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Chapter 37: Deep Affection, Konan's Decision!
Oborotsuki brought Konan far away from the Land of Rain, stopping in a lush, dense forest.
"Konan-senpai—this is far enough from Amegakure. Stay here from now on."
"I'll take care of you for the rest of my life."
Oborotsuki turned to look at Konan, who had been walking silently behind him with her head lowered.
So much had happened in such a short time—suddenly discovering her pregnancy, betraying and fleeing Akatsuki, turning against her lifelong closest companion…
It still felt like a dream to Konan. She seemed dazed, almost lost.
She kept walking until she nearly bumped into Oborotsuki's back—only then snapping back to reality and stopping.
"Your injuries… how are they, Oborotsuki…?"
Konan lifted her head in a daze, looking at him with concern.
Oborotsuki had stood up fearlessly against Pain to protect her—this moved Konan deeply.
But it also filled her with guilt and self-reproach.
"Just some minor scratches. I'm already fine."
"But you, Konan-senpai… are you still thinking about those things?"
Oborotsuki gently took her hand. She instinctively shrank back slightly—but not completely resisting.
Noticing this small detail, Oborotsuki grew bolder. He fully clasped both of her hands:
"Don't worry, Konan-senpai."
"No matter what happens—I'm here."
"I'll never leave you!"
He patted his chest as he made the promise.
Konan remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
In truth, over all these days together, Konan's feelings toward Oborotsuki had grown day by day.
In her heart, he already occupied a very important place. Their relationship had long surpassed ordinary companionship.
They had simply never pierced that final layer—lingering in the ambiguous space between friends and lovers.
Otherwise, Konan would never have willingly done so much for him.
She would never have turned against Nagato and Pain just to protect him.
"Those things you said in front of Deva Path… were they true, Oborotsuki…?"
Konan still felt somewhat lost and disoriented.
Leaving Akatsuki meant they would now face endless pursuit.
Neither Uchiha Madara nor Nagato would ever let them go.
And the child in her belly was growing day by day. Sooner or later, it would come into this world.
Konan couldn't even imagine facing such an unstable future all alone.
Perhaps… giving up the child in her womb was the most responsible choice…
The thought suddenly rose in her mind.
But she quickly rejected it, feeling deep self-blame.
Seeing Konan look so anxious and confused, Oborotsuki felt a pang of heartache. He gently pulled her into his arms and spoke softly to comfort her:
"How could I lie to you?"
"Konan… I've liked you for a very long time."
"I just never had the chance to tell you."
Oborotsuki said tenderly.
These sincere words warmed Konan's heart, temporarily pushing aside her chaotic thoughts.
She had long sensed Oborotsuki's special feelings toward her—and deep down, she felt the same.
But various factors, along with the heavy chains of Akatsuki, had kept them both pretending not to notice.
Now, at this moment, Oborotsuki had finally spoken his true feelings aloud.
No more guessing, no more fear of misreading each other's intentions—no more mutual misunderstanding…
Konan felt a quiet joy. The guilt of betraying Akatsuki eased a little.
After a brief adjustment, her emotions and expression gradually returned to normal.
It seemed she was slowly accepting this new dynamic between them.
"But… you really don't mind?"
After a moment of silence, Konan asked softly.
"Mind what?"
Oborotsuki was a little surprised. He gently lifted her face, looking seriously into her slightly evasive eyes.
He already knew what she was about to say.
Konan looked away, cheeks faintly red:
"I… I'm pregnant… You really don't mind?"
Sure enough—it was about that again!
Oborotsuki felt both amused and understanding. He could feel her unease and uncertainty at this moment.
Growing up in this unstable world, she had endured feudal expectations since childhood—and now had to face an uncertain future alone.
The mental pressure Konan was under was fundamentally the same as what Kushina had endured.
"Konan-senpai, you're being silly. Why would I mind any of that?"
Oborotsuki asked in genuine confusion.
"But…"
"I already said—the child is mine!"
Oborotsuki cut off her "but." Konan's body trembled slightly. She looked up in shock.
"You… you really are willing to treat the baby as your own?"
Clearly, she had always assumed Oborotsuki's words in front of Deva Path were just said to provoke him.
She never imagined he truly meant it.
Konan had no way of knowing that what Oborotsuki said was the absolute truth.
The child wasn't the result of some mysterious "self-conception" constitution—it was genuinely his.
The Pregnancy Card the system granted worked by transferring Oborotsuki's high-quality genetic material through space-time ninjutsu directly to the target for conception.
The child carried 100% of his bloodline—his own flesh and blood!
"Didn't I already say my words count?"
Oborotsuki smiled playfully as he gently stroked Konan's hair, brushing aside her bangs. His gaze was utterly sincere.
Konan slowly lowered her head, avoiding his burning eyes—but her cheeks flushed rapidly, the red spreading even to the tips of her ears.
Because at this moment, with their bodies pressed close, she could clearly feel something massive rapidly rising.
…
After Obito left, only Nagato and Zetsu remained in the cavern.
"I need to rebuild the Six Paths of Pain. You go to Kirigakure first and gather intelligence on them."
"Oborotsuki took the pregnant Konan—they won't get far."
Nagato said coldly, issuing the order to Zetsu.
"Understood."
"I'll wait for you in Kirigakure."
Zetsu agreed immediately and slowly sank into the ground.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Obito returned once more to Konoha.
The failure of the last Nine-Tails plan—failing to completely cripple Konoha's fighting strength—left him deeply unsatisfied.
Although Minato Namikaze had died fighting the Nine-Tails, his wife Uzumaki Kushina and their child seemed to still be alive.
"A family should be complete, Sensei."
"Don't worry—once I find your wife and child, I'll send them down to reunite with you…"
Standing atop a large tree on Konoha's rear mountain, Obito gazed down at the sprawling Hidden Leaf Village beneath the blood moon, muttering to himself with narrowed eyes.
Then his gaze shifted toward the village outskirts.
Because of the Nine-Tails incident, the Uchiha clan had been forced to relocate their compound to the edge of the village.
This might be the perfect force to exploit for further weakening Konoha's overall strength.
With that thought, Obito's figure slowly faded into the air.
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