Chapter 160: Training to death.

"...what? Shimura Danzo...? ...Hokage...?"

The three girls looked down at the ground as they felt a strong pressure of chakra emanating from Toru's body. Okaminaru also felt that chakra very closely. Toru's gaze shadowed and the light in his eyes became present. The X inside his eyes gave a little twist.

"That's what we heard. Konoha right now is in the process of rebuilding. The Feudal Lord of the Fire Country made his decision" (Ajisai).

Toru kept looking at the ground for a second. He rethought all his actions so far. 'I'm sure I killed him, I incinerated him, I destroyed him, there was nothing left of him, I killed Shimura Danzo, I killed that bastard, why is he still alive!' But soon his eyes calmed down and the shigan disappeared, replaced by those dull silver eyes. The memory of Nagato's death came to his mind and he sighed. 'It's true... Nagato revived all the victims, but I don't understand. There was nothing left of Danzo's body. Then how?'

The girls looked at their master, who was overthinking. They had already given all the little information they had gathered, so they expected some words of thanks from Toru. However...

"Team Ajisai, I want you to go out there and investigate everything you can. Everything about the Kages, about Konoha and the current state of the world. I don't want you to miss anything. I need all that information."

"Understood x3

"Ha~" he touched his head painfully. He could no longer see these lovely girls' faces, but he could still feel what expressions they were putting on. "Before they depart, I need to prepare a few things for them. If you are going to get information of that magnitude, you need to be protected. So take this" From his cloak, he pulled out a small parchment. "In a life or death situation, you will use this scroll. It is a reverse summoning jutsu, which will cause you to summon me in front of you if you use it. Keep that in mind" He also took out some cards.

"What is this, Toru-sama?"(Suiren).

"It's like the jutsu I gifted you a year ago. On these cards are different defensive jutsu. They are not very effective because my affinity is only fire and wind, but they have defensive jutsu of earth and water, also lightning that will serve you to protect yourself and flee. Use them properly".

"We appreciate your concern, Toru-sama" (Ajisai).

"We will use these when necessary. We will not waste them" (Suiren).

"I wanted a shirt worn by Toru-sama" (Fuyo).

The latter had nothing to do with the matter, but Fuyo felt like saying it to lighten the heavy atmosphere that had formed. Still, he only received angry looks from Suiren and Ajisai. On the other hand, Toru ignored the comment, as he had other things on his mind.

"If this is all you had to inform me, I thank you, but there is no time left. So go at once. When all this is over, you will be promoted to Jounin."

The girls were secretly excited by this, but acted serious in front of Toru. With all this finished, they all joined hands together in the form of a seal and disappeared enveloped in small clouds of smoke.

At the same time, Okaminaru, who had been silent while everything was happening so fast, looked at Toru and moved closer to him.

"What will you do now?"

"I have plans for you too."

"Really? What's it all about?"

"All this week, until when the Kages conclude their meeting, we will be training. I need to get stronger if I want to avoid being killed by Madara and to accomplish my one goal."

"I see, that sounds like fun. If that guy, what was his name again, Danzo? If that guy is still alive, that means your revenge is still on."

"Forget that. We have to start right away."

Toru walked ahead of Okaminaru, heading to the center of the lake. He looked at her as the Kodō Shigan once again activated in his gaze and the water beneath his feet caused small ripples that no one could see.

"But there is something I have to tell you. This training will be different from the others. In previous trainings, we used our jutsu in general while holding back our strength so as not to hurt each other. That won't happen this time. This time we will use everything we have, absolutely everything. We will not hold back. It will be a duel to the death, whoever leaves the other on the verge of death will be the victor. We cannot eat or sleep until that happens. So, this time, I want you to fight with everything you have."

"What, are you serious! That's super dangerous! You're much stronger than me! Plus I can't hurt my friends! That's something a man wouldn't do!"

'Friends...' Toru's gaze softened for a moment. He closed his eyes and then looked back at Okaminaru. "You consider me your friend?"

"Oh... well... I suppose I do. It's been three years since I met you, that's quite a long time, too long."

(Author's note: Toru and Okaminaru are the same age, 16 years old. And yes, Toru can't see like a normal person. Now that his eyes "died" he only has the Shigan left, with which, despite being blind, he can still see the lines of death. In addition, the perception of chakra senjutsu helps him even more).

