Two glaring pairs of eyes fixed themselves on me.
I shuffled in place slightly, clearing my throat to answer the girls' questions.
"I've been keeping an eye on the nearby village," I said. "The one where that woman's child was kidnapped from. It clearly wasn't the first time that happened, so I've been checking up on them from time to time."
My voice lowered.
"And when it happened again... I caught it. I rushed toward the village earlier today just in time to sense the shinobi leave with one of their children. Naturally, I followed th-"
"You did what?"
My speech cut off as Yahiko's strained voice echoed across the cave.
He crossed the space between us with heavy steps, glowering down at me with burning brown eyes.
He came to a stoop before me, close enough that I could see the tension in his clenched jaw.
"You followed the shinobi?" he said. "Without telling us?"
I blinked.
Why is he angry?
"Why wouldn't I?" I asked. "They were leaving fast. There wasn't enough time for me to both go after them—while they were still within range—and come all the way out here to get you first."
The air between us seemed to grow colder as Konan shook her head.
"Yahiko is right," she said. "Why is this the first time we're hearing about this? You should've told us sooner, Nagato… we could've helped you!"
My lips parted slightly as I studied her expression.
"I didn't think it was worth mentioning," I said slowly. "You were both so busy with training… the thought just didn't occur to me."
Yahiko looked away, his knuckles whitening as he balled his hands into fists.
I had never seen him make an face like that before.
"Telling us," he whispered. "Didn't even cross your mind."
Konan marched toward me with a stony expression.
"You put yourself in danger," she said. "Even though you were the one who said it was too early for us to do anything about the shinobi."
Her voice faltered as she stared at me.
"Why would you do something so reckless?"
My brows furrowed as I retreated a few steps, widening the distance they had closed between us.
This conversation had taken a turn I did not expect.
"Why are you so upset?" I asked. "I'm telling you now, am I not?"
I paused, searching for the right words to diffuse the situation.
"Nothing dangerous happened. All I did was keep the Mind's Eye open—looking out for anything unusual—and then follow them from miles away... Nobody knew I was even there."
Yahiko unclenched his hands and turned away from me fully.
I glanced at Konan, gauging her expression.
A small crease appeared between her brows.
"You need to trust us more."
I stifled a groan, running a hand through my hair as I met her gaze.
"How can you say that?" I asked. "I trusted you with the Rinnegan. With my plans for the future. With the history of my clan and family!"
My jaw tightened.
"Do you expect me to tell you every little thing I get up to?"
Telling them would've just stressed them out for no reason.
"That's different, Nagato, and you know it." Konan said, leaning forward.
"You said you want us to stand by your side… but then you do things like this."
Her amber eyes gleamed with scorching intensity.
"What if the shinobi had discovered you? What if you were attacked?"
I paused, the tension draining from my shoulders as I processed her words.
"I will tell you next time," I said. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Konan's frown deepened.
"What happened after you followed them?" Yahiko asked, taking a seat on the nearest crate. "Where did they go? Is the child okay?"
I blinked.
Is that a yes?
"I found their hideout," I said. "A small building out in the middle of nowhere."
It was no wonder they had managed to stay unnoticed for so long.
"Nobody entered, nor left, after the shinobi carried the child inside, so I can't say for certain how the kid is doing."
My eyes narrowed as the memory of my failed attempts to senses past the concrete walls surfaced.
"Their chakra signatures disappeared as soon as they entered the building."
Konan's gaze sharpened.
"And you're sure it was a shinobi?" she asked.
"Yes." I nodded. "They moved too too fast for either civilians or bandits. They used chakra reinforcement. I'm sure of it."
Konan mirrored Yahiko and sat down on her own personal crate.
The one she used to store her paper and finished origami figure.
"We need to save that child," she proclaimed.
I nodded, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes.
Glad we're finally on the same page.
"I agree," I said. "That's why I'm going to assault their base tomorrow. The building wasn't too big…In order for them to lock away the child, store supplies, and house himself."
My voice steadied.
"It's unlikely there's more than one other accomplice hidden away in there…. I can take them."
Yahiko perked up, gripping onto the edge of the wooden crate.
"I'm coming with you," he called out. "I'm ready!"
"So will I," Konan added.
My brows raised as I studied them carefully.
