Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Getting the plot moving this chapter...

Also, I'll mention that I'm not really a huge fan of Kishimoto making some people really really strong in comparison to everyone else, so I've decided against doing that in this story. Basically that means no more Nagato being strong enough to blow up all of Konoha by himself (and no super godlike Madara, Naruto, Sasuke, no Kaguya, etc). Since Konan felt a bit weak in canon, I'm making her a little stronger. The only things that retain their canon strength basically are the bijuu, which are really strong here, as they are in normal Naruto.

Anyway... happy reading~

"Speech"

Thoughts


The flow of life surges and ebbs with time... her eyes opened.

She stared out into the falling rain. The falling, frozen crystals of water, dripping from the sky in a shimmering, misted veil. Streak of the opalescent rainbow, falling, falling, amidst the grey, colorless backdrop. Shining, reflected in her cerulean eyes... she sat there, arms wrapped around her shins, feeling very small compared to the vast, vast world around her. Tiny, powerless to do anything about the turmoil that stormed around them in the strife-infested world... everything, reflected in her eyes, and the sinking feeling of her own helplessness filled her chest.

Colors, spinning about, whirled into a giant whirlwind of iridescent light, and then fading, fading back into hues of grey, with nothing left but burnt ashes and fallen stars. The world, paling into a monochrome mist, all faded pages of the age old book of war. And she, the solitary watcher, unable to stop any of it. Powerless, in the face of the immutable force of conflict. But still, compelled to at least try.

Spring draws near again. Life swells as the icy winter melts to give way to the rain... her eyes closed.


Nagato's eyes scanned the horizon.

It had been a few days since he had last seen his old mentor - and a couple days since he had had any lead on where Madara had gone. His Rinnegan, despite their power, were more limited than the Byakugan in these situations in that they could not sense chakra so easily - they merely held a vast range of physical sight. And he, not being a typical sensor type, could not detect where the Gedo Mazo was.

I should have brought Konan with me... he pursed his lips, frowning. But she was sick, so that was out of the question. Ah, I should have stayed with her to make sure she was okay... he shook his head. I should not have left her alone. But it is too late to correct that. Besides, she is strong. I must not underestimate her either.

Nagato closed his eyes, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.

Where the Gedo Mazo can be found, Madara can be found as well. He would not leave it unguarded, knowing that I could steal it in an instant with my Rinnegan. I am just curious though... he stared at his hands. I should be able to summon the statue to myself using the Animal Path. But somehow he is preventing that. So either the Sharingan is more powerful than I had thought, or... he somehow has unlocked some of the secrets of the Rinnegan himself.

He is Madara. It is not impossible that he also has the Rinnegan, even if it is unlikely. I must be careful.

Nagato grimaced. He had already checked many of the large, underground locations scattered near Kirigakure. But there had been no sign that Madara had been near any of them. The man was skilled at covering his tracks, that was for sure.

He had considered the fact that Madara might have been switching locations, so he put a few seals at each location - not ones that would prevent entry, but merely notify him if anyone actually entered one of the places. Of course, that was not the case - else he would have had another lead by now.

He sighed, laying back on his bed. He was not the most skilled at these intelligence type missions. Yes, he was good at infiltration but he was less experience in information gathering without the Human Path, which he was not terribly inclined to use at the moment - people randomly dying in Kirigakure would draw attention to himself, and besides, he had gotten past the stage where he was used to murdering innocent people. Who, he reminded himself, probably knew nothing about Madara anyway.

So that left one more option. I can stalk Jiraiya and see if he has figured anything out yet. He does not know that I am here, so it should make my job easier. But I must take care that he does not notice me.

He sighed. I really should have waited for Konan to get better. She's so much better at this than I am. But... he stared at the ceiling. Part of him knew that she was probably at least twice as efficient as he was in these matters, but he also loathed putting her in dangerous situations - especially against people like Madara. Of course, she was not weak - she was probably almost as strong as he was, just in different ways. But still, he couldn't help but be protective of her. As his only friend left in the world...

Nagato sat up abruptly, the Rinnegan eyes flying open, filled with life. Yes, for her, I must do this. I cannot come back empty handed. At the very least, I will get some information, if not Madara's head. Filled with fire and determination. He rose quickly, donned a plain, black cloak, and rushed back out into the mists.


Outside, everything was a soft pitter-patter of falling rain. It rained a lot in Kirigakure - no surprise there - and perhaps this region was second only to Amegakure in terms of precipitation. Which was good for him - it helped keep his cover and he had to admit, the rain was rather relaxing. It reminded him of home - and Konan.

There were few people outside, but most of the street shops and vendors were still out, hoping to sell whatever they could. Not unusual during war time, since people tended to be more desperate. Understandable, but of course, people tended to spend less money during war. Rather, they had less to spend. So, inevitably, everyone suffered.

He grimaced, looking around, then stopped by a small tea shop and ducked inside.

Glancing around... his eyes widened. He spotted a white haired man sitting in one of the booths - across from a rather attractive young woman -not a surprise, given what he had heard about his sensei. And, he noted, clearly drunk, though still very much aware of his surroundings.

So I must be careful that he does not notice me. He took a seat nearby, inconspicuously ordered some tea, and waited patiently. His dark eyes followed Jiraiya as he continued talking with the young woman, and as their food arrived, the white haired man happened to glance up once - and they made eye contact. Briefly.

Nagato looked away. His tea came shortly as well and he sipped at it, watching - and observing carefully.

A few minutes passed in silence. He watched, and in the back of his mind, he wondered briefly what would happen if Jiraiya did recognize him. Of course, the man did not know that Nagato was, in fact, one of the leaders of Akatsuki. And led the new, reformed Akatsuki as well, but something in him felt that if they were to meet, it would be good of him to come clean about all of his past dealings. Better to tell the truth from the start, at least in Jiraiya's case.

There was a sound outside and he looked up. It seemed like two people were shouting at each other - a man and a woman, probably either married to one another or maybe merely in some sort of relationship. But as with most relationships in wartime, it seemed that theirs was strained.

They continued yelling at each other for quite sometime, but then suddenly there was a loud slap and the woman's voice was silenced.

Nagato stood up immediately. He walked outside - acutely aware of Jiraiya's eyes on his back, but he assured himself that the other man had not recognized him. He ducked outside of the shop and found a woman, curled along the street side, holding a hand to her face. Turning, finding a man walking toward her, hands stretched out apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Airi. You know I didn't mean it-"

"Go away!" she yelled, holding her head.

"Airi, please-"

"Leave me alone!"

The man stepped forward, into the thin strip of light from the shop's doorway, and from the flush in his face, it was apparent that he was somewhat drunk. Nagato stepped forward quickly.

"Maybe you should just do what she says."

"Fuck off."

He reached for the woman on the ground. Nagato caught his hand. The man looked at him, incensed. Nagato let go, holding his hands up.

"Calm down," he said as placatingly as he could. "I just don't want there to be trouble."

"Then get out of my way."

Nagato frowned. "I don't know what you two were fighting about," he said slowly, "but maybe you should consider her point of view first before you do anything stupid."

The other man turned, eyes blazing, looking as if he were about to attack. Nagato grimaced. I'm no good at this. I'm not like Konan... I don't know how she does it. How can she be so calming, especially when she suffers so much?

He sighed. I didn't want to resort to this, but it looks like I have to. A pulse of chakra, a small one, and he activated a genjutsu - a minor one, that would simply make the other man feel calmer without affecting any other areas of his mind. It only took a second to take effect, and as it did, the man held his head.

"What..?" he staggered back slightly, looking a little confused.

Nagato turned to the woman on the ground, offering her a hand. She took it, looking at him gratefully.

