A/N: Anything I could say here would be a spoiler. Read on.

.

Original Nagato

Clone Jiraiya's arrival was a mixed blessing. Nagato was glad to have help with the dolls, but did not enjoy being distracted from important business. On some level, he secretly had other reasons for disliking Clone Jiraiya's company. More personal reasons. He still didn't know how to talk to the man. He covered himself by thinking he did not need to.

Konan secretly understood this. She acted as the interface, welcoming Clone Jiraiya inside and bringing the dolls to him. They talked about the great battle, about how it hurt to have to restrain themselves from interfering with Clone Yahiko's dire situation. Jiraiya spoke of Clone Yahiko like a proud father speaking of his grown son. Nagato couldn't help but wonder if Original Jiraiya had thought of them that way, too. Did he see our final battle as his own children turning against him? Is that what we were?

Guilt and shame - his lifelong burdens - replied with, Of course. What else could you have been?

Nagato slunk away before Jiraiya could see him.

Yahiko was there, too. He followed Nagato. When they were out of hearing, he stopped Nagato and said, "It must have been horrible, fighting him. I know that. But now, we all have a new mission, one that doesn't require sacrifice. You don't have to endure the pain. If you spoke to him, I'm sure that he'd forgive you."

"I do not want to be forgiven. My actions are unforgivable."

"Isn't that a form of selfishness? Shutting down someone else, refusing to let them speak, because you don't want to hear what they have to say?"

Nagato clenched his fists. "Any forgiveness he would offer is not genuine. He is a clone in another world; he cannot possibly understand the true nature of my crimes. I won't accept words spoken in ignorance."

"If someone told me that I didn't know what I was talking about when the topic of discussion was my own feelings, I'd feel insulted," Yahiko whispered. Then he let the matter drop. He offered to go back to give Konan a graceful exit from her conversation, allow her to return to their important business. Nagato nodded. While Yahiko returned to the lobby, Nagato went to the kitchen. He stared up at the whiteboard that listed current objectives. Those objectives had little relation to his thoughts.

What is forgiveness in this world? Yahiko is right, but I wasn't telling him the truth. Truthfully, I am the one who does not know what he is talking about. All of these clones seem to speak another language. Jiraiya might well forgive me, but I don't know what that would mean. Back home, forgiveness is a way of establishing bonds, of tossing out old debts so as to enhance diplomatic connections. Is forgiveness in this world the same thing, or something totally different? Something I can't even imagine? I fear that among the clones, forgiveness may be synonymous with declaring the forgiven action morally neutral. I do not want my crimes to be whitewashed. But Yahiko is also correct - refusing forgiveness is rather insulting. How can I give the clones a chance to forgive me without giving them a chance to whitewash my past?

Konan and Yahiko returned shortly. "To return to our previous discussion," Konan began. "I believe in a combination of tending to injured members and training. All members should participate in both activities as much as they are able."

"Having all of them participate in tending to the injured sounds like a good idea to me," Yahiko replied.

Nagato shook his head. "That is what they already devote their time and energy to. Physical injuries will be no more absorbing than mental injuries. That is not a solution. They may be clones, but they are also shinobi. Any solution to this problem must prioritize battle and battle training."

"There simply isn't anything to battle, though," Yahiko retorted. "We've already gone over everything. Other groups of clones, vampires, demons: all are at peace. Do you mean to say…?"

That peace is a bad thing? Nagato did not want to say so out loud, but he had to admit that he was thinking it. The clones were a bunch of scatterbrained idiots, and it was because of narrative convenience. If everything was not so damn convenient for them, they would be forced to behave more sensibly. "I am not so sure that the current situation can be called peaceful. It is nonviolent, true. But peace is more than a simple lack of violence. Peace must be chosen by the parties involved. The other characters in this setting cannot choose how they relate to our group. It's out of their control."

"It is not as simple as that," Konan said. "They have fought us in the past."

"Could such fights have resulted in anything other than reconciliation?"

"Whether they could or could not have is beside the point. The current state of peace was attained after conflict. That is the point. I consider it legitimate."

"I do not."

"What do the vampires and demons have to say?" Yahiko asked. "Do they consider our current state of peace legitimate?"

Konan nodded. "From my communications with Soye, I believe so."

Nagato turned to fix them both with a hard look. "What is to prevent our group members from continuing in their foolish ways, then?"

"Nagato, why are you so convinced that they're fools?" Yahiko asked. "What is wrong with being forgiving and gentle?"

"Narrative convenience shields them from the harsher realities of life. Gentleness and mercy mean nothing coming from people who have never known anything else."

Yahiko looked hurt. "Nagato… Remember what I said before?"

"Sometimes the truth hurts," Nagato replied levelly. "The truth is this: half the time or more, feelings don't matter. Just because they want to forgive doesn't mean they should. Just because they enjoy showering everyone they meet with kindness does not mean it is the right thing to do. There exists a morality independent of emotion."

"If you try to tell them that, they will not believe you," Konan told him.

"Because they have no reason to. This world caters to their whims. Of course they believe that whims are the center of the universe; they have seen no evidence otherwise."

