"Twilight Hermit Society."
Konan softly recited those five words, and an inexplicable power rippled deep within her heart.
In a haze, she seemed to fall into boundless darkness. Deep within the thick black mist, she saw a towering, majestic Church of Bones.
Within the pure white church stood pitch-black stone pillars embedded with the bones of countless creatures. On the high platform at the very depths of the church stood a massive Bone Cross, binding an indescribable, unnamable colossal figure of light and shadow that seemed to uphold heaven and earth.
The instant she instinctively looked directly at that figure of light and shadow—
Buzz!
Countless thoughts surged into her mind like a torrent, forcibly crammed into the sea of her consciousness.
Konan clutched her swollen, splitting head and screamed again and again. Under the impact of those torrents, she felt as though her personality had been brutally tore apart into millions upon millions of pieces.
Every fragment of her shattered personality seemed to possess its own will, whispering, shrieking, and roaring in different voices by her ears.
"N-No more..."
Konan's eyes were hollow and unfocused, her mind completely blank, like a puppet that had been broken beyond repair.
At that moment, 'Adam' suddenly made his move.
As she suffered immense agony under the torment of countless thoughts and personalities, a figure shrouded in light descended like an angel.
The six-winged angel enveloped in radiance gently stroked the top of her head with a warm hand.
Gradually, all the voices drifted away from her.
Beneath that warm light, Konan felt comfort welling up from the depths of her soul, like a baby in its mother's womb.
A moment later, when Konan had regained her calm and opened her eyes, she saw Adam.
Those eyes, still as clear and pure as an infant's, glimmered with pale gold and gave her an overwhelming sense of security.
"What... was that just now?"
Fear remained in Konan's eyes. She still shuddered at what had just happened.
Whether it was that majestic Church of Bones, the colossal figure of light bound upon the Bone Cross, or even the 'angel' that appeared at the end, all of it far exceeded the worldview she had built.
So this was the true Shinobi World!
Before this, she had been like a pet living in a fish tank, never truly understanding these truths.
But now... she seemed to have finally Peeked into a trace of them.
"Sorry, that was my oversight."
Uchiha Sōgetsu said gently, "I forgot to warn you. Without my permission, do not recite that name in private again."
In truth, he had done it deliberately.
People feared power but did not cherish virtue. Sometimes, relying solely on words was less effective than flexing one's muscles once.
Of course, he could not simulate the aura of a true god, much less pull out the Ancient Sun God, so that scene had still been 'fake.'
Yet although it was fake, in essence, it could still be considered a part of the Ancient Sun God—Corrupting Words!
Corrupting Words originated from the blasphemous voice of the true Rap Creator. He could not help but sigh sincerely: this thing was really useful!
"May I ask... could you tell me?"
Konan hesitated, but she still insisted on voicing the doubt in her heart. "What exactly was that?"
"You may call Him... the Creator."
Uchiha Sōgetsu said blandly, "He is the Lord who created all things, the omniscient and omnipotent god. He is also the source of all greatness, the beginning and the end, the God of Gods, the ruler of the vast Astral World, the great existence we worship, and the reason the Twilight Hermit Society was founded."
"But wasn't the Sage of Six Paths the one who created everything?" Konan was deeply confused. This was completely different from the 'myths' she knew.
"So-called myths are merely stories passed down and adapted by later generations based on real events." Uchiha Sōgetsu shook his head and smiled. "Take the Sage of Six Paths you know, for example. If the story were restored to its original form, perhaps it would only disappoint you."
Konan wanted to ask more, but he raised a hand to stop her. "It cannot be spoken of, and it cannot be asked about."
It was not that he was deliberately putting on an air of mystery. He simply did not wish to continue discussing it in depth.
After all, although he had the Fate Doll and was confident it could block the Sage of Six Paths and the Great Toad Sage from investigating, this Extraordinary Item was not of a high level. Saying a few words was harmless, but if he kept talking about them, whether they would notice was another matter entirely.
"I understand, Mr. Adam."
Konan immediately understood what he meant and promptly closed her mouth, saying no more.
"The fate between you and me ends here."
Uchiha Sōgetsu slowly rose to his feet, picked up the black book, and examined her with pale gold eyes. "I hope that when we meet again, I will see your resolve."
"Wait, Mr. Adam!"
Seeing the man about to leave, Konan immediately panicked. "May I ask how I should contact you? And how should I change my fate? What... no, what do you need me to do?"
"I do not need you to do anything, at least not yet." Uchiha Sōgetsu looked up at the sky and said meaningfully, "And you need not contact me. As for how to change your fate... I have already given you the answer."
As he spoke, he stepped into the rain.
Whether by coincidence or not, the sky cleared at that moment. The rain stopped, the clouds scattered, and a ray of sunlight shone down, framing his silhouette as though he were a god walking the earth.
"The Lord said: When He awakens from the slumber of death—"
"The kingdom He imagined shall descend upon the world; the future He proclaimed shall unfold into reality."
The chant gradually faded away. 'Adam' seemed as though he had never been there, vanishing without a trace.
"The answer..."
Konan lowered her head and clenched the fabric over her chest until her fingers turned white. Her gaze was resolute. "Amegakure needs reform. Akatsuki needs reform too!"
"Nagato, I need you."
When Konan returned from her outing, she sat beside Nagato's sickbed, and the first thing she said was that she needed his help.
Although he did not know what trouble Konan had encountered, Nagato, who regarded her as a younger sister, did not hesitate in the slightest. He did not even ask why before directly nodding. "All right. Tell me."
"I want to purge the organization from within."
Konan's tone was as cold as ice that had endured for ten thousand years, and some kind of 'will' flickered in her eyes.
"You said... what?"
Nagato rubbed his eyes, thinking he had misheard.
"I said I want to purge the organization from within." Konan repeated herself, staring at him. "Yahiko is dead, but his will is not. I want to inherit his will and create a world without oppression. Nagato, will you help me?"
Looking at the girl before him, Nagato felt a sense of unfamiliarity in an instant.
The girl who had once rarely smiled and had always depended on him and Yahiko was now saying... that she wanted to inherit Yahiko's will.
"Can you tell me why, Konan?" Nagato asked with a complicated expression.
"If fate truly decrees that we will die..."
It was as if flames burned in Konan's eyes. "Then at least before that... I will use every ounce of my strength to destroy it!"
At that moment, Nagato seemed to see a mass of burning black flame within Konan's pupils.
That black flame was so chilling, cold, and sharp.
But this was good.
At least this version of Konan put his mind at ease.
"I understand, Konan."
Nagato slowly sat up while supporting himself against the bedframe, trusting her just as he had once trusted Yahiko. "I will help you, even if it means becoming an enemy of fate and an enemy of the world."
"Thank you, Nagato."
Warmth filled Konan's heart as she tightly held those bony hands.
"Then, what do you plan to do?"
Nagato coughed twice and asked weakly.
"Unify Akatsuki and take control of Amegakure."
Konan laid out the plan she had long prepared in full.
"What if someone refuses to obey..." Nagato hesitated before asking.
He knew the organization's current situation very well.
After Yahiko's death, many people had left the organization, and some of those who remained were growing restless, intending to seize power.
Those people had been around since the organization's founding and could be considered veteran members.
"It's simple."
Konan's tone was calm and cold. "Kill those who disobey. Keep those who obey."
The Shinobi World was not that complicated.
The strong made the rules, and the weak followed them!
A brief explanation~ Naruto was fundamentally a manga, and its worldview and timeline already had contradictions. To make it as coherent as possible, I had to interpret some of the original characters. My interpretations may not be correct, but that is how this book is set up. I hope you readers can understand~
Before you continue