"Thank you," she murmured. "He gets a bit... crazy when he has too much to drink."

He nodded. "This is a time of great stress for everyone. Alcohol will only make it worse."

She sighed. "I know. It's just so hard for all of us. You see, we're refugees..."

Nagato's lips curled very slightly. "As am I." In a way. He pressed his hands together, bowing to her slightly. "I wish you the best of luck in finding a hopefully safer life here. At least, while this war rages on."

She returned the gesture. "Same to you."

The woman moved past him and he withdrew into the shadows, eyeing the entrance of the shop carefully. In the faint light, he could see two figures walking away - the two people he had just encountered - and then he looked up at the sky, the pale moon that was now visible through the bare mists. Curiously, the sky took a shade of darkness tinted a pale blue - the color produced by the moonlight, flitting through the mask of mist beneath it. The color that reminded him of Konan, whom he had left back in Amegakure, to defend it alone. He closed his eyes.

I should hurry up here. But... I do not think Madara will be so easy to catch - or defeat. I know none of his capabilities nor what he is planning. For all I know, he could be stronger than I am in a one on one fight. He sighed. But I cannot leave you either. You are all that I have left in this world...

We three... we lost Yahiko. Your guilt, the situation emerged because you were caught... my guilt, the hand that held the kunai that killed my one and only friend... he stared back up into the sky. No. You are my friend too. No, not just a friend - no word can describe what we are. We are merely... together. That is all I know. Together, a pair of spirits left over from the last great conflict that split our world asunder. I know nothing, except that I cannot lose you. If we are doomed to die in this new war, then we shall do it together. But as long as I draw breath, you shall live.

I really should not be here... Nagato sighed. I know, it is imperative to figure out Madara's plans. I know it is, but I cannot help but worry. I just wonder...

He spotted a flash of white at the edge of his vision. And frowned. I must at least try.

He kept a good distance, making sure that he was out of Jiraiya's line of sight before following. In the misted night, it was hard to tell where they were going, but after a while, he realized that he was in a place that he didn't recognize - where the old Mizukage had lived. Where Yagura had been - of course! That made perfect sense. There had been rumors about Yagura being controlled by someone from Akatsuki, and rumors usually held some truth to them, so of course it was a logical place to begin looking. Though, not blindly. But Jiraiya seemed to move with some purpose, as if he actually knew where he was going. So he has a lead...

Deeper, into the shadows where the moon did not shine, and he became aware that this building - where the old Mizukage residence had been - was enormous and convoluted. A maze of structures, built specifically to disorient those who tried to infiltrate it. The old Mizukage reign did have a lot of mystery about it, and Yagura had rarely been seen - the times that he did appear, he always stayed close to the shadows, half hidden, and those who had gotten close enough to him noted that his eyes had always seemed a bit weird.

And the most important thing - the rumors that Akatsuki had something to do with it were false. At least to his knowledge. But then, he was not sure what Madara's activities had encompassed, so it was not unlikely that the Uchiha had had something to do with Yagura's odd behavior.

So it is not unlikely that he would come back here. The new Mizukage, not wanting to have anything to do with the old one, has moved away, leaving this place abandoned. It is still feared greatly, and so makes a perfect hiding place. But to pinpoint him will be difficult. I just wonder if Jiraiya has found something-

Abruptly, he broke off as the white-haired man in front of him turned and threw a couple of kunai at him.

Nagato acted quickly, blocking the attacks, then dodging a kick, blocking a strike with the back of his forearm, then disengaging.

"A fellow shinobi," Jiraiya muttered. "And not a bad one either. Why are you following me?"

"I wasn't-"

"Don't lie. You've been tailing me ever since I left that shop."

Nagato scratched his head. So he did notice me. "I... was just curious. You don't look like you're from around here."

Jiraiya frowned, moving closer. Still tensed, still on guard. Nagato made a move to back away, feeling unnaturally nervous, but he realized that that would make him only more suspicious. So he waited, staring at the other man as they made eye contact. And after a moment, Jiraiya recognized that the eyes that he was looking at seemed a little... strange...

"No..." he shook his head. "It can't be."

"Ah..." Nagato scratched the back of his head. "I would've preferred not to meet under these circumstances..."

"I got word that you died..."

Nagato held up his hands, letting his disguise slip, revealing his characteristic red hair and the ringed, violet eyes - the Rinnegan. "Well, I'm still very much alive. You're not hallucinating."

Jiraiya seemed stunned for a moment, then he grinned and moved forward for an embrace. But, noting that his former student seemed a little uncomfortable, paused and looked at him questioningly.

"You look like something's wrong." Jiraiya frowned. "What have you been doing? Where are Yahiko and Konan?"

"Well, you see..." Nagato closed his eyes. "I... I'm in the middle of an important, um... mission. There have been strange activities in this area and I needed to find out something about them. But unfortunately I could find nothing, so I decided to tail you and see if you figured anything out."

Jiraiya grimaced. "So we'll save the reunion for later, is what you're saying? It must be serious, then."

"It is," Nagato muttered. "I was hoping you could help... sensei."

"Of course," Jiraiya responded after a moment, and turned back to the enormous complex that surrounded them. "I will tell you what I know, then. First, can you feel it? There is an enormous chakra, somewhere in that direction," he pointed in front of them, "and far beneath us."

Nagato frowned. "I cannot. But I am not a sensor type."

"I see. It is rather difficult for me to pinpoint as well - someone is trying to mask its presence. At first, I did not even notice it, but I had a couple scouts investigate this area and they came back with that information. So now I am trying to figure out exactly what it is."

I can answer that for you... "And where."

Jiraiya nodded. "I met someone who used to work for the old Mizukage. He provided me with a map of the building," the sennin pulled out a sheet of paper and spread it out. "There are many paths, spreading out, but only one leads anywhere far underground. So I - well, we - are heading there now."

"Very well. Then we should go."

"Yes, but first, precautionary measures. In case there are traps and someone detects us," Jiraiya formed a few hand seals and summoned a couple of frogs.

They hopped in all directions, into several of the dark entrances in the walls, and they waited in silence for several minutes. Then, Jiraiya began moving and beckoned for the red haired man behind him to follow.

"There is a trap in the ground in that doorway," he whispered. "We should be able to get around it if we walk along the sides of that hallway."

Nagato nodded in response. They entered the building cautiously and began moving through the maze of halls. Every once in a while, Jiraiya would warn him about a booby trap and they would avoid it, hoping that they continued to traverse the area undetected.

Down further and further, into the bowels of the building, and the air, curiously, grew warmer with the presence of an enormous chakra about them. As they drew closer to their destination, Nagato could sense it as well - the absolutely massive chakra that was indeed masked by some sort of barrier that was designed to keep the Gedo Mazo from being detected.

He knew, of course, that this was where Madara was - or if not him, then it was where the statue would be. And if Madara was not there, all the better; he would be able to steal the Mazo back and deny the Uchiha a powerful weapon.

But, as they moved down further, down toward the large, underground caverns beneath Kirigakure, there was a small window revealing a particularly large cave, and through it, he caught sight of the statue - and a man with an orange mask, standing beside it.

Jiraiya and Nagato made eye contact briefly, then continued down further, toward the entrance to the cavern. They hid along the outskirts, near the shadows, hoping they could get closer without being detected, but as they neared the entrance, Madara's voice echoed through the room.

"You caught up to me rather quickly, Nagato. And Jiraiya, it is a pleasure to meet you."

The white haired man scowled and stepped into the room, looking up at the enormous statue. "Who are you?"

