"Kushina, it's me."
The shinobi lying unconscious on the ground suddenly opened his eyes. The very first thing he did was shout at Uzumaki Kushina—who was already about to use a sealing technique.
"You're… Yoru?"
Kushina's eyes were full of vigilance and doubt.
From her reaction alone, "Gojo Yoru" instantly got the answer he wanted. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he asked—knowingly—"So it looks like this guy's chakra signature didn't change at all, right?"
"Mm-hm!"
Only after hearing that tone did Kushina finally believe the person in front of her really was Yoru, successfully possessing the body. She nodded rapidly.
"In my Mind's Eye of the Kagura, this person's chakra signature never changed at any point. The chakra volume didn't change either."
"Good. Keep Mind's Eye of the Kagura running. I'll try again."
The moment the words left his mouth, "Gojo Yoru" collapsed and fell unconscious again—his spirit returning to his original body.
Kushina closed her eyes and formed seals, activating Mind's Eye of the Kagura at full power once more.
When she sensed Yoru's chakra reappear—then vanish again—she seemed to see something. She snapped her eyes open and stared at the "Yoru" who sat up again, shock written all over her face.
"This time it changed! This person's brain suddenly secreted Yin Release chakra. And inside that Yin chakra, I can sense your chakra signature, Yoru."
"So it really is like that…"
Yoru wasn't surprised.
That was exactly why he hadn't immediately used Spirit Transformation to go see Konan.
Every technique has a weakness—super-S-rank ultimates included.
If Mind's Eye of the Kagura could detect changes after possession, then Black and White Zetsu's sensing could too.
Rushing off to Konan like that would only get her killed.
But fortunately, Yoru had developed a space-time version of Spirit Transformation. A spirit body already came with top-tier concealment, and once fused with space-time power, that high-dimensional masking would skyrocket.
Unless you could actually see souls and perceive space itself, you had no chance of noticing Yoru.
And that boosted high-dimensional masking wouldn't disappear just because he possessed someone.
If he met Konan in a space-time spirit state, nobody would detect a thing.
After ending the experiment, Yoru returned to his body, used Flying Thunder God transfer to teleport the unconscious shinobi he'd casually grabbed somewhere else, then smiled at Kushina.
"Kushina, my spirit is going to leave for a while. I'll be counting on you to watch my body."
"Leave it to me."
Kushina patted her chest—already starting to fill out slightly—and didn't even ask where he was going.
"I'll be back soon."
Yoru didn't explain. He couldn't exactly say, I'm going to sneak off and meet another girl—keep watch for me.
If Kushina found out, Kurama would probably seize the opening instantly, break through Uzumaki Mito's chakra seal, and shove her straight into a six-tailed minimum half-beast state.
Letting the "main wife" guard the door while "he" went to meet the "side girl"… what else was that but cheating right in front of her?
He formed seals again and manifested his space-time spirit body. But instead of leaving immediately, he looked down at his physical body.
From his space-time spirit perspective, his body was no longer the "corpse" with zero energy signature.
Inside him, a mixed black-and-blue energy flowed through his chakra pathways and spread throughout his body.
Like the earlier "space-time shadow clone" that lacked independent consciousness, this unconscious body was in a strange state: it could be touched, but ordinary sensing couldn't pick up even a trace of energy fluctuation.
For Yoru, the energy inside his body was like a massively amplified Flying Thunder God marker—no matter how far his spirit traveled, he could always locate his body through it.
After scanning the surrounding space and confirming there was no threat, Yoru's spirit vanished without warning.
A few chained teleports later, he appeared in a mountain valley.
A stream babbled. Birds sang. It was the complete opposite of the Land of Iron's snowstorms and howling winds.
Two crude wooden cabins stood by the riverbank.
Farther away, a short red-haired figure was training in the middle of the river. Every so often, a roar like storm waves would explode outward—water pillars blasting up, only to be flash-boiled by terrifying heat into white steam, forming a fire dragon wreathed in rolling vapor like Boil Release.
The dragon shot into the sky, then burst apart into volcano-bomb fireballs wrapped in steam, crashing back down into the river.
Mid-flight, the flames devoured the steam, shaping into dragon heads—
Fire Release: Dragon Flame Release Song.
BOOM BOOM BOOM—!
