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Chapter 25: Konan's Secret Exposed, Oborotsuki in Danger!
The moment Oborotsuki turned around, he met Kushina's gaze.
His heart stirred, but his expression remained calm.
"Red? You're here??"
"The whole village has been searching for you. How did you—"
Sure enough, Kushina completely ignored Oborotsuki and Mayumi, staring at Red in shock and joy, eyes wide.
"You… you know me?"
Red blinked in confusion, looking at the unfamiliar red-haired beauty before her.
"It's me—Kushina!"
"What… what happened to her?"
Kushina had already heard rumors that Red had likely been kidnapped by enemies.
There were whispers that the Uchiha clan was responsible, though no evidence had surfaced.
Because of this, tensions between the Uchiha and the rest of Konoha had skyrocketed, nearly reaching breaking point.
She never imagined she'd find the missing Yūhi Kurenai here.
Thinking of this, Kushina turned back to Oborotsuki, her gaze now filled with three parts wariness and seven parts suspicion.
"I found her while on a mission. She was severely injured and unconscious, with no identification on her and no memory of anything."
"For her safety, I brought her back here."
"It seems you know her—that's great."
Oborotsuki explained with a touch of curiosity.
Mayumi and Red, standing nearby, also watched Kushina in astonishment.
After hearing the explanation, Kushina frowned deeply and looked at Red again.
"Red, you really don't remember me?"
"I… don't know you."
Red hesitated and shook her head.
She had no impression of this red-haired woman at all.
Unwilling to give up, Kushina tested Red with several more questions, probing her past.
But Red couldn't answer a single one.
There wasn't even the slightest reaction to any of the prompts.
"So you really don't remember anything…"
Kushina said in disappointment, shaking her head. She turned to Oborotsuki and explained:
"She is the daughter of Konoha's elite jōnin Yūhi Shinku—her name is Yūhi Kurenai."
"She suddenly disappeared many days ago. It was suspected she had been kidnapped by enemies…"
Kushina recounted the full story.
Hearing this, Red's face filled with shock and disbelief.
Mayumi, however, remained silent, her brow slightly furrowed.
She could tell this beautiful woman didn't trust Oborotsuki in the slightest.
And clearly, she didn't trust Mayumi either.
"It's really good to see you here, Red! Come back to Konoha with me!"
Kushina said excitedly, grabbing Red's hand.
But Red hesitated and gently pulled away, stepping back several paces.
"I… really am a Konoha ninja? But I don't know you…"
Inside, she was both shocked and happy—happy because it seemed she had finally found her identity and origins.
Yet Red couldn't help but worry: what if this woman was lying?
One of a ninja's instincts was doubt.
Those who easily trusted strangers usually had three-meter-high grass growing over their graves.
"Red is my woman now. I don't care whether she's from Konoha or not. Whatever it is, we can talk later."
"Mayumi, arrange a room for her. Let her feed her child."
Oborotsuki had been quietly watching the exchange between Kushina and Red. Seeing Red refuse to return to Konoha, he immediately spoke up.
His woman couldn't just be taken back to Konoha so easily.
As for Kushina—he naturally didn't want her to leave either.
But with Kushina, things had to proceed slowly. Rushing wouldn't work.
Hearing this, Kushina froze. She looked down at the baby in her arms and suddenly remembered why she had followed Oborotsuki here in the first place: to find a relatively safe place to nurse her child.
Perhaps tired from crying, little Naruto had quieted down considerably.
His energy was far less than before.
Kushina glanced helplessly at Red again.
Her mind felt chaotic.
Too much had happened in too short a time—too much information to process.
And right now, she had a baby who urgently needed to be fed.
In this situation, she could only first satisfy Naruto's hunger, then have a proper talk with Red later.
Everything else… could wait.
…
At the same time, elsewhere—
Deep in a dark, silent forest, a campfire flickered on an empty clearing.
Pain's Deva Path sat opposite Konan, expressionless.
Konan stared blankly at the half-roasted wild rabbit in front of her.
Aside from the crackling of burning wood, the two of them—and the surrounding silence—were eerily quiet.
"You were careless in the battle today, Konan."
"That kind of mistake will cost you your life."
Deva Path suddenly spoke.
"I'm sorry…"
"I didn't expect the enemy to be that strong."
Konan replied absently.
But inside, her heart stirred slightly, and her eyes flickered.
"Is there something else you want to say?"
Deva Path asked.
Konan fell silent. After a moment, she gently shook her head. "Nothing."
A few seconds later, Deva Path spoke again, slowly:
"I can sense another life within you."
"…!?"
Konan's entire body stiffened. Cold sweat appeared on her cheek.
She called out Pain's true name: "Nagato…"
In front of Nagato's powerful Rinnegan, this kind of thing could never be hidden.
Moreover, as an Uzumaki, Nagato was born with extraordinary perception.
It seemed he had noticed the abnormality in her body long ago.
"Is the child Oborotsuki's?"
Deva Path asked at that moment.
His tone remained perfectly calm.
Konan's body trembled again.
She immediately wanted to deny it and explain that she might be—like Nagato—a descendant of a branch of the Sage of Six Paths.
But before she could speak, Deva Path, sitting across from her, had already stood up:
"Get rid of the child. No matter the circumstances."
"This is a critical period for our plan. Nothing can distract us."
"As for Oborotsuki—I will deal with him personally. He has already violated the organization's rules."
The utterly cold decision made Konan shudder violently. Her eyes flashed with disbelief as she stared at Deva Path's figure slowly disappearing into the darkness.
"Nagato, Oborotsuki isn't—"
After a brief moment of shock, Konan stood up quickly to stop Deva Path.
But at that moment, the cold voice rang out again:
"Konan… are you going to defy me?"
Those words froze Konan on the spot.
Her advancing steps halted.
"This matter… it's not what you think, Nagato…"
Konan lowered her head in pain and conflict.
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