There's no way I'm letting them fight.
"I don't mind taking you with me," I said. "If nothing else, I'm sure you'll at least be able to run away."
My expression hardened.
"As long as you understand that those enemy shinobi will not hesitate to kill us—and that I will not hesitate to kill them in return."
I paused.
"Can you say the same?"
Yahiko's gaze sharpened.
"Yes."
I shot Konan a glance.
Unlike Yahiko, she had remained silent.
"You don't have to force yourself," I said.
My voice softened.
"If this is too much—"
"No," she cut in. "I will not let you go by yourselves. No matter what."
My head tilted to as I held her amber gaze.
She did not look away, nor did she blink.
I nodded, a faint smile tugging on my lips.
"That's settled then," I said, strolling toward my own resting ground. "Be prepared… we'll head out first thing in the morning."
I stilled, a loud bark dragged my attention downward.
The small dog, who had remained silent until now, stared up at me with intelligent eyes.
His silver tail wagged furiously.
"Inu… don't tell me," I muttered. "You want to come too?"
———-
Konan snapped open her eyes, raising her upper body into a seated position.
As always, she'd waited a few hours to make sure the others had fallen asleep.
Like Nagato taught her, she bridged the time by cultivating her chakra, entering a meditative state that allowed the hours to fly past.
Konan swept a quick glance across the cave and then quietly rose to her feet.
Her companions were lying motionlessly on their beds.
The thick clouds outside allowed not even a single ray of natural light to enter their home.
As a result, they'd made it a policy to always keep at least one lamp on, even while they slept.
Konan padded across the floor, slowly approaching the sleeping Nagato.
She stopped an arm's length away from him.
A faint crease formed between her brows as she studied his face.
He looks younger when he's sleeping.
She traced the boys' pale features with her eyes.
His hair framed his head like a crimson halo, mouth slightly agape.
"I want you by my side."
"I will not hesitate to kill them."
Konan exhaled soundlessly and crouched down.
She carefully reached out and brushed a lone strand of hair away from the boy's lips.
A light chuckle escaped her when he didn't as much as twitch in response to her touch.
He really is a heavy sleeper.
She pivoted away from her friend and took note of the chakra flowing through her body like a calm stream.
Her control over it had advanced by leaps and bounds since she first learned how to circulate chakra all those months ago.
With the level of mastery she now possessed over the mystical energy, applying the principle of water walking to glide across the floor—without making a single sound—was a simple matter.
Certainly much easier than the many hours she'd poured into learning how to use the falling rain as a prop in her dance routines.
Warmth bloomed in her chest as she recalled the treasured memory.
Something flickered at the edge of her vision
Konan froze—
then turned her head to the side, watching warily as Yahiko shifted in his sleep.
A low snore rumbled from the boy's prone body.
She suppressed a sigh and shook her head.
Did he really catch me doing this before? He was always asleep when I checked… Why did he not say anything?
A shadow crossed her face as a harsh voice resurfaced in her mind.
Just because you're still stuck in the past doesn't mean everyone else!
She gritted her teeth.
Stuck in the past… Is that really what he thinks of me?… After all we've been through together?
Her amber eyes remained fixed on the sleeping boy.
She was torn out of her thoughts by a light poke against her leg.
Her gaze dropped and was met by a pair of gleaming gold eyes.
A small smile tugged at her lips as she crouched down to scratch Inu behind his ears.
The dog's tongue rolled out of his mouth.
"I'm impressed," she whispered. "This is the first time I didn't have to wake you up for our training sessions… does that mean you're almost done with whatever the Rinnegan is doing to you?"
The dog nodded rapidly, his eyes widening with excitement.
Konan had gotten to know the small dog well enough over the past few months to know—without a shred of doubt—that he understood her words perfectly.
He had always been far smarter than any dog had any right to be, and the Animal Path had only added to that startling intelligence.
Her smile brightened.
"Let's get to it then," she said quietly. "The others won't know what hit them."
The two of them separated as she took a seat on her workplace, Inu trotting over to the adjacent wall.
She cast him a sidelong glance, right on time to see his paws stick to the jagged surface—
and then snap backward.
He's come far from when he first asked me to stick my paper to his nose… but he's still not quite there yet.
