Chapter 343

Two days later, on the southern coast of the Land of Hot Water.

It was a calm afternoon with perfect sunshine. Konan stood on the beach, gazing into the distance where the sea met the sky, watching several seagulls diving into the water like arrows, then soaring back up.

Splash! Splash! Waves crashed against the rocks, sending up sparkling white spray, while the ocean gently caressed the soft sand before reluctantly retreating.

Because her ninja sandals weren't waterproof, Konan felt the coolness seeping through her feet. She shifted her gaze away from the seagulls fighting over fish, and looked down beside her.

The waves had formed countless "wrinkles" in the sand, with shallow pools of water gathering in the gaps. A small fish was flopping around, and two tiny crabs scuttled sideways arrogantly.

Serene and peaceful were the only words Konan could think of to describe the scene before her.

Imagining the day when peace would finally arrive, even if the scene might be different, Konan hoped that all of the Land of Rain—and the entire ninja world—would share such tranquility. She couldn't help but let a smile cross her face, her usually cold eyes softening a little.

Bending down, she gently scooped up the stranded fish. Suddenly, a wave splashed over her, drenching her face. The water dripped from her cheeks as she froze, her expression and movement perfectly contrasting in harmony.

After a brief pause, Konan tossed the small fish back into the sea. She seemed unconcerned as she wiped her face with her sleeve, then looked toward the culprit—Shinji, who was training the three young ones in the ocean.

...

"Got it!"

On the water, Karin clenched her fist, barely able to contain her excitement. She pointed at Shinji, not far in front of her, "I caught you, Mr. Koro-sensei!"

Shinji looked down at the golden chain wrapped tightly around his right ankle, emerging from the water beneath him, his arms crossed.

Karin had always had the potential to learn the Adamantine Sealing Chains. In the original story, she only used it during the Fourth Ninja War when she was extremely anxious over Sasuke's injury.

This time, though, under the guidance of Shinji and Minato—both of whom were masters of the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques—Karin had managed to use the Adamantine Chains at her age. Though she was still unskilled and could only control a single chain, it was still a great achievement.

"Even Mr. Koro-sensei has times when he lets his guard down! You didn't notice when I fell, and hid the chain under the water out of your line of sight!"

"Karin, let's consider this possibility—maybe I allowed myself to be caught on purpose."

Karin was stunned, but before she could think it over, she suddenly felt an immense, irresistible force on the chain.

In the next moment, she was pulled rapidly toward Shinji, unable to control herself!

In an instant, she was dragged right in front of Shinji!

Holding her tightly with his left hand, Shinji bent his eyes in a smile. His right hand was already poised, ready to flick her forehead, and Karin instinctively closed her eyes.

However, the expected attack never came. Instead, a chill emanated in front of her. Opening her eyes, Karin saw an ice wall.

The ice wall separated her from Shinji while trapping his left hand. Recognizing this as Haku's Ice Release technique, Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness, Karin felt relieved.

"Nice, Haku!"

"Don't let your guard down, retreat, Karin!"

Haku, who had somehow maneuvered behind Shinji, formed seals with his right hand while giving a solemn reminder. Meanwhile, he threw several kunai with his left hand.

Shinji looked at the sea beneath his feet as it began to freeze, and then at the kunai flying toward him. He smiled slightly.

"A well-planned attack. This series of strikes would catch even a high-ranking jonin from a major village off guard. But..."

As he spoke, Shinji glanced up at Kimimaro, who was diving toward him with a grim expression, holding a black wakizashi above his head.

"This won't work on your teacher."

Thud! Clink, clink, clink! Shinji swiftly landed a heavy punch on Kimimaro's stomach, incapacitating him. In the next instant, he grabbed the wakizashi Kimimaro had dropped and effortlessly blocked the oncoming kunai.

"And now..."

Shinji looked towards Haku, but he suddenly rotated the wakizashi in his hand and stabbed downward at his feet.

It turned out that, while Shinji was dealing with Kimimaro, Haku had silently slipped beneath the ice under Shinji's feet. The Haku in front of him was merely a water clone.

...

Karin, holding her head, tears welling up, looked at Shinji with both grievance and anger.

"Karin, Mr. Koro-sensei held back. The ice wall and the frozen surface—Mr. Koro-sensei could have shattered them if he wanted to."

Haku spoke. Although he too had a bump on his head, he wasn't holding a grudge like Karin. As for Kimimaro, he was thoughtfully examining the wakizashi in his hand.

"Kimimaro, are you thinking that if you used your kekkei genkai, you could have blocked my punch and completed the attack?" Shinji asked.

Kimimaro shook his head. "No, even with my kekkei genkai, I couldn't have blocked Mr. Koro-sensei's punch. My bones aren't strong enough."

"Good to know. Anyway, I'm telling you not to use it and instead use a weapon for your own good. If you use that technique too often, you won't live past fifteen."

"What?!" Karin was taken aback and then looked at Kimimaro. "By the way, what kind of kekkei genkai does Kimimaro have?"

"It's just a useless technique. Calling it a kekkei genkai feels more like a curse," Kimimaro replied. But as soon as he finished, he felt a hand press down on his head.

"Try using that sword instead of your kekkei genkai. It's something I specifically made, and you'll find out its unique qualities later," Shinji said, smiling.

Kimimaro stared blankly at Shinji, momentarily lost in thought.

"Tch! Favoritism, giving a weapon only to Kimimaro."

Seeing Karin pout and look away, Shinji let go of Kimimaro and smiled. "Don't say that. Kimimaro needs a fitting weapon more than you two do. He's different."

