The lake's surface was calm.
A ninja stepped across it, sending ripples dancing outward.
Uehara Naraku moved forward step by step, following Konan's lead, and finally took his place on the water. After resting for two days, today was the day of his official test.
Naraku wondered what Pein was thinking. He had seemed slightly displeased with Konan's decision in the previous days, yet today he had come to watch the sparring between master and student.
Konan closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and spoke softly. "Naraku, don't underestimate this test. My paper clone isn't weak…"
Her voice fell lower.
Countless sheets of folded paper floated around her, spinning and assembling into a humanoid form—creating a paper clone capable of matching her own abilities.
This paper clone was far different from a typical shadow clone.
A normal shadow clone, though physical, would dissolve when struck. Konan's paper clone was more complex: when attacked, it could split into smaller sheets that flew away, regrouping elsewhere.
Moreover, it could use any jutsu Konan could perform. Even an ordinary sheet of paper, guided by her chakra, became sharper than a shuriken, and hidden among the sheets were countless explosive tags.
"Too bad… if I can't even defeat a single paper clone…"
Naraku lifted his head, a confident smirk on his face. "Then I'd be completely useless, wouldn't I?"
He had spent an entire month gathering chakra granted by the Goddess' Tear, reaching the level of an upper ninja.
His previous loss to Uchiha Itachi had been due to carelessness—falling into the Sharingan's genjutsu and being interrupted by Konan.
Now, armed with intelligence about Konan—her jutsu, her weaknesses, and his own unique abilities—Naraku knew exactly what to do.
If he still couldn't overcome her paper clone now, he would literally eat his own cards on the spot!
"Then the test will officially begin!"
Konan's paper clone pressed across the water toward Naraku, shouting aloud: "Naraku, it's time… Paper Shuriken!"
Dozens of paper sheets flew through the air!
The sharpness of the paper shuriken rivaled iron. Their flight speed and angles were eerily unpredictable.
Naraku clenched four cards in each hand and hurled them rapidly at the incoming shuriken!
Boom! Boom!
Eight cards shot forward. Two, empowered with chakra, exploded midair, diverting the paper shuriken's trajectory.
The other six flew toward Konan herself.
"Not bad…"
Ripples spread across the water again.
Konan was pleased with Naraku's method of dealing with the paper shuriken. Behind her paper clone, folded sheets overlapped into wings, lifting her body into the air to dodge the cards, and once again she launched an attack:
Dance of the Paper Technique!
Paper Rain!
Sheets of folded paper transformed into countless razor-sharp projectiles, raining down at an angle so dense there was no place to hide.
"Wind Barrier!"
Naraku quickly formed a hand seal. A wall of wind rose from the lake's surface, blocking the paper rain.
But the danger wasn't over…
Even a wind barrier could only hold for a few seconds. Konan's paper rain was reusable, endlessly deployable.
The wind wall slowly dissolved…
The paper rain surged again toward Naraku!
He leapt aside to avoid the next wave, but it still didn't eliminate the threat.
"Only one move left, then…"
Naraku clenched his fists, chakra flowing rapidly. He pushed off the water, soaring into the air, evading the dense paper rain.
It was Flight Technique—Sky Dance!
"Naraku… he can even fly?"
Konan furrowed her brow. Flying wasn't rare, but ascending so smoothly and quickly was unexpected.
The next moment, she saw Naraku rushing at her!
"Fast!"
Her paper clone immediately halted its downward paper rain. The sheets stacked into a paper spear and shot toward Naraku.
Yet Naraku was incredibly agile midair, moving as freely as on land, evading the spear with ease.
"Can he really move so well in the air?"
Konan's frown softened into a smile. "This little guy… can't be underestimated!"
Bang!
Finally, they closed in for hand-to-hand combat.
Naraku's physical techniques were still lacking. Even midair, he couldn't surpass Konan in close combat.
It was understandable…
His vitality was only slightly over six hundred, linking to his stamina, strength, and speed—roughly at a chūnin level.
But that didn't matter. If he could reach Konan, the fight would end. The thunderstorm was already gathering around him.
Lightning Release: Ten Thousand Thunder Prison!
Bolts struck from the storm, shredding the paper clone into scattered sheets. Some sheets glowed with electricity—a sight that surprised Naraku.
Only wet paper conducts electricity. These soaked sheets would almost never be destroyed by lightning…
"Konan-sensei actually soaked the paper clone beforehand?"
"That's right." Konan nodded, not denying it. "Without it, my clone couldn't withstand fire-style jutsu."
"…."
Naraku rubbed his forehead in frustration. She was guiding lightning through wet paper…
Countless sheets reassembled into her body, and she spoke softly: "Naraku, except for adhesive oils, there's almost no jutsu that can destroy my paper clone. Without another method, you can't participate in that dangerous mission."
"Understood. Then I'll have to use a different secret technique."
The boy nodded, focused. His hands formed a chaotic series of seals—mostly symbolic, a distraction. His techniques were instantaneous.
Konan's attention sharpened, but she did not stop him. A master-student sparring match should let the disciple show his true power.
She also wanted to see what this card-throwing prodigy could unleash with serious hand seals.
"Life-Form Disintegration Beam!"
Naraku finished his chaotic seals, pressed his palms together, and fixed his gaze on the paper clone.
A surge of purple energy erupted!
The clone had no chance to split again. In an instant, it disintegrated, vanishing into nothingness.
At the same time, another strange side-task notification appeared in Naraku's mind:
Task Completed: Defeat Akatsuki's Angel Konan once (1/1)Reward: Angel Skill—Judgment of the Sacred Moment