"I see..." He loosened his scarf a bit. "Then, as my friend that you are, help me to be stronger."

Okaminaru's eyes lit up. 'This is what real men do? Brotherhood... togetherness... alliance... support each other...' A smile formed on her mouth. "In that case, I can't refuse. It will be a duel to the death."

Toru bowed. "I thank you..."

But certainly this attitude on Toru's part was rarer than usual. He was more understanding than before, more gentle and kind. She wondered, what happened to him? The answer is simple. Yesterday, Toru acted strangely and got too close to Konan and, so to speak, he was a little... strange. He seemed to have his emotions more unstable than usual, when he has almost always been able to carry his confused emotions like a pro. Now that was different. Something had changed him, maybe it was everything he had to live through in just a month, but it's not over yet.

Today is the first day of training...

-The next day...-

Drops of blood fell and the boy's tired gasps mingled with the rain. He had blood on his face and clothes, in addition to the water that had drenched him completely.

They were facing each other, but both were full of very deep wounds that prevented them from continuing their training. In the end, just at dawn...

Both of them...

Fainted on their feet.

All of Amegakure witnessed that legendary duel between beast and man. The entire village trembled from the collisions of the blows of both sides. Momentarily the village was illuminated, as if a star had appeared out of nowhere in the middle of everything, but it was also filled with strange silver lightning that covered the sky and the ground, as if a storm had hit the village.

The water was rising high, the buildings were shuddering. The villagers were afraid to look directly at what was happening. The stores were closed and everyone hid in their homes.

***

Konan was not present because she was watching over the lifeless bodies of Nagato and Yahiko, showing her respect and praying for them to have a safe trip to paradise... or hell....

After she had finished praying for the whole night, she went to one of the rooms in the place to use the bathroom. She washed her face and then the mirror shook. She felt an electric current run through the metal walls and the air temperature suddenly rose.

"They've been like this all night..."

She remembered the night two days ago and touched her lips.

"What was I thinking?" She erased that thought from her mind and walked out of the building to see how much wreckage the duel between the she-wolf and Toru caused.

When she came out and saw the lake, her eyes widened in shock. The wolf and Toru were there, standing there, but... they both had terrible injuries, they seemed to be on the verge of death, so she quickly went to their aid.

"Uh..." Finally the wind did its job and pushed Toru gently forward, making him fall face first into the water.

Before he sank into the water, Konan took Toru in her arms and looked at his pulse.

"God... his pulse is so weak, how reckless can you be?"

She carried the boy in her arms and looked at the she-wolf. She was looking at the ground, she was unconscious, but in better condition than Toru. So she reached over and touched her forehead to the she-wolf's.

*Puff* by injecting chakra into Okaminaru, Konan made the summoning jutsu nullify. So, with the she-wolf back home, she went inside the building to heal Toru.

***

She laid Toru down on the floor. She removed his scarf and cloak, finally tearing his shirt.

"Claw marks and bite marks..."

She touched Toru's wounds gently and felt sorry for him. Going to such an extreme to get more strength was too much. He couldn't even bear it, as he ended up in this state in the end.

"What would Jiraiya-sensei say if he saw you like this..." Of course, she knew about Jiraiya's connection to Toru.

That old man was the sensei of Asahi Kyoko, Toru's mother, so that question arose based on that. That man, on his deathbed, seemed to regret many things. Will Toru also regret the things he lived through if he dies...?

She felt a pressure in her heart. All those emotions she once felt, somehow Toru was bringing them back.

"If you die I will feel guilty."

Some sheets of paper fell off Konan's body and began to cover Toru's wounds. She then placed her hand on the largest wound and it began to glow green. She frowned a little when she saw Toru moaning from the pain.

The boy slowly opened his eyes.

"Hm... na-...."

"Don't move, I'm dressing your wounds" Konan concentrated on what she was doing.

Toru was seriously injured, if she hadn't arrived, the boy would surely have died. So, in a way, Toru owed Konan his life.

He looked up at the ceiling as he waited. His whole body ached, for his battle against Okaminaru was too savage. That was when he realized that the she-wolf was strongest when she fought for real.

"What happened to Okaminaru?"

