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Chapter 6 — Konan: This Still Can't Kill Him?
Alex had already prepared an answer for that question.
[I was Nagato's contingency planted before he died. You should remember Nagato's state at that time.] The black characters on the paper flickered line by line.
[He used his life to perform the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique; this contingency was sown at that moment.]
[He didn't have time to tell you—after the jutsu completed, he died from the strain.]
"Is that so..." Konan thought of the events around Nagato's death; indeed, they matched what the paper described.
The Rinnegan could resurrect thousands of fallen Konoha villagers—bringing a single sheet of paper back to life didn't seem so impossible.
Alex's account was mostly true—only slightly embellished. Nine parts fact, one part fiction; enough not to trigger Konan's suspicion.
To fully win her trust, he added one decisive line.
[Rest assured: though I awakened, I originate from your Paper Release and will still be subject to your control.]
[You can try me.]
When faced with the unknown, people instinctively guard themselves—fear stems from lack of understanding and control.
Alex was born of Konan's paper technique, but the spirit-power inside him that belonged to her was minimal. If needed, he could seal that sliver of spirit-strength and refuse her control.
For now, that limitation worked in his favor—he could make Konan believe this "living" sheet remained under her command and posed no threat.
Seeing the invitation to "try," Konan tested it immediately.
She could feel her chakra and mental link connecting to the sheet—no different than any other paper.
Under her control, the paper bobbed up and down, curled and straightened at her will—smooth as a limb.
At that moment Konan was certain: the sheet still obeyed her. It posed no danger.
"Handled, I think..."
Alex breathed easier as Konan sheathed the white kunai. Her face gave nothing away, but the hardest part—the first contact—was over.
Trust might be thin, but at least she wouldn't attack him outright or treat him like a hazard.
Konan floated Alex above her right hand and tapped the paper with her thumb, inspecting the black text. The surface was smooth—no indentations from the ink.
She flicked it with her fingers; the crisp pop sounded.
Alex felt awkward being toyed with, but to satisfy Konan's curiosity he did not resist.
"Though you were born from my Paper Release, you're not me. Give yourself a name." She retracted her hand, still unconvinced.
"And what did your first sentence mean? Why would I die?" Those blood-red characters left a deep impression. With Obito buried under the explosive tags, she could not imagine what death the message referred to.
[Since you and your group founded Akatsuki, call me "Akatsuki."]
[T/N: The MC's original name is Ling Xiao—basically "Ling Akatsuki." The MC also named his paper form as "Akatsuki." I changed his name to Alex because I don't like Chinese name, so there will be moments when the MC get addressed as "Akatsuki." so please don't get confused.]
Alex offered his chosen name; for now a surname was unnecessary. He intentionally invoked Akatsuki to explain the alias, hoping to earn Konan's favor.
"Akatsuki? That's a fine name."
Hearing the name softened Konan's expression; her tone grew less icy.
[Now leave immediately—Madara isn't dead. Your six hundred billion tags won't kill him!]
Alex bluntly revealed the emergency. He had already used three minutes to speak with Konan; they had to move as far from Amegakure as possible.
"No way!" Konan's reaction was instant and incredulous.
"These years I've gathered precise intel—Madara's intangibility can only last five minutes. I prepared six hundred billion explosive tags; the blasts will persist for ten minutes. That'll kill him!"
She hadn't wanted to extend the explosion longer, but the sheer magnitude—six hundred billion—made fine control impossible under the Paper God technique. She could only detonate them together.
[Perhaps because of the Rinnegan's mysteries, when I awakened I learned many things. Your six hundred billion tags truly won't kill him.]
Black lines of text scrolled across the paper in quick succession.
[The Uchiha possess an ultimate ocular technique—Izanagi. By sacrificing sight in the Sharingan, the user can rewrite reality to negate any unfavorable occurrence.]
[No matter the injury—even death—after Izanagi's activation, the caster can return to their prior state.]
"Uchiha..." Konan's lips parted; she whispered in disbelief.
"Even death can be undone—how could he possess such an ocular jutsu..."
She clenched her teeth and stared toward the explosion center; the orange of her eyes dimmed.
"Not even six hundred billion tags can kill him?"
Konan did not doubt Alex—there was no motive for him to lie. Ten minutes would confirm the truth; Alex had no reason to fabricate such an easily checked claim.
Yet precisely because it rang true, she refused to accept it. How could one who wielded Izanagi be slain? How could she and Yahiko and Nagato ever avenge themselves?
The cruelty of that revelation, and the futility of revenge, left Konan in a bewildering, unprecedented despair.
"Yahiko... Nagato... what do I do? I can't even avenge you..."
"The enemy is right there, yet I cannot find a way to kill him..."
Her world seemed to collapse into darkness—hope extinguished.
Swish!
At the very moment her spirit sank completely, a warm, dazzling five-colored light pierced her gloom.
Konan looked up—Alex had somehow flown to her face; the characters on his paper flashed with fivefold colors.
[Don't lose hope! I have a solution!]
[Don't give up—believe me. I can make you enact your vengeance with your own hands!]
Seeing Konan's hollow despair, Alex feared she might take a reckless action in despair. He produced the five-color effect on his surface to snap her attention back and give her a reason to keep fighting.
[I know many of this world's secrets. I can help you gain greater power—even resurrect Nagato and Yahiko is not impossible!]
"Is that true?" Konan's eyes lit; the word resurrect held her gaze like a hook. If she could bring her friends back, revenge could wait.
[If you attain greater strength, resurrection becomes trivial. Haven't you personally witnessed two kinds of revival already?]
Alex reminded her: Nagato's Rinne Tensei and the Izanagi she was watching now.
"How do I do it?" Konan gripped Alex desperately. "If I can resurrect Yahiko and Nagato, I'll do anything!"
At that moment, this scrap of paper in her hand was her last straw—her single beacon in an engulfing abyss.
[While Madara is restricted, leave Amegakure immediately—go as far as you can.]
There was no time to explain Madara's identity yet; that would take too long.
[Stay alive and away from him. I'm confident I can help you quickly gain power and eventually resurrect Yahiko and Nagato.]
Konan stared long at the words, then finally exhaled one heavy syllable: "Fine."
She chose to follow Alex's advice and leave the blast site at once. At this point, survival was the only priority—and belief in the promise on the paper gave her the will to live.
She staggered across the water, breath ragged. Within ten meters she was already forced to stop, panting.
Her ankles sank beneath the surface; she could barely tread water. She looked at Alex floating by her side.
"My chakra is nearly gone. I can't keep treading much longer. Do you have any way?"