The masked man folded his arms over his chest. "Your friend there can answer that for you-"

"Madara," Nagato's eyes narrowed. "I've come to take that back. And beat you."

"You've come to - excuse me? Do you really think you can fight me?"

"Nagato, what's going on-" Jiraiya looked at him, surprised, but the red haired man turned sharply.

"I'll tell you later. We have to deal with him first-"

"Deal with me?" Madara chuckled softly. "That won't be as easy as you think. Even as strong as you two are..." he shook his head.

"What are you up to?"

"That's for me to know and you... to not know."

Nagato's brows furrowed and he stepped forward. "Then it seems like I'll just have to force the answer out of you," he began drawing up chakra.

But Madara acted faster and the space around them began to warp - the enormous statue in front of them was absorbed into a tiny point, teleported away somewhere else, and even as Nagato moved to attack, Madara turned intangible and evaded several missiles from the Asura path and a Shinra Tensei.

"Don't be silly-" Madara began to speak, but broke off as Jiraiya appeared behind him, nearly catching him in a barrage of hair-senbon.

But, they merely flew straight through him, missing, and he turned, trying to counterattack. And then was forced to turn intangible again as Nagato raised his hand.

"Bansho tenin-" he broke off, grumbling as Madara disappeared.

He looked around for a moment, then dodged as the Uchiha reappeared behind him, slashing down with a kunai. He backed away, ready to fight again, but then his eyes widened as he caught sight of a Rinnegan in the mask's eyehole. Madara noticed - smirked - and began to disappear once more.

"I'm not foolish enough to fight the both of you at once," he spoke darkly, ominously. "At least, not in my current state. So, I apologize, but our fun will have to be postponed for some other time."

"Wait! - Dammit," Nagato muttered, holding a hand to his head. That damned space-time ninjutsu... it makes him impossible to pin down. And that Rinnegan...

"Nagato," Jiraiya approached, behind him, bringing him out of his thoughts. "You have some explaining to do."

The red haired man groaned. Great. First, I come up empty handed, and now this... I wonder how much I will need to tell him... "Very well, I suppose that's only fair," he sighed. "Maybe after we get out of this place?"

Jiraiya frowned, but nodded after a second of consideration. "Let's get out of here, then."


She was sleeping. Exhausted, mentally and physically. Day in, day out, defending her people, fighting the horrible fight, alone, it seemed - driving away the offending invaders of her country wherever she could, killing when she needed to, but worst of all, seeing her people suffer - and, actually, worse than that, having to put some of them out of their misery with her own hands.

Horrible, so horrible that she had even shown some emotion around that youthful, pink haired girl - and she never showed emotion, except maybe to Nagato. Hell, she usually tried to not feel anything, but sometimes that was impossible. Because if she felt anything, it usually just led to suffering; but, she reminded herself, my people out there, they suffer far more than I do. The least I can do is show them some sympathy, at least. Sleeping, but her dreams, filled with naught but fire and charred bodies, reminded her that there was no rest for her, not while everyone out there was still hurt. Not while they still needed help...

But her aching body seemed comatose for the moment. Every day, flying out into the cold rain, fighting the long, weary fight, seeing the sheer destruction, it all took its toll on her. Especially since she was still somewhat sick, and even if she hadn't gotten into any difficult fights yet, it strained her endurance.

Exhausted, to the point that she did not even notice, or perhaps did not care, when Sakura entered her room. The pink haired girl sat beside her, looking at her worriedly for a moment... from what she could tell, at least, Konan seemed too still, too pale, but in truth, the bluenette was not sick or wounded. Just... tired. Weary, to her bones.

Sakura loosened the pin holding the cerulean colored hair in a bun and drew back a little as the woman turned, breathing lightly. Lightly, but raggedly, as if she were weeping tearlessly. She turned abruptly again and her brows furrowed, pain showing on her face, her breaths turning yet more ragged, into harsh gasps. Her eyes moved rapidly behind her eyelids, something dark, nightmarish, clouding her thoughts. Even in dreams, there is no rest...

And suddenly, her eyes flew open and she sat up, blankets scattering around her. She held a hand to her head and closed her eyes, her lips trembling. So much pain, so much hatred... so much sadness. Then all gone again, and her face was smooth... not calm, but restrained. Stoic, not placid. When her eyes opened again, the blue-grey irises were icy, deathly cold, but there was still a melancholic quality about them that simply would not disappear. Because, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, her eyes betrayed how she truly felt.

Breathing heavily, she turned toward Sakura, and surprise flitted through her irises for a moment before she spoke.

"Why... are you here?" she gasped, still reeling slightly from her tormented dreams.

Sakura bit her lip. "I... came to check up on you. I thought-"

"Why?"

"I was... worried?"

Konan looked at her confusedly. "About me?"

Instantly, the pink haired girl felt a wave of pity flood through her. Pity, because Konan seemed to think that innately, nobody cared about her in any way. The blue haired woman was a difficult case to decipher, but Sakura had been able to tell several things so far; one, that she was wildly depressed; two, that she actually cared deeply about other people; and three, she was very shy. And now a fourth, that she didn't think very much of herself.

"... yeah," Sakura murmured.

"Why?"

"I... dunno. Is it such a weird thing to have people care about your safety?"

Konan closed her eyes, shaking her head as if it were something she could not wrap her mind around. "Me... a member of the Akatsuki, which caused so much destruction. A complete stranger to you..."

"Well," Sakura tilted her head. "I feel like I've gotten to know you a bit better. At least, I've seen how you act, when we go around and try to save people."

"A stranger," Konan repeated. I feel like a stranger to myself. I feel odd... as if this body does not fit me.

"Well, I care," Sakura said stubbornly. "And that's that."

The blue haired woman turned away. "You care... that's... interesting," her voice was very quiet, like she was talking to herself. "I wonder, though. What would the rest of your village think..?"

"Some of them would-" Sakura broke off abruptly, then looked at the ground sadly. No, she's right. They'd still hate her. Even knowing that she's changed, even I still feel uncomfortable. And they haven't seen her at all. They'd hate her for sure. Well, maybe Tsunade-sensei wouldn't. Yeah, she probably wouldn't, but she doesn't get to decide everything.

"They hate me," Konan murmured. "And rightly so."

"No!" Sakura said forcefully, then quieted as she saw Konan wince with the sudden increase in volume. "Sorry," she muttered. "But the way you are now, nobody should-"

"It is not about now. What we have done in the past... it is not something that we can atone for. Not even with our lives." She drew a deep breath, then stood walking toward the other side of her room, where moonlight streamed in from the balcony. "I... I am sorry. I should not be saying these things to you." She is just a girl. And a stranger. I should not be telling her these things. I have to hold them to myself. As I always do.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably. "You know, a wound doesn't heal if you pretend like it's not there."

And what is that supposed to mean? She refrained from replying, sitting and looking up into the night sky. I am not wounded. This country is. Split asunder. Yes, a wound does not heal if you pretend like it's not there. And these great nations pretend like we little countries are not hurt, every time they have their fights. Inevitably, we cannot heal.

"Konan-"

"Silence speaks volumes more than words, if you know how to listen," she said quietly.

Sakura bit her lip, taking the hint. Wordlessly, she sat by the other woman and looked up at the sky with her.

The bright moon and starless darkness, the slow, ever present drizzle of rain... she saw Konan stretch a hand out and let a few, cool drops of water fall into her palm... crystalline orbs of liquid matter, reflecting her soft, melancholic eyes.

It was strange, how someone like her could exist. So many contradictions - at once, fiery and emotional, but simultaneously cold, restrained in her feelings. At once, easy to anger, unforgiving, but also deeply caring and immensely loyal. Powerful, but with no self confidence... a person who never stopped fighting but had long since given up... someone who radiated calmness, who helped make other people feel somewhat at peace, yet a chaotic mess of emotions herself.

