Outside Konoha Village, roars and screams sounded like a violent symphony.
Hinata stood atop a mountain peak far away from the battlefield.
She calmly overlooked the purgatory below, where Chakra and life burned fiercely.
In her vision, the details of the battle were completely clear, far exceeding the limits of any Ocular Jutsu or Sensory Ninjutsu.
She could see the subtle changes in the Chakra pathways when Kakashi's Sharingan rotated, and clearly observe the instantaneous swelling of muscle fibers and the flow of energy after Might Guy opened the Five Gates.
Her attention remained on Deva Path Pain.
But what truly caught Hinata's attention was not his strength, but the Black Rods piercing their bodies.
Under the perception of her Divine Sense, these Black Rods possessed abnormally active energy nodes, acting like powerful relays and amplifiers for Chakra, or even like invisible "umbilical cords." Hinata followed the Black Rods to investigate.
"Found it."
If Naruto in Sage Mode could find it, there was no reason she couldn't.
Even without these Black Rods, given the current strength of her Divine Sense, a carpet search wouldn't take much effort.
The existence of the Black Rods saved her a lot of trouble; she could just follow the network cable directly to the source.
She glanced at the battlefield.
There, the contest between Naruto and Pain was still ongoing.
"Logically speaking, Golden Naruto should be able to defeat Pain."
Hinata stopped lingering, lightly tapping the rock face with her toe.
She did not display astonishing speed that caused sonic booms or air currents; instead, she flew leisurely toward the direction locked by her Divine Sense, using a profound posture that appeared slow but actually covered thousands of miles in an instant.
Before long, she found her target: an abnormally tall "Giant Tree" stood towering, completely out of place with its surroundings.
Hinata quietly landed thirty paces from the tree, calmly observing this "tree."
"It's a very realistic disguise, almost undetectable," she murmured. Her voice echoed clearly in the silent valley, yet strangely, it never produced an echo.
"Pity. Imitating the form is easy, but imbuing the spirit is hard. A paper kite is not a real bird after all."
As she spoke, the surface of the Giant Tree suddenly rippled violently like water. Large chunks of bark peeled off, flying and transforming into countless snow-white sheets of paper, swirling and whistling like a startled flock of doves.
The paper sheets quickly converged, condensing into a graceful and cold figure in front of the tree.
Long bluish-purple hair, a black windbreaker embroidered with Red Clouds, and a beautiful face bearing a bone-deep vigilance and a coldness that repelled all outsiders. Her eyes were currently locked onto Hinata, the uninvited guest.
It was Konan.
Behind her, most of the Giant Tree disguise had completely peeled away, revealing a heart-stopping true scene. Konan noticed Hinata's gaze and once again erected thick walls of paper to block the view.
"Hyuga Hinata." Konan's voice was as sharp and cold as her paper sheets.
"Konoha's hero... no, perhaps now I should call you an unknown threat. You actually managed to find this place."
More paper sheets floated around her, transforming into sharp spears.
"Leave immediately, or this valley will be your burial ground!"
Hinata acted as if she hadn't noticed Konan's fierce Killing Intent, which was enough to push even a top Jonin to desperation. Her gaze pierced through the thick paper barrier, seeing the Red-Haired Man inside, curled up within a device, his life force flickering like a candle in the wind.
"I did not come for a fight, Konan." Hinata's voice remained steady and calm, betraying no tension or hostility.
"I came here because I want to talk with Nagato."
"Silence!" Konan's pupils constricted. She hadn't expected Hinata to know their information, even their names. The paper spears around Konan instantly straightened, and fierce Killing Intent soared into the sky.
"You are not worthy of calling his name! You have no right to interfere here! Leave immediately!"
"I know why Nagato walks the world under the name Pain, why he is obsessed with collecting Tailed Beasts, and why he firmly believes that Pain is the only path to peace."
Hinata ignored her intense reaction and continued speaking in the same straightforward tone.
"I know that Yahiko's dream was once the dawn of Amegakure, and how his death became the seed of obsession. I also know..."
She paused slightly, her gaze seemingly resting on Konan's somewhat weary face.
"All the suffering, choices, and even sacrifices you have endured have, from beginning to end, fallen into the calculations of another pair, or rather, several pairs of eyes. You, including the late Yahiko, were merely important pieces on someone else's chessboard."
"Nonsense!!" Konan harshly rebuked, her voice trembling with rage. Countless paper sheets began spinning at high speed, emitting sharp, tearing sounds.
"You are forbidden from defiling God's will! You are forbidden from twisting our path! This is the final warning—leave!"
The ocean of Explosion Tagss behind her faintly intensified its glow, emitting a dangerous tremor preceding destruction.
Facing this ultimate threat, which was enough to level the entire valley and surrounding peaks, Hinata's gaze did not waver even slightly.
She simply watched Konan quietly. In the depths of her eyes, it was as if the rotation of the galaxy was reflected—a tranquility and clarity that transcended mortal disputes.
Konan's paper offensive surrounding her body momentarily froze. Just as Konan's emotions violently churned, with Killing Intent and doubt intertwined and difficult to resolve...
A dry, weak voice, as if uttering every word required immense effort, yet carrying an indescribably heavy pressure, abruptly sounded directly in the depths of both their consciousnesses.
"Konan... let her... come in."
"Nagato?!" Konan cried out in surprise, turning sharply to look in that direction.
"She... knows a lot... I am very curious how she knows..."
Nagato's voice was intermittent, full of exhaustion, but also carrying a curiosity to seek the truth.
"...She doesn't have the Killing Intent of an ordinary Ninja... nor that sickening, false pity or anger. It's strange. Let her... come in and talk..."
Konan looked at Hinata coldly.
She could not disobey Nagato's command, but allowing this mysterious Konoha Ninja, who had seen through too many secrets, to approach Nagato's main body was an incalculable risk.
Ultimately, obedience to Nagato's will overcame everything. She waved her hand extremely slowly and with extreme reluctance.
The floating sheets of paper parted to the sides like a receding tide, revealing a narrow passage leading straight inside, its walls still covered in Explosion Tagss.
The light inside the passage was dim, permeated by the coldness of metal and the bitter smell of medicine.
"Step in here, and your life and death will no longer be under your control." Konan's voice was as cold as ten thousand years of ice, every word containing undisguised menace.
"If you make the slightest move, even a look that causes me misunderstanding, I will kill you without hesitation."
Hinata gave a slight nod, offering no response to the blatant death threat.
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