*Hidden Rain Village, The Tower*
Nagato, with his signature red hair, was engrossed in reading "The Hidden Rain Village Reconstruction Plan" when Konan pushed the door open.
"Everything settled?" Nagato set the book aside and looked up.
"Mhm. Mark Orochimaru as a missing-nin of the organization," Konan replied softly. "He won't be coming back."
Nagato paused, then nodded. "Got it."
"And that kid, Yuto—his 'Mirage of the Blossoming Moon' technique..."
"Is it really as strong as he claims?"
"Stronger. And it's not just Mirage..." Konan's expression turned complicated as she recounted everything that had happened in the forest. "Nagato, now that you've fully recovered… could you pull off something like that?"
"Are you kidding?" Nagato sucked in a sharp breath, disbelief written all over his face. "Casually unleashing a dozen 'Water Shock Waves' without hand seals to form a water barrier? Since when does ninjutsu work like that?"
"I don't get it either, but I saw it happen," Konan said flatly.
"Kid's something else," Nagato muttered, then sighed. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about his safety anymore. Now we can focus entirely on rebuilding the village—hey, are you even listening?"
Halfway through his sentence, Nagato noticed his best friend's vacant expression.
"Yes, I am," Konan replied automatically, like a pre-programmed response.
Nagato's eye twitched. "Then what did I just say?"
"We're having roasted sweet potatoes for dinner," Konan answered.
"..."
Nagato took a deep breath, then snapped, "You look like a sweet potato right now."
"Ahem." Konan finally snapped out of it, turning away sheepishly. "Sorry, I was… distracted."
"Thinking about your little brother again, huh?" Nagato deadpanned.
"He's so young, infiltrating Konoha all alone with no one to take care of him," Konan sighed.
'Wait, is she seriously considering going to Konoha to babysit him?' Nagato's eyebrow shot up. 'Has she forgotten that if she leaves, I'll be stuck handling the village alone?'
…Oh, right. He is fully recovered now. Sure, he was still in a wheelchair—but that was just for show, to keep Tobi and Zetsu in the dark.
Still, even if he could manage on his own, who was going to handle the village's reconstruction?
After a long silence, Nagato spoke in the most solemn tone possible:
"Konan, I need you to answer a very important question."
"What?" Konan blinked her pale golden eyes innocently.
"Do you… have a thing for younger boys?" Nagato chose his words carefully. "To put it bluntly… are you a shotacon?"
Konan froze. Then, her brow furrowed. "Are you calling me a pervert?"
"N-No, I just—" Nagato floundered.
"In my eyes, Yuto is the only special one," Konan said coolly, then turned and walked out.
'So… you're not even denying the shotacon accusation?'
Nagato stared at her retreating back, his face twisting expression like he was done with life.
*Meanwhile, at the Konoha Root HQ*
"What did you say? Orochimaru?" Sitting high on his platform, Danzō's eyes narrowed in shock. "Orochimaru is part of that "Akatsuki" organization?"
"Yes, Lord Danzō," Yuto replied gravely.
Danzō lowered his head, silent for a long moment, before finally taking a deep breath. "If Orochimaru was involved, then your failure isn't your fault. That Uchiha brat just got lucky this time!"
"Pfft—this old fossil really thinks he's hot stuff, huh? Acting like Itachi's some pushover?" Kushina's mocking voice rang in Yuto's mind.
"Well, he's never seen Itachi's full power," Yuto replied mentally, amused. "To Danzō, Orochimaru's obviously the bigger threat."
"The narrow-mindedness of the older generation," Kushina sighed.
Before gaining her memories of this world, she, too, had assumed Orochimaru was stronger.
After all, the title "Legendary Sannin" was earned through blood and battle. Who would've thought someone like Orochimaru couldn't even resist a simple Sharingan genjutsu?
Mikoto, silent inside the Soul Pearl, listened without comment.
Her feelings toward Itachi were… complicated.
There was no hatred, no anger, no pity for his suffering—just a deep, lingering sorrow.
"Yuto," Danzō spoke again, his tone icy. "Since Orochimaru knows you work for me… did he say anything?"
"He did." Yuto nodded respectfully. "He asked me to relay a message: he hopes for another opportunity to collaborate with you."
"Collaborate?" Danzō scoffed. "A Konoha rogue like him has no right to speak of such things."
He was now researching the Super Soldier Serum—while Orochimaru was still clinging to outdated, worthless experiments. Their resources weren't even on the same level anymore!
"I told him the same," Yuto said, then pulled a small vial from his pocket. "But before leaving, he asked me to give you this."
"T-This is—!" Danzō's expression mirrored Orochimaru's earlier frenzy—no, even more fanatical.
"Orochimaru said it's his latest breakthrough," Yuto added humbly.
"So… he's obtained it too?" Danzō stared at the milky-white substance in the vial, grudgingly admitting its purity surpassed his own.
'Fine. I'll give him this much—compared to my useless underlings, Orochimaru's research skills are superior."
Maybe working with him wouldn't be a total loss.
"Yuto," Danzō finally said, his voice dripping with rare approval. "You've done well. Not only are you blameless—you've excelled in your mission."
"All for Konoha's sake," Yuto replied modestly.
"Indeed. Everything we do is for Konoha!" Danzō nodded, satisfied. "Tell me, Yuto… do you know what this truly is?"
For the next ten minutes, the actual creator of the Super Soldier Serum was subjected to Danzō's painfully condescending "lecture." Finally, Yuto was dismissed—with a hefty bundle of scrolls as a "reward."
"Lord Danzō… what a generous boss," Yuto mused, flipping through the scrolls. "He knows I specialize in genjutsu and kenjutsu… so he gifts me a pile of Earth and Lightning jutsu scrolls."
"BAHAHAHA!" Kushina cackled. "You gonna repay his kindness?"
"Absolutely," Yuto said solemnly. "In fact, I'm heading to the Hokage's office right now."
"…What?"
"To personally inform Hiruzen Sarutobi of all the hard work Lord Danzō's been doing for Konoha all these years."
"…Oh."
Kushina blinked.
"Well played."
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