Starting as the mastermind behind Naruto

Chapter 315 Xiao Nan Crying in the Rainy Night (Fifth Update!)

late at night.

Inside Rain Hidden Village.

Uehara Naraku and Konan are finally back.

"Teacher, you should go and rest!"

Uehara Naraku immediately arranged for Konan to go back and rest. Looking at Konan, whose eyes were full of exhaustion, he continued softly, "I'm going to the organization's base to tell them about Lord Nagato's sacrifice."

Uehara Naraku planned to go to Akatsuki's base alone, and also to bolster the confidence of the members. They trusted him so much, and Uehara didn't want to disappoint them.

In reality, the Akatsuki organization is like a dilapidated home, with highly strained relationships among its members. Now that Nagato has sacrificed himself, this home is on the verge of disintegration.

Unfortunately, these members seem to really enjoy finding their own warmth in this highly tense relationship, and they don't really want the organization to disband.

Of course, they didn't want the home to become too different.

So Uehara Naraku planned to appease those people, mainly Deidara, Sasori, and Kakuzu, since they were old friends.

The remaining people were mostly Uehara Naraku's subordinates or relatives of his subordinates, so there was no need to worry about them. They trusted Uehara Naraku, their superior, very much.

Oh, and there's also Hidan, who's on the verge of betraying them.

Hidan is just not very honest. If things really get too bad, Uehara Naraku should just give him a way out and let him walk that path himself.

Konan rubbed her forehead, her face full of worry, and said, "I'll go with you! Who knows what those rogue ninja will do after they find out about Nagato's sacrifice... Let's make them all leave!"

"..."

Uehara Naraku was both amused and exasperated.

The problem is that those guys simply refuse to leave!

Even Hidan, who could defect at any moment, was temporarily appeased by Kakuzu, while Deidara and Sasori were determined to stay in Akatsuki until it disbanded.

"I'll go by myself!"

Uehara Naraku shook his head, reached out and placed his hand on Konan's forehead, and said softly, "How long has it been since you rested? Go and get some rest."

"..."

Xiao Nan hesitated, bit her lip, and slowly lowered her head, saying, "I'd rather go with you. I'm a little worried..."

"..."

Uehara Naraku fell silent.

To be honest, Xiao Nan's current state is not quite right.

Konan's condition was initially okay after Nagato's sacrifice.

Even when Nagato sacrificed himself, Konan did not lose her composure too much, leading Uehara Naraku to believe that she might have become accustomed to the grief of losing a loved one.

As time went on, on their journey back to Amegakure from Konoha, Konan's condition gradually deteriorated, and she spent more and more time spacing out.

Xiao Nan is not without sadness.

Rather, it was because she was suffering too much and suppressing all of this in her heart.

Uehara Naraku believes that what Konan needs most right now is rest. It would be even better if Konan could hide under the covers and secretly cry out her grief.

"Then let's all go and rest now."

Uehara Naraku glanced at Konan, whose face was full of confusion, put his arm around her shoulder, and whispered, "Can we go to the organization's base after we've rested?"

"…good."

Xiao Nan hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Uehara Naraku finally breathed a sigh of relief. Under Konan's watchful eye, he slowly walked into his room and lay down on the bed.

Perhaps it was Nagato's sacrifice that instilled fear in Konan?

Just as Uehara Naraku was about to secretly use Destiny to leave Amegakure, he saw Konan's image appear on a tall tower in Amegakure. Uehara Naraku's expression changed, and he flew out of his room.

Xiao Nan stood alone atop the village's tall tower, gazing up at the night sky, her face still serene.

At this moment, Xiao Nan's figure appeared exceptionally frail on the tower.

At that moment, an atmosphere of loneliness enveloped her.

"teacher?"

Uehara Naraku's figure floated down beside Konan, his brows furrowing slightly as he softly asked, "You should go rest now. Why can't you sleep?"

"..."

Xiao Nan nodded, then shook her head.

After a while, Konan slowly lowered her head, looked around at the somewhat quiet Amegakure, and said with a somewhat dejected mood, "It won't rain in the middle of the night in this village anymore... I'm still not used to it."

In the past.

Every day as dusk falls, to prevent the patrolling ninjas of Amegakure from being caught off guard by darkness, Nagato would manipulate Pain to create a downpour, using the Rain Tiger Free Technique to identify any unfamiliar enemies who might infiltrate the village.

