The Child Who Wouldn't Grow Up

Konan almost laughed out loud, though it was out of pure irritation.

She had seen many bizarre things and heard of all sorts of inconceivable ninjutsu, but this was just too ridiculous.

Could it be... that the other party was trying to distract her, using this so-called future to influence her current decision-making?

But the question remained: why go to such lengths?

If they truly wanted to interfere with her, there were far more direct and effective methods. Why expend so much effort to sneak into her room and leave behind this so-called "Future Journal"?

What was the point of such a thankless, exhausting endeavor?

The more Konan thought about it, the stranger it felt.

"Forget it, regardless of what their goal is..." She sneered. "I might as well see what exactly is written in this so-called 'Future Journal'."

She flipped to the first page.

The page was densely packed with text, the handwriting neat and clear, yet every stroke carried a sense of force, as if it were trying to pierce through the paper.

[I have taken over this journal, becoming the sixth village chief of this village.]

[Though I call myself a village chief, I have no idea what I am supposed to do. I only became chief because there is no one else left here.]

[In my memory, this weeping nation has only seen one sunny day. That was twenty years ago, when Lady Angel used countless explosive tags to scatter the dark clouds. That day was the first time I saw the sun and a rainbow; that day, everyone wept for Lady Angel.]

[I was young then, and I didn't understand why the adults were crying, nor did I understand what the departure of Lord Pain and Lady Angel meant for this village and this nation. I thought everything would remain the same as before.]

[Lady Angel told us about Konoha... no, that person's name is Naruto Uzumaki. I remember the name because he defeated Lord Pain, earned their trust, and later ended the Fourth Shinobi World War, being hailed as a hero.]

[Naruto Uzumaki promised Lady Angel that once he became Hokage, he would surely change the status quo of the Land of Rain and bring peace to it.]

[After the Fourth Shinobi World War ended, the shinobi world did indeed welcome peace. The Five Great Nations set aside their grudges and worked together to prosper, a scene of flourishing growth. But only the Land of Rain was swept into the corner of memory.]

[Naruto Uzumaki has long forgotten his promise. When the war first ended, the Five Great Nations did send people here, but facts proved they were all liars! Having lost Lord Pain and Lady Angel, the Land of Rain no longer had the qualifications to hold a dialogue with the Five Great Nations.]

[To this day, Amegakure has long since become a ruin, and those who yearn to live have left one after another. Only now do I understand.]

[To the people here, Lord Pain and Lady Angel were...]

[Hope.]

"Absurd!"

Konan instinctively refused to believe this journal, but if she thought about it carefully, some of the logic seemed self-consistent.

If it truly reached the point where she needed to use a massive quantity of explosive tags, it could only mean that Nagato was already gone, and that masked man still existed.

If Nagato were gone, she truly lacked the confidence to become a new leader, and the possibility of pinning her hopes on someone else did exist.

Her work and ideals had always been to serve as a bridge, supporting them as they moved forward, supporting the arrival of peace.

That mysterious masked man possessed a space-time ninjutsu that rendered him immune to attacks, but such an ability must have certain limitations—just as her Dance of the Shikigami could not change forms at will once stained with oil, and maintaining her form required a continuous consumption of chakra.

According to Konan's observations, the masked man was slower when transferring his body than when absorbing others; this might be one of his weaknesses. Furthermore, his ability to freely ignore attacks must have a time limit, though she had no clue as to the specifics.

Then there was the mention of the Fourth Shinobi World War in the journal; this was not difficult to deduce.

If Nagato were gone and she were gone, then the actual controller of the Dawn would fall into the hands of the mysterious masked man. And their shared goal was to collect the nine Tailed Beasts.

Collecting the Tailed Beasts meant becoming enemies with the Five Great Nations. Since Nagato would lose to Uzumaki... Naruto, it meant that by that time, things had already progressed to the point of collecting the Nine-Tails.

Once it reached that stage, it would be no surprise that the Five Great Nations would form a Shinobi Allied Forces to jointly crusade against the mysterious masked man.

And the Land of Rain, reduced to ruins...

Konan closed her eyes. She could imagine it—how could those without power have the qualifications for dialogue? It was just... why would the Nagato of the future choose to trust Naruto Uzumaki? Was it simply because he lost?

It could never be that simple.

After clearing her thoughts, Konan flipped to the second page, where she found her answer.

[Today is... I've forgotten. Even though this is a journal, I don't remember to write in it every day.]

[Hyuga Kiyonari. I will remember this name forever.]

[He was the first person from the Five Great Nations who didn't carry an umbrella, the first to sit in a mud puddle with me in the rain and chat. He was also my first friend from the Five Great Nations.]

[As a Konoha ninja, he told me many "truths." Although I lacked the ability to argue what was real or fake, I thought that there was nothing left in the Land of Rain that he could possibly covet.]

[The "Dawn" led by Lord Pain failed. In the process of capturing the Nine-Tails, he lost to Naruto Uzumaki, who was both the Nine-Tails jinchuriki and his own junior disciple.]

[But Hyuga Kiyonari said that Lord Pain... no, he should be called Lord Nagato—actually lost to himself, lost to his own younger self.]

[He saw his own shadow in Naruto Uzumaki, saw a conviction firmer than his own, and thus chose to entrust the future to him. And in order to sever the chains of hatred, Lord Nagato used a certain technique to resurrect all the Konoha villagers who died in this war.]

"Resurrection... it's that technique, the technique of the Rinnegan."

Konan's pupils shrank violently, and her heart began to waver.

If one were not sufficiently knowledgeable about the Rinnegan, it would be impossible to know of this technique's existence. But if this person were knowledgeable enough about the Rinnegan, then why would he go to such great lengths to deceive her?

And Nagato's name...

She continued to read.

[Hyuga Kiyonari told me that Naruto Uzumaki is not a qualified Hokage; his dream is less about becoming Hokage and more about becoming a hero.]

After the Fourth Great Ninja War concluded, the ninja world did indeed usher in an era of peace, and Naruto Uzumaki finally attained the recognition he had dreamed of, becoming a hero who broke the shackles of hatred, beloved by all.

Yet, after he fulfilled his wish to become the Seventh Hokage, he always seemed eager to participate in various television programs, news interviews, and ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new shop openings.

I finally understand: Naruto Uzumaki is a child, a child who never grew up.

This is because a child's ideals are always so naive, pure, and compelling. Those weary adults, battered by reality, always wishfully believe when they see a child that they will possess a future better than their own.

However, if a child cannot take that first step, they will never be able to become an adult.