Shinji slowly wrapped the bandages around Konan's slender waist and abdomen. His hands passed by her sides; they were so close that with just a little effort, he could have pulled her into his arms.
A faint Paper Flower Fragrance wafted into his nose—a clean and soft scent that he knew was Konan's natural body fragrance.
This is the classic medicine-changing trope, Shinji thought to himself.
The slightly ambiguous atmosphere caused an uncontrollable ripple in his heart. However, he only paused for a moment before biting the tip of his tongue, using the sharp pain to quickly suppress his wandering emotions.
Konan's willingness to cooperate with the treatment was a clear sign of her immense trust in him. Once his mind stabilized, he knew he could not betray that trust.
As the bandages tightened loop by loop, Konan subconsciously held her breath, her cheeks flushing. The close contact caused her entire body to take on a faint pink hue. She turned her head away, not daring to meet Shinji's eyes, struggling to suppress her shyness and hoping it would all end quickly.
After wrapping the final loop, Shinji tied a simple knot and packed the remaining bandages and examination tools back into his medical kit.
"There, that's done."
He had carefully checked her physical condition and re-treated her wounds.
"Your situation is similar to Nagato's. Just rest peacefully for a while."
Shinji placed the medical kit on the low table and spoke to her before glancing at the bed on the left, sighing softly in his heart.
Only Fugaku was left now. Fugaku's injuries were far more severe than those of Nagato and Konan; by Shinji's judgment, it would likely be another two or three days before he woke up. How to safely bring Fugaku back to Konohagakure was going to be a problem, and he didn't know how much longer it would take to return to the village.
Meanwhile, Konan, her face still red, grabbed the quilt and wrapped herself tightly, as if only then could she find a sense of security.
She could clearly sense that although physical contact had been unavoidable, Shinji had not made any improper moves and had maintained a perfect sense of propriety. His character had already earned her approval.
However, the scene just now had exhausted all her courage.
Konan lowered her head and panted softly, trying her best to suppress the shyness in her heart. Finally, she nodded at Shinji and whispered a small, "Thank you!"
Her voice was so quiet that had they not been so close, Shinji would have barely heard it.
"You're welcome."
Shinji smiled, suddenly finding the current Konan unexpectedly green and shy—a far cry from the cold, mature "White Tiger" of the original story.
When he thought about it, it made sense. In the original timeline, Yahiko died, Nagato inherited his will, and the Akatsuki gradually devolved into a mercenary group and then an enemy of the Shinobi World. In that environment, Konan had been forced to mature quickly, becoming cold and hardened. That was the price of rapid growth and the color of self-protection.
But now, since he had saved Yahiko, the trajectory of the Akatsuki's fate had shifted.
The shyness and softness before him were how she was meant to be. He just wondered how long this beauty could be preserved.
By changing the fates of Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, Shinji hoped they would all find a good end. After all, the original endings for these three were quite tragic. Yahiko died a miserable death, Nagato was persuaded by Naruto to give his life, and Konan eventually died at the hands of Obito, buried in the sea.
They could have lived better lives.
Perhaps changing their fates was the greatest harvest of this trip to Amegakure.
Thinking of this, the corners of Shinji's mouth curled up, and his mood instantly improved.
Seeing him staring at her with a grin, Konan felt a surge of panic. Thinking he was still lost in improper thoughts, her beautiful eyes flickered as she gave him a light, huffy glare, her voice tinged with a hint of coquettish anger.
"W-what are you laughing at!"
"If you dare to tell anyone about what just happened, I will definitely kill you."
She bit her lip, her voice getting quieter as she spoke. Such a threat had no deterrent power whatsoever.
Seeing her look of both shame and annoyance, Shinji couldn't help but chuckle, his eyes dancing with mischief.
Konan's cheeks grew even hotter under his laughter. Seeing that she was on the verge of flying into a rage, Shinji quickly restrained his smile and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Alright, I'll keep it a secret. I won't tell a soul."
He stood up, his back to Konan, and pointed to a corner of the room. A few sets of clean clothes hung on a rack there; he had asked Yahiko to prepare them earlier.
"The clothes are over there. Change them yourself," Shinji continued. "I expect you want to see your companions. I'll stay here and keep watch."
Konan felt as though she had lost a lifetime's worth of dignity today. Hearing that she could leave, she was first startled, and then a wave of surprise and joy washed over her. She had to escape as soon as possible; she couldn't quite face Shinji right now.
Furthermore, she truly was worried about Yahiko and Nagato's condition. Even though she had driven them out earlier, she still couldn't put them out of her mind.
"Is that really okay?"
"Yeah. Just remember to come back on time to have your bandages changed."
Having received a positive answer, a genuine smile finally appeared on the corners of Konan's lips. She immediately prepared to throw off the quilt and get out of bed to find the two.
However, her movements suddenly stiffened. She looked guiltily at Shinji, who still had his back to her, and finally gritted her teeth, stepping out of bed as lightly as possible.
Soon, Shinji heard the sound of footsteps, followed by the rustling of clothes.
Not long after, Konan walked to his side.
Shinji slowly turned around and looked at her.
Konan raised her hand to brush aside her purple hair, her gaze wandering slightly. She paused and said, "Thank you, Shinji."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she hurriedly pushed open the door and ran out, her steps a bit frantic.
Watching her fleeing figure, Shinji shook his head with a light laugh and sat back down in his chair. With a thought, he opened the system panel.
Several system prompts were floating quietly at the top, waiting for him to check.
[Character: Yahiko]
[Skills: Three Body Technique Lv3, Water Release: Water Turbulence Wave Lv2, Wind Release: Wind Blade Lv2, Wind Release: Gale Palm Lv1...]
[Estimated Conquest Success Reward Points: Ambiguous Relationship / 6,000 points, True Love Relationship / 280,000 points...]
[Note: Difficulty Rating pending. He, who should have died, has deviated from his established fate because of you, the butterfly. His future trajectory remains unknown.]
[Character: Konan]
[Skills: Paper Clone Technique Lv3, Paper Shuriken Lv3, Paper Spear Lv1, Angel Descent Lv2...]
[Estimated Conquest Success Reward Points: Ambiguous Relationship / 4,000 points, True Love Relationship / 250,000 points...]
[Note: Difficulty Rating pending. White Tiger of the Dawn, Angel of the Hidden Rain. Her life has been swept up by war and loss, yet she has always remained steadfast in her heart of protection. She is the gentlest light in the darkness.]
[Character: Nagato]
[Skills: Almighty Push Lv0, Universal Pull Lv0, Wind Release: Gale Palm Lv3, Summoning Technique Lv2...]
[Estimated Conquest Success Reward Points: Ambiguous Relationship / 50,000 points, True Love Relationship / 500,000 points...]
[Difficulty Rating: Extremely Hard. The chosen Child of Prophecy. Pain cannot bring peace; only pain and bonds can end hatred. Will he fall into deep pain again in the future?]
Without the slightest hesitation, Shinji added all three of them to the System Binding Column.
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