The scar-faced shinobi was baffled.
But there was no turning back now.
Since they had already made their move, there was no way this would end peacefully.
"Get them together!"
the scar-faced ninja shouted as he lunged at Kiyohara first.
The rogue ninja behind him all formed hand seals at once. Fire Release, Earth Release, and kunai all came flying in together.
Nohara Rin closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a faint reddish glow had appeared deep in her pupils, like the vertical slit eyes of a tailed beast.
Behind her, a pale red chakra tail abruptly condensed into shape!
It lashed through the air like a whip.
Crack!
The first rogue ninja to charge in was sent flying backward, his chest caving in as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Rin lifted her head and looked at Kiyohara.
Kiyohara stood there, his hand seals already complete.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation."
He opened his mouth and exhaled a sea of flames.
The fire was a pure orange-red, and the temperature was terrifyingly high.
It surged forward like a tidal wave.
The remaining rogue ninja did not even have time to scream before they were completely swallowed by the flames.
The blaze shot into the sky, lighting up the entire little courtyard.
By the time the flames finally died down, all that remained ahead was scorched black earth and several carbonized corpses.
Kiyohara withdrew his chakra and turned around.
Rin was still standing where she was, the chakra tail behind her already gone.
"Let's go in and take a look,"
Kiyohara said.
Rogue ninja were common, especially during times of war.
And since the war had only ended not long ago, it was perfectly normal for a few drifters to be wandering around.
What concerned Kiyohara now was the chakra signature deeper inside.
There was something unusual about it.
He suspected it belonged to someone with a kekkei genkai.
Because the chakra of a kekkei genkai wielder was different from an ordinary person's chakra.
They would instinctively refine a special kind of chakra, just like the ocular power possessed by the Uchiha clan.
That was a special kind of Yin Release chakra, which was why the Uchiha were said to have inherited the Sage of Six Paths' Yin power.
"Did you notice something, Kiyohara-kun?"
Rin asked curiously.
"I sensed something."
Kiyohara spoke as he walked.
As he inherited the Uzumaki bloodline and his natural sensory ability continued to grow stronger, Kiyohara's perception had steadily improved.
He even suspected that in the future, he might awaken the Uzumaki clan's unique ability—Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
That technique alone had an astonishing sensory range of dozens of kilometers.
A lot of Hyuga clan members' Byakugan could not necessarily see that far.
Most Hyuga could only observe everything clearly within a one-kilometer radius.
Unless they sacrificed all other angles and focused on seeing straight into the distance, they could only barely make out things as far as ten kilometers away.
But Kagura Mind's Eye not only had a massive range, it could also detect precise positions, movements, the number of people present, their characteristics, and even their movement speed in remarkable detail.
It could even perceive the "temperature" of someone's chakra.
Rin nodded and followed at his side.
About ten minutes later, Kiyohara and Rin arrived in front of a shabby wooden hut.
The door creaked open.
In the dim light inside, Kiyohara saw a girl.
She was curled up in the corner like some abandoned little animal.
The clothes on her body had long since lost their original color, hanging in tatters over her tiny frame.
Her bare arms and calves were covered in bruises and scabbed-over wounds.
Her hair was blue, long, and horribly tangled, falling over most of her face.
But through the gaps in those messy strands, her eyes were visible.
They were empty eyes.
No light. No life in them at all. They just stared straight ahead.
When she heard the door open, her body trembled slightly, but she did not lift her head. She only curled up tighter, making herself smaller still.
Rin stood in the doorway, and her heart ached at the sight.
This was the kind of suffering war left behind.
"Kiyohara-kun…"
Rin said softly.
Kiyohara walked over to the girl and crouched down in front of her.
Those empty eyes still could not focus. She only shrank back instinctively.
"What's your name?"
Kiyohara asked.
Then he reached out, and a stream of green medical chakra began healing her body.
Looking at her blue hair, he already had a vague guess.
Could she be… Guren?
Kiyohara looked at the little girl and thought it over.
