Her paper techniques had long since become immune to water.
The times had changed…
…
The Water Shark Bullet hit Konan's wings, causing them to scatter into countless pieces of paper. But moments later, the paper seemed to rewind time, reassembling back into wings.
This was Konan's jutsu: Dance of the Shikigami.
It allowed her to transform her body into paper, rendering her immune to physical damage. Purely physical attacks were almost incapable of harming her.
Additionally, the technique enabled her to attack, create clones, and fly, making it versatile for combat and reconnaissance.
Although the water from Kakashi's jutsu touched her wings, it had no effect other than its impact force, which temporarily scattered the wings. It did not hinder her in the slightest.
Unless Konan's chakra was significantly depleted, the technique would not dissipate, and she would not return to her physical form.
"Paper that isn't afraid of water?"
Kakashi stared at Konan in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya was pondering how to counter the technique.
His instincts told him he knew the solution, but at the crucial moment, he couldn't remember…
…
Whenever Jiraiya encountered a problem, he would subconsciously bite his thumb.
In this moment of muscle memory, a massive, jade-green toad with two large blades strapped to its back appeared beneath him.
The arrival of Toad Hiro jolted Jiraiya into clarity. It didn't matter anymore—he decided to act first and think later.
"Toad Hiro, chase Konan!"
Realizing he had summoned the agile Toad Hiro, Jiraiya quickly issued his command, formulating a preliminary plan in his mind.
He planned to close the distance, then have Toad Hiro bind Konan with its tongue.
"Who's Konan?"
Hearing Toad Hiro's question, Jiraiya froze for a moment.
He immediately canceled the summoning, performed another set of hand signs, and summoned again.
This time, his mind was clear.
Seeing Konan flying farther away, Jiraiya knew explaining to Toad Hiro would be pointless. He decided to summon a different toad.
"You're up! Big Strength Toad—uh, I mean, Mighty Toad…"
The Mighty Toad resided in Mount Myōboku's hidden village and was Jiraiya's contracted summoning beast. It possessed immensely powerful Sage Chakra.
Known for its tremendous strength, the Mighty Toad could easily shatter rocks with its body and even had the ability to fly.
…
"Mighty Toad, fly quickly! Catch up to that woman!"
This time, Jiraiya didn't change his mind. He pointed directly at Konan and shouted at the toad below him.
Just as Jiraiya felt a sense of relief, Itachi let out a quiet sigh.
"Sigh…"
…
---
---