"So it's mutual destruction, huh."
Nagato, appearing as the Deva Path, rarely showed a hint of fatigue, yet even in death, the body could not express emotion. The pain and sorrow of the real Nagato could not manifest through the Deva Path. Under the gaze of the Rinnegan, the full depth of crimson eyes—loss, anguish, and regret—was exposed. Uchiha Obito had no reason to lie. If Obito had been disguised as Madara, there might have been a possibility of ambushing Kita, but without the mask, there was no reason to act against her.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't save her…"
Indeed, he hadn't rescued her before Zetsu took hold of her, hadn't found him in the Sea of Consciousness, and in the end, hadn't been able to help. The consequences of Zetsu's actions were left for others to bear.
Dragging Zetsu into a time-space dimension, igniting him with Amaterasu, and while he struggled at the brink of death, the fire-clad Black Zetsu possessed Kita. Kita had no choice but to use the Four Symbols Seal to trap Zetsu along with herself. The lingering Amaterasu fire incinerated the sealing technique completely—nothing remained.
No evidence of the seal, no traces of battle, not even a remnant of Kita's chakra, remained—only the scorched stone.
And…
Konan didn't believe Obito's claim of mutual destruction. Kita was strong—strong enough to contend with Nagato—but it was something like Zetsu that could have taken her life. Whether alive or dead, Zetsu could never have taken Kita with him in a mutual destruction act. Surely it had been some cruel joke, tricking everyone first, then popping out to say "April Fool's."
That was the true intention. That fool had played such a pointless trick. Death, mutual destruction—impossible.
A sky-blue scarf.
"I'm sorry… all I could take was this."
It was broken.
Konan held it, feeling a faint trace of Kita's presence.
Kita… is gone…
She should have been crying—losing the most important person, never to see her again. But why were her eyes dry? Why did it feel as if they could never shed tears?
"Snap."
She pushed Obito back half a step.
"It was you, wasn't it? You killed Kita!" she cried, her voice trembling with tears and anger.
"You always hated her! You always wanted her gone! You killed her, didn't you?! While she was fighting Zetsu, you let your hatred for Kita blocking your Moon's Eye control you—you killed her!"
It wasn't a ninja battle—it was the despairing words of a woman. Konan had the power to strike harder, to pierce with weapons, and to annihilate Obito with explosives. Yet none of that mattered. All she could do was push the man named Uchiha Obito with her hands, slap his chest and face, just like an ordinary woman would.
"Only you could hurt Kita… only you. Zetsu means nothing. Give her back to me… sob…"
Obito didn't dodge, and didn't use Kamui. His eyes reddened as he forced himself to cry aloud, though he had cried enough these past days. He should wear his mask, to hide his face, to hide his shame.
He thought of the mist, the sea, the ferocity…
—Obito… please… help me…
"Sorry…"
Obito said, voice devoid of the usual sobbing. His nails dug into his flesh as the despair clung to him like a shadow. That day, Kita had laughed and cried at the same time, speaking of leaving Akatsuki, her words forced, tears falling from her eyes, leaving Obito pained.
"Sorry? What use is that? You have Izanagi, you can reverse reality! Why didn't you? Why did you watch Kita die? Why did you let her be sealed… sob… Why didn't you seal instead! You already killed Yahiko—why did you let Kita die too?!"
It was like a blade, stabbing into Obito's chest. His heart ripped, leaving a void that no filling could ever replace.
It hurt too much to even say "sorry."
Yes, he had caused so much death, too many to count. Pain he created was everywhere.
Obito regretted meeting Madara. Regretted surviving. If only he had died then, he wouldn't have seen Kakashi's despair, Rin's departure, wouldn't have committed so many atrocities, wouldn't have pushed countless people into the abyss himself.
Nagato sighed. He embraced Konan, who was crying violently, more than ever before—not even when Yahiko had died. The ever-present despair, he had thought there was nothing left to lose, but now he realized there was too much. Gently patting her back, he said nothing.
"Nagato… Kita won't die, right? Sob… she won't die… she's so strong… she won't die… right… sob… she won't die…"
Silent, Obito saw her tears, felt the despair surrounding her. He didn't know how Kita would react seeing this, whether she'd regret her choices. He felt the urge to tell the truth—that Kita hadn't died, that she had encountered trouble, to recount everything, to explain the past, everything…
—I… don't want… to soil her…
In the name of love, Kita—was this what you wanted?
…
Kita had died.
Among Akatsuki, few hadn't faced the death of comrades. Even before Hidan joined, Kakuzu had caused countless deaths. As a non-official member, Kita's death caused little upheaval.
"Revenge is meaningless. We are ninjas. Dying on missions is natural. How they die, who kills them—doesn't matter. I have no interest in revenge. I only feel a fire I cannot release, a frustration wanting blood. So where is that scum?" Kakuzu said calmly, arms crossed, leaning on the rooftop edge, his green eyes radiating hidden killing intent visible even to Pain.
"Kakuzu, you're no match for him," Pain said. Even Kita could only hold a 50-50 against Obito. Kakuzu knew.
"So what?"
"Obito has no reason to harm Kita."
"My fight has nothing to do with him. Whether Kita lives or dies is not my concern. And I don't know anyone killed by Zetsu," Kakuzu replied.
"Huh, Kakuzu-chan really has a tsundere side, huh—" Iron Fist pierced Hidan's chest, silencing the rookie. Kakuzu's expression remained unchanged, his green eyes burning with restrained agitation. Hidan dared not speak again. Kakuzu withdrew his bloodied hand, staring coldly at Pain.
"If I die, find another. There are plenty who can serve your purpose. I'm not needed."
"Interesting. You intend to have Uchiha Obito avenge Kita?" a youthful voice sounded from the rooftop edge, quiet and seemingly just appeared.
"I don't know that scum," Kakuzu said, his gaze unfriendly. He scoffed at the meaningless denial, then looked at Pain, questioning.
"You are sure he's dead just from hearsay?"
"The fight happened in a time-space dimension. I went there. Obito didn't lie about this," Pain replied, glancing at Itachi standing silently nearby.
"Obito has no reason to harm Kita. If he wanted to, it would have happened by now. You've all been through battles, you're used to losing comrades. That's all there is to it. I called you here only to tell you one thing—from today on, do not speak Kita's name in the organization."
"What about Konan?" someone asked calmly. On this rooftop gathered all the members—except Obito and Konan—even the newly joined Hidan, who silently followed with red-rimmed eyes.
Pain paused, then said simply, "Konan is a ninja."
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