"I forced her back to where she came from."

"I understand... Okamitsuki is surely already helping Okaminaru."

"Stop talking. The wound on your abdomen will heal faster if you do."

"It's okay."

-Territory of the Ōkami clan-

*Puff* The cloud of smoke appeared among all the wolves. When the smoke dispersed, Okaminaru was shown severely injured. All the wolves alerted the leader of the pack, so she soon appeared. Seeing her daughter seriously injured, she frowned and her eyes flashed with anger. The atmosphere became heavy and she approached Okaminaru.

"Okaminaru..." To her good fortune, she was still breathing. So she sighed in relief. She quickly licked her daughter's wounds and they slowly began to close. This made Okaminaru's eyes widen. "What happened?"

She had just woken up, but she already had her mother asking her questions. She lay back and relaxed as the wounds slowly heal.

"Duel to the death..."

Okamitsuki looked curious at these words. A duel to the death is something that is respected among wolf clans. So, if Okaminaru has survived, that means....

"I see. did you win?"

"Fufufu..."

She began to laugh. She remembered the battle she had against Toru as a legendary event that would never happen again. They both gave everything they had. Both used the Sennin Mōdo, both used every jutsu they had, left destruction at their feet. It was all spectacular, so much so that the passion for fighting inside Okaminaru was ignited, and left her eager for a rematch.

"What's the matter, my child, what's so funny?" She too smiled at the sight of her daughter. A beautiful memory from her youth came to her mind. It turns out that she fell in love with Okaminaru's father in the middle of a duel to the death. Well, for something like that to happen is quite strange, but it was a bizarre love that came from the lust for power of two young wolves.

She saw that in her daughter.

"It's just... no one won. We both lost... Hahaha."

And this response just made this mother feel happy for her daughter.

"You had a lot of fun, didn't you?"

"Like never in my life."

"Good, then get some rest. Let your wounds heal" She turned her back to him and with a smile nodded her head. 'So you're finally acting like a real female, Okaminaru...'

-Amegakure-

"I'm surprised they didn't destroy the village" she said as she concentrated on bandaging Toru's wounded body.

"We delimited the combat zone so as not to cause havoc. It was difficult to stay within the combat zone, but that helped us control ourselves better in tight spaces."

"I see..."

"However, we need to work more on the power of our jutsus. During the power clash with Okaminaru, we didn't take into account the shockwave that would cause. So, in my opinion, we should try to suppress those power blasts. In fact, we could use the power of the shockwaves to launch another strike, being able to use it repeatedly..."

"I understand..."

"But eventually, the blows will cease to be effective, since, according to the laws of thermodynamics..."

"Okay..."

"This energy will not be infinite..."

"Yes..."

"Because of this..." Toru paused for a second, looking at Konan, who at that moment stopped bandaging him. She had remained silent, as if she was waiting for this boy to finish speaking. This caused Toru to become silent as well. "Ha~..." He lowered his gaze. "Forget it..."

She continued to bandage Toru's wounds. Everything looked pretty bad, there was still blood coming out of the wounds that had barely closed, but the boy has managed to save himself from death.

"With this, you'll just have to rest a bit, so the wounds will close faster."

"Ok..."

Toru looked away and finally fell silent.

"You'll have to wait to train again, but try not to overdo it."

"Ok..."

"If you move too sharply, the wounds will reopen."

"Ok..."

Konan grabbed Toru by the head and forced him to look at her.

"Did you hear what I said?"

Toru's eyes looked away, avoiding Konan's direct gaze. "Yes..."

At last, she realized what was happening. She looked down at the ground and lowered her hands, touching Toru's shoulders. She was dealing with a teenager, after all. This made her sigh wearily and she shook her head.

Yes, a moment ago, she ignored all of Toru's words, but when he did the same, she realized how she saw herself in this situation.

In the end she just got up from the ground in the direction of the exit and said, "Forget it..."

-The next day-

Although Toru's wounds healed in a few hours after sleeping, Okaminaru still had a few wounds from the last duel, but this training is not over yet. So they both decided to go back to continue this.

"Are you ready, Toru-dono?"

"I am. Come here."

He waved his hand at Okaminaru, which caused her to smile excitedly, then launch into the attack.

