A/N: I have finished watching the Netflix adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is FABULOUS. I 100% recommend it. They basically took the characters and settings from the original animated show and asked, "What else is possible?" Every character and every setting is slightly changed, shown from a different angle you might say. Recognizably the same, but now you get to see aspects of them that didn't receive much attention originally. The plot changes as a result, but again, it's recognizably the same. The series has new stories to tell, but it hasn't abandoned its roots. It feels really respectful. I like that.

This chapter's title was brought to you by the "chapters with 'New' in their titles are important" principle. It's not clear why. I just have a feeling like this chapter is important. That's probably a personal thing. Anyway...

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General

The rest of the day was spent planning a party. Kakuzu made a tray of lasagna, Clone Yahiko tried his hand at making a cake, and Clone Hidan cooked an entire slab of liver. Itachi and Kisame oversaw the preparation of a variety of vegetables, and Original Yahiko made tea. The kitchen's capabilities were severely strained and almost every member of the group had to help. There was no time or space for discussion.

The festive mood caused Tobi to appear. Clone Hidan gave Tobi some colored paper and a Youtube video on how to fold paper flowers. The base was soon carpeted with them. Everybody wore at least one in their hair. The dolls tore paper to shreds, blew it around, sprinkled it over furniture like confetti, and generally made a mess. Nobody stopped them. The human members of the group just thanked whoever there was to thank that they did not possess any glitter.

Samehada and Zetsu found themselves alone together. The shark whined in excitement. Black and White Zetsu shifted their feet. "Have you been at a lot of parties?" White Zetsu asked.

Samehada looked up from a small pile of paper shreds that had drifted into a corner. She shook her head no.

"Yeah, neither have we. It's tough when everyone else in the room is a human."

Samehada came back and nuzzled their legs, making soothing sounds. "At least they're decorating with paper flowers," Black Zetsu muttered. "Most parties are horribly uncomfortable for that reason alone."

White Zetsu touched the red paper flower that he had put in their hair. "Yeah, I like these! I bet Konan inspired them."

"She also designed the special training, and it seems to have worked. Obito acted happier than I've ever seen him. We should thank her," Black Zetsu admitted. "Even if she is intimidating." Samehada lolled her tongue out and barked twice in agreement.

Warlic and Manta ran into the room carrying half a dozen red paper flowers. For some reason, Tobi was exclusively making red flowers, not flowers of any other color. As the dolls magically attached the paper flowers to Samehada's scales, Zetsu wondered why that was. Flowers of different colors have different meanings, don't they?

Or maybe she just likes the color red. Let's not assume anything until we've asked her.

Aw, that'll be forever from now!

White Zetsu was correct. The next time they saw Tobi, it was while sitting in the backyard on a bench made of paper and dirt. Paper formed the shape of bench tables with thin layers of hard-packed dirt covering the upper surfaces to protect both the paper and any items placed on it. There were three such tables. Konan and Kakuzu, with Original Nagato supervising, had made them. Clay spiders carried red paper flowers into the trees; the dolls made sparkling globes of ice and handed them to Deidara, who climbed up Clay's outstretched neck to hang them. Laurie had returned, and now she helped Sasori rake the lawn clean of any and all bits of debris. Sometimes they asked for Clay to flap his wings to blow things loose. Clone Nagato used his Push and Pull jutsus to fling the raked-up debris into the forest. Clone Yahiko chatted excitedly on the phone, and twenty minutes later Jiraiya arrived. His booming laugh put a temporary stop to the preparations. "This is a big party! What are we celebrating?"

"Obito passed a special training!" Clone Yahiko replied.

Jiraiya looked. "Ooh, hello!" Tobi greeted, jumping up and shaking his hand. "You're the nice old person! You came back!"

Jiraiya chuckled. "It's good to see you too, kid."

Original Hidan jumped down from the trees. He stood between Konan and Original Nagato and murmured, "We got company."

"Any indication of contact?"

"No, just watching. For now."

