Konan no longer speculated or doubted anything at this moment. She simply nodded and agreed to the request Uchiha Hikaru had made earlier.
The three of them sat quietly, enjoying the evening breeze as they chatted about all they had experienced over the years.
Konan listened carefully, and Hikaru and Saya listened just as intently.
Suddenly, Hikaru remembered something and turned to Konan with a curious look.
"Why did you think I was son?"
Konan looked a little embarrassed.
"Time travel… it just seems too far-fetched, no matter how I think about it. Ridiculous, even. It never even crossed my mind to consider that."
"I just instinctively assumed you were his descendant…"
Hikaru muttered to himself, mulling something over.
"Well, true enough… but maybe—once all of this is over—I'll have a child."
"I want them to live in a peaceful shinobi world."
Hearing this, Saya leaned against Hikaru's chest with a delighted smile.
"Mmh~ Then one for me, one for Anko, one for Kurenai, one for Tsunade, and one for Konan~"
"So we'll have four children~!"
Saya casually included Konan in the list.
Hikaru suddenly felt a little strange. Was he really about to become that kind of big family patriarch?
Maybe when the war's over, and peace returns to the shinobi world, he could spark an adventurer's age—go off exploring uncharted lands like the Age of Discovery?
As Hikaru got lost in his own delusions, Konan seemed to catch onto something that stunned her.
Anko? Kurenai? Aren't those two the proctors for this Chunin Exam?
And Tsunade… she's the current Hokage!
But all of that was beside the point. What mattered most was—
Tsunade is over forty! That cougar Hokage dares lay a hand on her masked brother—on Hikaru!?
But then Konan realized something even more critical.
She had always worried she was too old, that she was losing her charm compared to younger kunoichi… but now?
That inferiority complex evaporated.
That poetic line that once haunted her—"When I first met you, I was still young. Now you are young, and I am old."—was complete bullshit.
She was in her prime. This was her moment. She had the advantage now!
Thirty wasn't a weakness—it was like a perfectly ripened apple: rosy, full, and bursting with sweetness.
In that moment, her confidence surged.
Emulating Saya, Konan leaned her face against Hikaru's chest. Her movements were a little stiff at first, but her quickening heartbeat was unmistakable.
She was still at a disadvantage… but that meant she had to be bold. She had to use every weapon in her arsenal.
And so the three of them stayed that way until late into the night, none of them willing to break the beauty of the moment.
"Grrrr~"
The silence was suddenly broken by the growl of Konan's stomach.
"Hungry?" Hikaru asked with a grin. "You were the same when we first met."
Konan turned away in embarrassment, muttering softly, "I've been dieting lately… It's okay to be a little hungry…"
Hikaru stood and walked over to a nearby tree, snapping off a few branches—he was hungry too.
Originally, his plan was to head to a yakiniku joint with Saya after leaving the hot spring town, to recharge after the massive chakra drain from their recent battle.
But Konan had appeared, and the plans had changed.
So Hikaru waded into a stream in the forest and caught three fat fish. After cleaning them, he skewered them on the branches, lit a bonfire by the water, and placed the fish over the flames to cook.
While Hikaru was away, Konan seized the opportunity to pry as much "critical intelligence" from Saya as she could.
She asked about what kinds of women Hikaru liked, what his hobbies were.
And what she learned completely blindsided her.
"That… that's edible?"
"There's a posture for that?"
"Wait—there are that many kinds of clothes?"
"…Does Hikaru have any normal hobbies?"
Saya furrowed her brow, thinking hard.
"I'm not sure, honestly. Ever since I met Lord Hikaru, he's always been moving forward. Always working, training, planning. I don't think he's ever done anything just for himself."
Those words hit hard.
If Hikaru had heard her, he would've felt guilty as hell.
I'm not that noble… I slack off all the time and only jump in when stuff really hits the fan. I've got it pretty easy most of the time.
But from Saya's perspective, Hikaru had appeared through the Dragon Vein and pulled her out of a lonely, hopeless void. After they returned to Konoha, he immediately threw himself into the Chunin Exam arrangements. It did look like he never rested.
Konan, unaware of all the nuance, was overwhelmed with emotion.
Hikaru… really is a good man. Despite his strength, his status—he still yearned for peace.
If Nagato met him, they'd definitely be friends.
Konan pictured it—Nagato and Hikaru sitting together, talking about peace. The image warmed her heart.
Just then, Hikaru came walking out of the woods, waving.
"I grilled some fish by the river. Let's have a midnight snack."
The three of them sat around the campfire. The summer night breeze was cool, and the stars sparkled above them.
Konan wished time would stop right here. If only Nagato could be here too…
She looked over at Hikaru and shared her thoughts.
"Hikaru, why don't you try meeting with Nagato?"
"He sent word through a scroll—Obito's contacted him. I told him to keep Obito stable for now."
"After this Chunin Exam, come with me to the Hidden Rain. If we're lucky, we might even be able to capture that bastard."
As she spoke, Konan bit into the grilled fish, as if visualizing tearing Obito limb from limb.
Hikaru chewed thoughtfully.
Does that mean I'll be officially part of the family?
Akatsuki and Konoha… going from enemies to allies. With Nagato inheriting Yahiko's will and believing in peace, maybe the Akatsuki would finally be redeemed.
He nodded seriously, then smirked.
"Then yeah, we definitely need to meet."
"Together with my new brother-in-law, we'll give Obito a dimensional reduction beating and trap him like a rat."
…
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