***

From the highest building, Konan watched the duel that was about to resume. The wind was strong and the rain, as always, was present in the atmosphere. Suddenly, a loud rumble shook everything. Toru and Okaminaru exchanged blows and the shock waves did their work. She was able to see this in the front row. In just the first blow. Blood splattered and from Toru's head began to drip blood, the same thing happened to Okaminaru, whose fangs flew out from the strong punch he received in the muzzle.

He frowned at this display of power.

She didn't know if this was her imagination, but she felt that rumble louder than the last time. Everything shook harder, as if both wolf and man had increased their strength as they were on the verge of extinction of their short lives.

Boom! Boom! Electricity, wind, fire, chakra elements collided with each other. The display of power this time was a little bigger than last time and this impressed Konan. This was not like that last time, something changed in them and this fight confirmed it. Everything continued that way for some hours, until the final result was the same as two days ago. Toru was left in front of Okaminaru, about to die.

This, however, was somewhat strange to Toru. There was something odd this time, but he had a feeling in his body that somehow felt familiar. He felt lighter, and as his consciousness faded into thin air, as his eyes closed, a voice resulted in his mind.

[¿#$*^¥○□₩?]

What was it that voice said? That voice was so familiar to him... What was it this time? That voice somehow... 'I've heard it before...'

He fell face first into the water and then felt some softness touching his body. However, he was so tired that he simply played it down.

***

When he opened his eyes again, he felt something soft under his head and Konan was looking down on him from above. She was using her lap as a pillow for Toru. His wounds were covered with paper and had also completely closed.

"I'm early this time."

Toru heard these words a little confused. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Again, the duel resulted in a draw, but that was always the way it was because of Okaminaru's stamina. In the past they had trained similarly, but not to the brink of death.

"Thank you. Is Okaminaru all right?"

"I guess he is."

"I see..."

He closed his eyes again, not caring if he was using Konan's lap as a pillow and remembered the voice that spoke to him as he faded away. What was that voice? He could be sure he had heard that voice before, but it was strange, he couldn't remember it.

Without realizing it, he had fallen asleep again. This left Konan a little worried as she didn't know what to do to get Toru off her back.

"Hm..." Toru's hair was a bit messy. So she touched it with her hands and fixed it up a bit. Mostly, Toru's bangs covered a bit of his face, but if she fixed it this way it would be more comfortable for his field of vision. Somehow, though, it felt good to stroke this boy's hair. It was quite soft and warm. A slight smile formed on her face and she stroked Toru's head.

"How rare you are, Asahi Toru."

She felt that she had already been through this. Even though Nagato and Yahiko are gone, at least Toru served to fill that void they left behind. Yes, you can consider this as a cruel and selfish act, but in this world, the worst thing Konan could imagine is complete loneliness. So, until this boy manages to find his way....

She might...

Maybe...

"Get some rest" Her body scattered around the room in sheets of paper, leaving under Toru's head a paper pillow. "That's good..."

-The next day-

"You didn't have to do this" A little away from her, Toru saw Konan standing next to Okaminaru.

"I have to train as well. I have to be ready for when Madara comes back. I just took advantage of the situation" (Konan).

"Are you sure you're going to resist, human woman?" (Okaminaru).

She did not answer this question. It had already been four days since this all started, so wasting the opportunity to become stronger wasn't going to pass her by. With suspicions that Madara still hasn't returned, it's only a matter of time before all the bad falls on her shoulders. Although she felt insecure knowing about the maximum potential Toru reaches, she shook her head and raised her guard.

"Nothing will happen. My body has been forged from the pain of the world."

Seeing Konan so determined, he scratched her head to finally accept the situation. Toru ultimately owed this woman a lot, so he could go about returning all the favors in this training.

Finally, he placed one of his hands behind his back and extended the other forward.

"Go ahead."

He provoked Okaminaru and Konan, so that the latter would attack. This made Okaminaru smile, who completely forgot about the human woman and used all the strength in her hind legs to propel herself to where Toru. Boom! Konan was hit by the shockwave, due to it pushing her backwards. Boom! Again, another shockwave pushed her backwards.

She dropped her arms on her shoulders as she saw that both of them had crimson eyes. Toru had a serious expression on his face, while Okaminaru was smiling excitedly about the battle. Konan felt overwhelmed watching them fight. They were too much...

