In Konohagakure, Sasuke suddenly furrowed his brows, his gaze instinctively shifting into the distance. At almost the same moment, Sakura also turned toward the same direction in surprise. Meanwhile, Jiraiya, who had been talking to Tsunade, paused slightly.
The three of them noticed each other's reactions. Sakura spoke first. "This chakra signature... it's that kunoichi who attacked the village before."
"Konan..." Jiraiya's expression grew heavy. "Did she run into an enemy?"
The sheer size of this chakra signature was overwhelming. Even though he was no longer in Sage Mode, his residual sensory abilities could still pick it up. Had Konan encountered an opponent she couldn't handle?
Sasuke crossed his arms and looked in that direction. "If it's the enemy, then there's no need to worry. At this distance, it won't affect Konohagakure anyway."
At this range, most regular sensory ninjas wouldn't be able to detect anything. Sasuke and Sakura could sense it thanks to the power of the Sage of Six Paths and Sage Mode, while Jiraiya could still perceive it due to the lingering effects of Sage Mode.
For something to reach Konohagakure from here, it would have to be Naruto or Sasuke using an extremely powerful jutsu. Otherwise, the chances of it affecting the village were very low.
Besides, what's even left in Konohagakure to be affected?
The buildings were long gone thanks to "Desktop Cleaner" Nagato's attack. The whole place was flattened, so even if it got caught in the crossfire, it wouldn't matter much.
Sasuke's goal was to protect Konohagakure, not get involved in this fight.
Sakura felt the same way. If it was just the enemy, there was no need to step in, since it wouldn't reach Konohagakure anyway. If anything, watching the enemy fight among themselves was actually entertaining.
Beside them, Tsunade put on a fresh haori. Seeing Jiraiya's silent expression, she scoffed and laughed. "If you want to do something, then just do it. Since when did you become so hesitant?"
Haven't I always been like this…?
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head and sighed. "I didn't know you saw me as such a decisive guy."
"You know exactly what I mean." Tsunade rolled her eyes and turned back to continue discussing the village's reconstruction with Shizune.
Watching the scene, Jiraiya felt a little warmth in his heart. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Sasuke. But before he could say anything, Sasuke smirked and spoke first.
"You have power too. Why are you looking at me?"
To be fair, Jiraiya wasn't weak. So why was he relying on him all of a sudden?
Jiraiya paused for a moment, then shrugged helplessly. "Can't be helped. That battle took a lot out of me. Even though I used Sage Mode, I'm still exhausted. You're the only one here who didn't fight, so I have to ask you."
That was part of the reason. The other was that Konan, while not as strong as him, wasn't weak either. Someone who could unleash that much chakra wouldn't be an easy opponent, so it was better to send someone reliable.
But to Sasuke, something about that explanation felt off.
His eye twitched. "Are you mocking me?"
"I'm just stating the facts." Jiraiya insisted that he didn't mean anything by it.
Absolutely not!
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You really live up to your reputation as our great teacher. You sure know how to tease your students."
"Didn't I learn that from Kurama?" Jiraiya grinned.
We're all tricksters here—pot calling the kettle black.
But after making that joke, Jiraiya's smile faded, and his expression turned serious. "Konan… was also my student. So I'm counting on you, Sasuke."
Seeing Jiraiya's serious expression, Sasuke sighed. "Since she's my senior, I'll let it slide."
Then, he glanced at Jiraiya. "But if anyone in Konohagakure complains later, that's your problem. I'm just a genin completing a mission."
He put extra emphasis on the word "genin," as if trying to drive a point home.
Sakura couldn't help but laugh beside him.
Tsunade rolled her eyes and tossed the documents in her hand to Shizune, clearly annoyed. "Fine! Once you finish this mission, I'll promote you to Chunin, okay?"
Shizune couldn't help but chuckle.
"Heh..." Sasuke let out a knowing laugh. A massive, purple Susano'o rose from the ground, towering like a hundred-meter-tall demon god. It soared into the sky, its overwhelming power sweeping through the area, knocking over weaker ninjas like leaves in the wind.
Most people could only stare in shock as the giant figure disappeared into the distance, their hearts filled with indescribable awe.
Countless papers danced in the sky, overflowing with chakra. The land below was covered in endless white, like a stairway from heaven descending to the earth—sacred, yet carrying an inescapable sense of death.
Konan raised both hands, her battle-worn face filled with killing intent. "Obito! All of these Explosive Tags are prepared just for you!"
Explosive Tags?
Obito's eyes narrowed. Only now did he realize that every single piece of white paper floating in the air was covered with the markings of Explosive Tags. His gaze instinctively dropped to the ground, and his pupils shrank. "This is—!"
There were no flowers on the ground. The bouquets scattered across the earth were nothing more than disguised sheets of paper—or rather, Explosive Tags transformed into flowers!
"That's right. Explosive Tags! A total of six hundred billion of them!" Konan glared coldly at Obito. "I prepared them long before this battle, originally meant to deal with Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. But now—"
"Now, they'll be used against the one they were truly meant for!"
Six hundred billion Explosive Tags—this was Konan's entire stockpile, carefully hidden beneath the sea of the Land of Rain, meant to counter Obito's Kamui.
But this battle was far too dangerous. Konan had brought them with her, secretly disguising them in this location, turning them into grass and flowers using her Paper Jutsu.
The moment she learned Nagato had given up, Konan brought his body here, waiting for Obito to arrive.
"These Explosive Tags will keep detonating for ten minutes, but your jutsu can only last five." Konan waved her right hand, and the countless pieces of paper in the sky began to fall, like a lit fuse igniting. "You're already dead."
"Nani?!" Obito's eyes widened in shock.
Now wasn't the time to be shocked. Without hesitation, he activated Kamui, and a massive black vortex appeared in front of him, ready to teleport him away in the next second.
But Konan had anticipated this. The moment Obito tried to phase himself away, countless Explosive Tags around him ignited at once, setting off a chain of deafening explosions.
As the smoke cleared, Obito's face darkened beneath his mask. "I can't teleport..."
Or rather, he couldn't find an opening to do so.
Konan spoke coldly. "If you want to teleport, you have to become solid first. But teleporting takes longer than phasing through attacks. In that instant, I can set off the Explosive Tags and kill you."
That's right. Obito didn't even dare deactivate his intangibility now. The moment he did, Konan would detonate the tags immediately. But if he kept it on, the six hundred billion Explosive Tags—set to explode for ten whole minutes—would kill him the moment his phasing time ran out.
A perfect trap. A dead end.
Obito clenched his fist. "Don't you want to fulfill Yahiko and Nagato's last wishes?"
She hesitated.
"I do!" Konan answered without hesitation. "That's why I know what I have to do."
Her voice was calm, carrying a unique gentleness.
"Obito, I believe in Yahiko. He wanted to bring peace to this world. I believe in Nagato. He wanted to keep his promise to Yahiko. But now, Yahiko and Nagato are both gone... All I can do is follow my own path, believe in the future I want to see, and never waver..."
"Bear witness to a new future!"
"And you! You don't belong in that future!"
Uzumaki Naruto, you remind me of Yahiko so much. That's why I choose to believe in your future, to place all my hopes and trust in you.
I want to see that future too—a simple future, a future full of hope.
"Ninjutsu: Dance of the Shikigami!"
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