Jiraiya helped bring food out. The cracked stone platform was used as a serving table, from which everybody served themselves. A fire was started on the intact platform to light up the yard. Everyone ate wherever they wished. White Zetsu complimented Clone Hidan on the liver. Clone Yahiko whispered in Tobi's ear, and the two of them got up and moved elsewhere. Original Yahiko kept an eye on everything. He liked what he saw. There was nothing but genuine goodwill and shared joy at this party.

Konan and her old teammates sat together at a bench table behind the cracked platform. The firelight was dim, making it all too easy for the rest of the party to forget their existence. Jiraiya approached. "May I join?" After receiving permission, he sat with them. "So… Special training, huh?"

"Especially difficult training, performed only in emergency cases to help one break through otherwise impassable barriers," Konan replied.

Jiraiya nodded. "What'd he do?"

Konan looked to Original Nagato, who lowered his eyes. "He found the courage to step out from a more powerful person's shadow."

Jiraiya scratched his head. "A little less abstract, maybe?"

Nagato kept his eyes lowered, spearing a piece of broccoli but not eating it. "I led him into the forest. I gave him an assignment and directed his actions. I played the roles of teacher and guardian. Despite that, he contradicted his assignment and, when I became stern with him, defended himself. He rejected me, forced me out of those roles and fought to place us on a more equal footing. There cannot be any better proof that he is ready to live on his own."

Konan narrowed her eyes. What he described was not what she had planned. What part had Hidan played? Yahiko, who had no knowledge of her plans, laughed. "That's amazing! The clones seem a little scared of you, you know. That must have taken real courage."

"It did," Nagato said with a nod.

"I'd better congratulate him as soon as he comes out," Jiraiya said. He looked around the backyard. "Hey, where is the kid?"

"With Clone Yahiko," Konan replied. "Clone Yahiko and Zetsu are the only people permitted to see Obito's unmasked face. They went off to eat together."

Jiraiya grunted and dug into his lasagna. He was one of the last people to start eating. The only person to start eating later than him was Original Hidan, who had been tasked with providing security. Via indirect means, primarily hearing and smell, he tracked the members of Soye's spy team. He lashed his tail frequently, not enjoying the presence of sworn enemies. Eventually, he was forced to accept that they were not going to show their faces. Only then did he eat.

Clone Yahiko returned with Obito in tow. Tobi had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Obito stopped and looked all around, amazed at the decorations. "Wow. All this… Why?"

"Wanna know the truth? I think we were just looking for an excuse," Yahiko said with a laugh.

Jiraiya waved. They both joined the group at the table. Jiraiya placed a proud fatherly hand on Obito's shoulder. "I heard what you did! Congratulations!"

Original Hidan burst out laughing for no apparent reason. A couple of the nearest people looked at him. "Thought of something funny I heard once," he muttered.

Konan listened hard and just managed to hear him from her seat. What happened out there? She glanced at Nagato. His face was unreadable in the dim light. He kept his eyes averted and did not react to anything. I intended for Obito to defend him from Hidan's ambush. Clearly, that is not what happened. What changed, and why?

Obito shrugged. "The hardest part was making the first move. After that, it felt like I had no choice but to keep going."

Jiraiya nodded. "That's how it always is. But you did it."

Clone Yahiko giggled. "And we're all grateful."

He knows. Konan sipped her tea. There was going to be an interrogation.

Meanwhile, Kakuzu, Kisame, Itachi and Sasori formed their own little huddle at the table between the fire and Konan's table. "Dammit, I can't quite hear them," Kisame muttered.

Kakuzu scraped together the last remains of his lasagna. "Be patient. We'll find out what the training was and how he passed tomorrow."

"I don't want to wait that long," Kisame replied. "Itachi, do you know anything?"

Itachi answered, "I believe that Obito demonstrated his newfound independence by arguing with Original Nagato."

"From hiding behind other people's backs to picking a fight with his assigned guardian: quite a change," Sasori murmured. "And he must have won his challenge, or at least held his ground long enough to impress Original Nagato."

Kisame shook his head. "In retrospect, I should have known. Those originals are all alike. Of course the way to earn their respect is to beat them in combat."