'Nothing to worry about' She shook her head and on her back, the wings of an angel were formed out of paper. She stretched out her hands and began to soar into the air.

"Human woman..."

"Konan...?"

They both looked up at the sky and then, the little sunlight that was barely entering through the small holes between the clouds, was compromised by the giant paper hands that formed.

Toru ignored Okaminaru and immediately leaped into the air to reach Konan.

'Toru-dono...' She sensed something strange. He didn't take a second to turn his attention to that woman. 'This was supposed to be our duel to the death... you said so yourself... for a week... no food, no sleep... just the two of us...' Her ears drooped as did her fluffy tail.

Okaminaru watched as Toru appeared in front of Konan. She used her paper hands to crush him, but that wasn't enough to defeat Toru's senjutsu. For he, with one kick, scattered half of the paper. However, this was only a trap.

"You have improved a lot, Konan."

"Same here... Toru..."

Toru's eyes widened at the mention of his name, but he didn't have time to be distracted, as Konan used the scattering paper, making each sheet of paper stick to Toru's body.

"Physical strength isn't everything," she said.

Then, Toru saw that all the sheets of paper were actually explosive seals that were already about to detonate. His eyes widened again in shock at Konan's cold stare, but then... a slight comfortable smile formed on both of their mouths.

"How interesting..." He closed his eyes and then...

BOOM!

"Toru-dono!" Okaminaru saw Toru explode into the air, but she had no way to get up there. So she could only see the cloud of smoke that formed. Though after a second, when the rain dispersed the smoke, she saw something that made her make an annoyed face.

"Then I win," he said.

This made Konan feel something strange. They were both close again, as Toru had appeared in front of her, grabbing her waist and looking her in the eyes. However, how did Toru come out of the explosion? The answer is quite simple. It's all in the small burns the boy has on his body and clothes. He destroyed the explosive seals by imbuing his own body with Shakuton.

"You win..." she said. She closed her eyes and lowered her gaze. She remembered that night, where she drank some alcohol together with him... it was... strange... what was she thinking? That question rephrased itself in her mind again.

And to all this, Toru just nodded his head as Konan made the paper return to her body. At the same time, they were also descending.

"It was pretty good, but I guess it's a jutsu that consumes quite a bit of chakra. Can't you float something other than paper? I've always wondered about that. Or is the ninjutsu itself your kekkei genkai?"

"It is my kekkei genkai."

"I see. It was interesting to train with you again after so long."

"Yes..."

At the same time as these two, despite having landed, were still quite close together, Okaminaru watched this with a frown and a shadowed look. She was completely ignored. In fact, it looked like a vein was swelling her forehead.

"Grrrrrrrrr..."

She bared her fangs causing Toru and Konan to instantly break apart as they realized the position they were in.

"Toru-dono..."

"Yes...?"

"Keep playing at ease with that human woman, I don't think you'll be needing me anymore!"

And after that, Okaminaru turned her back on them all and disappeared enveloped in a cloud of smoke. This left Toru and Konan looking at each other not knowing what to say. This all happened so fast, neither of them understood which fly bit Okaminaru. Still, after this, Konan looked forward and then looked at this boy, who had been staring at the place where Okaminaru disappeared.

She clenched her fist gently and shook her head.

'I don't think that's it...'

-Territory of the Ōkami clan-

Loud thuds against the ground were heard and made the ground tremble. Trees fell and all the wolves of the Ōkami clan crouched down, frightened by what their leader's daughter was doing. They looked at Okaminaru, punching the trees and destroying them with his jaw.

Soon, in view of the disaster that was forming, Okamitsuki appeared and confronted Okaminaru.

"What's wrong? You scare everyone if you come out of nowhere and start breaking everything you see" Okaminaru didn't respond and turned her back to her mother. This made her sigh tiredly. "So you've reached that stage of your life then, huh. Took you a while."

Okaminaru, who seemed to be chewing on something, stopped and turned her gaze slowly towards her mother.

"This isn't what you think... I'm a man, I'll never be at 'that stage' ever..."

"Okaminaru, the word 'man' is attributed to human males. You would know that well if you hadn't skipped Okamikase's general culture classes."