With ease born from hundreds of hours of repetition, Konan exerted her will over her chakra in preparation for the following task.
She retrieved a piece of paper from the pile stacked before her and folded it in half.
That simple motion was the first step in the creation of most of her origami.
While she worked, she continuously infused a steady stream of her chakra into the blue paper.
Her heartbeat quickened as she finished her artwork.
She briefly closed her eyes, steadily herself.
Please… work this time.
I need you to work.
Now!
She cast her undivided attention onto the motionless origami figure before her.
Her chakra surged in accordance with her will as she raised her arm.
In a dimly lit cave with only a single girl and her canine friend as witnesses—
a blue rose ascended into the air.
——-
"I thought we already went over this?" I said, dragging a hand across my face.
"You can't come with us, Inu! My answer is the same as it was yesterday."
"Woof!"
"You still aren't ready yet. It's too dangerous for you."
"Woof!"
I exhaled as the dog lowered his head to the floor and closed his jaw around his favourite pipe.
He growled fiercely, lunging toward me with his body reinforced to the brim with chakra.
I avoided the clumsy attack with a simple step to the side.
His eyes narrowed as he swung at me again.
I didn't avoid it this time.
Instead, I raised my chakra reinforcement to match—
and then surpass his own by a large margin.
With a jerk of my hand, I ripped the pipe out of the dog's mouth.
"I said no."
My voice lowered.
"You aren't ready. And you know it too!"
A whine burst out of the small dog as he tucked his tail between his legs, gaze falling to the ground.
I exhaled again.
Just as I reached out to comfort him, Konan stepped forward.
"It's okay, Nagato," she said softly. "I got this… You go on ahead."
She glanced at me.
"Yahiko has been waiting for a while. I bet he's feeling very impatient out there by now."
I nodded slowly, searching the girl's face.
A paper rose was resting on her head, the deep blue shade matching her hair color.
Instead of leaving immediately, my gaze lingered as she crouched down and whispered something into Inus's ear, a faint smile curving her lips.
They've grown rather close lately.
I tilted my head.
I bet there's some kind of story there.
With one last look back at the unlikely duo, I pivoted and stepped out of the cave entrance toward the ginger-haired boy.
He was beating his boots against the sodden earth.
"You might want to save your strength for a more worthy opponent," I said, chuckling quietly. "I'm sure there will be enough excitement for all of us later."
Yahiko snapped his gaze toward me.
"Nagato…" he muttered. "We're really doing this, huh?… We're going to fight real shinobi today."
I suppressed a grimace.
There's no way I'm letting them fight.
"Indeed we are," I said. "Why? Already having second thoughts?"
He snorted.
"There's no way that could be the case!" he called out, hiding his trembling hands in his sleeves.
"It's the opposite—I'm excited! I can't wait to finally put these shinobi in their place and make them regret messing with our country!"
I smiled at the boy's bravado.
"That's good to hear," I said. "Make sure to keep that energy up for the rest of the day, alright?"
"Are we waiting for something?" Konan asked, approaching us with steady steps.
"Not anymore" I said, gaze settling on her.
I cleared my throat, taking them both in.
"However, before we leave, there is something I need to say," I continued.
The corners of my mouth lifted.
"Less than a year ago, the two of you didn't even know what chakra really was… and now, you're prepared to fight shinobi—willing to risk your life in order to save a stranger."
My expression softened.
"And I couldn't be prouder."
Yahiko punched my shoulder, refusing to meet my eyes as a noticeable blush rose to his cheeks.
"You don't have to say it like that," he muttered. "That you're proud of us… we're not your kids! I keep telling you I'm the oldest here!"
My smile brightened as I watched them.
"That may be so… but you are my students," I said. "And because of that, I took what you said yesterday to heart."
Konan perked up, spinning toward me.
The blue rose twitched.
"I should not have kept this from you," I went on. "You were right to be angry. We are a team. And from now… I will do my best to include you in everything I do."
I hesitated.
"On the condition that it's somethings dangerous."
Konan's smile was blinding as she held my gaze.
"Now that that's out of the way," I added. "It's time to go."
I turned my back on the duo, throwing them a quick glance over my shoulder.
A smirk tugged at my lips as chakra filled my muscles to the limit.
"Try to keep up."