In the silent canyon.
Rasa looked at the boy in front of him, completely speechless.
He actually came.
Rasa had deliberately chosen this remote place… perfect for an ambush. He never intended to negotiate at all. It was only meant to buy time.
After all, no one was stupid.
If the negotiation was scheduled too far into the future, people would easily see through the delay.
So instead, he played tricks with the location, choosing somewhere ideal for setting traps, hoping to scare the other side away.
That way, he could say: Look, I agreed to negotiate, but you refused to come.
Then he could keep dragging things out under that excuse.
Meanwhile, he would use the time to figure out what was happening back in the village.
But what he didn't expect…
Was that the other side really came.
And not only that…
He came alone, without even a single guard.
That kind of courage was completely beyond what Rasa had imagined.
'If I'd known he'd dare to come, I would've brought more people and set an ambush in advance. If we killed him, we'd win.'
Rasa thought bitterly, full of regret.
The Akatsuki, because of their shared ideal of peace, possessed a conviction that ordinary Shinobi didn't.
Even when facing the strong while being weak, they felt no fear.
But that conviction came from Yahiko.
If Yahiko died, their belief would collapse, turning into madness and despair.
It was both a strength and a weakness.
"Rasa-dono," Yahiko said calmly, both hands resting on a massive sword nearly as tall as himself. "I came as agreed. How have you considered the matter of withdrawing your troops?"
"If Sunagakure has any conditions, please say them. I will consider them and do my best to meet them."
…
Nagato did not respond.
He hadn't even heard what Ryuji was saying.
He was focused entirely on gathering Chakra, preparing to fight.
But…
Just as he was about to move, dense footsteps echoed from the distance.
Nagato's hands froze.
He looked up, and found that the puppeteers who had gone to pursue the others had returned.
Four binding-type puppets dragged Konan and the others forward under the puppeteers' control.
Nagato's pupils shrank sharply, yet he did not show any extreme reaction.
He was deeply worried about Konan and the others.
But he understood,
The more he revealed concern, the harder it would be to save them.
He forced himself to suppress his emotions, trying to appear indifferent.
Still, his body trembled slightly.
Konan and the other three Akatsuki's members understood as well.
So they didn't overreact either.
Instead, they kept giving Nagato urgent looks, signaling for him to run.
It made Ryuji curious.
He remembered that when Konan had been taken hostage by Hanzo before, she hadn't been this calm.
'Had she mentally prepared herself during the long journey?'
"Damn it… six people died!"
The puppeteer controlling the binding puppets cursed loudly.
He wore a mask covering half his face. The exposed side bore a tattoo, giving him a vicious appearance.
His name was Iwata, a Jonin and a team captain in the puppeteer unit.
Right now, he looked miserable.
Sunagakure's standard flak jacket had been slashed open from left shoulder to right abdomen.
If the enemy's strength had been a little greater, he would've been dead.
His left arm was smeared with filthy blood… whether it was his or the enemy's, he didn't even know.
The other puppeteers weren't doing much better either… injured, soaked in mud.
Ryuji wasn't surprised.
Even ignoring the three unfamiliar Akatsuki's members…
Konan, despite her delicate appearance, was an extremely dangerous fighter.
Her Dance of the Shikigami could transform her body into sheets of paper, nullifying pure physical attacks.
That ability perfectly countered puppets, which relied mostly on physical assault.
Without intelligence beforehand, casualties like this were normal.
"Then kill them and avenge your comrades," Ryuji said coldly, glancing at Nagato's forced calmness.
Nagato froze.
The puppeteer froze too.
'If the goal was simply to kill them, why had the order been to capture them alive?'
'Didn't you know capturing alive was far harder than killing?'
But…
Even without understanding, Iwata was overjoyed.
Six comrades had died.
He himself had nearly been killed.
Hatred was already boiling inside him.
If not for the bigger picture, he would've acted long ago.
Now that he had permission, he didn't care about the reason anymore.
"Bitch… you were the cruelest one earlier. You can join Sarumaru and the others in the afterlife!"
Iwata raised a kunai and strode toward Konan, murderous intent blazing in his eyes.
He could've simply moved a finger and ordered the puppet to kill her.
But he wanted to do it himself.
Only by seeing the blade enter her body could he ease the hatred of losing his comrades.
As the enemy approached, the other three Akatsuki's members struggled wildly, shouting things like 'Kill me instead!'
Konan looked toward Nagato.
Their eyes met.
She smiled, calm and relieved.
'Don't worry about me. Run.'
She shook her head slightly, then closed her eyes.
Iwata stood before her, grinning savagely.
Without hesitation, he thrust the kunai forward…
"Stop!"
A voice like thunder tore through the sky, even drowning out the torrential rain.