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Take that piece of wood off your fangs and let's go home. Let's have a little talk, it's been a long time since we've done that."

"Okay..."

***

"I'm a man, mom. I told you that."

"Asahi Toru is a man, you are a puppy who was spoiled by that man. Although he is nothing but a traumatized brat" She smiled as she remembered Toru's training.

"I told you what-!"

"Don't raise your voice at me, you spoiled brat. Would your father have wanted you to act that way? Would your father yell at his mother?"

"No..."

"Now you understand. Let's talk better, let's talk about 'that' problem you're having. Tell me what happened. I know it has to do with the brat."

Okaminaru, a bit shy, told him in detail what happened a few minutes ago with Toru and Konan.

"Pfff... Hahahahaha!"

"What are you laughing at, old woman!"

"Haha... ha~. You remind me so much of when I was young. Basically, you feel like someone else is invading your territory and it irritates you, doesn't it?"

"Territory? I don't get it..."

"We've talked about that. Then again, you never listen to me, but I guess it's a bad habit in our family. Though I never got to think 'that' would happen to you with a human."

"Just say it already."

"Well, I've told you before. We all go through that once a year. You know...when a she-wolf is in heat and looking for a male to satisfy that desire."

...

...

...

"..." Okaminaru remained silent. Her eyes widened slightly and then she approached the door of the giant tree that functioned as the pack leader's house. "Mom..."

"What's wrong, daughter...?

"... I... it can't be..."

"Well, it's normal at your age. I'm old now, so that doesn't affect me. I guess no male of our clan is strong enough for you, but with a human... no, more than that, with the brat..."

"Mom... shut up already..." She lay down on the ground and covered her face with her front paws. "Don't say anything else."

"How sensitive you are. But from now on, try not to throw yourself on the brat. He already has many females who are after him."

"I told you that's not so! I only have a lot of fun when I'm training seriously with Toru-dono! Besides, he's a human and then there's... there's that human female..." She dug her claws into the ground and breathed heavily as her crimson eyes glowed from the senjutsu. "That woman..."

Okamitsuki saw that her daughter is quite unstable at the moment. So, again she sighed wearily. "You'd better not accept the brat summoning you. I'll go in your place if necessary or old Okamikase could also go. Until then, you'd better rest until that feeling that has you like this subsides. It will be a few days, so you'd better sleep and eat a lot."

"Ha~. Okay..."

-Amegakure-

"That's never happened before..."

It was already late at night and, as expected, before going to sleep, Toru was watching the rain while eating and drinking from a small bowl of sake. His vision was completely dark, but he could still see the lines of death and feel the chakra in the air, so this could be considered "second sight".

Next to him, Konan held chopsticks as she ate some rice.

"Summoning beasts have conditions when being summoned, didn't you break any of the conditions?"

"Not that I know of."

"I see..." Toru ate his bowl of rice beside her. She looked at him and had been wondering this for a while now. "Those eyes... ever since Konoha, you always have them activated. Don't they consume a lot of chakra? I think that's not beneficial."

"My body is capable of storing large amounts of chakra and my eyes don't consume as much as a sharingan. I do it because then I can be more alert in case Madara comes back to finish the job."

"Humm... I understand..." She continued eating and then stopped short. "That doesn't make sense."

Hearing this, Toru stopped his hands and looked at the ground.

"Your eyes have been active since before you thought of leaving Akatsuki. So, there must be another reason. In other words, you just lied to me."

"I have no reason to lie. It's just as I said."

She looked him in the eye and something occurred to her. "I see. In any case, when you talk to me, you'll have to deactivate your dojutsu. If I'm being honest, your eyes are terrifying. The way they glow, they look like they're piercing my body and looking straight into my being."

"Really? I see..." Toru took another swig of sake and the small sound of a blade scraping against the ground echoed. Immediately thereafter, the light in his eyes faded. This left him completely blinded again.

Konan took advantage of this and left a paper clone next to Toru. At the same time, he pretended it didn't matter, to continue to hide the fact that he had gone blind. Konan put her food aside and sat down in front of the boy. He didn't seem to notice, as she reached out her hand and waved it in front of Toru's face, but out of nowhere, he continued eating without noticing that there was someone in front of him.

