60 Chapter 60 - A Woman With Walls

Facing Konan finally, Jin sighed and said, "Sorry about that. Didn't expect that guy to show up the moment I arrived."

"I don't mind," Konan quietly replied.

Resting his hands in the pockets of his black athletic pants, Jin asked, "Hmm… If you don't mind me asking, do you only care about Nagato among the Akatsuki?"

Fingers twitching as though wanting to mold hand signs, Konan narrowed her eyes again.

"In case you didn't recall, I do know about a good portion of your lives, albeit from a distant perspective. I wouldn't say that I'd side with that guy in his current state, but you on the other hand? Honestly, I respect your loyalty and care for your friends. It's a rare trait. I say all this in the hope that you can trust me a little since we'll probably have to work together a lot in the future. Considering what I know, I don't expect you to fully trust me right away, but hopefully that will change. Since I know a lot about your life already, I'll answer questions about myself if you have any."

Konan just stared at him without saying anything.

"If you don't want to ask me anything right now, then are you okay with starting that mission?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Konan nodded.

Receiving some affirmation, Jin checked the mission details again since he wasn't able to check them more thoroughly before.

{Tutorial Mission #4 will now begin. Mission requirements are as follows:}

{1. Eliminate tribe of Taahkaa cultists before they can enact a mass sacrifice to Taahkaa. Location: Somewhere between Land of Rain and Land of Fire.}

{2. Admin must destroy the Corruption Totem in the camp.}

{3. Mission Duration: 168 Hours}

{Mission Rewards: 100 RP, Bronze Lottery Ticket; Additional 1 RP per innocent life saved.}

{Additional Notes: Admin must return to homeworld within 7 days after mission completion. Next Tutorial Mission will begin 24 hours after return.}

Once both Jin and Konan finished reading the details, Jin frowned, and Konan glanced at him without much change in expression.

"...This is very different from the other three," Konan mumbled.

"Yeah… It does seem like the missions changed depending on who I did the mission with," Jin thoughtfully replied. In a way, this mission suited the Shinobi world better than the others. Looking back, each mission seemed to fit in to not only the people he was with, but also the world the mission took place in itself. Then, looking at Konan, he asked, "How good are you at scouting?"

In response, Konan formed a few hand signs that looked like a blur to Jin's eyes before holding out several paper butterflies.

"Do those relay information back to you?"

Konan nodded.

"In that case, do you mind taking care of that? Scouting large swaths of land isn't my forte."

Rather than reply, Konan answered with action. Her paper butterflies silently fluttered off into the distance.

"Thanks."

"...You're welcome."

"..."

"..."

"Anything to pass the time while we wait?" Jin asked due to the awkward silence. Normally, he wouldn't mind, but the woman's amber eyes piercing through him without a trace of emotion made him slightly uncomfortable.

"...Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"Follow me."

From there, Konan led him a little ways through the muddy surroundings until they reached a cobbled road. Along the way, Jin decided to attempt some level of conversation with the quiet woman who obviously kept walls up around him.

"Since you're here with me, did you already tell Nagato about my visit?"

The woman halted briefly, but then started walking again. Without looking at Jin, she slowly answered, "...No. I wanted to make sure you were not a threat first. This is a clone."

"Huh. Gotcha… Wouldn't a clone be less durable if we encounter strong enemies later?"

"...Maybe, but I can't leave his side."

'I didn't notice it was a clone. Do all clones have life force like this? It did feel a bit dimmer than I expected from her, but it's still surprising.'

"I understand. So, what did you determine, then?"

"I don't know yet," Konan answered, unaware of his thoughts.

"I see. Well, hopefully, we can get along in the future."

Konan looked over at him, but didn't say anything.

Since the young woman obviously wasn't much of a conversationalist, Jin decided to only talk a little bit here and there. However, he still deigned to mention, "By the way, I wouldn't be surprised if Zetsu tells Nagato about my arrival."

"He might…" Konan agreed. Then, she glanced at Jin and asked, "You know his name?"

"I know a lot of things."

"I see."

"As a side note, do you plan to wear that robe everywhere? I know it might be special, but it's really attention-grabbing."

Konan finally showed some more emotion by avoiding Jin's gaze and pouting slightly. Jin barely noticed it over the tall rim of her cloak's collar since he was taller than her. She started walking a bit faster after that.

…

Later, a young man and woman walked toward the gates of a small town located on the very edges of the Land of Rain territory. The two of them wore similar outfits.

The purple-haired young man wore black athletic pants, a gray t-shirt, and a black windbreaker. He also carried a backpack so as to look less suspicious.

The blue-haired woman next to him looked maybe a couple years older than him, but for some reason, she wore an almost identical outfit. The biggest differences on the woman were some kunai slots on the pants and the noticeable bulges on her chest.

Jin couldn't help glancing at the tight fit of the fully-zipped-up jacket around her upper torso once or twice since the cloak she normally wore hid so much in contrast. It legitimately shocked him more than any form of magic did. This garnered a sharp glare from the young woman, however.

"Why did you use a henge with the same outfit as me?" Jin asked out of curiosity.

"...I don't wear normal clothes often," Konan quietly answered. Then, cheeks slightly red, she said, "...Don't stare."

Shrugging, Jin replied, "What can I say? I've always had a good taste in clothing, and you're definitely making it look better than I do."

Shifting uncomfortably due to his words, she silently turned her head away. Without saying anything else, she led him into the small town.