Chapter 534: Konan
Kenichi sealed the cave entrance with mud.
There was no need to look anymore.
He already knew the outcome.
He slowly regulated his breathing, steadying his heartbeat.
He did not know whether this Konoha ninja squad had any sensory ninja, so he could only be as careful as possible.
After all, he currently had no chakra.
Kenichi also did not know what Otsutsuki Isshiki's genjutsu was trying to convey.
He found Otsutsuki Isshiki's thoughts somewhat incomprehensible.
"Ugh."
A cry of pain sounded outside.
Kenichi closed his eyes.
He knew that the female ninja outside must have died.
In the Shinobi World, as long as there was war, people would die.
The ninja, who were exalted in the eyes of ordinary people, had now also died in this forest.
Kenichi leaned against the door behind him, pondering how to break free from this genjutsu.
Otsutsuki Isshiki's construction of this genjutsu was very interesting.
At the very least, Kenichi had not found any particularly obvious flaws yet.
Had the Konoha ninja outside the cave left?
They should have been three ninja acting together.
Where was the other ninja?
Would the other party discover his hiding place?
What exactly did that female ninja want to protect?
Kenichi did not know.
He tried to force himself to calm down.
But when he closed his eyes, his mind seemed filled with the father and son who had turned to charcoal, as well as the ninja whose shoulder had been pierced.
"Am I afraid of death?"
Kenichi touched his chest.
His heart was beating violently.
Kenichi licked his lips.
He was afraid of death.
No, to be precise, Otsutsuki Isshiki at that time was afraid of death.
He had not expected the exalted Otsutsuki Clan to also fear death.
This was truly rare.
Kenichi patiently waited for a while, and the sounds outside slowly faded away.
The cave was quiet.
No.
Kenichi looked around.
The cave was indeed quiet, but there was a faint sound of crying outside.
Kenichi pushed aside the mud and glanced outside through the hole.
A small figure was lying on the dead female ninja.
Blood was flowing from the ninja's chest.
The forest was quiet, and only the child's sobbing could be heard.
Kenichi's gaze sharpened.
This child had light blue purple hair.
It looked strange, but also caught the eye.
A name suddenly appeared in Kenichi's mind.
Konan.
There were many hair colors in the Shinobi World.
Kenichi had black hair, but he had also seen other hair colors.
However, this girl's hair color was truly a first for him.
This unique color was almost her best identification.
"Konan? I only know that she was indeed an orphan from Amegakure, but I really don't know how she became an orphan."
Kenichi looked at Konan, who was crying outside, and scratched his head.
When she lifted her head and wiped her swollen eyes, he completely confirmed her identity.
It was indeed Konan.
The Konan who would later wander with Yahiko, take in Nagato, and together form the Akatsuki.
Regarding Konan, what had left the deepest impression on Kenichi was her six hundred billion explosive tags.
Those things were very expensive.
Six hundred billion tags!
Kenichi wondered how Konan had managed it.
Even if Kakuzu were completely squeezed dry, he probably could not afford six hundred billion explosive tags.
Kenichi hesitated a little.
In reality, Nagato and Konan were already together, even discussing marriage.
Kenichi did not know the situation of Konan appearing in this genjutsu.
Could Konan be the key factor to breaking this genjutsu?
Now seemed like a good opportunity.
But if he interfered, would Konan still meet Yahiko?
Kenichi hesitated for a moment.
Then he saw Konan wipe her swollen eyes and laboriously drag the female ninja's body, seemingly wanting to bury her mother.
At this moment, he seemed to see that little girl dragging her dead younger brother home.
War had replayed this scene in the Shinobi World.
And it might have replayed countless times.
Kenichi had not seen them, but that did not mean they had never happened.
Kenichi sighed.
He carefully opened the door, holding the Black Rod in his hand, and walked out step by step.
The forest was quiet.
The smell of blood stimulated Kenichi's nostrils.
There was no one else outside the cave.
Konan was still trying to drag the body, but she could not move it.
Kenichi walked over and picked up Konan's mother.
Her hair color was exactly the same as Konan's, and her eyes were fixed on the sky.
Konan looked at Kenichi in horror, seemingly wondering where this person had come from.
"Come with me."
Kenichi spoke softly to Konan.
Then he carried Konan's mother's body into the cave, and Konan followed him step by step.
The dark cave made her a little scared.
Her small hands and feet were trembling.
But Konan still walked in step by step, resolutely.
Because her mother was inside.
Konan's mother had died from a penetrating wound.
A hole had been pierced through her heart, and some of her belongings had also been taken.
Aside from some clothes, there was nothing of value on her.
Kenichi looked at the corpse before him.
The body had not started to decompose yet, but just looking at a corpse made Kenichi feel a little uncomfortable.
Konan was kneeling beside her mother, looking at him cautiously, a hint of fear in her swollen eyes.
"What's your name?"
Kenichi looked at the dirty Konan.
She was covered in mud.
The current Konan showed little of her future beauty.
She was like a mud monkey now.
Although he knew her name, this was Kenichi's first meeting with Konan, so he could not act too familiar.
"K-Konan," Konan whispered.
Kenichi nodded.
It was indeed Konan.
It seemed his memory was not mistaken.
But with such a unique hair color, it could only be Konan.
After glancing at Konan, Kenichi still did not know how to break the situation.
But he could not just leave a corpse lying there.
So Kenichi decided to bury Konan's mother's body first.
Kenichi picked up a shovel.
He had previously noticed that Otsutsuki Isshiki had bought some essential daily necessities in the town below, such as shovels and axes.
Digging a pit for Konan's mother with a shovel and burying her should not be a problem.
Moreover, this would also gain Konan's trust.