Konan's suspicions were being confirmed. So, silently, she put her hands on the ground and crawled silently until her face was quite close to Toru's face. Still, there was no reaction from the boy, for he didn't notice anything. So she moved closer to Toru's ear and whispered to him:

"Liar."

Toru's eyes became active again and the food fell out of his hands, the instant he tried to pull back. But she grabbed him by the wrists and threw him to the ground. Paper chains formed, leaving him bound and completely immobilized.

She broke away and sat down beside him.

"Tell me, how did it happen?"

"Ha~..."

"It's okay, if you don't want to."

"At least pass me a drink."

She frowned. "No more alcohol."

"How cruel of you..." He sighed and closed his eyes.

The paper chains disappeared and set Toru free. He sat back down and without looking Konan in the eyes, tried to tell how all this happened.

"I think it happened about a year ago, the overuse I had on the Shigan was affecting my eyesight. At first I just thought it was something like when your eyes get tired from looking at bright things for a long period of time, so I didn't think anything of it. However, as the days went by, it got worse. I tried to look for a solution, but I haven't found anything. A few minutes before Konoha is destroyed by Nagato's Shinra Tensei, my eyesight went completely dark" he approached the spilled food and with the chopsticks imbued with Shakuton burned what was wasted. "It's not that hard to understand. The same thing was happening to Itachi, only in my case, the process was much faster."

It took Konan a bit to think about this. She never realized that. It seems he was very good at hiding his own suffering, just like Itachi.

"And even with that difficulty, you can fight with such agility. I'm surprised."

"It's not that surprising compared to what Itachi used to do. Now that I know I'm the descendant of a strange guy from another world and the Uchiha clan, it's a little hard for me not to keep it in mind all the time."

"Another world?"

"I know, I don't think something like that is possible either" No, he knew that was possible, as the fact that he now lives in this world confirms it. After cleaning up, he lay down on the ground using his hands to support his head. "Anyway. I'll get some sleep. I'll see if I can summon Okaminaru tomorrow. After she left, she didn't accept my summoning."

"I understand. Good night."

"Yes. Good night."

-Two days later-

"It's not enough. You need to be faster! We shinobi must be quick and efficient!"

Boom! The water under her feet exploded. She looked down and listened to Toru's words. Being trained by a boy much younger than her was a bit awkward at first, but as time passed she got used to the feeling.

"Don't push me, I'm doing my best!"

She stretched out her arms and dozens of spears were created from the paper. Then she descended into the water and ran to where Toru was holding two paper kunais. The spears remained suspended in the air, but when Konan came in contact with Toru, they began to fall like a murderous rain.

All the spears stuck in the water and near Toru, at the same time, more paper spears formed in the sky.

Clang! Paper and daggers collided. Konan struggled against Toru with all her might. clang, click, clanc! She tried to pierce Toru's face with the kunais, but it was impossible if this boy was moving at absurd speeds.

"Shikigami no Mai: Bachi! [Shikigami Dance: Puncture]"

With no other option that would benefit her, she stepped back and extended her hands pointing at Toru. Instantly, the sheets of paper began to surround him, forming a sort of small tornado that lifted him high. However, he only looked through the sheets of paper as his eyes shone brightly.

"Shimikomaseru, Shakuton: Hi no karada [Imbuing, Burning Style: Body of Fire]"

The flames flared up, like a star in the midst of darkness. Toru's body was engulfed in flames and the sheets of paper disintegrated. A second after the light illuminated the place, the flames went out and Toru looked at Konan.

"That jutsu was amazing" He landed in the water and put the daggers away. He noticed Konan was breathing tired, so they might as well stop the training around here. "If you could transmit wind chakra to the paper, it would become sharper."

"Ha~... Controlling so much paper at the same time requires a lot of concentration. Use three types of jutsu at the same time, I have to stay focused if I want it to work."

"I understand. I think you gave me an idea for my next jutsu. I will take inspiration from your kekkei genkai to achieve what I want. Thank you."

"What's with all the thanks? I haven't done anything yet."

"Humm..." He folded his arms and touched his chin. "You've done a lot, actually. You've hidden the fact that Pain is gone from the village quite well. If anyone finds out about it, another civil war would break out and you don't want that, do you? So you should look for another leader in case you don't want to take over."

She drew the whole paper to her body and then looked at Toru.