"The false memories," Yahiko retorted.

"Are of civilian lives. They have memories of experiencing the sorts of harsh realities that a civilian experiences. They know nothing of the way of ninja."

"If that is so, how do you explain their performance on the battlefield?" Konan asked.

Nagato ground his teeth. Why were his two closest comrades siding against him? He was the only one to believe that narrative convenience was a problem. They both seemed to believe it was not. Were they honestly satisfied with the wishy-washy ways that the clones behaved? Were they succumbing to the strange purple-and-green morality that the clones believed in? Or was he the unreasonable one for refusing to adapt his viewpoint to a new world?

"Their performance on the battlefield is precisely why I say these things," he said. "Sasori demonstrated long-term planning. Yahiko demonstrated unflinching resolve. I see now that they are capable of those things. They are capable of rising to great heights, yet spend most of their time crawling in the mud. That is a shameful waste of potential. If they were capable of nothing better, I would agree that narrative convenience does them a favor, but instead it seems that narrative convenience deprives them of the call to action that they desperately need."

Konan sighed. "There is little point to detesting what cannot be changed."

Yahiko cringed. "Can we talk about this when everyone is healthy?"

Nagato narrowed his eyes. "Yahiko, are you alright?"

Konan gave Yahiko a curious look, too. The orange-haired man glanced around nervously. "Does the atmosphere feel tense right now?"

"Yes," Konan replied.

"Not from our fighting, I mean. Or rather… Yes, related to our fighting, but not coming afterwards."

"The focus?" Nagato had forgotten all about it. "It is most likely present."

"Isn't our mission to serve as consultants?"

Nagato and Konan glanced at each other. Oh, dammit, Nagato realized. I have made a mistake.

Sasori

Sasori and Ruta had just finished replacing the shocks on a Hatchback. Sasori was showing Ruta how to fill out the appropriate paperwork. Then, Laurie came in. She had a strange look on her face.

"Just hold onto this for a minute," Sasori said, shoving the clipboard into Ruta's hands. He went to Laurie. "You look bothered. Is something happening?"

"I'm not sure," she replied.

"Show me."

"I can't." She blinked in confusion. "Or maybe… Could you show me?"

""Show you what?" Uh oh. My bad news detection system is going on full alert. Sasori glanced sideways. Ruta was discreetly pulling up his sleeve to look at his left forearm. His arm hair stood on end. And mine isn't the only one.

"Your…ninja powers?"

Sasori used chakra strings to open a nearby drawer, pull out an item inside, then put it back in and close the drawer.

"How are you…doing that?" Laurie asked. "I mean… What is that blue glowing stuff, and where does it come from? I don't know why, but all of a sudden I feel weirdly curious about your magic powers. Magic doesn't normally exist, right?"

Sasori felt his face go pale. "We have answers, but they're sort of distributed among the group. Why don't you come over tonight? It'll be easier than me trying to explain everything by myself." Laurie nodded and went back to the front desk. Sasori told Ruta to continue holding the clipboard. He went to his office at a fast walk - not a run - and closed the door before whipping out his phone. In the group chat, he typed, Everyone! I'd like to conduct a pop survey. If you're out and about, stop and observe how nearby NPCs are behaving. Report anything unusual.

A few minutes passed. Sasori fidgeted. Then Kisame replied, I think a lot more people are looking at me than usual. What's going on? Should I avoid public areas?

I was gonna say that I haven't seen anything unusual, but now that you mention it, I think I saw someone do a double-take at my scythe, Hidan reported. Dunno if it matters. What's going on?

Nagato said, I asked Marsha how she was feeling. She said she was fine, but then gave me a long look like something was on my face. She said it was nothing, though…

A kid just asked me if I'm a shark, Kisame added. I said yes. His dad pulled him away. Happens every day, but something felt weird.

Wave at the next adult that notices you, Sasori told him.

A couple of other group members asked what this survey was about. He ignored them. A few minutes later, Kisame reported, She jumped and ran away. Sasori, explain, right fucking now.

Laurie just asked me about my powers. She said (exact quote) "Magic doesn't normally exist, right?" It sounds like the NPCs are a lot less NPCish all of a sudden.

After dropping that bombshell, Sasori silenced his phone and went back to helping Ruta. He told himself he was just doing his job. He was the group member in charge of keeping a level head, after all.

General

The rest of the group was anything but level-headed.

Kisame froze up. His panic-stricken mind reflexively pretended everything was normal while internally screaming, What the shit?! He envisioned himself being suddenly fired without explanation, captured by a team of government scientists, and/or hunted for sport. And those were just the ominous fates he could envision. He imagined many others that resembled black holes from which only feelings of dread escaped.

"Fuck," Konan said aloud. Original Yahiko winced. Original Nagato hung his head.

Clone Hidan's first thought was not for himself, but for someone else. He left Yahiko's room and went to Obito's. He had to shake his head to remember why he was there; Obito was in a semiconscious daze. When he remembered, he let out a grateful sigh. The mask was on. Obito's privacy was still intact. But how long would that last? Sorry, Yahiko. Your other best pal needs me more. Only when he sat down did he realize that his scythe might pose a problem. Might he get kicked out of the hospital? He couldn't let that happen; Kakuzu wasn't due to take up watch for another hour. He typed in the group chat, Someone ask a doll to open a portal to me. Urgently!