In canon, Guren was a shinobi with the Crystal Release kekkei genkai who worked for Orochimaru.
And she was fiercely loyal too—she only turned against him because Orochimaru was truly awful, and because of Naruto's talk-no-jutsu.
The girl could feel warmth spreading through her body, the wounds on her skin beginning to heal.
But she still curled up fearfully.
Rin crouched down beside her and took a water flask from her clothes, gently offering it over.
"Have some water,"
Rin said softly.
The girl looked at the flask, then at the hand holding it out to her, and slowly raised her head.
Through the gaps in her hair, she saw the two of them.
A man and a woman.
They wore clean clothes, and on their foreheads were shinobi headbands.
To the girl, the symbol on them looked vaguely like the pattern of a leaf.
"What's your name?"
Kiyohara asked again.
The girl opened her mouth.
She had not spoken in so long that her voice came out dry and hoarse, almost impossible to hear.
"…Guren."
Guren said.
So it really was Guren.
Hearing that, Kiyohara was inwardly pleased.
She was in a miserable state right now, which made this the perfect time to help her when she was at her lowest. That would win people over far more easily.
And if he brought her back to Konoha and had her go through proper shinobi training, she could become one of his subordinates in the future as well.
"Where are your family and friends?"
"They're all dead."
Guren replied.
Hearing that, Kiyohara extended an invitation.
"Come with me. If you stay here, you'll only die."
He gestured toward the desolate village around them.
That group of rogue ninja had only been staying here temporarily anyway.
A quick glance around revealed some expired food. Apparently, Guren had managed to survive this whole time by scavenging things like that.
"…"
After drinking some water, Guren seemed a little more lucid.
She also knew that staying here would only lead to death.
But she had no idea who Kiyohara and Rin really were.
"We're shinobi from Konoha. You don't need to be afraid,"
Rin said first.
"Konoha…"
Guren had heard of that word before.
Seeing the leaf-like symbol on Kiyohara and Rin's forehead protectors, she believed them halfway already.
"Okay."
Guren nodded.
If either way might end in death, she might as well try stepping outside and see.
At that, Kiyohara rose to his feet.
"Rin, help her change clothes."
He pulled a clean set of clothing out of a sealing scroll and handed it to Rin.
They were some spare clothes he kept around. They were far too big for Guren, but still far better than the rags she was wearing now.
Rin accepted them and nodded.
Kiyohara turned and stepped out of the hut, closing the door behind him.
In a situation like this, it was obvious he should not stay inside.
Inside the hut, Rin crouched in front of Guren.
She reached out and gently brushed aside the messy hair covering Guren's face.
Her face was revealed.
Thin. Pale.
But her original features were still there—delicate brows, clear eyes, a small nose, thin lips.
If not for the war, if not for all this suffering, she probably would have been a very pretty girl.
A wave of sorrow welled up in Rin's chest.
But she did not let it show.
She only smiled gently and said softly,
"Come on. Let's get you changed."
Guren looked at her.
Slowly, she reached out and accepted the clothes.
The fabric was soft and clean. It had been a very, very long time since she had worn anything like that.
Outside the hut, Kiyohara stood with his back to the door.
This was the border of the Land of Fire, very close to the Land of Rain.
So the geography here already shared some of the Land of Rain's traits.
The sky hung low and dark, while wind swept through the overgrown ruins with a rustling hiss.
A moment later, the door behind him opened.
Rin stepped out.
Behind her was Guren, now changed into clean clothes.
The outfit was far too large for her. The sleeves extended past her hands, and the hem hung below her knees.
Rin had rolled the cuffs up for her, exposing wrists so thin they were nearly skin and bone.
She stood in the doorway and looked up at Kiyohara's back.
That faint little spark was still present in her eyes.
Kiyohara turned and looked at her.
"Let's go,"
he said.
Guren was scrawny right now, but once her nutrition improved, she would probably grow into the same striking beauty she had in canon.
Guren nodded.
Rin reached out and gently took her hand.
The three of them left the village and continued west.
Guren walked beside Rin, her small body swallowed up by the oversized clothes.