Sasori chewed his salad thoughtfully. "Strange that verbal combat should be considered impressive, though…"

"Neither of them was injured and we heard nothing," Kakuzu said, his eyes glinting with interest.

Kisame glanced over his shoulder. "Why did Other Hidan laugh just now? The only thing he finds funny is when someone dies in a particularly embarrassing way."

"The rumor mill is starting to turn…" Sasori murmured ominously.

Itachi sighed. "Konan will settle everything tomorrow."

Konan

The next day…

Konan blinked. "Repeat that," she ordered.

"Obito cooperated with Hidan in the ambush," Nagato repeated.

Konan blinked some more, mentally comparing this version of events to the one he had told Jiraiya the night before. Obito used Hidan to help him challenge Nagato?! "I was not aware that any of the clones possessed the…hardness to do such a thing."

Nagato tilted his head. "He claimed that you set him up."

"I told him that Hidan had an interest in you and was therefore likely to interfere with the trial despite my orders not to. I expected him to believe that Hidan's motives were harmless, nothing more than lovelorn fancy, until he glimpsed Hidan's face."

Nagato hesitated. "Hidan dropped down from almost directly above me. I was speaking with Obito for some time before then; he did not look up. I am not sure that he saw Hidan's face."

"He didn't?" Realization dawned. "Ah. I see. He did in fact believe Hidan's motives to be harmless, and took action to help them along."

"Did he decide that independently?"

"What are you asking?"

"Might you have accidentally implied that he was supposed to set Hidan and I up with each other?"

Konan stared at him, unsure whether to feel apologetic or angry. "The life and death trial is sacred," she said slowly. "All participants join in with the understanding that it will be very dangerous, even if they do not understand precisely how. I would not desecrate this ritual by telling you that it was less dangerous than it really was. Nor would I mislead you as to your true role - there is only ever one target." How could he believe that I would violate his stated boundaries so rudely? I might wish for him to reconcile with Hidan, but I would never go so far as to set up a violent ambush! Who does he think I am?

Nagato backed off. "It must have been coincidental, then. He has a romantic interest in his version of Yahiko. He asked me for advice, and the conversation went astray. That unexpected factor must have made his behavior unpredictable."

Konan gave the conversation room to relax by glancing out the window. Light was just starting to show through the trees; dawn was progressing, and soon others would start their day. Not wanting to risk ruining the celebratory mood, she had insisted on interrogating Nagato early enough that nobody else would be awake. They were never told my original plans. If anyone asks, I shall tell them that everything happened as intended, that I meant for Obito to argue with his guardian all along.

There was a quiet knock at the door. Konan stiffened. There was only one person who would dare knock on her door at this hour. Her reaction would depend on which version of him it was. "Enter."

Original Hidan slipped inside. He closed the door securely, crossed his arms and huffed. "Why are you asking him how the trial went? I was there too!"

'...set Hidan and I up with each other…' "I wished for a simple report, delivered without complications," Konan answered. "I have been told that Obito went rogue and assisted you with your ambush. Do you have anything else to report?"

"...No," Hidan admitted. "But I gotta compliment the kid. Moonshine here got really frickin' pissed off with some of those questions, yet he stood his ground. That's impressive for someone mortal."

"Did you hear Obito state that I had set him up to do that?"

"Yeah, but that was just an excuse," Hidan replied. "The kid was annoyed with Moonshine acting stupid and wanted to knock some sense into him. Helping me with an ambush wasn't his first move. Before that, he offered to use the Sharingan to read my mind. If Moonshine hadn't turned him down, he wouldn't have escalated."

Nagato sighed. Konan felt the need to defend his intelligence. "The Sharingan is indeed useful for breaking through communication problems. I should have foreseen that including you and he in the same trial might produce unexpected results."

Hidan blinked once. Twice. A third time. "Hey, wait a fucking second! Are you accusing me of having communication problems?"

"Yes."

He snarled. "It's not my fault if other people have trouble understanding me!"

"That is exactly the problem."

