White Tiger Konan (Part 1)

Issui stared at the girl dressed in Akatsuki's clothes. She had soft, light blue-purple hair, deep orange-yellow eyes, a white paper flower on the right side of her head, and a ring with white writing on it on her right middle finger. From her appearance, everything pointed to her as Akatsuki's White Tiger, the Paper Angel Konan. He wondered what she was doing here. Did she want to kill him or something else?

While Issui was observing Konan was also carefully studying the boy before her, trying to see what made him different. He had consecutively defeated and killed Orochimaru and Kakuzu, both of whom were renowned masters with many years of experience. Issui, on the other hand, was just a teenager, not even an adult yet, and had already accomplished so many great things. It was truly astonishing.

"You're a member of Akatsuki, right? If I haven't made a mistake, you should be Konan, the only Konan ninja in Akatsuki, revered as the Paper Angel. What are you doing here today?" Issui asked calmly, without the slightest worry.

"Hmm, it seems you know our organization very well. I don't usually go out often, but you even have my information. I have to say, you probably have a pretty good grasp of Xiao's intelligence..." Konan looked at Issui in surprise, not expecting that he would know her.

Issui waved his hand and said, "Don't waste time with nonsense, what do you want with me?"

"Come with me, you don't want to disturb your two companions, do you..." Konan said nothing and walked directly into the depths of the forest.

Issui had no choice but to follow her to see what she was up to.

The two walked one after the other, gradually moving away from Issui's campsite, and came to a spacious valley. Below the valley was a rushing river, and the sound of the water lapping against the banks could be heard from time to time.

Konan stopped and said to Issui behind her, "Isn't the scenery nice? Tranquil, spacious, secluded, and peaceful... If it continues like this, it will definitely become a beautiful place on earth."

Although Issui was puzzled, he nodded. The scenery here was indeed beautiful, but what did it have to do with today's events? You're not trying to invite me to enjoy the scenery with you, are you? I don't believe that.

Seeing Issui nod, Konan continued, "If I'm not mistaken, you're an orphan, aren't you? The village must have been as beautiful as this valley before, but because it was situated in this bloody and dark world, the village was destined for destruction, and you became an orphan. It must have been very painful..."

Issui grew increasingly enraged as she listened, shouting, "Enough! If you wanted to provoke me, I think you've succeeded. I misjudged you; I never imagined that beneath your beautiful exterior lay such a vicious heart. Yes, even if I'm an orphan, at least I have people I love and people who love me. I have things I want to protect, and that's what motivates me, instead of living like a walking corpse..."

Konan remained expressionless, unperturbed by Issui's criticism, and calmly said, "Everyone in this world lives in darkness and suffering. After experiencing life and death, the hatred in people's hearts grows stronger. They live for hatred, and they live for resentment, repeating this cycle endlessly, forever lingering in this abyss. To change this situation, we must rely on the power of God. Only God can save this world..."

"What kind of bullshit god?" Issui curled his lip dismissively, saying, "Gods are nothing but illusions, mere objects of hope for the incompetent. Besides themselves, people can only trust their companions, family, and friends. With these bonds, we possess the power to change the world. One day, I will try to break the curse of mutual hatred among the people of the ninja world. If peace truly exists, then let me realize it. More important than the method is the power of trust!"

Konan fell silent. Weren't they just as full of hope and ideals back then? But... there's always an unbridgeable chasm between reality and ideals, something that's desirable but unattainable.

"I know you. You, Nagato, Yahiko founded Akatsuki, meaning to break the darkness and usher in the dawn, to try to unravel the mysteries of this bloody world and reach the gate of truth. And you have been fighting for this great goal all along... Unfortunately, Yahiko left halfway, and gradually your thoughts became distorted. You believed that only a god could break the curse of the ninja world, to use your power to manipulate the entire world, control war, become the god of this world, and rule the world... Am I right?" Issui calmly recounted Akatsuki's past.

"You're right, that's exactly it. Only God can change this world. You've also experienced suffering, so you should understand what we're doing even better. Join us and let's change this world together, so that there will be no more war, hatred, or evil..." Konan said sincerely.

Issui snorted coldly, "So you want me to join you? You're too naive. Do you really think you're saving the world? All you bring is destruction and ruin, creating conflict and war, collecting Tailed Beast, and attempting to control the world. You've almost gone mad. Just because you suffer, you want to inflict that suffering on others. Is that what you want? I really can't agree with that. You want me to join you? That's wishful thinking."

