My jaw throbbed.
I did not expect the unassuming origami figure to actually be able to harm me.
I was wrong.
"So what is it you suggest we do then?" I asked.
Konan raised her chin and glared at me. "We will attack their base—and you will not fight."
I pivoted toward the smirking Yahiko. "And you agree with this?"
He scoffed. "Of course I do!"
A deep exhale slipped past my lips. "I think you both misunderstood what I meant." I rubbed my aching jaw. "Like I said, the remaining kunoichi isn't that tough… I'm certain you would be able to defeat her."
Konan's glare lessened. "Then why did you try to leave us behind again?"
I retreated back a few steps.
"A hostile kunoichi isn't the only thing that awaits us in there," I said studying them carefully.
Will they really be able to handle it?
"The things I've seen in that man's head..."
If I could tear Koruzan Kageyama's soul apart another hundred times, it still would not be enough.
"I would prefer it if I could spare you from those sights."
The earth shook as Yahiko slammed his foot into the ground.
"That's exactly it!"
His brown eyes burned as they met mine. "For the last time, we don't want you to spare us from anything! You—"
His speech cut off as Konan placed a hand on his shoulder.
The expression she wore as she rounded on me me was no less intense than his.
"Nagato… you asked us if we would stand by your side in that terrible future you spoke of… and back then, I said yes."
My breath caught in my throat.
"But, if you keep on doing this… if you keep on treating us like this… then my answer is no." Her voice firmed. "If you want us to be a team, then you need to act like it too."
For a silent moment, I did not respond.
My gaze shifted between the two of them as my thoughts raced.
They did not budge.
"Does it really mean that much to you?" I asked.
"Yes," Yahiko said.
His voice overlapped with Konan's as she gave the same answer.
"Alright then." My shoulders loosened slightly. "I will not coddle you any longer."
The stern faces that had stared me down so fiercely before were quickly replaced by a set of matching grins.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Yahiko shouted as he punched upward into the air.
"You won't regret this," Konan added, her amber eyes softening.
Their joy was infectious.
"I've never regretted anything when it comes to you two."
The smile that had risen on my face dimmed
"However… don't get too excited just yet." My gaze shifted into the direction of the enemy base. "The hardest part is yet to come."
Despite knowing that they were there, the Mind's Eye was still unable to detect any chakra signature from within it.
My brows furrowed slightly as I turned toward Konan.
"Are you sure you don't want my aid during the fight?… There is no shame in accepting help."
The stare that bore into me in response was as dry as the Suna Desert.
I chuckled lightly.
"Walked right into that one, didn't I?"
"We need to do this alone, Nagato," Yahiko said. "We don't have any battle experience yet—you said it yourself." He planted his feet. "This is our chance to change that."
"In that case," I said, my head turning back to Konan. "Tell me your plan."
My eyes fixed themselves on the blue rose resting on her head.
"How do you intend to fight this battle?"
——————
Yahiko's pulse thundered in his ears.
Nagato had not been exaggerating when he said the enemy base was out in the middle of nowhere.
Grey walls and no windows.
Against the surrounding landscape, the building was barely visible.
"The door is open," Nagato said.
After he took a moment to steel his nerves, Yahiko pushed open the door and strode inside with his fists raised high.
His muscles were saturated with as much chakra as he could channel through them.
Konan followed closely behind him, the origami rose hovering beside her head.
"Wait," Nagato whispered as he silently closed the door behind them.
The interior of the buildings was like nothing Yahiko had ever seen before. The narrow hallway they had stepped into stretched far enough to separate the entire base into two sectors. Four doors lined each wall, illuminated by a dim lightbulb flickering on the ceiling.
"I can sense her."
Yahiko tensed as he cast a glance back at his ripple-eyed friend.
"She is behind that door," Nagato added, pointing down the hallway toward the very last door. "Every other room is empty."
Konan walked beside him as they crossed the spotless floor. Like the walls and ceiling above, it was colored pure white.
"What about the children?" she asked quietly. "Where are they?"
Their advance halted as Nagato answered.
"They're trapped in the Basement."
His voice was low.
"Worry about them later. For now, taking out that woman is the most important thing."
Yahiko's expression hardened as he marched past his friends toward the door Nagato had pointed to.
A firm hand on his shoulder slowed him down. He spun around and met the amber eyes of the girl behind him.
After returning the nod she gave him, he pushed the door open.
"Is that you, 56?… You sure made me wait this time around."
Sitting down on a cushioned chair—with her back turned—lounged their target.
In contrast to the hallway outside, the well-furnished living room that unfolded before them was brightly lit by a gilded chandelier.
"Oh my… and who might you children be?"
While he was preoccupied assessing their surroundings, the woman had risen up from her seat and circled around it to face them.
Gifted with kind green eyes and silky black hair, she was undoubtedly beautiful.
When her eyes met his, Yahiko shivered. A sudden jolt ran through his body like lightning.