"What-fucking-ever."

Konan got the impression that he wanted to leave the room, but he did not. What are the odds that, after what happened yesterday, I was the one he was looking for? She took a deep breath and spoke to the room at large. "You both consented to participate in the trial. You both consented to whatever results it may have. Please resolve the matter independently; I expect today to be a rather busy day, in which I will need all the downtime I can find."

Hidan chuckled. Nagato looked like he wanted to go back to bed. They both left Konan's room without another word. She took a moment to marvel at the instant deference that she received nowadays. In her old life, her authority came from her connection to Nagato. Without him, only Chuunin-level or lower shinobi of the Hidden Rain would have respected her enough to obey without question. Now, in her new life, people like Kakuzu and Kisame acknowledged her as the most forceful presence around. Nagato himself obeyed her commands. I must have changed so gradually that I did not notice. I wonder… If I could speak to Naruto now, how would I compare?

She stroked the origami frog that sat on her bedside table. A red paper flower sat next to it. The sight of it reminded her of its maker. Her thoughts took a darker turn. If I could travel back in time to face Madara as I am now, would I be strong enough to fight him off?

She picked up the red flower and studied it with a sigh. How much time had been wasted. If only she hadn't freed herself from Madara's clutches at the very last minute. If only Yahiko had lived. It seemed like such a waste that this new world, where the people lived in peace, should get to know the strongest version of her while her old world languished for want of powerful protectors. I cannot go back. I should not feel responsible. Yet I do. That was my world.

A very quiet tap on the door interrupted her reverie. "Something very important is at the front door right now," Sasori said.

"I should like to see it." Konan put the flower down and composed herself. She left her room and followed Sasori down the hall to the lobby.

Three bicycles blocked the front door. Sasori let out a relieved sigh. "That's the signal," he explained. "If the bicycles accepted me as their guardian, three of them would stand outside the front door by sunrise on Sunday. Kakuzu needs to know." He went to the lobby door and pushed it open just a crack. "I have received your signal. You may go now. Thank you."

"That leaves the demons and nature spirits as the only parties without a confirmed guardian," Konan remarked as they headed for Kakuzu's room.

"The wind spirits haven't reported back yet?"

"They were only contacted two days ago."

"Ah. It feels like it's been longer than that for some reason."

They told Kakuzu about the signal. He wrote down Sasori's name in the Confirmed column and muttered, "Now we just need the demon kid…"

"Oh, boo, ruin everything," the demon boy grumbled as he emerged from the closet. He handed Sasori a golden badge that said Regional Guardian: Bicycle Division on it. Sasori accepted the badge with a respectful nod.

"I expect another communication later today, from a church group," Konan told Kakuzu. "That may influence our standing with the local populace. Urgent action of some sort may be required."

Kakuzu grunted. "Church groups. Hmph."

"Right now, the only thing that civilians know about us is that we have magical powers. That makes church groups the most logical to reach out to. Nonreligious civilians simply do not have a way to understand our existence." All those discussions about the nature of thought and the connections between thought and speech proved useful, after all.

Kakuzu shrugged. "I understand. I'm just not fond of that crowd."

They all parted ways. Konan had absorbed enough general knowledge to know that Sunday church meetings generally lasted all morning. How would she fill those hours? She was so preoccupied with that question that she only noticed the stealthy shape after it had fallen in alongside her. "Wanna take off and enjoy some free time?" Clone Hidan asked. "While we can?"

"That is an excellent idea," Konan said, taking his hand. "Come." She led him through the base, not caring if anyone saw them holding hands. It had been far too long since she felt comfortable openly showing him affection. It must have been before the originals were reanimated. But after what she'd heard that morning, how could she hold back any longer? I cannot be judged for my choice of partner any more. Even if someone dares to try, I don't care. Obito, Nagato, Yahiko… So many others are able to find happiness with the ones they care for. Now it's my turn.

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A/N: *heart* *heart* *heart*

Ah, romance. I've been feeling more lovey-dovey than usual in the past couple of days. Dunno why.

Rar!