Kenichi looked outside through the hole.
There was no one outside now.
But to be safe, he waited until night before taking the shovel out to dig a pit.
As soon as he shoveled down, Kenichi saw Konan silently squatting nearby, loosening the soil with her hands.
"Konan, don't use your hands."
Kenichi looked at Konan and opened his mouth.
But he did not tell Konan to go back.
Instead, he used the axe to whittle a simple small shovel and gave it to her.
Konan took it, then blankly loosened the soil.
"This world, ah..."
Kenichi shook his head, then continued digging the pit.
He did not dig too deeply, as digging was quite tiring work.
But it was enough to bury Konan's mother.
Throughout the process, Konan remained blank, without much expression.
Until Kenichi placed Konan's mother into the pit.
Konan's eyes instantly reddened.
She wiped away her tears, then gritted her teeth and slowly covered her mother with soil.
Finally, she placed a small stone on the grave, seemingly to mark it as her mother's grave.
Kenichi lay on the hill and looked down.
There were lights in the town below, but the streets were empty and terrifyingly quiet.
However, it seemed that Nagato's parents were not dead yet.
Kenichi led Konan back into the cave.
He did not light a fire.
On one hand, lighting a fire in the cave could easily lead to suffocation.
On the other hand, lighting a fire might expose this small base to others.
He did not want to cause trouble for himself.
A rumbling sound came from the dark cave.
Kenichi picked up a piece of the white bread he had made, tore off a piece, then felt his way over and placed it in Konan's hand.
"Have something to eat."
Kenichi picked up the white bread and slowly chewed it.
The cave was very dark, and Kenichi could not see anything now.
His body had not entered with him.
It seemed to be a mental genjutsu, which surprised Kenichi.
Otsutsuki Isshiki, that bastard, really possessed many abilities.
It had to be said that it was fortunate Otsutsuki Kaguya was the one who ate the fruit back then.
If Otsutsuki Isshiki had eaten the fruit, then things might have become even more troublesome and tricky.
However, according to Otsutsuki Isshiki, he did not seem to have intended to stay in the Shinobi World.
If he had eaten the fruit, he would have left and gone to other planets to plant trees.
Then the Shinobi World would also have embarked on another path.
An unknown path.
The night in the Shinobi World was so dark that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.
In the city, one could vaguely see something in the darkness.
But now, inside the entire cave, there was little difference between opening and closing one's eyes.
In the darkness, vision was suppressed, while hearing became very developed.
Kenichi heard Konan's whimpering, and then the sound of her chewing white bread.
After a moment, it turned into sobbing.
Then her breathing slowly became steady, though occasional sniffles could still be heard.
Kenichi pulled out a flint and lit a small flame.
By the fleeting light, he saw Konan on the other side of the cave.
Konan had curled up in the corner, trembling.
The flame died out.
Kenichi walked over and placed a small blanket over Konan.
Then he returned to his straw mat, covered himself with a blanket, and went to sleep.
When he woke up the next morning, the cave was still pitch black.
Only the light filtering through the small opening made him realize that it was already daylight outside.
Kenichi stretched lazily.
By the light, he saw that Konan was still sleeping.
"Hmm."
Kenichi yawned, then walked to the cave entrance and glanced outside.
It was raining outside.
The forest was empty.
"Today is the... what day of the war?"
Kenichi counted the days.
He had been trapped in this genjutsu for a long time.
Kenichi still did not know the meaning behind Otsutsuki Isshiki doing this.
And unlike the previous genjutsu, this one was even more flawless.
Kenichi had not thought of a way to break it yet.
But he did not know how long the war would last, nor when these days would end.
When Kenichi turned around, intending to deal with breakfast first, he saw that Konan had already gotten up and was rubbing her eyes while looking at him.
Looking at Konan before him, Kenichi suddenly thought of something.
Konan, in the future, was a ninja, and her strength was also quite good.
Since he was idle and bored now, he might as well teach Konan ninjutsu.
As for himself?
He could not cultivate ninjutsu at all right now.
"Konan."
Kenichi walked over.
Konan shrank her neck.
"Do you want to become a ninja?"
Kenichi looked at Konan, smiling as he ruffled her head.
Little Konan was truly cute.
"N-Ninja?"
Konan tilted her head and looked at Kenichi, confusion in her small eyes.
Right.
Konan probably did not know anything about ninja yet.
"Yes, a ninja just like your mother."
Kenichi thought of the woman he had personally buried yesterday.
She was also a ninja, but she had died in the war.
"My mom..."
Konan's voice became tearful.
Kenichi sighed, then took out another piece of the bread he had baked, tore off some, and handed it to Konan.
Once Konan had calmed down, Kenichi did not intend to bring up the matter again.
Konan was still young, after all, and needed some time to recover.
Kenichi ate the white bread.
The bread had been left for two days and was a bit damp, so it had become a little sour.
But it was still edible.
It was good enough to be full now.
Kenichi had no complaints.
"Big brother, what's your name?"
Konan spoke, asking timidly.
"Me? You can call me Kenichi."
Kenichi showed a kind smile.
Anyway, it was just a genjutsu, so it did not matter.
Even if Konan knew his name, it would not have any effect once the genjutsu ended.
"Kenichi-nii-san, can I become a ninja?"
Konan bit her lower lip, asking cautiously.
She did not know why she wanted to become a ninja.
But looking at this stranger who had helped her bury her mother, this person who was willing to help her and share his white bread with her, Konan wanted to do something for him.
"Of course Konan has that talent."
Kenichi was a little surprised, but still very happy.
Anyway, it was a way to pass the time.
And who knew?
Maybe the way to break the genjutsu was to make Konan a ninja.
Then he could get out.
.....
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