And especially weird, because when pressed to do so, she really found that it was difficult to describe herself. She knew very little about who she really was as a person - only what she was feeling at a certain point, and even then she was not sure of her own emotions. In her mind, a difficult, hopeless case that only Nagato could put up with - and only Yahiko had understood.

And then she swore at herself mentally, for thinking about Yahiko again. The only person she had ever loved, whole heartedly... loved, in that sense. She shook her head. I love Nagato. I really do, but not the same way. It's just... different. It's just... her brows furrowed. I'm shit. I'm such shit. How could I possibly think something like that? He's all that I have left. He... means everything to me. He and Yahiko both. Nagato... I'm sorry. I know you know how I felt about Yahiko. I shouldn't put you through this. And yet I... her hands clenched. I'm hopeless. It's a miracle that you haven't abandoned me yet. For that... you don't know how grateful I am.

She stood again. Sakura looked at her, puzzled, and then a little concerned as the blue haired woman began walking out into the rain.

"You're still sick... and tired. Shouldn't you be... resting?"

Konan shook her head. You're too young to understand any of this. Consider that a blessing... understanding these things is not easy. It lies only for those who walk the path of pain, who suffer. You are still young, full of life. You should not have to understand this.

Sakura sighed. "You're so stubborn."

Perhaps. But is the only way I cling to life. If my life is even worth living... or saving...

And again, memories filled her mind. How Yahiko had died because of her. How Nagato, her dear Nagato, had had to watch as his best friend impaled himself on the kunai held in his hand, all because of her. Because she had gotten caught, Nagato had had to live with the torment of his friend's blood on his hands. And because she had gotten caught, Yahiko had died, with all of his dreams - no!

She bit her lip, hard enough that it began bleeding. He has not died with his dreams. We were... lost for a while. Stumbling about in this wretched world, but we still cling to those ideals... merely ideals. Ideals that are to be fought for, but realistically, cannot be so easily attained. It's funny how that works, isn't it? Fighting for something you know won't happen, but still fool yourself into believing in.

Her head bent down, face curtaining her hair with a veil of shadows.

"I am sick," she murmured.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Of course you are. Or do you mean..?"

Silence.

The pink haired girl sighed. "Sick of what?"

Konan shook her head slowly. "War. Suffering. Helplessness. Everything." She paused very slightly. "Myself."

And with that, she turned away and left her room.


Nagato picked up a dumpling and ate it.

Jiraiya frowned, gulping down sake from a flask. Putting it down - next to the five other ones that he had just drank. And then reached for a dumpling and ate it as well. They stared at each other. Nagato glanced down, lips curving down a little, not sadly, but rather awkwardly; the sennin crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. Then sighed, picking up another dumpling - the last one - and ate it.

"Waiter!" He raised his hand, gesturing to their table. "We need more!"

Nagato tilted his head. But that's the fifth plate we've ordered... but, of course, he was in no position to speak, at least not until he had gotten a response out of Jiraiya. Who, at the moment, seemed more preoccupied with eating than anything.

But, as he began eating again, the white haired man finally made eye contact with his pupil.

"So let me get this straight. Yahiko was killed - it drove the both of you insane, and that's what caused the whole Akatsuki thing?"

"Yeah... sounds like a lame excuse..."

"And you two forgot everything Yahiko told you. All of your dreams."

"Yes..."

"You forgot the time we spent together and how horrible war was. No, let me rephrase that. You did not forget. You merely did not foresee the consequences of your actions."

Nagato closed his eyes. "No. The worst part was... we did know."

"Then why?"

"I... we were just so bitter... we weren't thinking." He sighed. "No, I wasn't thinking. Konan had nothing to do with it. It was my fault - though she will tell you otherwise. But I was the one who drove our actions forward. I realize now that... that was wrong."

Jiraiya closed his eyes. "I don't know what to tell you."

"I don't know what you should say either."

The sennin shook his head. "If I was not your sensei... no, not even that. I should try to capture you right here and bring you back to Konoha for trial."

"You should. But you won't?"

"You two aren't little kids any more," Jiraiya muttered seriously. "This isn't some petty thing that I can bail you out of. As much as I still trust you, you have to realize-"

"We already have. We are prepared to face whatever the consequences might be. But not while our people are still in danger."

"Yes, I know. Nagato..." Jiraiya let out a long, low breath. "What am I supposed to do with you?"

"I have no idea."

Jiraiya frowned. "I suppose it is okay for now," he grumbled. "I have no need to tell anyone else about this since you say you have reformed-"

"Trust me, we have. If there's anything I need to do to prove it-"

"No, I'll trust you. No Akatsuki activities for two months, no selling mercenary services to any of the great nations - I am inclined to believe you. That's good, at least. I would not have liked to fight you."

"I... know." Nagato pursed his lips. "I just wonder what will happen when this is all over."

"I don't know. I will do my best to protect you two. You are my first students after all... and I would hate to see anything happen... but you must realize. I may not have to tell them now, but sooner or later, the truth will come out. And you have a lot to answer for."

"We have no answer to it. All we can do now is fight for Yahiko's dream and hope it works out. By reputation... we are tainted. But by action, maybe we can redeem ourselves, if only a little."

"That's good to hear," Jiraiya replied quietly. "So then Konan is preoccupied with standing guard over Amegakure. I would not have thought you two could be separated. Not after Yahiko..."

The red haired man looked up at the ceiling. "Yes," he answered quietly. "That was why I was in a hurry. So I could go back to her."

"How is she doing?"

Nagato's gaze lowered. "She... has had it hard. You remember, she was always the most troubled of us, even if she hid it well."

"Yes, I remember that very well. But also the most compassionate of you three. Perhaps the most empathetic of anyone I know."

"That still remains true. So she suffers, every day that this war drags on. And I am powerless to end it." He paused slightly. "Sensei... I don't know what to do," he admitted quietly. "I vowed to protect them. I promised - but first Yahiko, dead by my own hands, no less, and now Konan suffers endlessly and I can do nothing. I can barely understand her - I can only be a presence to comfort her. But I cannot read into all of her emotions; Yahiko was always the one who was good at that. What am I supposed to do?"

"I ask myself that question every day," Jiraiya muttered. "You read my book..."

"I did. Unfortunately, not all of us can be as confident as Yahiko was. There are too many doubts... and I fear that we - I have fallen too far."

"You have not," Jiraiya said sternly. "I may have lectured you a bit, but it was only to prepare you for the consequences. Do not take it the wrong way. I still think that you three - or you two, are some of the best people I have ever met. You were merely... misguided for a while."

"I just wonder if our efforts are in vain. But every time I see her fighting... I know I cannot give up. Because she is still there, battling even without hope, so I cannot forsake her."

The white haired man nodded. "Then I have bothered you enough about that subject. You already seem to understand everything I was going to say anyway. So that leaves the other matter. What of this... Madara? Surely he cannot be-"

"He is," Nagato looked at Jiraiya darkly. "The Uchiha Madara."

"Impossible. Even if Senju Hashirama had not killed him, he would have died from age already."

"Itachi confirmed it. It's Madara."

"That's... fine," Jiraiya grumbled. "If you are certain of it. But then I'm confused as to why he is using all these underhanded tactics. Madara should be powerful enough to fight us head on, if he has seven bijuu."

"I'm guessing his battle with Hashirama left him damaged. It must have done something to his chakra system. So he is not as strong as he once was. But," Nagato murmured. "When we encountered him back there, I noticed something different."

"And that is?"

