Scheming

"Ah!"

Screams echoed throughout Amegakure.

The Masked Man's men are indiscriminately slaughtering the ninjas of Amegakure. The villagers of Amegakure's faith in Konan and Nagato is deeply ingrained, so the Masked Man has no choice but to be ruthless. After all, he cannot allow Amegakure to stand against him.

"How cruel you are!"

Hearing the screams outside, Konan knew what was happening, because Konan had experienced it all before.

"Those who achieve great things, are they not all with blood on their hands?"

"I was just sending them away from this cruel world."

The Masked Man readily accepted Konan's accusations. After all, he was capable of doing it himself; why should he be afraid of what others said?

Hearing the screams outside, Konan and Nagato's expressions grew increasingly grim. Amegakure was a peaceful village they had built. They never imagined that war would one day befall them.

You deserve to die.

Konan roared. At this moment, Konan's Central City the villagers of Amegakure's admiration and worship for her. She needed to do something to vent her anger, and killing the Masked Man in front of her was a good choice.

With the burst of power, Konan's potential was unleashed. Her movements became faster, and her attacks more ruthless, completely disregarding the consequences. Konan Nan also knew that if she couldn't quickly eliminate the Masked Man, his Masked Man would arrive, making Konan situation even more difficult.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a person flew out of the room. After landing and sliding a distance on the ground, he came to a stop. It turned out to be the Masked Man.

Konan flew out of the room. The angel wings behind her accentuated her noble and aloof temperament.

The Masked Man dusted himself off. He hadn't expected a woman's anger to increase her strength so much; he'd never heard of any scientific basis for it.

"It's an angel."

"We're saved!"

When the villagers of Amegakure saw Konan fly out, they immediately knelt down in Konan direction. They forgot a crucial thing: a person can only rely on themselves. Especially when it comes to life-or-death decisions, don't put your life in the hands of others.

Konan felt a pang of unease as she looked at the villagers kneeling before her. For the first time, Konan was unable to resolve the Amegakure's demands.

Why don't you answer them? Aren't you their god?

Seeing that Konan remained silent, the Masked Man provoked Konan, saying, "I want to drag the god in the hearts of the villagers of Amegakure down from his pedestal and let these believers die in agony from losing their faith."

If looks could kill, the Masked Man would have been killed countless times by Konan's gaze. Konan stared at the Masked Man with icy eyes; she had never hated anyone so much. He not only killed her, but also pierced her spirit.

"Paper Style: Paper Scattering Attack."

Konan's wings enveloped Konan, and she spun in mid-air, launching countless pieces of paper. The Masked Man constantly changed position to dodge the paper attacks.

"Bang, bang, boom."

The paper exploded upon hitting the ground, leaving deep craters.

"Fire Release: Wind Sage Fire Technique"

The Masked Man wasn't one to be trifled with either. While dodging Konan's Ninjutsu attacks, he was also trying to figure out a way to counter Konan. And he actually did come up with one.

What is paper afraid of? Fire, of course.

The Masked Man spewed forth a torrent of fire, igniting Konan's paper scraps instantly. They couldn't even get close. The sky was dyed red. Konan's attack had failed.

"Um?"

Just as the Masked Man was overjoyed at having broken through Konan's attack, he heard a whooshing sound behind him. Relying on instinct, the Masked Man was still cut open.

"Bang!"

Konan turned into a wisp of smoke in mid-air.

Konan held Paper Shuriken in her hand, dripping blood. This blood was from the attack on the Masked Man earlier.

The Masked Man had by then understood Konan's tactics. Konan's true form was hidden within the flying papers, appearing behind the Masked Man undetected. She launched a surprise attack while the Masked Man was distracted by his Ninjutsu, almost succeeding. However, the Masked Man's vigilance was too high, and she managed to dodge. It wasn't a complete failure, though; the Masked Man was injured. This is how the advantage in battle is gradually gained.

"Hiss."

The Masked Man felt a burning sensation on his back—the pain of his flesh being ripped open. He hadn't expected Konan's fighting spirit to be so unconventional.

At this moment, the Masked Man became serious and no longer looked down on Konan just because she was a woman. After all, this woman had hurt him. This made the already arrogant Masked Man lose face.

"Go to hell!"

A large amount of fiery red energy emanated from the Masked Man, enveloping him. Soon after, a red giant stood in front of Konan.

"Susanoo."

Konan looked at everything before her with a grim expression. The Uchiha's Susanoo every way, instantly putting Konan already had a slight advantage, at a disadvantage.

"To die beneath Susanoo, you can be considered to have died a worthy death."

The Masked Man pointed a conjured longsword at Konan.

The red giant gripped his longsword with both hands and slashed downwards. "Boom!" Boundless power erupted from the sword. Amegakure shook as if an earthquake had struck. Konan was thrown back by the immense force, crashing through two buildings before finally catching her breath. When the smoke cleared, a bottomless crater had split Amegakure in two.

"Puff"

Konan shakily stood up, leaning against the broken wall. Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, she was utterly shocked by the power of Susanoo's attack. Only after truly facing such power could she understand why the Uchiha Clan had been able to run rampant during the Warring States period. It was too powerful. This was not a power belonging to the mortal realm. This put Konan in a difficult position, and she began to think...

"Is this really an enemy I can handle?"

However, Konan instantly perked up. She wasn't fighting for herself now; she needed to forge a path to survival for Nagato. Even if it Susanoo, South City take it on.

"That's the only option left."

Konan made a decision in her heart. Konan clearly understood that cooperating with the Masked Man was tantamount to seeking help from a tiger, and it was inevitable that they would turn against each other in the future. Therefore, Konan had already begun to plan ahead in preparation for any eventuality. Little did she expect that she would have to use it now.