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Chapter 7 — Konan, Stop — You're Draining Me Dry
Is there a way? With chakra exhausted, what could this newcomer to the shinobi world possibly do?
Seeing Konan so spent, Alex panicked. If they couldn't get away before Obito returned, the two of them would be dead. He had only just arrived in this world—he didn't want to die.
Alex racked his brain, trying to use the Naruto knowledge he'd absorbed to find an escape.
Suddenly he felt a chill wash over him, like someone's gaze had locked onto him.
He snapped back to the present and looked up.
Konan's cold face filled his vision, very close—her warm breath brushed his paper surface, soft and ticklish.
"W-what… what are you staring at me for?" Alex felt a little unsettled.
Konan's eyes were strangely familiar—like a hungry cat spotting a tasty fish snack, full of feral charm.
Without expression, she pinched Alex in one swift motion and said:
" I've figured out how to replenish chakra—using you.
You were born from my Paper Release and your chakra comes from me. The chakra inside you is mine; I can take it back."
"And…" Her eyes narrowed, dangerous light gleaming, "the chakra inside you is far greater than that of other paper."
If a normal paper's chakra was the size of a sesame seed, Alex's was the size of a fist—far exceeding the usual quota—and the source was obvious: Konan herself.
Her voice, still cold, gained a grinding edge:
"No wonder my chakra drained so completely—some of it was being stolen by you!
You only need the tiniest chakra to maintain yourself; why did you take so much?"
Caught red-handed, Alex felt guilty. He'd absorbed chakra out of sheer survival instinct when he first woke. Who knew Obito would show up the next moment?
"I probably needed more when I first awakened, so I took a little extra," he explained awkwardly, not daring to admit he'd been hoarding.
Konan didn't waste time disputing. The priority was to refill chakra. She linked to him and began reclaiming her energy.
Like rain after drought, chakra flowed swiftly into her empty meridians. The replenishment felt invigorating.
Konan's pale face regained color; her feet rose from the depths back onto the water. Her eyes fixed on Alex.
"Ten percent! You absorbed a full ten percent of my chakra!" she stated.
Alex bowed slightly; the two top corners of his paper folded together—an awkward, guilty gesture. He hadn't expected to have taken so much. As more chakra poured out of him, he felt hollowed, virtually emptied.
He made a grimace.
"Enough—enough… don't take any more, leave me a little," Alex begged in thought, trying to sound pitiful.
Konan, seeing this strangely human little paper so miserly, felt some of the heaviness in her chest lift. She released him and let him float freely.
"I know how much chakra you had—don't make a fuss. I only reclaimed half."
She didn't know what he intended to do with the chakra, but she stopped after taking half. With over fifty percent of her chakra restored plus a Hyōrōgan to aid recovery, she could continue.
Alex hovered at her side and examined her expression furtively. Seeing no further attempt to drain him and no intent to punish him, he relaxed. Half his chakra remained—far better than when he first woke.
He felt oddly proud: by chance he had played the role of a chakra power bank. After all, if he hadn't earlier absorbed some of her chakra and stored it, where would she have gotten a refill now?
Whether or not she'd used him, the battle with Obito would eventually consume both fighters' chakra. The extra ten percent might be spent in a few more jutsu. Thinking this, Alex's guilt evaporated. He even felt a bit heroic—he had helped Konan recover.
He straightened, stopped fidgeting, and adopted a more confident paper posture—walking almost proudly in front of her, the two bottom paper corners flaring like a pair of jaunty tails.
Konan watched the suddenly peppy Alex with mild puzzlement. What was there to be proud of? She didn't ask; instead she glanced toward the ongoing explosions.
"We should leave."
"Will you fly on your own, or should I carry you?" she asked, turning back.
"I'm fragile—can't face strong winds or fly fast. You'll have to carry me," Alex replied.
"All right." Konan reached for him, but Alex dodged her hand.
"Why are you avoiding my touch?" she asked, eyes narrowing.
"I have my own place to be."
Before Konan could react, Alex slipped through the torn Akatsuki robe and drifted down to her chest.
With a soft smack, he settled there—snug and seamless. The soft white mounds beneath him heaved like a gentle swell.
Ah—home at last. This was the place that fit him best. The familiar softness and subtle scent relaxed him completely.
Konan's pupils trembled.
"That's not where you belong—move somewhere else!" Her voice, still cold, betrayed a strong undercurrent of disquiet. Years of pain had numbed much, but a sentient scrap of paper clinging to such a private place unnerved her at a deeper level.
Alex had anticipated this. He had softened his paper surface to avoid any friction and added a subtle upward lift—both to comfort Konan and to reduce her burden. He intended to bear it all silently.
[I returned to where I was born. When I awakened, I was here—so I belong here.]
Alex floated another sheet before Konan and displayed the line in neat black script. Konan examined the writing, inhaled, and tamped down her unease. Her face froze back into icy calm. She absentmindedly touched her chest and said nothing. She could clearly feel Alex's presence and accepted his explanation without pressing the issue further.
With a soft whoosh, Konan unfurled a pair of snow-white paper wings and rose into the air, then chose a bearing and sped away.
Alex lazily enjoyed the ride; the fluttering of the paper seeds constituting her wings gave him the ultimate soft sensation—like a full 180-degree massage.
When the silhouette of the next village drew near, alarm jolted through him. He hurried from her chest to hover before her.
"You're flying the wrong way—we need to get away as far as possible, now!"