A chain of deafening explosions rang out, and it finally drew the attention of the purple-haired girl beside Yoru.
Konan—covered in thin black paper seams, countless white sheets floating around her as she multi-tasked folding them into different shapes—slowly opened her amber eyes.
She glanced toward Nagato's direction, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.
In demeanor she resembled Yoru—cool, restrained, with a faint echo of the "Angel of the Akatsuki" in her aura—yet her eyes held something Konan never had in canon: a lively spark.
Watching this Konan—more vivid than she'd ever been when kept close—Yoru's gaze filled with appreciation.
This was one reason he hadn't kept her at his side.
Raising her beside him would certainly have made her another "Haku" or "Kimimaro"—an obedient tool.
But compared to a yes-man, Yoru preferred a right-hand who grew freely, developed her own mind, and lived with her own flavor—like Kushina and Tsunade.
And Konan hadn't disappointed.
With the invisible pressure of White Zetsu constantly looming, even without a true life-or-death trial, the past year had forced a metamorphosis.
Thinking of White Zetsu, Yoru looked back toward Nagato, a flicker of wariness passing through his eyes.
Nagato had no idea that less than a hundred meters away, two white creatures had merged with earth and vegetation, severed all presence, and were hiding inside a boulder—quietly discussing his growth.
Yoru finally understood why, in canon, Madara never seemed worried about Nagato's safety in war-torn Rain.
He'd assumed Madara had only planted a failsafe in the Rinnegan to trigger if Nagato was threatened.
Turns out Nagato also had Zetsu's protection.
Zetsu—also known as "Tobi"—was the most special existence among the White Zetsu army.
Yoru didn't know whether he was a relic from Kaguya's era or a product of Hashirama cells cultivated by Madara.
But one thing was certain: among White Zetsu, Tobi was like Hashirama himself.
A pure stat monster—his chakra was absurd. When he possessed someone, he didn't just give them genuine Wood Release-level defense; he could also share his chakra with them like a living power supply, comparable to a jinchūriki or Samehada.
In canon, just by possessing Yamato, Tobi elevated Yamato's pathetic Wood Release to a level where he could use Wood Golem, and even cast five-nature composite techniques via a wooden Buddha statue.
If he weren't dumb and inexperienced, he'd be a super-Kage tier threat.
If Nagato ever faced danger, Tobi could simply possess him, instantly turning Nagato into one of the strongest beings alive—possibly even enabling Six Paths techniques.
With that kind of bodyguard, Madara truly didn't need to worry.
After confirming White Zetsu and Tobi couldn't detect him, Yoru turned into a thin, translucent-black beam and slipped into Konan's body.
Konan's eyes unfocused for a split second, then she gently closed them—like she was refining chakra.
Her internal chakra and energy fluctuations didn't change at all. And since White Zetsu and Tobi's attention was still on Nagato, they noticed nothing.
Inside Konan's mental world—beautiful as a galaxy—her consciousness entered and immediately saw the figure she'd been longing for.
Her eyes lit up and she cried out in pure delight:
"Yoru-sama!"
Yoru smiled and lifted a hand in greeting.
"Konan. Long time no see."
Maybe it was the courage she'd been forced to grow over the past year… or maybe it was simply the weight of missing him too much.
Konan ran straight at him. At around 1.4 meters tall, she could just wrap both arms around his waist, burying her face against him as she spoke in a voice full of dependence and longing.
"Yoru-sama… you finally mastered Spirit Transformation. I missed you so much…"
In a mental space, there was no deceit. Emotions were magnified.
Yoru didn't sense any grievance or resentment from her—only the same dependence and worship as before, plus the aching, long-distance kind of yearning.
He patted her head gently, his voice soft and warm.
"Konan… you did well. You've worked hard."
"Not hard at all!"
Konan looked up, smiling bright as she boasted.
"Yoru-sama, I followed your instructions! I've already trained Nagato into my right-hand man. He's stronger than me now, but he listens to me completely!"
"When the time is right, I'll tell him about you—about how the one who changed his fate and raised him wasn't actually me, but you, Yoru-sama. He'll definitely be grateful and worship you just like I do!"
"That part isn't important."
Like always, Yoru pinched her chubby cheeks—still full of baby fat—and smiled.