"He seems to have the Rinnegan as well."

Jiraiya was silent for a couple minutes. "It's... feasible, I suppose," he said slowly. "From what I know about the Sharingan, it has several layers of progression. It's not... entirely impossible that it can progress into the Rinnegan, if the user is powerful enough."

Nagato nodded. "That is what worries me. He did not have it before - or he simply did not care to show it. But I have a feeling that he only recently gained it. Which is why he was reluctant to fight us, before he could learn how to utilize the Rinnegan's powers."

"That makes sense. But that is the the whole problem here. Uchiha Madara... if he is who you say he is, then he is a man with over a hundred years of combat experience. That will make him more deadly than anything else."

Nagato nodded. "He was the one who orchestrated the events behind this war. When I found out..." he looked at the ground. "I was infuriated. It also opened my eyes to how foolish I had been..." his voice trailed off.

"Don't dwell on it," Jiraiya said quietly, but encouragingly. "It's not your fault. Right now, what you need to do is figure out the best plan of attack to stopping Madara. It's up to the rest of us to stop this senseless war."

"I pray that it ends soon. So much death, all piled on our country..."

"I understand. We lived through it together, after all."

"Then can you not use your influence to stop it? Tell each of the Kages that Madara has returned and is planning something. They all trust you, despite the fact that you are from Konoha. They know you are a reliable source of information."

"I will try. But no guarantees. To be honest... the only way the Kages would ever agree to stop fighting because of a single person is if he proved to be enough of a threat that he could take on the five great nations singlehandedly."

"He could be. He has seven bijuu."

"I will make sure to tell them that. In the meantime... try to take care of yourself. And Konan."

"I will," Nagato murmured. "And you..." he shook his head. "You have already forgiven me. It is more than I could ever have hoped to ask for."

Jiraiya sighed. "Only because I know you. And you were my student. I fear, though, that you will not find it so easy to win other people over."

Nagato stood, putting on his hat. "I don't look forward to it." He held out his hand. "But I - we must try. Konan and I."

Jiraiya grinned. "I fear I have been a bit too serious this time around, but really? Just a handshake?"

The red haired man smiled and pulled his teacher into a tight embrace. "You have been so good to us..."

"You are like my children. How could I act any differently?"

A moment later, they parted and Nagato slipped silently past his mentor, giving him a small smile as he headed back out into the mists. Jiraiya waited a couple minutes, then followed, catching sight of his student's cloak disappear around a corner. He smiled, then muttered something to himself and continued off into the moonlight.


"You seem like an interesting young man."

Sasuke turned instantly, eyes narrowing. It was silent for a minute or two - the young Uchiha practically radiated tension, and unspoken questions. How did you sneak up on me? Why were you following me? How did you find me? His perpetual scowl deepened into a troubled frown.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm nobody," a man with a white mask stepped forward. "But I can be your friend, if you so desire."

"And why should I care for your friendship?"

"I know about something you want."

"And what is that?"

"I know where Uchiha Itachi is."

Sasuke froze. Then his frown shifted into a deadly smirk. "Tell me."

"Not so fast. He is in... an unsuitable location right now. There are also some preparations we must make - and, I have some things to tell you first."

The young Uchiha frowned. "And why should I trust you?"

"You don't have to. But..." the masked man's voice turned into a deadly, silken murmur. "Then you might just lose sight of that prize that you so desperately want. Don't think I don't know who you are. Or what you have been through."

Confusion flew through Sasuke's eyes and he put a hand on his katana. "Who are you?" He repeated. "Answer me!"

"Just a friend, young Uchiha. Just a friend."

"Why do you want to help me?"

"My reasons are my own. Though," he put a hand to his chin. "I will tell you this. I will demand from you a favor as well, in return for helping you find your prey. If, that is still what you desire after you listen to what I tell you."

Sasuke's brows furrowed. There's something fishy about this guy. He knows too much and he seems to be very powerful. I should not fight him, but manipulate him into helping me. Which means... I'll have to pretend to follow him. For now. "Fine. I'll do whatever you want me to do. But in return, you must tell me your name. And promise to help me find Itachi."

The masked man chuckled. "Finding Itachi is easy, though as I noted, he is not currently... accessible. But yes, I will do whatever I can to help you, when the time comes. And, I will not interfere in your fight - I know that is what you desire."

Sasuke nodded curtly. "And your name?"

"Ah," the man raised a finger. "Surname only."

Surname... so something about his name has some importance. Is he someone famous? Or maybe... Sasuke closed his eyes. He must have some reason for hiding his name. Some reason for hiding it from me. He wants to protect his identity, so he doesn't have any loose ends. But loose ends in doing what?

... Is this going to be more trouble than it's worth?

...

... no. Absolutely not. If there's any hope of finding Itachi... then I must do it. Yes, I absolutely must.

"Fine. Tell me."

"You see, I am... an Uchiha. Just like you."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. An Uchiha. So is this about revenge too? But Itachi left nobody alive in the village. He... slaughtered them all. This has to be someone who was not really part of the clan. "So tell me. Why do you want to get rid of Itachi?"

"That was not part of our agreement," the man said nonchalantly. "But," he continued on before Sasuke's anger could boil up, "I shall tell you anyway. You see, I don't really care about what happens to Itachi... as a person. But, his presence could hinder my plans. So, the less potential enemies on the board, the better. It's that simple. Of course, his presence might also aid my plans, but I prefer taking the safer approach."

Sasuke's mouth twisted - it was not a satisfactory answer and really only raised more questions, but he had to put up with it for now. "Fine. Then tell me where to go, and I shall follow."

"Excellent."


Konan sat on the tongue of one of the many strange statues that were scattered around the city's buildings. High in the air, she looked down as the rain poured down onto Amegakure, soaking everyone who passed under its misted domain. Which was probably just her. Looking down from the heavens, like an angel - the angel that she was supposed to be, but truthfully was not.

No angel possibly felt so weighed down by everything. All the years of war, all the horrible things that she had done - and everything life had poured onto her as well. Of course she could not help but feel that sense of melancholy, faint anger, at everything, but mostly herself. For being stupid, and useless to make up for the strife that she had caused. Perhaps not caused directly, but had helped happen. After all, if she and Nagato had not been idiotic enough to fall prey to Madara's machinations... no. My fault entirely. I cannot possibly blame Nagato for this. He had Yahiko's blood on his hands... he was the one who was affected the most - and the easiest to prey on. I should have been the one to realize what was going on. I should have protected him.

She sighed. I don't know what to think anymore. Nagato... Yahiko... when Yahiko was... killed... I don't even remember. I don't remember anything. I think my mind went blank right then. He died... to protect me. To save my worthless life. She looked up into the rain, letting it fall on her face. He died, entrusting his dream to us. Yahiko's dream... peace based on true understanding of other people. A world in which people actually cared about each other. Of course, she knew, that was impossible. It was a naive thing to believe in... it was stupid to believe that it could happen. But a goal that she... she and Nagato fought for nonetheless. It was unfortunate that... she didn't really hope that they could ever attain it. But she was a realist, after all. Or maybe a pessimist.

Konan curled up, putting her head on her knees. She wrapped her arms around her shins and pulled them in. Part of her wanted to scream, wanted to cry, but she would not let herself lose control so easily. She was too old to be having temper tantrums, and besides, she was afraid of showing her emotions. For no particular reason, but she had always been afraid of showing anything. Letting anyone else see any of that turmoil she went through, how unreasonably unhappy she was - maybe she was afraid that they would judge her. Afraid of what they thought of her. She looked up again and the rainy mist around her began to grow denser as the clouds in the sky darkened. In the distance, there was the faint rumble of thunder.