"Just take a look at yourselves! You poor little things… you're all so dirty!"
The smile that curved her red lips was as mesmerizing as it was inviting.
"Don't act shy now, you can come closer… I promise to take good care of you."
The corners of Yahiko's mouth inched upward as he longed to return the stunning smile directed at him.
What a nice woman.
How could they have ever thought of her as an enemy?
Yahiko shook his head and stepped forward.
In his peripheral vision, Konan did the same.
"Stop!"
A tight grip on their shoulders pulled them both back.
"Don't be deceived."
Nagato's tone was harsh.
"That woman is a monster."
Yahiko's eyes widened as the mist that had clouded his mind ever since his eyes met the woman's green gaze dispelled.
Her smile was not inviting at all— it was hungry.
"You're quiet the rude little man, aren't you?" the woman chuckled. "First you barged into my home… and now you're calling me names, too?"
She clicked her tongue.
"Whatever I did to deserve such treatment?"
Her red dress stretched as she reached out to the table next to her.
"Naughty boys like you…"
She grabbed a handful of needle-like metal sticks —arrayed next to a featureless white mask.
"Need to be punished!"
Yahiko jerked backward as she threw the senbon at them with pinpoint accuracy.
Before the sharp projectiles could come close to hitting them, they halted midair.
"Don't be scared!" Nagato called. "Cheap tricks like this are all she's capable of."
The needles shot past their heads and landed in Nagato's outstretched hand.
Yahiko nodded sharply and raised his fists back up.
He would not be tricked again.
"What did you just say, yo—"
The woman's speech cut off as she tilted her head to the side— just in time to avoid the paper rose Konan had shot at her.
Not one to be outdone, Yahiko lunged forward and crosses the space between them in a single leap, striking at the woman's stomach.
She caught his fist in her palm before it could land.
A smirk tugged on his lips as a loud crack echoed out from her wrist.
"How di—"
Her head snapped forward—struck from behind by Konan's hardened origami figure.
Yahiko did not waste the opening his partner had created.
His free fist lashed out and impacted against the woman's chest with the same force he had used to punch holes into a mountain.
The grip on his other hand vanished as their opponent shot backward and crashed against the closet on the opposite side of the room with a thundering boom.
Far from defeated, the kunoichi spat out a mouthful of blood and straightened back up.
"Did you really think this would be enough—"
Her green eyes bulged as a small paper lance pierced her throat, nailing her neck to the wooden closet behind her.
"Yes!" Nagato exclaimed loudly, undisguised relief suffusing his voice.
Yahiko spun to face the girl standing behind him.
Konan's expression was carved from ice as she lowered her outstretched hand.
He ignored the sound of his enemy choking on her own blood and quickly closed the distance between them to place his hand on her shoulder.
Meanwhile, Nagato jogged past them both toward the dying kunoichi.
"Are you alright?" Yahiko asked quietly, examining her carefully.
Her expressionless mask cracked.
She was shaking like a leaf.
Yahiko gently squeezed down on her shoulder and reached out with his chakra to connect with hers using Ninshu.
Slowly, the trembling eased away.
The gurgling stopped as Nagato joined them shortly after and pulled Konan into a tight hug.
"I am so proud of you," he whispered. "I had no idea you could already do so much with your paper."
He released the flushed girl and pivoted toward Yahiko.
The ginger-haired boy's eyes widened as two strong arms wrapped around him.
"That was awesome, Yahiko. When did you get this strong?"
Nagato drew his head back and stared at him with gleaming purple eyes. Pride was etched onto every line on his face.
"I knew you were training hard… but this?"
Yahiko was at a loss for words as his gaze followed Nagatos retreating form.
The redheads smile was as wide as he had ever seen it, even as fresh blood dripped from his hands.
"Unfortunately, however, I'm afraid you both were a bit… overeager."
"W-what…what do you mean?" Konans asked.
Her voice steadied gradually as her brows furrowed.
"You said she had die."
Nagato nodded, his features twisting into a grimace. "And she does… just… not right now."
His eyes shifted to the side.
Following his line of sight, Yahiko was met with the image of an unconscious woman lying bound on the floor.
Her hands and legs were tied together, and a thick cloth was wrapped around her neck.
"I will need her later," Nagato's continued, his tone darkening.
Yahiko inclined his head as the redhead walked past them and forcefully pushed the table to the side.
His actions revealed a trapdoor.
The boy's expression collapsed as he crouched down and glanced back at them over his shoulder.
"For what comes next… you both need to be strong."
He let out a deep breath.
"This is the real reason why I didn't want you to come."
——————-
As soon as I opened the hidden door, a rush of stale air hit my face.
I flinched backward and suppressed a cough.
The smell was terrible.
And it was only going to get worse from here.
I steeled my nerves and gestured for the others to follow behind me as I lowered myself down into the hole.