Iwata stiffened.
The kunai stopped midair.
He turned back blankly, staring into those rippling eyes.
Endless terror rose inside him.
Ryuji's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"Iwata. Stop for now."
"O-okay!"
Iwata snapped out of it, hurriedly withdrawing the kunai.
Those eerie eyes fixed on him made his instincts scream.
It felt like being stared at by death itself.
Nagato let out a breath.
He didn't know what they were planning, but as long as they didn't strike immediately, there was still hope.
Then Ryuji spoke again.
"You should kill yourself."
The words hit like lightning.
Everyone stared at him in shock.
He wore a faint smile.
"I can guarantee you this… if you die, I will spare them."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
All eyes turned to Nagato.
'Would he save his comrades…'
'Or save himself?'
Nagato's mind went blank.
He couldn't think.
He had lived through tragedy, yet he still cherished his life.
He didn't want to die.
He feared death.
But looking at the familiar figures bound inside the puppets…
Memories surged uncontrollably.
His parents' deaths.
Wandering alone.
No one to rely on, only a stray dog beside him.
When he was starving to death, a little girl gave him a piece of bread.
And finally…
Yahiko took him in.
He taught him how to survive in this chaotic world.
To Nagato, Yahiko was the light that pierced the darkness.
And Konan…
Was the angel who welcomed him beneath that light.
He couldn't choose between them.
"Make your choice," Ryuji urged, tossing a kunai onto the ground before him.
Konan jolted awake.
Seeing Nagato trapped in hesitation, his breathing growing heavier, she shouted desperately.
"Don't believe his lies!"
"He's deceiving you!"
"He fears your power… he wants to use us to force you into suicide!"
"Once you're dead, he won't spare us either!"
"That's right!"
The other three Akatsuki's members shouted too.
"Sunagakure accepts peace talks with one hand, and sends troops to ambush with the other!"
"They're snakes… they'll never let us go!"
"Yahiko must've been ambushed too!"
"If no one returns with a warning, Yahiko could be killed!"
That last sentence snapped Nagato back to reality.
But the agony remained.
Konan.
Yahiko.
He couldn't abandon either.
"Don't be so self-righteous," Ryuji sneered.
"The only one in Akatsuki who matters is you."
"If you die, the Akatsuki are no threat."
"The others? Sparing them doesn't matter."
"Of course…"
"Besides the people you care about, everyone else will die."
"This war can only end with their deaths."
Nagato wavered again.
If this were a trick, Ryuji would've promised to spare everyone.
Instead, he openly admitted only Konan's group might live.
Nagato glanced at Konan.
Then at the kunai.
His legs gave out.
He collapsed to his knees.
His trembling hand reached down and gripped the kunai.
"Don't, Nagato!"
"Don't worry about us!"
"Please!"
Hearing their cries, Nagato's resolve hardened.
His hand stopped shaking.
Konan screamed at Ryuji.
"Why are you doing this?!"
"Why invade other nations?!"
"How can you hurt others so easily?!"
"Is peaceful coexistence really that impossible?!"
"Yes. It's difficult," Ryuji said calmly, staring at her tear-streaked face.
"You think stopping our invasion is peace…"
"But your actions also nurture war."
"Lies!"
Ryuji ignored them and continued.
"We received a mission from the Land of Iron."
"To pressure Amegakure, so Hanzo will withdraw his forces from invading the Land of Iron."
"Our actions protect the peace of the Land of Iron."
"But you kept blocking us."
"Because of your interference, Hanzo could wage war without worry."
"That permanently neutral nation…"
"That never attacks others…"
"Its people are suffering invasion because of you."
"And you still dare claim you fight for peace?"
"This…"
The Akatsuki fell silent.
Ryuji grew impatient and looked at Nagato.
"Hurry up. I don't have time."
"I'll count to ten."
"If you don't kill yourself…"
"I'll kill her."
Nagato inhaled deeply.
He raised the kunai to his throat.
Then he looked at Konan, a peaceful smile on his face.
"Konan…"
"The luckiest thing in my life was meeting you and Yahiko."
"If there's a next life…"
"I want to be with you again."
"No…!"
Konan's scream was torn apart by the rain.
Nagato didn't hesitate anymore.
The kunai plunged cleanly into his throat…
Squelch!
Blood sprayed, shockingly vivid in the storm.
Aka widened her eyes.
Nagato widened his eyes.
Ryuji widened his eyes.
Everyone around widened their eyes.
Including Iwata.
Konan stared blankly at the kunai buried in her own heart.
Then she looked at the murderer…
The puppeteer named Iwata.
In his crimson eyes, three tomoe slowly faded away.
"Be careful…"
Konan seemed to understand something.
But she only managed those two words before her life faded completely.
"Konan!"