"Konan-san?" There was a voice from behind her.

She turned. A pair of blue eyes stared back at her. Deidara shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to think.

"Um, hi. First time seeing you in person actually, hn. Sasori-danna told me to come check up on you so here I am."

Konan took and tried to compose herself, walking up the tongue and to the head of the statue where they were standing.

"Yes?" Her voice was smooth and soft. And emotionless, but not cold either.

Deidara rubbed the back of his head. "So... uh... you doin' okay? Kinda cold out here, un."

"Yes, I'm fine," she looked at her feet. Then back at him. "You're bored."

"N-no no no, not at all-"

"Don't lie."

"Well..." he moved nervously under her piercing glare. "That's - it's kind of..." Deidara shrugged, trying to blow it off as nothing. "Sorta, yeah. I'm tired of being cooped up in here, hn. Can't blame a man for getting restless."

Konan nodded. "And if you were not stuck here, you would be out there blowing everyone up. Which is rather bad for our reputation, if we want to restore peace..."

Deidara held up his hands. "I just like blowing things up, okay? It's not just people, un. Actually, not even people. Just the explosion - it's art!"

The blue haired woman rolled her eyes. "Once this is all over, we'll find a nice spot for you to... perfect your art. But for now, no blowing people up, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, hn. But what about you? You seem..."

"Fine," she said a little bit forcefully.

"Okay, okay, sorry for asking, hn." He eyed her warily.

There was something off about her, something different from most other people he had ever met. Especially different from the rest of Akatsuki - but then, most of them were an odd group of sociopaths, who all had their strange habits. But no, that wasn't it - there was something about her that seemed much more... human than any shinobi he had ever seen, and yet colder, more distant as well. A weird mix.

"Well, then," Deidara muttered awkwardly. "Guess I'll go, un."

Konan glanced at him briefly as he retreated, then resumed her pensive, meditative pose - sitting high in the sky, looking into the heavens.


Konan looked up as an umbrella appeared above her head, blocking out the rain. She looked over her shoulder into the youthful face of - she hated to admit it - what seemed to be her newest friend.

"You're soaked."

"I didn't notice."

Sakura blinked. "Was that... a joke?"

"No, I was being serious," Konan turned away again.

Maybe not friends - not quite at that stage. But maybe a little more than acquainted. Strange, that she felt okay around the naive, boisterous young woman, but Sakura had displayed an aptitude for empathy that she had not really expected.

Sakura sat beside her, staring at her... as she usually did. Konan had taken the paper flower out of her hair that normally sat next to her messy bun and the usual blue eye shadow that she put on had long since been washed away. There was a dull lifelessness about her eyes, faintly masked behind a bitter, cold exterior, and she seemed so much more... distant, but human without all of her usual ornaments. Gloomy, bitter, and faintly angry, mixed in with all of her melancholy. All behind her stoic mask.

Not that Sakura noticed anything like that - she didn't know how to look, nor did she quite understand. All she could sense was that something was wrong.

"Are you... okay? You seem... out of it."

"Perhaps."

"Maybe you should try... I dunno. Being happy? It seems awful to be miserable all the time."

"I can't help it," her voice was smooth and soft, as lifeless as her eyes were. Any icy chill, without emotion or feeling; or so it seemed.

I remember a long time ago, I used to be the one who was moody all the time. It was just so hard, seeing all the horrible things happen to people, and then feeling alone... but Yahiko would be there. He would be there for me, and try to comfort me. A smile touched her lips. And call me a wimp, and spineless and all of those things, but all in good taste. I was happy enough, then, that someone actually cared about me, and that I actually had two friends that would never leave my side.

She curled up even more tightly, appearing as a tiny, withdrawn figure amidst the falling rain.

Yahiko was always the happy one. Bright and cheerful, but deeply understanding too. Nobody could have imagined that someone who understood so much about war and conflict could still be so optimistic. And Nagato... he was sensitive, but caring in his own way. She smirked. As naive as Yahiko was, at one point. But their optimism... it was refreshing. It made me think that things might not be so bad.

They were both strong minded people. Nagato, the passive one, but stubborn to the extreme. And Yahiko, so willful that he easily impacted the lives of other people... I was never like that. I was the pushover. I always let people do what they want with me. I don't even know why. I shouldn't, but I can't help it. I... she bit her lip. I think I'm pretty resilient too. But not quite strong, the same way they were... so I'm not really inspirational. Then what am I good for?

"You're thinking again."

Konan felt the rain drip down her face. At this point, she was not really even aware of Sakura beside her anymore - it was just another voice, just something else to answer to. Another presence, to hide her true feelings from.

"I always think."

Sakura let her umbrella fall away - the cooling rains dripping through her clothes. "Why? About what? And don't say war. I'm tired of you being so selfless."

Selfless? Nobody besides Nagato... and Yahiko have called me that before.

"I'm..." she shook her head. She couldn't deny it. Of course she was empthetic, but often times, that felt like a curse. "Thinking about what..? I'm... thinking about my friends."

"Your partner?"

"There used to be two."

Sakura's eyes widened; she caught onto that implication and at that, she fell silent.

I feel torn. I cannot love a dead man, and yet I still do. But how can I remain pure in my loyalty to Nagato, then? It feels wrong, to love them both so dearly... like betrayal, almost. And he knows how I feel... how does he put up with it? I've been so horrible to him... but he still cares for me.

Part of her wanted to cry, but then again, she never really ever cried. It just wasn't something that she did very often - and hadn't done in years... okay, maybe that was a lie. She was never sure if she did, with how much she sat out in the rain, but whenever she felt miserable, she always tried to get away from other people, so that she might not bother them, or make a scene, or anything. She did not want to be a burden.

I'm... pathetic... she closed her eyes. Calm down. Clear your mind. Don't think about anything. Don't let yourself feel anything. Let it all drain away...

Sakura tilted her head. "What are you going to do now? I don't think you can keep this up forever. Defending everyone-"

"I can. I have to. Until my body gives out."

The pink haired girl pursed her lips. "I mean, I know you're strong, but come on."

"I'm... strong?"

"You seem like you are. Mentally..."

"But not physically."

"You're an S-ranked missing-nin. Even you know that."

She shook her head. "Never strong enough."

"Well, don't be unreasonable. Nobody's strong enough to fight off all those people alone."

Konan opened her mouth to retort, but suddenly her eyes widened as she sensed a flare of chakra in the distance. Above them, the clouds darkened further into a pitch black blanket of storming winds, and occasionally, lightning flashed between them, lighting up the darkness in a brief, powerful burst of light. Something about the air felt dark, menacing, like the tension right before a battle was about to start.

Correction, not like that kind of tension, it was that kind of tension.

"Konan?"

"They're going to fight. Over there," she held her head, pointing north.

Sakura tilted her head. "A big fight, right?"

"Yes."

The pink haired girl remained silent for a moment. And then it dawned on her. "You want to stop them."

"I'm going to stop them."

"And how many of them are there, exactly?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter."

"This is ridiculous! Even you should realize how crazy this is-"

"It's not. As you say, I'm an S-ranked missing nin. Time to prove it," Konan stood, looking at Sakura determinedly. "You stay here."

"Absolutely not! What if there are people who need help?"

"Nobody lives in the direct line of battle, from what I can tell. I will merely go to stop them from... doing stupid things after, if I cannot force them to leave outright. You stay here."

"But-"

"Just let me feel in control for once," Konan sighed. "Please?"

"Well... but... fine," Sakura grumbled.

Konan nodded and her body dissipated quickly into a mass of whirling paper. Flying into the storming winds, and she was gone.