"Right now, I don't want to talk about anything else. I want to hear your story this past year."
His affection, concern, and even a faint guilt swelled—amplified by the mental world.
Konan felt it, and while she marveled at how real it was, it also made her happier than anything.
Even if she was willing to be his "tool," even if she'd die for him—
like Haku and Kimimaro, what she truly wanted was his love.
This small, almost trivial warmth satisfied her more than any praise ever could.
"Yoru-sama… this past year…"
Konan tugged him down to sit, her amber eyes ignoring the starry galaxy around them—only fixed on his face, which she found even more beautiful than the stars.
She told him everything.
With the secret techniques and guidance he'd provided, and her own passion for origami, Konan had successfully developed Paper Release.
Not offensively yet—but she'd already turned the basic techniques into Paper Release extensions:
Paper Clone
Paper Transformation
Paper Substitution
Paper Body Flicker
Paper Concealment
Even without attack power, this kit gave her an excellent survival base.
To avoid White Zetsu spotting inconsistencies, she also used paper to "coat" her body like Gaara's sand armor—masking and adjusting her expressions.
Her skin and clothes were layered with paper, including explosive tags. She could instantly use the paper and tags for Paper Substitution or Paper Flicker—escaping while also detonating tags to injure pursuers.
But her chakra was still far from enough, and she hadn't properly studied sealing arts yet. She couldn't use Paper Release to perform fūinjutsu.
As for the A-rank forbidden technique Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, she had no clue where to start—and didn't dare touch it.
When she spoke far enough, her face began to show self-blame and frustration.
Yoru immediately grabbed her cheeks with both hands and kneaded them like dough, laughing.
"You're already incredible. When I was your age, I wasn't even close."
"That's—That's not true!"
Konan frowned cutely, but her eyes sparkled as she insisted.
"Yoru-sama is the strongest person in the world. Everyone calls you the embodiment of a miracle. A hundred Konans don't equal one Yoru-sama!"
Yoru was delighted—and deeply satisfied.
He stopped kneading her cheeks and flicked her nose.
"Don't belittle yourself. You're my most valued subordinate. One day, you'll be one of the strongest kunoichi in the world."
Then he told her the good news.
"I've mastered Spirit Transformation. From now on, I can come see you often. And I can link with your chakra and teach you how to develop techniques."
"Really?! That's amazing!"
Konan's attention locked instantly onto the first part. She raised her pinky with a sly grin.
"You promised, Yoru-sama. Pinky swear—you have to come see me often!"
Yoru rubbed her head, his smile indulgent.
"No need for a pinky swear. If I don't come often, you can hit me. I'm giving you that privilege."
"Hehe… I'd never have the heart to hit you."
Konan jumped into his arms again, then looked up with a pitiful expression.
"If you don't keep your promise… I'll cry where you can see it."
"Perfect," Yoru said, giving her a thumbs up. "Your acting is terrifyingly good."
"Hehe…"
After a full year of pressure from unseen watchers, Konan finally let herself relax here—venting everything.
Yoru didn't teach her new jutsu this time. He simply talked with her until his space-time chakra was nearly drained, then finally said goodbye.
Konan didn't want him to go, but she still waved obediently.
Yoru's space-time spirit left her body. On the way back, the last traces of black faded off his spirit form, turning it translucent white—right at the limit.
When he returned to his body and opened his eyes, Kushina's face was right there, relieved and beaming.
"Yoru, you're awake!"
Yoru gave her a gentle, warm smile.
"Kushina. Thanks for watching over me."
Konan didn't know it, but compared to Yoru, her acting was nothing.
He'd just come back from "another girl," and didn't look guilty in the slightest.
Kushina—still completely unaware she'd just guarded the door for him—finally asked what she'd been holding in this whole time.
"Yoru… where did you go just now?"
"Nowhere special," Yoru said softly, shifting the topic with that same gentle tone. "Just took care of something."
"On my way back, I passed a hot spring town. We've been stuck in snow mountains for ages—how about we go soak in a hot spring before heading back?"
"Yeah! Yeah!"
Kushina's attention was instantly hijacked, and she agreed enthusiastically.
So Yoru led the "main wife" to enjoy the hot spring town where the "side girl" had been living for a long time.