Chapter 277: Konan, "Talk-no-Jutsu" Isn’t What You Think

As expected!

When Keiko mentioned Konan, Uchiha Akira wasn't surprised at all. After all, he had already suspected that Konan might eventually return to Konoha.

Now, Keiko's words only confirmed what he had anticipated.

"Hmm? Keiko, your mood seems a bit off. Could it be because of Konan?" Akira asked, stopping mid-step as he was about to walk inside. His tone was curious, clearly puzzled by Keiko's expression.

Keiko didn't respond directly, but her silence was enough to give an answer—it was indeed about Konan.

"Why?" Akira asked, his confusion deepening.

After all, he couldn't think of any reason for Keiko to dislike Konan. As far as he knew, there was no conflict between them. Why would she have an issue with her?

Hearing Akira's question, Keiko finally spoke up. "Because she hasn't treated you well, Master Akira."

"Oh, I see…" Akira's confusion faded, replaced by a quiet chuckle as understanding dawned on him.

It seemed Keiko genuinely cared about him and was viewing things from his perspective.

So, she disliked Konan simply because Konan hadn't been kind to him?

He couldn't help but find it amusing, yet entirely logical. As his personal attendant, it made perfect sense for Keiko to take his side in such matters.

"Alright, don't worry about it. You can get back to what you were doing," Akira said with a lighthearted smile, gesturing for her to go on, then turned to head inside.

Sure enough, as he entered, he spotted Konan sitting calmly, gazing up at the sky as the clouds drifted by. She looked quite peaceful, almost poetic.

"What's going on? Why the sudden contemplative mood? Went for a trip and ended up coming back anyway, huh?" Akira teased as he sat down beside her.

"Not really," Konan responded, turning her head slightly to glance at Akira before continuing, "I've just been thinking about a few things."

"Oh? What kind of things? Care to share?" Akira asked calmly.

"I've been reflecting on the information you told me earlier, trying to connect the dots and see if I can uncover any new leads. I've also been wondering why you let me leave so easily—and why you don't seem at all surprised that I've come back."

"Lastly," Konan added, her voice taking on a more serious tone, "I've been thinking about why, when you have the ability to foresee future events, you decided to use the Kotoamatsukami on Kakuzu of all people."

Akira's eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise at her words. "Oh? You've figured out that I used Kotoamatsukami on Kakuzu?"

It was certainly surprising. How had she realized that?

Whether she had truly deduced it or was just fishing for information, the fact that she brought it up meant she had her suspicions. Given that, there was no point in trying to deny it.

"So, it's true… You really did use Kotoamatsukami on Kakuzu," Konan murmured, taken aback. Although it had been merely a theory up until now, Akira's confirmation made her heart skip a beat.

Now, she knew for certain—he had indeed used Kotoamatsukami on Kakuzu.

"I always thought your greed for money was just a personal quirk," Konan mused. "Even though you like money, I've never seen you spend extravagantly. You seem more content with hoarding it."

"But… to use Kotoamatsukami on Kakuzu just because of that? I just can't wrap my head around it." Konan's confusion was evident. No matter how much she thought about it, it didn't make sense.

Sure, Akira was known for his love of money, but to waste such a powerful technique like Kotoamatsukami on Kakuzu simply for financial reasons? It seemed absurd.

Kakuzu wasn't even the strongest member of the Akatsuki, apart from his immortality. Why waste such a valuable ability on someone like him?

"You didn't come all the way back from the Akatsuki just to talk about this, did you?" Akira didn't answer her question directly, instead redirecting the conversation with his own question.

"No, I came back because I have nowhere else to go," Konan admitted with a sigh, shaking her head.

"Nowhere to go?" Akira was genuinely surprised this time.

Wasn't she one of the founders of the Akatsuki? And wasn't she particularly close with Nagato? If she returned to the Akatsuki, wouldn't Nagato be overjoyed to see her again?

Yet, here she was, saying she had no place to go?

"Nagato suspects that I've fallen under your Kotoamatsukami," Konan replied, glancing at Akira as she spoke.