She landed a short distance away from two large groups of shinobi. They had dug trenches parallel to one another and it appeared that they were ready to settle in for a long, messy battle.

Her gaze shifted around.

She knew that north, even further, there were a couple settlements near the border, and to the east, closer to Konoha, people also lived in larger clusters. Lucky that this battle was here, in the middle of what was basically an already long dead wasteland. So for now, she could wait and observe.

It seemed almost like a fireworks display. Fire, flying high in graceful arcs, cascaded down toward the other line of shinobi, who responded with walls of earth and stone, blocking the attacks easily.

Konoha and Iwa... she pursed her lips. Iwa has the edge in this fight. Konoha is no good at long ranged fights. Fire is not built for that. They'll need to close the distance soon. Which means...

As she expected, some of the Konoha shinobi began rushing out of the trench. And instinctively, she knew exactly what was going to happen. Konan closed her eyes and turned away, unwilling to stomach witnessing the slaughter.

Mistake number one.

Screams filled the air as the nasty sound of bones and muscles being shredded permeated the battlefield. There was a panicked cry of noise along both lines and the Konoha shinobi retreated back to their trench, many of them bloodied and missing limbs.

From the Iwa front, the cries continued, soon honed into a single, loud yell for them to advance, and it was their turn to leave their trenches, approaching the Konoha side swiftly.

Second mistake.

At that close of a range, the sheer intensity of the fire ninjutsu easily blew around the earthen shields and even through some of them, burning the advancing Iwa shinobi alive. The acrid smell of burnt fat filled the air, and soon the middle ground became a pyre of dead, smoking bodies. A moment later, the Konoha shinobi left their trench as well and the battle began.

It was a chaotic mess of fighting in the smoke, in which telling friend from foe was nearly impossible, considering how blinded everyone was, and considering how quickly they moved. Not surprisingly, Iwa's side, which was not as good at close, chaotic fights as Konoha was, began to retreat, back toward their line of defense, with Konoha in quick pursuit.

And again, the blue haired woman was forced to look away, not willing to fill her eyes with the sight of all the bloodshed, all of the bodies that suddenly were thrown up high into the air as a number of high powered explosives simultaneously tore apart the battlefield. She squirmed a little - secretly, she was a bit squeamish, and then tried looking through the smoke again.

Never approach the enemy's side carelessly like that. Usually there are traps that can easily turn the tide of the battle. Both commanders seem to be rather inexperienced. Or perhaps they lack control over their men. Whatever the case...

She shook her head, observing as the push and pull of the battle continued. Iwa pushing hard, toward the Konoha side, driven back, and then pulling off some cheeky maneuver near the safety of their base, managing to gain the upper hand again and fighting back again.

This is going to be a high casualty battle. Maybe I should stop it before it gets out of hand...

She glanced toward the Konoha side again, then her eyes narrowed as she saw a three figures approach through the cloud of smoke. There seemed to be a few cheers from the Konoha side and from what she could tell, they seemed revitalized, ready to fight even more than ever.

Her lips curved down. Three people aren't going to make a difference. Unless... she closed her eyes, trying to focus on their chakra signatures. Yes... that's it. That one... one of them is the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. Ah, I should stop referring to him as that. What was his name? Uzumaki - like Nagato... and his given name was Naruto, I believe. The other two... I do not recognize. But they seem strong. We shall how strong, however.

She watched and waited as the three figures multiplied - Naruto, she had heard, was skilled with making clones. Waiting, and waiting, and suddenly, the smoke began to clear as Naruto drew up a massive amount of chakra and formed a powerful, spinning jutsu in his hand. Her eyes widened slightly.

That's... Jiraiya sensei's jutsu. But a variant on it. And... she frowned. It seems like he's not just using normal chakra. Something else... he seems to be drawing energy in from his surroundings. This child... she closed her eyes. He is strong. But I wonder how strong.

Naruto threw the jutsu - the rasenshuriken - forward and as it impacted the Iwa lines, it expanded greatly, blowing up an enormous area as it took effect. Konan grimaced. Extreme destructive force, that's for sure. But from what I am told, he does not have much of an aptitude for strategy.

She looked up again and saw the single, solitary figure running forward toward the other side, and the two people behind him pursuing wildly, telling him to stop. Seems like that is true. So I will have to keep an eye on him. To make sure that Madara doesn't try anything funny-

Suddenly, she became aware of another new presence, seemingly appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of the battlefield. And judging by its very familiar chakra signature... Konan gritted her teeth. Time to act.


Naruto put his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. Kakashi and Yamato came up behind him quickly, supporting him. He looked at them gratefully, letting himself relax a little.

"Thanks."

Kakashi nodded. "Must have been tough. Two Rasenshuriken... it must have taken an enormous amount of chakra."

"Yeah..."

"But geez. That was pretty impressive, Naruto. Even just one took a lot out of you while you were still training."

"Getting stronger all the time..." Naruto muttered. "Have to keep getting stronger. So I can protect everyone..."

"Perhaps."

A voice suddenly sounded from behind them. All three of them turned and Kakashi and Yamato quickly stood in front of Naruto, eyeing the figure that approached them warily. A man, wearing a white mask, with spiked, dark blue hair, and a gunbai strapped to his back.

"But," he noted snidely, "you won't be protecting anyone after you're dead."

Kakashi and Yamato instantly tensed. "Who are you?"

"That's none of your business. Now, step aside and hand the nine tails jinchuuriki over to me."

Yamato's eyes narrowed. "I don't think so."

He formed a few hand seals and several wooden beams grew out of the ground, rising quickly and surrounding the masked man. Wrapping around his limbs and his neck, preventing all movement.

"One false move, and I snap your neck."

"Oh, really?"

Suddenly, the masked man was gone.

Yamato blinked in surprise, lowering his hands. And the instant he did that, their foe reappeared in front of him, stabbing forward with a kunai.

"Yamato!" Kakashi reacted quickly, forming a blade of lightning in his hands, slashing forward.

But curiously, his attack seemed to phase straight through the other man, and as Kakashi went straight through him, the eyes behind the mask glinted with amusement. A second later, he turned tangible again and his kunai narrowly missed Yamato as the wood user dodged aside.

"You know, normally I'd take it easy. Take some time to enjoy the fight. But unfortunately, this prize isn't one I care to risk losing."

A couple of swift movements and he kicked Yamato back. Kakashi charged forward again, but his attack missed once more. The masked man quickly stepped back and pushed the Konoha jonin forward, using his own momentum to send him crashing into the ground. And then began reaching for Naruto, who remained curiously silent while staring at him.

"Accepting your fate, huh. A wise choice, jinchuuriki."

The masked man took a step toward him. Another one. A third - but then Naruto acted quickly, rising up to attack the man with a haphazardly formed Rasengan in one hand. His opponent chuckled softly and caught his wrist, stopping the attack easily and staring down at Naruto.

"What a fool," he muttered. "No matter. You're coming with me."

The space around them began to warp, but suddenly, the masked man released Naruto and took a step back as a barrage of what seemed to be white shuriken pelted the ground where he had just been standing.

"I don't think so," a soft, but agitated voice sounded.

Behind the mask, a pair of eyes narrowed. "What an pleasant surprise-"

"Don't give me that, Madara," Konan hissed, sending another wave of shuriken at him.

This time, propelled by wind chakra, they flew forward with astonishing speed and force, clipping the Uchiha's clothes in several places just as he turned intangible. The blue haired woman stepped forward, in front of Naruto, and formed a few hand seals.

From thin air, paper began whirling together, forming a clone of herself, just as Madara appeared behind her, trying to reach Naruto before she could react. But she was faster and her clone pulled Naruto back before Madara could absorb him - in that same instant, she surrounded Madara with sheets of razor sharp paper, nearly cutting into his body again, but before she could inflict any damage, he disappeared.

