The sky over the Land of Rain was deep in the night. Kairen lay in Konan's arms, and the two of them quietly admired the moon.
Konan rubbed Kairen's hair and looked toward Jiraiya and Nagato, who were having a heart-to-heart nearby.
Konan gently pinched Kairen's cheek and said with heartfelt gratitude, "Kairen, thank you!"
Kairen smiled. "Don't forget what you promised me!"
Konan asked, "What do you want to do?"
Kairen hooked an arm around Konan's neck and pulled her closer.
What Kairen whispered made Konan's face turn bright red.
She kept pinching Kairen's shoulder and demanded,
"Y-you… were you just waiting for me to beg you?"
Kairen denied it. "How could that be? I'm such a kind person… how could my heart be so sinister? Do you know how much I paid to save Nagato?"
Konan's tone softened. "S-sorry, I shouldn't have doubted you! Did you give up your own lifespan?"
Kairen immediately started lying.
"Yeah! Nagato was already on the brink of death. To save him I had to use my lifespan. I paid sixty years to pull him back from the gates of hell."
Only then did Konan realize how serious it was. "So that means…"
Kairen held Konan's hand and said calmly,
"I can only live ten more years. So for the days ahead, can you always indulge me?"
Konan nodded firmly, tears shimmering in her eyes.
"I will. I'll stay with you the whole time. Don't worry—I'll definitely find a way to restore your lifespan."
Konan believed Kairen's nonsense. After all, Kairen had never revealed to her his ability to revive endlessly.
Kairen said with a face full of sincerity, "After everything I've done for you, it's not too much to ask you to move your lips a little, right?"
Konan felt a bit embarrassed, then thought of what Kairen had given up.
"O-okay… fine, fine, whatever you say."
Kairen burst out laughing and hugged Konan, planting a kiss on her.
In the future he should try today's method more often. No matter what woman it was, wouldn't she still be at his mercy?
...
Jiraiya and Nagato were talking from the heart, master and disciple speaking about the hardships of these years.
Jiraiya patted Nagato's shoulder. "I know everything now. I didn't expect your Rinnegan to have such a story behind it. If it's gone, then it's gone."
"Those who would wear the crown must bear its weight. Your personality is rather introverted. The mission imposed by the Rinnegan isn't something you could shoulder."
Nagato nodded. "By the way, Jiraiya-sensei, the mysterious person behind the Akatsuki is Uchiha Obito. Do you know him?"
Jiraiya was startled. "Uchiha Obito? Minato's student? Didn't he die in the Kannabi Bridge battle? How could he become the mastermind behind the Akatsuki?"
Nagato shook his head. "I don't know either."
Jiraiya felt puzzled. "This is getting stranger and stranger. Nagato, what do you plan to do from now on?"
Nagato looked at the bright moon, thinking to himself.
The reason he and Konan collected the tailed beasts was for peace in the shinobi world. Now that he had discovered that collecting the tailed beasts was a lie, he lost the drive.
Actually, Nagato wasn't that passionate about the ideal of peace. He had merely inherited Yahiko's last wish.
This time he had also come to his senses: peace in the shinobi world wasn't something he could pursue. He should honestly hand it over to others.
"I want to go out and take a walk, travel the shinobi world."
"Nagato, are you leaving the Rain Hidden Village?"
Nagato's words happened to be heard by Konan and Kairen. Konan held Kairen's hand and walked up to ask.
Nagato looked at Konan and Kairen holding hands. Even if he accepted their relationship in his heart, he still felt a little jealous.
But in the blink of an eye he let it go. For Konan's sake, Kairen had risked his life to save him. What right did he have to be jealous?
Nagato nodded. "I've been thinking this for a long time. My health has been bad these years, and my legs were paralyzed. I even delayed Konan's best years."
"Now, thanks to Kairen helping me recover my body, I want to take this chance to travel the shinobi world."
Jiraiya patted Nagato's shoulder.
"That's good too. Go out and see more, take in the sights of the shinobi world. Who knows—you might even run into a beauty! Hahaha…"
Jiraiya laughed like a wolf, making Nagato and Konan awkward.
Konan asked Nagato, "If you leave, what about the Rain Hidden Village?"
Nagato mocked himself. "I almost destroyed the Rain Hidden Village. The villagers definitely don't welcome me."
Konan explained, "Nagato—"
Nagato cut her off. "Konan, don't say it. From now on, leave the Rain Hidden Village to you. There may be some trouble afterward."
"The Four Great Nations will condemn us, but you have Kairen by your side. I believe he'll handle it well."
Nagato looked at Kairen, and Kairen nodded.
"Go with peace of mind. I'll take good care of Konan."
Nagato smiled. "You have the Tenseigan. Perhaps the heavy burden of peace in the shinobi world will have to be borne by you."
Nagato then glanced at the light screen in the sky.
Deidara was fighting Sasuke in a clash of lightning and fire, back and forth, thrilling to watch.
"When you have time, go save Deidara. This kid's head isn't quite right, but he's very sincere with people. Guide him a bit and he'll get back on the right path."
Kairen nodded. Since Deidara had wanted to help him deal with Kurotsuchi before, he ought to give him a hand.
Seeing that Nagato was about to begin his journey, Konan said,
"Help Yahiko be laid to rest. He should rest too."
Nagato nodded.
...
Soon the group arrived at the village. Even with Kairen's protection, the Rain Hidden Village still suffered ten percent damage to the ground.
Moreover, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was gone. Most likely it had been summoned back by Obito with the Rinnegan.
Kairen suggested, "Why don't the Land of Rain just merge into my country? That would also ease Konan's burden."
Nagato nodded. "That works. The Land of Rain lacks sunlight, and the Land of Wind lacks water. They complement each other perfectly."
Konan had no objections either.
Jiraiya had some, but he didn't say them out loud. After all, they still belonged to the Konoha camp.
Being able to stand together with Kairen now was also because of Nagato and Konan.
They found the bodies of the Six Paths of Pain. Kairen looked at the Animal Path—it was a man.
He suddenly thought of the second Animal Path—the loli path.
Her name was Ajisai, a very pretty little girl, suitable to enter the palace as a court lady.
He asked Konan, "Konan, is there a little girl in your village called Ajisai?"
Konan nodded. "Yes! A very hardworking girl. It's just a pity she died on a mission."
Kairen said "Oh." "Where is her body?"
Konan was puzzled. "What do you want to do?"
Kairen laughed awkwardly. "Nothing, nothing!"
He couldn't exactly say that he'd taken a fancy to the girl and wanted to turn her into an inflatable doll, could he?