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Chapter 7: Konan, Stop! You're Draining Me!
1,370 Words
A solution? Her chakra is gone. What solution could a Naruto newbie like him have?
Seeing Konan on the verge of collapse, Alex panicked.
If they couldn't escape, they would both be dead when Obito returned.
He had just arrived in this world. He did not want to die.
Alex wracked his brain, trying to use his Naruto knowledge to find a way out of this deadly situation.
Suddenly, he felt a chill.
It was as if he was being watched. An intense gaze was focused on him.
Alex snapped out of his thoughts and looked.
A cold, beautiful face filled his vision.
It was Konan.
She was extremely close. The warm air from her breath gently brushed his paper surface.
It tickled. It was soft.
[Wh-what are you doing? Why are you staring at me like that?]
Alex felt a little creeped out.
Konan's gaze was very familiar.
It was like a starving kitten spotting a delicious fish jerky. It was... wild.
Konan, her expression unchanged, snatched Alex from the air.
"I've thought of a way to replenish my chakra. It's you."
"You were born from my paper jutsu. Your chakra came from me. The chakra inside you is my chakra. I can use it to replenish my own."
"And..." At this, Konan's eyes narrowed, a dangerous light glinting within them.
"The amount of chakra inside you is far, far greater than any other paper."
If a normal piece of paper held a sesame seed's worth of chakra, Alex held a fist-sized amount.
It was far beyond what a normal paper should have.
And the source... was obvious.
Her cold voice continued, her usually monotone speech now carrying a slight edge, as if she was grinding her teeth.
"No wonder my chakra was so completely depleted. A portion of it was stolen by you!"
"Your existence only requires a tiny thread of chakra to maintain. Why did you absorb so much of mine?"
Awkward. He'd been caught red-handed.
Alex instantly felt guilty.
He just felt insecure, okay? He was afraid he would dissipate from chakra exhaustion.
His motto was: Hoard as much as you can.
Besides, he had only instinctively absorbed it right when he transmigrated. Who knew Obito would show up moments later?
[It... it was probably because I just woke up. I needed more chakra. So I absorbed a little extra.]
Alex could only offer this explanation. He couldn't just admit to his hoarding.
Konan didn't comment. She didn't care about the truth right now. The priority was replenishing her chakra.
She used the chakra link between them and began to reclaim her chakra from Alex's body.
Like rain on a parched land, a steady stream of chakra flowed into her depleted pathways.
This feeling... of being... filled...
A strange sensation rose in Konan's heart. Her pale face quickly regained its color.
Her feet, which had sunk below the surface, rose again.
She stared intently at Alex.
Only when she started re-absorbing the chakra did she realize just how much this "living" paper had stolen.
"A tenth! You absorbed a full tenth of my chakra!"
Alex "bowed" slightly, the top two corners of his paper body bending inward, rubbing against each other.
It was the paper equivalent of a human wringing their hands guiltily.
He hadn't realized he'd absorbed so much. It really hadn't felt like that much.
As the chakra poured out of his body, Alex felt a sharp pain.
It was like his body was being hollowed out. He wanted to cry.
He forgot his guilt. His "face" contorted in misery.
[Enough! Enough! If you keep taking, I'll have nothing left! Leave me a little! Please!]
Seeing Alex act so human, and look so miserly, the heaviness in Konan's heart lightened.
She released her grip, letting him float free.
"I know exactly how much chakra you have. Don't play pitiful. I only took half."
Although she didn't know why he needed so much chakra, she stopped, leaving him with half.
The 5% of her total chakra she recovered, combined with a military ration pill, was enough for her to get moving.
Alex floated beside her, sneaking peeks at her expression.
Seeing that she wasn't absorbing more, and didn't seem to hold a grudge, he finally relaxed.
He still had half left. He was still better off than when he first arrived.
On second thought, Alex's feelings were complex.
He had, by chance, served as a "chakra battery."
Maybe... it was a good thing he had absorbed her chakra?
Otherwise, where would she have gotten a refill right now?
Whether he had absorbed it or not, her fight with Obito would have drained her chakra.
She just would have used a few more jutsu in the fight.
That 10% he took would have been spent anyway.
Thinking this way, Alex's guilt vanished instantly.
In fact, he shouldn't be guilty. He should be proud!
He had just saved Konan from collapsing.
Having convinced himself, Alex's posture straightened.
He was no longer "bowing." He wasn't "wringing his hands." His paper body stood tall and straight. He "walked" in front of Konan with a distinct, human-like swagger.
His bottom two corners strutted boldly.
Konan stared at Alex, who had suddenly been injected with confidence. She was baffled.
Did something just happen to make him proud?
She didn't ask. She just glanced back at the still-raging explosion. "We have to leave."
She looked back at Alex. "Are you flying yourself, or am I carrying you?"
[I am just a fragile piece of paper. I can't handle strong winds, and I can't fly fast. I need you to carry me.]
"Fine." Konan nodded, reaching her hand out to him.
However, Alex dodged.
"What are you doing?" She looked at him, puzzled.
[I have my own spot.]
Then, before Konan could react...
Alex, moving with deceptive speed, darted past the torn collar of her Akatsuki robe, went all the way down, and floated to her chest.
Smack. He pressed himself flat, a perfect fit.
Ahhh. He was back in his familiar spot. This place really suited him best.
Feeling the same softness and milky fragrance, Alex relaxed, completely at ease.
But this... specific location...
Konan couldn't comprehend it. Her pupils trembled.
"That... is not your spot. Move!"
Her voice was still cold, but her tone wavered. Her long-frozen heart rippled.
She didn't know if Alex was male or female, or if paper even had a gender.
And after all the pain she had endured, she had stopped caring about many things.
But this... a conscious piece of paper, sticking itself to such a private place... she couldn't remain calm.
This feeling was more psychological.
In truth, Alex was already experienced. He had intentionally made his paper texture even softer, so as not to cause any friction.
He also added a slight upward, supportive force.
This dual-action not only made Konan more comfortable, but it also lightened her burden.
Sigh. Let me bear this burden alone.
Let me be the one to silently endure all this.
Whether Konan agreed or not, Alex had accepted this heavy responsibility.
And he would execute his duty flawlessly.
[I am just returning to where I was born. This is where I woke up. It's only natural I return here.]
Alex controlled another piece of paper to float in front of her, displaying the message.
Konan stared at the text. She took a deep breath, suppressing the strange feeling. Her expression turned cold once more.
She subconsciously touched her chest. She was silent.
She could clearly feel Alex's presence.
She accepted his reasoning, no longer arguing over such a trivial matter.
Swoosh! A pair of snow-white paper wings sprouted from her back, and she shot into the sky.
She picked a direction and flew.
Alex leisurely observed the outside world. The... vibration... of the snow-white peaks during flight gave him the ultimate soft experience.
It was like a 180-degree, full-service massage.
When he saw the silhouette of a village approaching, his heart jumped.
He couldn't enjoy the massage anymore. He quickly flew out from her chest and hovered in front of her face.
[Are you flying the wrong way? We're supposed to be leaving!]