Karin, well aware of this, chose not to dwell on it any further.

...

As Shinji and the three young ones wrapped up their training, chatting as they walked towards the shore, Konan shook herself from her distant memories, returning to her usual cold demeanor as she approached them.

"I need to ask you something," Konan said. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Shinji's attendant and Huang Quan were away, searching for the so-called immortal killer from Yugakure, leaving only her and Shinji. Perhaps...

"Ahh, after all that movement, I'm sweating. A soak would feel nice."

Ignoring her, Shinji's response sent a surge of irritation through Konan. This guy... Why was he so infuriating?

...

Inside the inn, Konan had been completely ignored by Shinji and treated as just another guest by the three young ones. After contemplating for a while, she made a decision.

That was to take advantage of the free hot spring. After all, Konan believed she wouldn't get anything from Shinji without paying some sort of price.

Alright, time to wash up first.

...

In the changing room, Konan undressed, convincing herself of something unnecessary.

Hiss—

Konan slid open the door between the changing room and the hot spring area. Under someone's silent gaze, she walked step by step to the washing area, turned her back, sat on a stool, and began her performance...

...

In Japanese culture, one must wash thoroughly before entering a hot spring, and enter completely naked—no towels allowed.

Naturally, manga drawn by Japanese artists adhered to these customs too.

Having washed herself, Konan, barefoot, made her way towards the mist-covered hot spring, unaware of a pair of sinful eyes watching her, nor of the trouble ahead.

Splash— Entering the water, Konan closed her eyes, leaned back, and let out a deep breath, starting to think about how to bring up her questions afterward.

Should she be direct? Would that make her seem too easy? As she pondered, Konan remembered that thunderstormy night—the warmth and absurdity of the cave...

Just as she unconsciously squeezed her legs together in embarrassment, Shinji, facing her, felt it necessary to remind her this wasn't the women's bath.

"Ahem."

Konan was startled by Shinji's cough.

Seeing her face turn red as she covered her chest, Shinji looked at her, speechless.

This woman... Could she really not tell men's and women's baths apart? Could she not see the big sign at the entrance?

"You... you bastard!"

"Why are you mad at me? Don't you know this is the men's bath?"

"What?" Konan froze, then quickly glanced around, "But I saw that young girl enter..."

"Young girl?"

Shinji caught on and pointed to the side.

"Are you talking about Haku? Sorry, but Haku is actually a boy. No need to worry—I threw him into the mixed bath next door when I saw you coming in."

"H-he's a boy?!"

Konan was dumbfounded, then clenched her fists, berating herself for not paying attention and entering the wrong bath. What should she do now?

"Why didn't you warn me?"

"Why would I?"

This retort left Konan at a loss.

She bit her lip, steeling herself.

She was already here, and now it was just the two of them. She might as well go all in!

Seeing Konan rise from the water with a dark face, stepping towards him, Shinji was truly scared for a moment!

...

"I want to know Uchiha Madara's true intentions..."

Konan, in a wheedling tone, spoke in a breathless voice, her back turned to Shinji.

"Does it really matter? If you truly care about that man with the circle eyes, it's better to worry about other things. If he changes his mind, I might just kill him."

"I won't allow that!"

Shinji shrugged, "Suit yourself, though you can't stop me. And I don't see why I should answer your question."

"But... haven't I paid the price already!"

"Don't you know I hate forced transactions?"

"You bastard! So what am I now..."

"A simple chat, perhaps?"

Konan turned to see Shinji's calm, indifferent face, and rage surged in her chest, unstoppable.

"You're despicable!"

"Apologies. My mistake. Shall we end it here?"

"No, don't..."

...

Lying on Shinji's chest afterward, Konan convinced herself that it was just a chat, denying she'd been taken advantage of, calming her breathing before speaking again.

"You... you knew all along, didn't you? What Uchiha Madara really wants, and Nagato too..."

"As I said, those things don't matter. To me, they're all the same—if they change their minds, I'll kill them."

"I said I wouldn't allow that!"

"Does it matter? Does saying you won't allow it have any real significance? Can you really stop it?"

Shinji stared at Konan with a teasing smile, and she bit her lip, her heart aching.

"Why are you so domineering? Do other people's lives mean nothing to you? What do you think of Nagato and the Akatsuki?"

"Yes, life is worthless to me. Or have you forgotten, I'm..."

Shinji tilted Konan's chin up. "... a real demon, fundamentally different from humans."

At that moment, Konan realized—this man wasn't human!

"But I'll give you a hint. I said if they change their minds, I'd kill them. Conversely, if they don't, I won't lay a finger on them. Even a demon keeps its word."

"Nagato won't change his mind! I know it!"

Shinji released her and leaned back against the hot spring's edge. "Hard to say."

"He won't!"

Konan leaned in closer, staring straight at Shinji.

"Well, we can talk about that later. For now... let's focus on chatting."

Seeing Shinji's mischievous smile, Konan's choice this time was to resist to the end!

No way, not without answers. No way!

Resist to the end! Absolutely!

...

Night fell outside the inn.

"So, what is Big Bro doing exactly?" Huang Quan asked Minato.

"Probably something important..." Minato gave an awkward smile, knowing full well what Shinji was up to but finding it difficult to put into words.

Seriously, why did you have to push it, junior sister?

"Let me go! Fight me one-on-one like a real man!" A head, detached from its body but still full of energy, kept shouting.

"Shut up!" Huang Quan snapped. This guy was indeed strange—being beheaded and still alive, even lively at that.