She walked slowly, her steps unsteady, clearly having gone a very long time without a proper meal.
Rin slowed down to match her pace.
Kiyohara walked ahead, then molded a white clay dragon and brought the two girls up onto it.
Guren's eyes widened at the sight.
Only then did she realize that the shinobi who had decided to take her away was probably someone incredibly powerful.
In the Land of Rain, at the Akatsuki's base—
It was a structure hidden deep inside a mountain valley. From the outside, it looked like an abandoned shrine, but the inside had been reinforced and carefully concealed.
Once Kiyohara and the others drew close to the area, a figure came out to meet them.
Konan.
She wore the Akatsuki's signature black cloak with red clouds. Her short blue hair was neatly combed back, and the paper flower in her hair swayed lightly.
But Kiyohara noticed that she looked even more exhausted than the last time they met.
"Kiyohara,"
Konan said.
Her eyes swept over him, then fell on Rin behind him, and finally landed on the thin little girl holding Rin's hand.
Feeling that gaze, Guren instinctively shrank behind Rin.
Konan withdrew her eyes without asking any questions.
"Where's Yahiko?"
Kiyohara asked.
Konan's expression stiffened slightly.
She was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Yahiko… had a falling-out with Nagato."
Kiyohara's brows shifted slightly.
"What kind of falling-out?"
Konan shook her head and did not elaborate.
"In any case… Yahiko isn't here right now."
Seeing that, Kiyohara did not press further.
"Take me to Nagato."
Konan nodded and turned to lead the way deeper into the building.
Kiyohara followed.
Rin, still holding Guren's hand, followed as well.
Deep inside the building, in a dim room—
Nagato sat leaning back in a specially made wheelchair.
Calling it a wheelchair was not quite right. It was closer to a complicated machine assembled from metal parts and puppet mechanisms.
Various tubes and transmission devices were wound all through it, barely supporting his withered body.
When Kiyohara stepped inside, the first thing he saw was the pair of eyes hidden beneath Nagato's red hair.
Kiyohara's normal vision had become excellent as well, so he could glimpse the Rinnegan through the gaps in those strands.
The purple irises looked like concentric ripples spreading outward.
Kiyohara could feel the immense ocular power contained within them.
After all, just one of those eyes had nearly made Obito lose himself.
And a single Rinnegan was enough to suppress the Ten-Tails and turn someone into its jinchūriki.
But Kiyohara's gaze quickly shifted, falling on Nagato's body.
His limbs… no, not just his limbs.
His entire body had withered.
His skin hung loosely over his skeleton like an oversized human hide draped over bone.
On the exposed parts of his arms, veins and blood vessels stood out clearly, and beneath the skin the shape of his bones was almost visible.
Nagato lifted his head and looked at Kiyohara.
"You came."
Kiyohara walked over and crouched in front of him.
"I'm going to examine you."
He placed a hand on Nagato's wrist.
A pale green medical chakra flowed from his palm and slowly seeped into Nagato's body.
It moved through his chakra pathways, probing every injury and every abnormality.
Nagato closed his eyes and let that chakra move through him.
Time passed little by little.
Konan stood by the doorway, her hands clenched without her realizing it.
Rin stood behind her, holding Guren's hand, equally tense as she watched.
After a long while, Kiyohara withdrew his hand.
He stood up and looked at Konan.
"His life force… has been leaking away very badly."
Konan's face turned a little pale.
"How bad?"
Kiyohara looked at her.
"A normal person's life force can be thought of as a bucket of water. Nagato originally had a much bigger bucket than most people."
"But now it's as if that bucket has developed a huge hole and is constantly leaking."
"How could that…"
"The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."
Kiyohara named the real cause.
"He's relied too heavily on the power of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Every time he uses it, it consumes his own life force and chakra."
"I know,"
Nagato said.
But Nagato had to use the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, because the Land of Rain was simply too large.
The Akatsuki did not have enough manpower to cover everything. Rebellions kept breaking out, and Amegakure was always causing trouble too.