That one simple sentence was enough to explain everything.

If Nagato already suspected that Konan had been influenced by Akira's Kotoamatsukami, it was only natural that he wouldn't trust her fully anymore.

So, it seemed Konan really had nowhere to go within the Akatsuki now.

"You're a Kage-level shinobi. You could go anywhere in the ninja world and be just fine," Akira pointed out, understanding her situation but still offering a possible alternative.

Konan glanced at him without responding.

Her silence made Akira chuckle softly.

He knew exactly what her silence meant. Yes, she could go anywhere in the ninja world, but that wasn't what she really wanted.

In truth, she still wanted to stay by his side, likely to find the answers to all the questions she still had.

"Nagato suspects you've fallen under Kotoamatsukami, so I assume he's not really trusting anything you say anymore?" Akira asked after a brief pause for thought.

"That's right," Konan nodded.

"Ah, I see. So, your talk-no-jutsu isn't all that effective, huh?" Akira sighed, shaking his head in mock sympathy.

He had originally hoped that Konan would be able to convince Nagato to see the truth.

After all, he had told Konan many of the hidden secrets of the Akatsuki. He figured if she went back and shared that information with Nagato, it might lead to Nagato changing his mind.

Maybe, just maybe, Nagato would realize that the Eye of the Moon Plan was just someone else's manipulation. If so, perhaps he would abandon the plan entirely.

If that happened, Akira would gladly sit back and watch the Akatsuki crumble from within, sparing him the effort of having to deal with them himself.

But now, it seemed Nagato didn't believe anything Konan said—he even suspected she was under Kotoamatsukami.

So, things weren't going to play out the way Akira had hoped.

He couldn't help but think it was a shame. In the end, it seemed Konan's ability to sway people with words wasn't quite as strong as Naruto's.

In the original story, Naruto and Nagato had been mortal enemies. Yet, after a single conversation, Naruto had managed to convince Nagato to turn on everything he had fought for, even sacrificing his life to use the Rinne Rebirth technique to bring back everyone he had killed in Konoha.

So, when it came down to it, Konan just didn't have the same level of persuasive power that Naruto had with his talk-no-jutsu.

"Talk-no-jutsu?" Konan blinked, looking at Akira in confusion, her expression completely baffled.

In the ninja world, there were many different types of techniques, beyond just the basic elemental releases. Konan was well aware of secret techniques like Dust Release, Crystal Release, Wood Release, and Ice Release.

But this "talk-no-jutsu" Akira mentioned? She had never heard of such a thing before.

Could it be some new type of release she wasn't aware of?

"It's nothing," Akira said with a wave of his hand, dismissing the topic. He had no intention of explaining further.

However, the more dismissive he was, the more intrigued Konan became. She couldn't shake the feeling that this "talk-no-jutsu" was something important.

After pondering for a moment, she seemed to come to a conclusion, and with a huff, she muttered, "You've got a dirty mind. My relationship with Nagato isn't what you're imagining."

"Huh? How did she get that idea?" Akira thought, now thoroughly amused.

Was this what thirty-something-year-old women thought about? It seemed Konan knew far more about these things than he did.

Akira didn't say anything, but the strange look on his face made his thoughts quite clear.

Seeing his expression, Konan realized she had misunderstood the situation. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"You were the one who brought up 'talk-no-jutsu' and then refused to explain it!" she protested, feeling slightly defensive.

It wasn't her fault for jumping to conclusions when Akira had been so cryptic!

Still, she hadn't expected to misunderstand things this badly.

"Who would've thought you were this kind of person, Konan!" Akira teased, unable to resist poking fun at her now.

"I'm in my thirties, it's normal for me to think that way! You're still just a kid, yet you act like you know everything—now that's strange!" Konan shot back without missing a beat.

"Well, I do have a girlfriend, you know. Of course, I'd know about these things. But you… single for so many years… tsk tsk…"

Before they knew it, the two of them were bantering back and forth like old friends.

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POWER STONE!!!

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