Konan sighed and said, "Then there's nothing we can do. We each have our own beliefs. I admit your idea is good, but when your companions, relatives, or friends sacrifice themselves one by one in front of you, will you really still think this way?"

Issui shook his head and said, "It seems you still don't understand the meaning of companions. I'm different from you. To me, companions are people I'd give my life to protect. I believe in my companions, and they believe in me. I will cherish this bond. Perhaps some companions will sacrifice themselves before our eyes, but we will live on with their legacy. However, I believe that day will never come, because I believe in my own strength and believe I can protect them well. I want to break this cursed world with them and completely change it."

"So, you're going to stand against us?" Konan said.

"I have never stood with you. From the moment you attempted to control this world, we have been enemies," Issui said calmly. Although you are a beautiful girl, being too stubborn is not a good thing. The world is not something that anyone can control. You cannot decide other people's fates.

A Paper Shuriken appeared in Konan's hand. She said coldly, "Then, according to God's will, I will end your life and subject you to judgment, young man!"

Issui also produced a Shuriken made of ice crystals. "Tch, don't be too confident. If you can kill me, then come on, let's see who's the real deal. Since you've come here, you must have already prepared for the worst. We're enemies, so there's no question of holding back. You'd better fight with all your might."

"Puff..."

Konan ignored Issui's words and threw the Paper Shuriken her hand. The Shuriken flew at high speed, and the friction between the shuriken and the air produced a sound like an air burst. Compared with ordinary Shuriken, Paper Shuriken is lighter and faster.

Issui also threw out his ice Shuriken, then made a new ice sword and closed in.

The Ice Shuriken and the Paper Shuriken collided and bounced off each other. Issui, without slowing down, immediately arrived beside Konan, his ice sword about to strike Konan.

"Boom..."

Just as Issui's ice sword struck Konan exploded violently, blasting Issui away. Issui landed on the ground and instantly turned into a burning wooden stake.

"No reaction at all? It actually dodged my Paper Clone's self-destruction in an instant." Konan said as she emerged from behind a rock.

"You're not bad, but it seems I'm a step ahead..." Yishui suddenly appeared behind Konan, holding Issui ice sword, and gently pressed the ice sword against her neck with his right hand.

"Pfft^..." Konan suddenly transformed into a large amount of white paper, covering Issui's entire body.

"Boom..." All the white paper covering Issui exploded.

"How did it feel to have my Paper Clone self-destruct?" Konan asked as she landed on the ground, looking at the area where the explosion had occurred.

"Earth Release - The Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!!"

Suddenly, Issui burst forth from the ground beneath Konan's feet, grabbing her calf with his right hand and attempting to pull her back underground.

"Not so easy." Konan's lower body suddenly transformed into sheets of white paper that fluttered around.

"Snake-Sheep-Monkey-Pig-Horse-Tiger, Fire Style - Great Fireball Technique" Seeing that Konan's calf suddenly turned into a piece of paper, Issui was not disappointed. Instead, he quickly Hand Seals and spat out a large ball of high-temperature fireball at Konan.

Fire is the greatest nemesis of paper. Although Konan reacted quickly, some of her clothes were still burned off, revealing her fair and delicate thighs. This made her feel slightly ashamed and indignant, but now was not the time to worry about that. The enemy was watching her closely.

"Paper Senbon Needle Rain and Dew!!"

A large Senbon appeared in Konan's hand. With a casual wave, a large number of Senbon paper needles shot towards the Issui below.

"Ice--Ice Shield!" Paper Senbon moved so fast that Issui couldn't react in time and directly erected a shield made of ice crystals in front of him.

"Explode!" Konan shouted softly, detonating the Senbon paper needles. The remaining paper needles continued their momentum, hurtling towards Senbon Issui's body. It was clear that Issui's body was about to be pierced by a large number of Senbon needles!

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!!" Issui immediately erected a semi-circular water curtain in front of him, having had enough time because of the ice shield that had blocked him earlier.

A large Senbon needles struck the water curtain, and then fell down.

"Paper Prison Technique..."

Just as the situation on this side was resolved, a large number of white papers appeared behind Issui, surrounding him once again.

"This should be your real body, let's see how you escape now, explode!" Konan detonated the white paper stuck to Issui's body again. Although the Paper Prison Technique could suffocate someone to death, Konan didn't think it was that simple. She added a layer of protection to the Paper Prison Technique — Explosive Tag!