"Can he be treated?"
Konan asked.
"Yes."
Kiyohara nodded.
Konan's eyes lit up.
"How?"
"Come back to Konoha with me first,"
Kiyohara said.
"I'll need equipment and time to study this slowly."
Konan froze for a second.
"Konoha?"
"Yeah."
Kiyohara nodded.
"The Land of Rain isn't suitable for treatment. There are too few medicines here, and not enough equipment."
He looked at her.
"And what Nagato needs isn't a one-time treatment. He needs long-term care. His life force has leaked away too badly. There's no way to replenish it all at once."
Konan fell silent.
She turned and looked at Nagato.
Nagato looked back at her.
Their eyes met in the air between them.
After a long pause, Nagato finally spoke.
"I'm not leaving the Land of Rain."
He rejected Kiyohara's proposal outright.
And truthfully, Nagato did not particularly like Konoha either.
He had received kindness from Jiraiya-sensei, and Kiyohara had helped them in the past.
But that did not mean Nagato had completely let go of his resentment toward all Konoha shinobi.
Even now, he still remembered that his parents had died at the hands of Konoha ninja.
From that day on, he had become someone with no roots.
If he had not met Konan and Yahiko, he might have starved to death long ago.
"Nagato…"
Konan frowned.
Nagato could be stubborn, just like Yahiko.
And Konan knew at least a little of the grudge Nagato held against Konoha shinobi, so she did not know what to say.
But if Nagato refused treatment, then one day even his real body might no longer be able to fight.
He would end up reduced to nothing more than a chakra battery pack.
The current Nagato not only controlled the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, but had also developed puppets that could move around freely.
Those puppets had each inherited part of the Rinnegan's abilities.
"In that case, Konan can come back with me first, while Nagato stays here,"
Kiyohara suggested, offering a compromise.
The truth was, Kiyohara had his own plan.
He wanted to use the chance to treat Nagato as an opportunity to learn more about the Rinnegan.
And if Konan came to Konoha, he could also learn Paper Release from her.
"No. It's too dangerous for Konan to go to Konoha alone,"
Nagato said instinctively, wanting to refuse.
"Nagato, I should be the one to go. That would be more convenient,"
Konan said.
That way, she would feel more at ease.
And the Akatsuki still had plenty of members left—enough to take care of Nagato.
Seeing her like this, Nagato understood that she was worried about his condition, and he could not keep objecting.
In the end, he only said,
"If you have time, you can go see Yahiko too."
Even though Nagato and Yahiko had fallen out, the bond between them was still there.
"I know,"
Konan nodded.
Seeing that the two had reached an agreement, Kiyohara said,
"I need to collect some of Nagato's cells."
With that, Kiyohara took out his tools and, right in front of Nagato, drew some blood and collected some of his cells.
Nagato watched him.
In the dark corners of the room, six puppets lay hidden.
Their vision was connected, letting them observe Kiyohara's every movement without a single blind spot.
Only after Kiyohara set down his hand and sealed away the collected samples did the puppets finally relax their focus.
"For tonight, you should stay here first,"
Konan said, arranging rooms for Kiyohara and the others.
That evening, in a side room at the base—
Rin crouched in front of Guren, holding a bowl of hot porridge.
"Here, have a little."
Guren sat on the edge of the bed, head lowered as she stared at the bowl.
The porridge was white, the rice cooked down soft, with a few chopped greens floating on top.
She reached out and took the bowl.
It was so hot that her fingertips turned red, but she did not let go.
She held it in both hands, feeling the warmth spread into her palms.
"Drink slowly. Don't burn yourself."
Guren nodded.
She lowered her head and brought her face close to the bowl, drinking little sip after little sip.
Tears slid down her cheeks and dripped into the porridge.
Rin reached out and gently stroked her head.
"From now on… you won't have to live like that ever again."
Guren's movements paused slightly.
She lifted her head and looked at Rin.
And in her heart, she thought of Kiyohara.
If Kiyohara had not been willing to take her away, then she would never have these clean clothes, or this good food now.