"Nagato?!" Konan shouted anxiously, then hurried over and gently patted his back.
"I can't think of any method that could deal with him. The power of the Rinnegan... is it just a joke in front of him...?" Nagato whispered softly, still shaken by the previous scene.
"Hiding here, huh? That makes you pretty easy to find..."
A calm voice sounded. Outside, blinding light shone through as a figure disguised as a large tree made of paper fragments was pulled away. Under the intense light, Konan and Nagato couldn't see the outline of the visitor clearly.
However, the person's always-relaxed tone and crimson eyes clearly revealed their identity.
"Uchiha... Kaoru..." With an unreadable emotion, Konan slowly pronounced the name.
Dance of Paper and Paper Rain!!!
Seeing the appearance of this terrifying enemy, Konan immediately moved. Chakra radiated from her entire body, transforming her into countless paper fragments forming sharp shapes that shot toward Kaoru.
"Just like before, Miss Konan, you start attacking at the slightest provocation..." Kaoru said with a smile. He stood his ground, neither dodging nor avoiding, facing her storm of sharp paper with a gentle smile. Countless sharp paper fragments continuously sliced into him, and dust rose around him.
The swiftly designed sharp paper fragments rapidly returned to Konan's body, forming an unending cycle of attack.
Amid the spreading smoke and dust, Konan fell into deep thought. Why didn't she dodge? Did she think she had already killed him? Impossible—he was a formidable opponent even Pein could easily handle...
"If I'm not mistaken, I believe this is the second time we've met, Miss Konan. And both times, you've started the fight directly... I don't recall us having any deep grudges or hatred, do we?"
Really, nothing at all?!
Gradually, the countless flying, spinning paper fragments around her stopped. The swirling dust dispersed, and Konan looked in shock at Kaoru before her—completely unscathed.
A white skeleton, seemingly formed from condensed light, surrounded Kaoru. The paper fragments' attacks struck the bones repeatedly, but to no effect.
"Stop it... Konan..." At this moment, the weak Nagato spoke softly, stopping her pointless attack. "You can't handle him."
"Uchiha Kaoru... I have to admit, your strength is indeed above mine now..." Nagato's face was full of despair as his purple Rinnegan stared intently at Kaoru. His tone was filled with deep sadness.
This god finally admitted he was no longer a god.
Hearing Nagato's voice, Kaoru carefully observed Nagato. His hair, with the characteristic vivid crimson of the Uzumaki clan, was disheveled. His body was gaunt, covered with terrifying black tubes running across his back. Kaoru sighed inwardly.
The Rinnegan granted Nagato enormous power but also drained his vital energy—this was a double-edged sword. Nagato had always been nothing more than a tool for Uchiha Madara to cultivate the Rinnegan...
"I remember warning you before—don't oppose me. Otherwise, you'll either die at my hands or at the hands of that masked man..."
Now, I've come to fulfill that promise... Kaoru said calmly.
As Kaoru finished speaking, the already tense atmosphere suddenly became suffocating, as if the surrounding air had frozen.
Sure enough, as soon as Kaoru's words left his mouth, countless sharp paper fragments spun wildly around Konan once again.
"Don't be so tense, Miss Konan..." Kaoru said with a relaxed tone, looking at her terrified and beautiful face. "Actually, we still have room to negotiate. How about this—Nagato, hand over your Rinnegan, and I might consider letting you two go..."
"Finally... so your goal is to get the Rinnegan, Uchiha Kaoru..."
A resentful voice echoed out. At this moment, Konan's face was icy cold.
"The Rinnegan belongs to Nagato. It's a treasure of Amegakure... I will never let you take it!" While speaking, her chakra began to surge wildly.
Looks like... I'll have to use that technique...
"Do you want to use your 6 billion detonating tags on me...?" Kaoru said softly. Seeing Konan's furious expression, he already knew what she intended.
"How do you know my ninjutsu?!" Konan's hands immediately stopped. She had never used this move before—how did Kaoru know? Was it the same during the fight with Pein...? It seemed he was very familiar with every one of Pein's powers... What is this...?
"Just consider this as the ability of my Sharingan," Kaoru replied nonchalantly, avoiding giving a clear explanation.
"However, I advise you not to do that, because it's meaningless..."
"Even if you use it, there's still Nagato over there, who has no ability to move. Are you sure your 6 billion detonating tags won't blow him up too...?"
Hearing Kaoru's words, Konan's body trembled slightly. After a struggle, she finally lowered her hands.
Kaoru was right. If she activated that move now, Nagato might also be affected...
Seeing her ultimately convinced and abandoning her attack, Kaoru nodded with satisfaction. He then turned his gaze back to Nagato, whose vitality was severely drained.
"Such a tragedy," Kaoru sighed softly, looking at Nagato's emaciated face. His once handsome face was now gaunt and withered. "You've experienced countless pain and sacrifices, but in the end, you're just a tool used by others to revive themselves."
"Others' revival tools? What do you mean?!" Nagato was stunned and wary at her words. Konan's brows furrowed slightly.
"The owner of those Rinnegan isn't you, but Uchiha Madara. Uchiha Madara installed them on you when you were young..."
Kaoru paused briefly. "Listen carefully—I'm talking about Uchiha Madara, not Uchiha Obito, or that masked man..."
"Uchiha... Obito..." Nagato murmured with a complex and surprised tone. It was the first time he'd heard that name.
Uchiha Obito... the masked man...
Could it be... A flicker of realization flashed through Konan and Nagato's minds, as if they grasped something, but they couldn't quite piece it together.
"You don't really think that the one wearing that tasteless mask, pretending to be a fool, is Uchiha Madara, do you?" Kaoru spread his hands, sarcastic and mocking.
Outside Konoha, a group of Jōnin finally arrived at the location of Kaoru's battle with Pein.
This place was incredibly easy to find—no need to investigate, because the commotion caused by Kaoru and Pein was just too loud...
"What is this...?" Kakashi and the other Jōnin stared wide-eyed at the scene before them.
They saw a towering iceberg rising from the ground, crystal-clear and seemingly sealing some unknown object within the ice. Next to the ice, there was a small active volcano. The entire area was riddled with huge craters, looking as if it had been bombarded by meteorites from space.
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