Heart of Stone

Jiraiya arrived at the prison where Konan and Nagato were being held. Konoha had shown some compassion, putting them in adjoining cells.

Ever since his defeat, Nagato had sunk into despair.

The medical ninja had already treated the wounds Kabuto had inflicted on him. With the nutritional injections developed by Konoha's Medical Department, his life was no longer in danger.

But Nagato's spirit had been all but crushed. He sat in his cell without the slightest reaction to Jiraiya's arrival.

"Konan, Nagato..." Seeing his two students like this, with Yahiko already dead, Jiraiya felt grief well up inside him.

How did you end up like this?

"Jiraiya... Sensei." A faint glimmer of hope appeared in Konan's eyes when she saw him.

They had been held in Konoha for two days. During that time, no one had come to interrogate them for information, and no one had come to see them.

Konan had begun to suspect they were being kept alive only until their execution.

After so long spent in fear, good news had finally arrived.

Jiraiya's arrival gave Konan a glimmer of hope, but it also left her feeling ashamed.

Konan and Nagato had hated Konoha ever since Danzo joined forces with Hanzo to bring about Yahiko's death.

Yet in the end, Jiraiya was the only one willing to come and see them.

"Save the tears for the graveside. What's with the performance?"

Xuanye had never been one to read the room. While Nagato, Konan, and Jiraiya were caught up in their reunion, he walked over and cut it short without mercy.

All that sniffling made it seem like a final farewell.

The Akatsuki Organization had caused Konoha considerable financial losses this time. The damage had been anticipated, but Konoha certainly wasn't going to foot the bill.

If Konan couldn't