"I know. Amegakure needs a leader, but I can't fill the void left by Pain."

Toru turned his back to her and tilted his head curiously. "Then I can do it. Obviously I won't be the leader of this village, but I can find someone who is perfect for the job. Just give me some time. It will be someone from here, from Amegakure."

Konan wasn't sure she trusted Toru's words. Strange things have been happening between the two of them in the past few days. One thing is for sure, they both know what is going on, but neither dares to talk about it.

"In that case, I'll try to look for someone too."

"Perfect. Then let's go back. You'll catch a cold if you keep going in the rain."

***

A few hours later, Konan returned from the basement, where the lifeless bodies of Nagato and Yahiko rested in peace. It was already a little late, but she decided that he would eat something, because she had exhausted all her energy and she had to recover it by eating.

So she took a plate with some cut apples to the observer.

"He should be there too."

When she got to the door, she opened it and stared at the boy, who was looking at the rain as usual, but there was something she always saw in him, something she could identify with. This boy, he seemed to be sad all the time, how could she know this? It's strange, but she just knows.

She knows... in her heart....

'Ha~.... Forget it' She said to herself shaking her head. "Do you want something to eat?" she sat down next to the boy and put down the plate of apples between the two of them.

"Sweet things aren't my thing. It is a fruit though, I can take it" he took the apple and popped it into his mouth.

Konan saw this and for a second looked intently at Toru's mouth, who bit into the apple and closed his eyes as he savored the sweetness of the fruit. She looked away at once. She realized that this kind of thing was happening to her very often. Occasionally she would look at Toru in a way that she was unfamiliar with. And this was beginning to annoy her.

She took a piece of apple and ate it while looking at the ground. Everything was very quiet around here, so she unconsciously tried to strike up a conversation.

"You..."

"Hm...?"

She forgot what she was going to say. So she used the first thing that came to her mind. She put the plate of apples in front of Toru and laid her head on the boy's lap.

"It's my turn to do this..."

Toru raised his eyebrows a little at this, but didn't turn her down. He took a piece of apple and brought it close to Konan's mouth.

"Say: Ah."

Konan realized too late what she had just done. Unwisely, she leaned back on Toru's lap and now this same boy was offering him a piece of apple. She looked away for a second and then looked Toru in the eyes again.

"Ah..." She opened her mouth and took the piece of apple with her lips. After that, she avoided looking Toru in the face. She didn't know what kind of expression she was putting on, but that didn't matter anymore. What's done is done. If at this moment she separated from Toru, everything would become awkward. Although, this situation is still quite awkward anyway. Shyly, she turned her gaze and her eyes met Toru's. 'What's with that expression?" she asked herself after seeing Toru smiling slightly.

'Is she sweet?" he tilted his head curiously.

"Yes..."

"I see, would you like more?"

"Yes..."

"Then say: Ah"

"Ah..."

Well, at the end of it all, she decided not to make a big deal out of the situation. Seeing that Toru was so relaxed, feeding her as if she were a child. Who's the adult here? Anyone watching them would wonder that. In the end, this scene ended up being relaxing for both woman and man. They both suffered and unconsciously try to heal each other's wounds.

***

"I've never seen her like this" The plate where the apples were already empty and Konan slept with her head on Toru's lap. He looked at her curiously and stroked her hair gently. "This feeling is very familiar to me" he closed his eyes and continued. At this moment, he had a certain feeling that arose deep in his chest. It was pleasant, one of the few feelings that did not cause Toru suffering. However, the relaxed expression he had a few seconds ago disappeared, and was replaced by a serious expression. 'Early tomorrow morning, the Kages should arrive in the Iron Country for their meeting. Danzo will be there. I must prepare for my revenge to be carried out... heh... how hypocritical that sounded. Team Ajisai should be back in a few hours. I just hope they arrive safely, otherwise that valuable information will be gone forever' His gaze was colder than usual and in his eyes showed the light of death.

Although he also thought it would be a pity, as he won't be able to see the suffering face Danzo will make.

"This time I won't let you go. I will make sure that this time you won't revive again" He looked at Konan and closed his eyes again. "Maybe I should leave her like this for a while longer."

To be continued...

____________________

This was quite a long chapter. So for the next one I will ask for 300 power stones.