Over the years, Nagato has never stopped this habit.

Even Uehara Naraku gradually got used to the fact that it would rain when it got dark, and would fall asleep to the sound of rain as it got darker.

However, the sound of rain that had been a constant in Amegakure village all night suddenly disappeared, causing a silent sorrow to well up in Konan's heart once again.

"Naraku, how strange..."

Konan's tears gradually streamed down her face and slowly dripped down: "When Nagato sacrificed himself, although I felt sad and in pain, I didn't even shed a tear. Now, I just can't hear the sound of rain he created..."

Xiao Nan's voice trembled with a sob of grief. She could no longer hide her sorrow at losing her dearest friend and wept bitterly as she gazed at the silent village.

Uehara Naraku slowly lowered his head.

At this moment, he could understand Xiao Nan's hidden grief.

When a loved one dies, people may not shed tears or even act normally, but that doesn't mean they aren't suffering inside.

Because when people truly realize that someone is missing from their lives, they see the traces of that person's existence gradually fading away...

At that time, when a person finally realizes that someone is completely missing from their life, and longing begins to spread, that sadness and despair will surge up.

Uehara Naraku gazed at the weeping Konan, slowly extended his finger, and a ray of chakra appeared at his fingertip, which he then shot into the sky.

The next moment, a dark cloud gradually appeared in the sky.

Lightning flashed and gathered in the dark clouds, and rain began to fall in a drizzle. A few seconds later, a downpour began in the village.

The sound of rain grew louder, masking Xiao Nan's cries.

Uehara Naraku stood beside Konan, slowly extending his palm to embrace the tearful Konan, shielding her from the torrential rain.

On the top of the tower in Amegakure.

Konan stood there, clutching Uehara Naraku's clothes, sobbing uncontrollably in his arms, suffering the torment of losing her dearest friend.

Even though Uehara Naraku created a heavy rain, it still couldn't calm Konan down from the grief of Nagato's death. He slowly tightened his right arm and stretched out his left hand to cover Konan's head, shielding her from the rain.

After a long while, Xiao Nan's crying gradually subsided.

Uehara Naraku finally breathed a sigh of relief. He silently escorted Konan to his room and took out a towel to wipe the rain and tears from her face.

Konan was also silently watching Uehara Naraku's actions. Suddenly, she reached out her hand, took the towel from Uehara Naraku's hand, and wiped the rain off his cheeks.

"Naraku."

Konan suddenly wrapped her arm around Uehara Naraku's neck, her forehead touching his, her voice still tinged with the weakness of tears: "Don't sacrifice yourself again... okay... or wait until I'm dead..."

"..."

Uehara Naraku reached out his hand and embraced Konan's hair, pressing it tightly against her forehead, as if this would allow them to connect on a deeper level and make Konan feel better.

Uehara Naraku slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the still-damp tears beneath Konan's eyelashes. He spoke only one word in a low voice, afraid of disturbing Konan.

"…good."

The despair of seeing people around you leave one by one is suffocating, which is why people cherish the people they have even more.

After a long while, Uehara Naraku felt Konan's breathing gradually become steady before he pulled his forehead away, let her lie on the bed, and covered her with a blanket.

A gentle smile appeared on Uehara Naraku's face as he softly said, "Go to sleep. From today onwards, I will make it rain in the village every night and on weekends..."

"it is good."

Xiao Nan turned her head to look at the raindrops on the window.

After a long while, exhaustion finally overwhelmed her. Xiao Nan grasped Uehara's hand, slowly closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually calmed down. The sound of rain outside the window also became steady.

After Konan fell asleep, Uehara Naraku gently withdrew his hand from hers.

Uehara Naraku stared intently at Konan's face, as if afraid she might wake up, but he was relieved to find that her breathing remained steady.

after awhile.

Uehara Naraku quietly sensed streams of chakra entering the rain.

Uehara Naraku opened the skill display panel of Destiny, and his face couldn't help but darken. These Akatsuki guys seemed to be even more anxious than he had imagined!

A bunch of Akatsuki members are running towards his room!

Uehara Naraku had a vague feeling that these guys were actually a group of children looking for their parents!

Two more chapters to go...

I feel like I'm going to be writing until 2 a.m.!

(End of this chapter)