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Chapter 2: Uchiha Obito Arrives
1,306 Words
Alex showed no sign of abnormality. He floated naturally on the sea, lapping against the reef with the waves.
As a piece of paper, he just needed to watch quietly.
However, from his current angle, the view was rather... distinctive.
Konan stood just in front of him, very close. The waves constantly rolled Alex up to touch the back of her heels.
Through the hem of her Akatsuki robe, he could see two firm, straight calves.
They radiated a powerful beauty.
Looking further up, it was just darkness; he couldn't see clearly.
But as the waves pulled Alex slightly away from Konan, he saw a different landscape.
The same "majestic peaks," only these seemed even more pronounced.
This angle and scenery provided Alex with a completely unique viewing experience.
"Hehe. If the timeline is still early, I'll have more time to think about how to make contact with Konan."
Alex mused, admiring the view while pondering how to first interact with her.
In stark contrast to his pleasant mood, the expression on Konan's face was like a timeless iceberg, perpetually cold.
She frowned, studying the dead branch. Although she couldn't see anything wrong, she already had an answer.
"I already warned you. Do not appear before me again." Her voice was clear and cold, laced with killing intent.
Hearing Konan speak, Alex stopped admiring the view and focused his full attention.
"A White Zetsu?" He peered through the gap between Konan's legs at the branch, coming to a realization.
Related to trees, and extremely good at mimicking plants. It had to be White Zetsu.
But Alex was puzzled. In the Akatsuki, he thought Konan and Zetsu's relationship wasn't this bad.
Why was there such chilling killing intent in her words?
"Or... is the timeline not early at all?"
A shadow fell over Alex's heart. He continued to observe the situation.
"Still not coming out?"
The branch continued to play dead, motionless. But Konan wasn't going to indulge it.
Swish!
She immediately threw a paper shuriken, slicing toward the base of the branch.
Whether it was a disguise or not, she would cut it first and ask questions later.
Just as the shuriken was about to hit, the branch suddenly dodged to the left with a very human-like movement.
Its body then rapidly swelled and whitened, revealing a humanoid figure.
"White Zetsu. It really is you!"
Konan lunged forward, her right hand clamping around White Zetsu's neck, lifting his entire body off the ground.
A mere White Zetsu had no ability to resist her.
"Sister Konan is as awesome as ever."
Alex cheered silently. He stopped floating on the water.
Instead, like the other papers, he began to circle around Konan.
"I warned you not to come back to Amegakure. Speak! Why are you spying on me?"
Konan's cold eyes scanned the surroundings. She instantly understood that White Zetsu was here to monitor her.
Her grip tightened, making it difficult for Zetsu to breathe.
Zetsu's legs kicked wildly, his hands clawing at Konan's right hand. But her grip was like an iron vise; he couldn't budge it.
Zetsu gave up struggling. He stared at Konan and cackled sinisterly.
"Gasp... cough... Anyone... who... betrays... the Akatsuki... must... die!"
His voice was intermittent.
"Then you can die first!" Konan said coldly. With a crack, she snapped Zetsu's neck.
"Konan betrayed the Akatsuki?"
Watching this, Alex felt no satisfaction, only a chill running down his spine.
He now roughly knew the timeline.
Konan and Obito had already parted ways.
The reason was Nagato's death in Konoha, following Naruto's "talk-no-jutsu."
With Nagato dead, Uchiha Obito would inevitably come to collect the Rinnegan.
Alex didn't know how long Nagato had been dead, or when Obito would arrive, but it was clear his time was running out.
"Damn it. The timeline is already after Nagato's death." He felt anxious.
Once Obito arrived, the scene from the original story, where Konan is killed by Obito, would likely play out.
If Konan, the source of his paper ninjutsu, died, all the chakra stored in him would dissipate instantly. He would die with her.
"No! I have to get Konan to leave Amegakure! Immediately!"
Ignoring the risk of exposure, Alex decided to reveal himself and urge Konan to flee.
However, before he could make a move, a familiar spiral-shaped ripple appeared in the empty space before them.
Alex's movements froze. He stared in shock as a figure stepped out of the void.
Spiky hair. The same Akatsuki robe.
And the iconic orange spiral mask, with a glowing red pupil visible in the right eyehole.
Without a doubt, it was Uchiha Obito.
He had come for her.
"Speak of Obito, and Obito appears. He really isn't giving me any time at all..."
Alex floated away from Konan's front, abandoning his plan.
A great battle was imminent. She could not afford a single distraction.
Seeing Konan's eyes, burning with murderous intent, fixed on Obito, Alex knew that a few words from him wouldn't convince her to abandon the fight and flee.
This battle was unavoidable.
Uchiha Obito walked casually on the water's surface, stopping about ten meters from Konan.
His right eye glowed red, staring straight at her.
"You, and Nagato, have betrayed the Akatsuki!" Obito's hoarse voice cut through the air.
It was cold and filled with rage.
He had ordered Nagato to take the Six Paths of Pain to Konoha, partly to capture the Nine-Tails.
The other reason was to weaken Konoha's forces as much as possible through battle.
But the result? Not only did they fail to capture the Nine-Tails, but all the Paths of Pain were destroyed.
And Nagato, that idiot, had actually used up his own life force to resurrect all the Konoha ninja he had just managed to kill.
When Obito learned the full details of the battle from Black Zetsu, his anger was indescribable.
He felt like his lungs would explode.
The Rinnegan could not be lost. The moment he received the news, he headed straight for Amegakure.
He used White Zetsu to pinpoint Konan's location.
Obito suppressed his fury and hissed:
"There is only one fate for those who betray the Akatsuki. Death!"
"If you know what's good for you, hand over the Rinnegan immediately. I might give you a dignified death."
"Silence! You are not worthy to speak of the Akatsuki!" Konan snapped. "The Akatsuki was founded by Yahiko! It carries our dream for peace in the ninja world!"
"The light of dawn, breaking through the darkness. And you, a ghost who should have died long ago, you are the greatest darkness in this world!"
The killing intent in her eyes intensified. Her chakra flared, radiating the powerful aura of a Kage-level shinobi.
Alex, and the other papers swirling around her, rustled violently in the wind.
"Hmph. Pathetic." Obito was unfazed by her undisguised intent. His tone was sinister.
"I was the one who pushed for the Akatsuki's creation. Yahiko, Nagato, even you... you are all just puppets in my hands."
He stated the cruel truth. "You were all just my tools. And now that the tools have stopped obeying, they have only one fate. Death!"
Sh!
The moment he finished speaking, Obito attacked.
He used a body-flicker technique, appearing instantly in front of Konan.
A black receiver had appeared in his right hand.
Its sharp tip glinted coldly as it thrust straight for Konan's face.
Konan was already on high alert.
The instant Obito moved, she used her own body-flicker, leaping backward.
At the same time, the white papers flying around her, including Alex, all converged on her right hand.
To avoid standing out, Alex didn't resist. He followed Konan's will, flying rapidly toward her hand.
Even if she was making a weapon, he was determined to be the piece wrapped deepest inside.