She turned, sensing another attack from behind her, but realizing that it was just the Konoha jonin from earlier, stopped her own counterattack midflight and continued looking around warily.

"Who are you?" Kakashi muttered, still holding a Rakiri threateningly toward her.

"A friend of yours, at the moment," she said quietly.

"What do you want with Naruto?" Yamato spoke from behind her, clutching his arm, from which he seemed to be bleeding rather heavily.

"Nothing. I simply want to stop our little friend from getting his hands on him. Rather, the kyuubi."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "You called him Madara."

"I did."

Kakashi paused for a moment, then leaned forward. "Are you suggesting that he is-"

"He is. Though, you probably don't believe me."

The silver haired man began to respond, but suddenly turned as a dark chuckle filled the air.

"Now now, Konan, giving away secrets is a rather underhanded tactic, isn't it? If you're going to tell them who I am, then perhaps I should tell them that you were - correction, are - one of the leaders of the Akatsuki."

Konan's brows furrowed and she made a noise of irritation as the two Konoha jonin turned to her.

"He's trying to distract you two," she muttered. "Don't lose focus."

"Wait, just a second. You are a member of-"

Konan gritted her teeth, ignoring both of them and trying to pin Madara down with another wave of paper attacks, but he disappeared again. Waiting, she knew, biding his time for the right moment when he could get his hands on Naruto.

"Answer the question."

The blue haired woman bit her lip, feeling her stomach roil uncomfortably. "I..." she hesitated. "I... well... yes," she sighed. "But I'm trying to help you, you have to believe me."

Yamato's eyes narrowed and sent several wooden beams snaking toward the blue haired woman, pausing as they formed a circle around her. "And why should we trust you? Your organization-"

"I'm perfectly aware of what they have done," Konan's voice was very quiet. "I know you probably don't believe me at all. But you have to realize, if I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it already."

Kakashi glanced at Yamato. Then at Konan's clone, standing guard over Naruto.

"I say we trust her," Naruto spoke suddenly, grinning. "She saved my ass back there."

The silver haired man rolled his eyes. "Please, Naruto. You need to think about the situation before you come to a decision. Consider everything - especially the fact that she claims to be a member of Akatsuki. Actually, one of its leaders. Though why she would confirm it is beyond me."

I want to come clean. I don't want to hide it, and seem like I was being dishonest later. "I... didn't want to deceive you."

"Prove it," Kakashi replied sharply. "If you really mean well, our interrogation experts should be able to figure that out pretty easily. And not through torture - just sifting through your mind."

Konan bit her lip. "I... can't do that. My village..."

I have people to protect. And I don't want you people in my head either.

"Offer still stands."

Not really much of an offer, is it? She shook her head. "I can't. I still have... things I need to do."

Kakashi glanced back at Yamato, who nodded. "Then we have no choice but to consider you an enemy."

Konan tensed. "Wait! This is exactly what Madara wants us to do. If you fight me, we'll all be distracted and he'll easily be able to take-"

She broke off, eyes shifting away as Madara reappeared beside her clone. But her attention shifted back to herself - the wood that was closing in around her and the Raikiri that was inches away from her abdomen. Damn it.

She dissipated into paper quickly and rushed toward her clone, which was busy fending Madara off. Behind her clone, Naruto got to his feet, wavered a little, and began to back off, looking for an opening to attack. But it was a bad move - Madara's attention shifted quickly - his eyes were still on his original target - and he quickly teleported beside Naruto, slashing down with a kunai.

But then a mass of paper flew between them and separated the two... Konan managed to pelt Madara with a couple of paper blades before he disappeared, then recondensed into her human form.

"Stay beside me," she hissed. "He'll go for you the instant you get separated."

Naruto frowned. "Why's he after me anyway?"

"For the kyuubi," she replied curtly. "And before you ask, no, I'm not after you. I want to stop him from getting to you."

"I know, I believe you."

Konan pursed her lips, failing to respond - her attention was preoccupied with the twin wood and lightning attacks coming at her from the two Konoha shinobi. Her eyes narrowed. I have to get Naruto somewhere safe. As long as Madara loses sight of him, he should be able to hide and get back to Konoha safely. Good thing Madara isn't a sensor type... the blue haired woman tensed again, drawing up some chakra, and dissipated into paper once more.

Surrounding Naruto, carrying him away from the battle field in a swift torrent of wildly flying papers, but then Madara reappeared again, blocking her path forward. He formed a few hand seals and blew out an enormous wave of fire, straight into the heart of the paper.

The cloud of paper dissipated, evading the attack, but letting Naruto drop at the same time. Madara eyed his target gleefully, rushing toward it, but then the paper cloud surrounded both of them again, forcing the Uchiha to back away before it tore him to shreds.

If he keeps sight of me, he can follow me easily, even at the speed at which I travel. So in that case... she drew up some more chakra, and suddenly the paper cloud grew larger and larger, multiplied in size ten fold. Then separated into smaller masses of white sheets, each flying in a different direction.

The real one dropped toward the ground stealthily as the others flew out and traveled low against the ground, invisible in the darkened hue of the sky above them. She waited patiently for a moment, waiting for Madara to reappear, hoping that he would try to follow one of the decoys. But after a couple minutes, he did not, and so she, instead, flew back eastward, toward Konoha, slowly so that she would not be seen.


A flock of soaked paper hovered near the ground, near a small patch of forest. A boy in black and orange clothing emerged out of it, and a moment later, the paper condensed into the form of a blue haired woman.

She looked around carefully for a moment, then turned to Naruto.

"He should be gone. But just in case, I'll follow you until you get back to your camp. It should just be slightly north of here, right?"

"Yeah." Naruto grinned at her. "Thanks, lady."

Konan nodded, moving to back away.

"Wait," the blonde spoke before she could disappear. "Are you really one of the leaders of Akatsuki?"

She turned away from him. "The old Akatsuki is dead," she murmured. "Only Madara belongs to that organization now. But to answer your question... I... yes. I suppose I am."

"Then why are you helping me?"

"To redeem myself." Not the full truth. But it should be enough for him.

Naruto frowned. "You people-"

"I already told you guys, I know perfectly well what we did. I'm not proud of it."

Naruto was silent for a minute or two. When he looked again, he found that she was gone - but from what he had said, he knew she was still nearby. "Everyone deserves a second chance," he said aloud. "I'm not sure... you guys didn't do anything directly to me. But you hurt some of my best friends, and it's not easy to forgive that. But I still think you deserve a chance."

He waited a moment, hoping she would reply, but there was nothing but silence.

Sighing, he scratched his head and began walking northward.


Sakura looked up.

In the distance a cloud of paper whirled about rapidly as it approached her. Flying toward her, it covered a vast distance in a matter of moments and condensed down into the form of a pale, blue haired woman.

"You're back," Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

"I am," Konan replied quietly.

Sakura tilted her head, then noticed a cut in Konan's cloak that was stained slightly red. "You're hurt!"

Konan clutched her side, then winced. "So it seems."

"Here, let me heal that."

To her surprise, the older woman stayed still as she pushed a hand against the wound gently and began healing it.

It was a shallow cut, a testament to Konan's skill that she could drive Madara off with only such minor wounds, but still a painful one. But the blue haired woman did not make a single noise until Sakura finished healing her - a murmur of thanks.

Sakura nodded. "Everything's... okay then?"

"Everything's fine," the soft, tired reply came.

Sakura began to speak again, but before she could, Konan moved past her, inside the tower where she retreated back to her own room.