A flight of stairs formed a steep path into the dark underground.
The basement was huge.
Easily bigger than the entire building above. Rows upon rows of prison-like cells lined the walls— made barely visible by a single flickering light bulb attached to the ceiling.
Koruzan's memories had told me that not so long ago, each of those cells was occupied by either war orphans or kidnapped children from nearby villages.
Most of them had already been taken by his superiors. Now, only three of them remained.
And of those three, only two were still alive.
"What… what is this?"
I angled my head toward Konan.
Her hands were crossed over her mouth, her eyes bulging.
She and Yahiko stood frozen behind me at the bottom of the stairs.
The older boy's eyes first remained fixed on the concrete floor. Then he clenched his fists and peered into the empty cells.
"This is the Basement," I answered. "It's where they kept their victims… They're not shinobi from a village like we first thoug—"
"Please… let me go."
A weak voice called out.
It was the boy whose chakra signature I had sensed the day before. Unlike the older girl in the cell next to him, the only injury that visibly marred his body was a black eye.
Still, his clothes were torn apart, and his appearance was disheveled. The young boy lifted his head and locked his gaze with mine.
Once they met, his brown eyes widened.
There was recognition shining in them.
"You… you're the Crimson Orphan!"
What the hell did he just call me?
Awoken by the boy's shout, the girl in the neighboring cell similarly raised her head and stared at me with sunken blue eyes.
Her expression was guarded. Healed scars and fresh cuts marked her pale skin.
They were barely covered by her stained clothes.
Yahiko rushed forward to the girl's cell and grabbed onto the metal bars. With a heave of effort, he pulled on them until they were just far enough apart for his body to fit through.
He quickly slipped inside and lowered himself into the direction of the cowering girl.
"The shinobi are gone! You're safe now!"
His movements froze when she flinched away from his touch.
"Yahiko!" I called out. "Don't!"
I turned toward Konan, who had similarly followed the exchange between Yahiko and the prisoner.
"This is a lot, I know, but—"
She cut me off with a firm nod.
"I understand."
I was surprised to find that I believed her.
She strode past me and entered the blonde girl's cell. Once inside, she crouched down and reached out her hand like Yahiko had done before.
The boy retreated backward and joined me in silent observation.
At first, the other girls eyes were wide and uncomprehending.
Then—when Konan did nothing but smile softly at her—the tears began to flow.
She lunged forward and collapsed into my friend's arms.
"Can we go home now?"
My eyes snapped back to the young boy still inside his cell. He had crawled forward and was pressing his face against the metal bars.
Like Yahiko had done earlier, I pulled them apart. The abducted child stared up at me with unblinking eyes.
"Yes. It is time to go home."
I hunkered down and smiled gently at him.
"When you next open your eyes, everything will be better. I promise."
I formed a single-hand seal and caught the falling boy before he could collide with the floor.
Just like Koruzan's memories had taught me to, I had cast a Genjutsu to induce unconsciousness.
The child's small body was light as a feather in my arms as I carried him out of his cell.
With as much care as I could manage, I lowered him down to the ground and entered the neighbouring cell—where the girl was still sobbing in Konan's arms.
Yahiko's shoulders trembled, thick tears streaking down his cheeks.
I really wish they did not have to see this.
Hand seals formed, and the girl's body went slack too.
"Nagato… what… what do we do?" Konan asked, her voice shaky.
Instead of responding, I channeled the Nakara Path and summoned King Yama into the hallway outside the cell.
"We will take them back to their home village." I crouched down and lifted the unconscious girl out of Konan's arms. "But first, they need healing."
I cast a steady glance at my companions.
"Will you help me?"
Once we were finished storing the two limp bodies into the King of Hell, the towering head sunk back down into the ground.
Not only would King Yama heal them, but they would also be kept safe within the timeless dimension until I summoned them again.
"What about… him?" Yahiko asked quietly, pointing toward the last occupied cell.
The corpse of a young man was lying on its floor.
"He is the reason why the Kunoichi up there isn't dead yet," I said, ripping apart my second set of bars.
"What do you mean?" Konan asked as I lifted up the dead body and turned toward them.
"Come… you'll understand soon," I answered.
My knees nearly buckled as we finally left the putrid basement air behind us and arrived back in the living room.
The Kunoichi's unconscious form had not moved from where I left her lying on the floor.
I bridged the space between us with long strides and placed the boy's corpse next to her.
"Nagato… what are you doing?" Yahiko asked.
I rested my hand on the woman's bare arm and met the boy's eyes evenly. Neither of my two companions had moved since they climbed out of the trapdoor.
"You're acting strange," Konan added, concern written clearly on her face.
"There is something I didn't tell you about the Rinnegan… Something as miraculous as it is dangerous."
My purple eyes gleamed.
"Watch carefully."
The Kunoichi's life force entered my body—and the Outer Path roared to life.
"Rinne Tensei!"