Jiraiya refused to take the messages too seriously. He had other responsibilities. Once he found out why Sasori was asking for a survey, he silenced his phone and picked up Warlic for a game of Airplane. He spun in a circle, holding Warlic at full extension. Warlic pretended to be an airplane. Konan interrupted this game. "Excuse me," she said, bowing her head politely. She knelt before the other three dolls. "I need your help. If you are capable of doing so, open a portal next to the version of Hidan that is fully human, please."

The dolls that were sitting looked at each other. Kakuzu and Deidara came rushing in. Deidara started to say something. Kakuzu stopped him. They could both see that Konan was busy.

Manta raised his arms and created a portal ring, but did not open it. Little One consulted with him in their doll language of flailing arms. Manta changed one of the runes on the outer ring, then changed a second one, then changed the first back. Then he opened the portal. A hospital room could be seen on the other side. "Thanks!" said Hidan's disembodied voice before a scythe flew through. "Look after that for me!" Manta closed the portal.

Konan picked up the scythe and placed it gently on the lobby desk. "Deadly weapons are likely no longer allowed in the hospital."

"So, what? Narrative convenience is gone?" Deidara asked. "How and why and what?"

"It's the second of those that concerns me," Kakuzu said.

"Original Nagato determined that narrative convenience is detrimental to the growth and development of our group members," Konan explained.

Jiraiya put Warlic down quickly. "Who wants to be the next airplane?" he asked with a big smile. Solis jumped. "Up you go!" As Jiraiya lifted the doll, he gave Konan a look. She entrusted him with the scythe and steered her groupmates out of the room.

Meanwhile, Itachi had assigned himself a scouting mission as a way of keeping busy. He had ridden in with Kisame, then gone on a long walk. He backtracked after seeing Kisame's very first reply. His quick mind made short work of this new problem. I have nothing to fear. I have no physical abnormalities that stand out upon first glance, nor an unusual hair color. I am the only group member who can pass among fully aware NPCs without a problem. Kisame is just the opposite. He needs me. Itachi entered the aquarium and went straight for Kisame's favorite hiding spot: the shark tank. As expected, Kisame was there, trying his best to shrink into the shadows. Itachi sat beside him. "You must continue to act as you always have," he whispered.

"They won't," Kisame whispered back.

"It is a central rule of animal training: you must bring about the desired outcome through force of will. Do not give the other party room to decide what does or does not happen. If you desire obedience, then you must not even entertain the thought that the animal before you could be disobedient. Harbor no doubts. That will make it so that you cannot be doubted."

"How the fuck does that apply here?"

"Haven't you ever heard that you shouldn't put a No Stealing sign above a charity box? The sign is counterproductive because its very existence reminds people that stealing is an option. Humans are animals too. The same rules apply. If you continue to work as you always have, react as you always have, and respond to any questions as you always have, then you will be treated as you always have been. If you change your behavior, you send out the message that other people can treat you differently, that it is an option. Don't do that. Do not give them that option."

Kisame took a deep breath. "Like lion tamers and elephant handlers say. Don't let it know it's bigger than you."

"Exactly."

"Alright. I'll try it."

Nagato did not need to hear this advice. He reflexively put it into practice as soon as he saw Sasori's message. He continued to go about his work as normal. Some of the dogs looked at him oddly, but none of them became scared or distressed. Marsha, too, kept her behavior unchanged. Nagato took a moment to sigh in relief. I love having such an understanding boss.

Kakuzu took over Hidan's post at the hospital. He jotted down mental notes as he did so. The staff seem confused, like they aren't sure whether or not to notice me. It's probably because they didn't notice anything strange about me before. If that's correct, then any NPC we have previously interacted with is likely to keep their mouth shut. We only have to worry about NPCs that we haven't previously met. He had little trouble replacing Hidan. Hidan pointed out the mask on Obito's face. Kakuzu nodded. Protecting the masked man was number one priority.

Speaking of priorities…

Konan got to work rearranging the list of tasks on the whiteboard in the kitchen. Her old friends helped out of a sense of responsibility. Konan kept her face blank and still the whole time because she was upset with them. Just when I thought that we had found some semblance of order…

And if having to rearrange the whole task list wasn't enough, then Original Hidan walked in. He carried his cloak over one arm. His fur was disarrayed and dirtied. He brushed off his right wrist and said, "Those cat-people at the campground are cool, after all. See, I can be diplomatic." He glanced at the board. "So what's all this about?"

.

A/N: In My Craft, the characters get into trouble. They anger some people. As a result, they can no longer travel anywhere they want and do anything they please. Needed resources are difficult to get and random people in the street cannot be trusted to help. Food, money and shelter are no longer automatically provided. They must put aside all of their personal issues in favor of survival.

Reading this, I thought, "If these characters can do it, mine can too."

Hehe. This should be fun.