Chapter 49: Thunderous Clouds and Lightning Strikes

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At dusk, within the quiet room of Amegakure's high tower, Konan opened her eyes. She rested the back of her hand lightly on her forehead as fragmented memories of the previous night surfaced in her mind.

After a moment, she pulled back the covers and noticed that she was now dressed in a clean white robe.

Her orange eyes narrowed slightly. "Last night... I remember Naruto saying he would find a woman from the village to help, but I stopped him. After that..."

Sigh. Taking a deep breath, Konan sat up and began to tidy her appearance.

No woman dislikes looking her best, and even someone as cold and elegant as Konan was no exception. She applied a light purple eyeshadow and adorned her hair with a pale blue paper flower. As for the piercing beneath her lip, it was a keepsake from her coming-of-age ceremony.

Once her makeup was done, she got out of bed to change.

The white robe slipped off, which she folded neatly and placed into the wardrobe.

In front of the mirror, her graceful figure was fully revealed. Her fair skin glowed like pristine snow under the spring sun. Her taut abdomen bore a small navel ring—a secret even Nagato had never known.

Rustle.

She slipped into a backless fishnet top with a zipper, paired it with tight-fitting lavender pants, and draped over herself the black cloak embroidered with red clouds and white trim—the signature attire of the Akatsuki. She tied the Amegakure forehead protector around her right hip.

This was her usual outfit, practical for battle while embodying the ideals of the Akatsuki and her identity as a shinobi of the Hidden Rain.

When Konan stepped out of her room, Naruto was already waiting in the corridor, seemingly for some time.

Looking at his back, she asked, "You didn't sleep at all?"

Naruto nodded lightly before turning to face her. "Konan-nee, about last night... I'm sorry."

The apology stemmed from his belief that making Konan accompany him and his shadow clones in the rain all night had caused her to fall ill.

Konan lowered her gaze and said softly, "It's fine. You've had it harder than me."

Naruto didn't dwell on it. He smiled and said, "Let's go grab something to eat."

In the kitchen of Amegakure, a meal had already been prepared, with most of the dishes tailored to Naruto's taste.

Konan, accustomed to light vegetarian meals, only paired her food with grilled fish as the sole non-vegetarian option.

"I've gathered new intel. The Akatsuki is planning a series of major moves," Naruto said during the meal, sharing the information he had extracted from White Zetsu's mind.

Konan's beautiful eyes narrowed. "To think they would go to such lengths just to target you."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, Obito is a master strategist, adept at manipulating people's hearts. I have to admit, his plans hit right where it hurts."

"Also, we need to start building our own intelligence network."

"The Akatsuki has countless White Zetsu scattered across the shinobi world, monitoring every little movement."

Naruto's expression turned serious. "Honestly, it was pure luck that I caught wind of their plans this time. Otherwise, things could have gone very wrong."

"We can't keep going like this. If we don't act soon, we'll end up completely on the defensive. We need to get this done as quickly as possible."

Konan set down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and said firmly, "Leave this matter to me."

"Will it be difficult?" Naruto asked.

Konan replied, "Amegakure still has reserve shinobi who are separate from the Akatsuki. I plan to gather them and select suitable candidates."

Naruto nodded. "Good. If there are any promising talents among them, they can be trained and entrusted with important responsibilities."

After the meal, Naruto and Konan went to the seashore near Amegakure, where Kisame was resting shirtless on a coastal rock, clearly having just emerged from the water.

"Good work, Kisame. I'll assist with the next phase of operations."

Naruto stepped onto the water and formed hand seals.

Summoning Jutsu!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

White smoke rose as a variety of amphibious summoning creatures appeared—crabs, squids, crocodiles, turtles, octopuses, jellyfish, and even serpentine beasts.

Unlike their appearances in the realm of reincarnation, these creatures were now embedded with thick black rods, their eyes reflecting Naruto's Rinnegan.

The Animal Path's enhanced summoning technique allowed these creatures to retain their primal instincts and combat skills while acting under Naruto's chakra. Furthermore, they shared their vision with him.

Naruto specifically instructed Kisame, "When you exhaust your chakra underwater, you can replenish it through them. Absorb as much as you need without worrying about my reserves."

"Understood. This will make things much easier for me," Kisame said as he stood, merged with Samehada once more, and dove back into the sea.

Konan remarked, "The Rinnegan's summoned creatures act using the caster's chakra. Normally, their range is limited. However, depending on the situation, they can operate in two modes. You can allocate chakra to them in advance, allowing them to act independently regardless of distance. But once that chakra is depleted, they'll stop moving."

Naruto nodded. "Makes sense. After all, they're technically already dead. For now, we'll use the second mode since there's still much to do."

He clasped his hands together and distributed chakra proportionally to each summoning creature via the black rods.

Once finished, he waved his hand, sending the creatures into the sea.

"Are you heading out?" Konan asked.

"Yeah. The Akatsuki's major moves mean we need to accelerate our plans. Before Orochimaru returns, I need to wrap up some unfinished business."

Konan stepped forward voluntarily. Naruto placed his left hand on her shoulder and activated the Flying Raijin.

"Let's go—to Kumogakure."

Swish!

In an instant, they arrived at the base of Thunder Mountain, where Kumogakure was located.

However, Naruto didn't head up the mountain immediately. Instead, he went to a nearby location.

From White Zetsu's memories, he had learned that the Akatsuki had successfully hunted the Eight-Tails, and Killer Bee had met a grim fate.

Killer Bee had been one of Naruto's acquaintances in his past life. They had shared many pleasant times together.

The Thundercloud Gorge remained unchanged, but the carefree figure rapping offbeat lyrics was gone forever.

At the peak of the gorge, Naruto placed a paper flower, removed his mask, and closed his eyes in silent mourning.

"Bee-san... Without a doubt, my return disrupted the flow of history, indirectly leading to your demise."

"For that, I truly feel regret."

Naruto gazed at the drifting clouds in the sky, his expression somber and resolute.

"But even after witnessing that hellish future, I can no longer naively promise to save everyone this time."

"I will keep moving forward, following my own path, unwaveringly!"

"In the future, others will inevitably fall on this path because of me, either directly or indirectly."

"I don't know if this is right or wrong, but it's the only choice I can make now."

Naruto wasn't being cold-hearted; he had simply witnessed too many deaths—people falling like ants before his eyes. Having faced the overwhelming power of that clan, he understood that naïveté would only lead to more casualties.

Konan watched Naruto's back, knowing only she understood the immense burden this weathered young man carried on his shoulders.

At this moment, she felt a genuine desire to witness his journey to the end and follow him to the very last.

After the mourning, Naruto put his mask back on, his aura shifting back to one of deadly resolve.

With a firm tone, he declared, "Inform Kumogakure: Either prepare what I want, or prepare for an all-out war. At midnight tonight, the Akatsuki will pay them a visit!"