Mind's Eye of the Kagura Locks On! The Fate of a Peeping Tom
Above the Hidden Leaf.
The moonlight was mostly obscured by a thin layer of clouds.
Konan's Paper Clone reformed into human form 300 meters away.
She knelt on one knee on the branch of an ancient tree, her amber eyes showing no sign of panic—but the knuckles of her fingers gripping the branch were an unnatural white.
Just that instant.
The blond boy had his eyes closed, and his lips moved silently.
I can smell you.
A distance of thirty meters.
Her Paper Clone's Chakra was compressed to the level of a mosquito.
No ninja could detect her at that distance and under that concentration.
But he noticed.
Konan's breathing was extremely slow and shallow.
--calm.
She closed her eyes and dissected that moment three times.
His posture remained unchanged.
The respiratory rate remained unchanged.
The two women beside him did not react at all.
In other words, he was showing off.
I deliberately let her know.
"... twelve years old."
Konan's lips moved slightly, and she uttered two words.
She made a decision.
We will not withdraw.
Nagato needs is not information as trivial as "he is very strong".
Nagato needs to know just how strong this Naruto Uzumaki is.
Where are the boundaries of his perception?
What are his weaknesses?
The Chakra of the Paper Clone can be compressed infinitely.
As long as she doesn't actively release any fluctuations, theoretically, even Sage Mode wouldn't be able to lock onto a "waste paper" with no Chakra flow.
Konan completely transformed herself into a thin sheet of paper.
It drifted down with the night wind.
Silent.
Without a sound.
No Chakra.
It blended in with the fallen leaves.
Uzumaki Estate.
Backyard.
The steam from the open-air hot spring rose up and condensed into a hazy white mist under the moonlight.
Naruto leaned against the pool wall with his eyes half-closed, the hot water reaching above his collarbone.
Her golden, tousled hair was damp with steam and clung to her temples.
One person.
There is no Shiro, no Tayuya, no Temari.
He sent everyone away.
The reason was—"I want to soak in the tub by myself tonight."
The water was calm.
Only the occasional bubbles rising from the bottom of the pool made a soft gurgling sound.
The entire mansion was eerily quiet.
Outside the backyard fence.
A withered leaf clung to a crack in the roof tile.
The veins of that leaf had an extra, barely perceptible crease compared to a real withered leaf.
Konan's consciousness attached itself to it.
Through the gaps in the roof tiles, she saw the golden figure in the hot spring pool.
One person.
Completely unprepared.
With eyes closed.
Steam obscured most of the view, but the outline of the body immersed in the hot water remained clear—a physique far exceeding that of a twelve-year-old, with well-proportioned, lean, and explosive muscle lines that were faintly visible under the reflection of the water.
Konan's gaze did not linger.
She was observing something else—his Chakra state.
Even with her passive perception in the form of a paper doll, she could detect extremely faint energy fluctuations on her target.
But--
There was nothing there.
The Chakra fluctuations emanating from the blond boy in the hot spring were as calm as a stagnant pool.
There are no defensive Ninjutsu.
There is no barrier.
There is no external release of sensory Chakra.
"... We were too careless."
Konan made her judgment in her mind.
This is Naruto Uzumaki's weakness—overconfidence.
He believed he couldn't possibly be ambushed.
I believe no one can break through his perception.
Therefore, in private spaces, he completely lets down his guard.
That's enough.
Konan has obtained the information she needed.
The paper began to be pulled extremely slowly from the crack in the tile, preparing—
"Bang."
A soft sound came from the hot spring pool.
Konan's consciousness suddenly stopped.
The moment the white mist dissipated, the body of the "blonde boy" in the pool exploded into a cloud of white smoke.
Shadow Clone.
Konan's mind completed a high-speed operation within 0.3 seconds:
It's fake.
It was all fake from beginning to end.
The "unsuspecting Naruto" she sensed was actually a Shadow Clone deliberately suppressing its Chakra and simulating its true form as bait.
Where is the original body?
Back of the neck.
A scalding hot breath pressed against me.
She was so close that she could feel the warm breath he exhaled brushing against every inch of the skin on the back of her neck.
She was so close she could smell the dry, hot scent that belonged to a young man.
Nearby--
"You've come to test me Nagato?"
The sound exploded in my ears.
Low-pitched.
Lazy.
The rising intonation at the end of the note carried a hint of playfulness.
Like a cat that has caught a mouse but doesn't rush to kill it.
"I think it's like lambs to the slaughter."
Konan's paper-like form was forcibly locked in that instant.
It is not physically locked.
It was an invisible spiritual force—like an invisible net—enveloping her from all sides.
The Great Evolution Divine Soul Art's Mental Frequency Modulation Network had already captured her soul frequency the moment she realized the danger.
She cannot self-destruct her clones.
Unable to withdraw consciousness back to the physical body.
Unable to move an inch.
"--Angel Sister."
Naruto's voice trailed off with the last three words.
Under the pressure of spiritual power, Konan's paper scraps were forced to revert from their withered leaf form back to human shape.
Short blue hair.
Amber-colored pupils.
A refined and aloof face.
She appeared on the top of the wall, kneeling on one knee.
And Naruto-
He was standing less than half a step behind her.
His upper body was naked.
She only wore a bath towel around her waist.
Her golden hair was still dripping with water droplets.
Steam rose in wisps from his shoulders.
He tilted his head slightly, looking down at the blue-haired woman kneeling before him.
The curve of the corners of her mouth was very faint.
But the light in his eyes—it was as if he were appraising a newly acquired collectible.
"Um?"
Naruto tilted his head. "Not going to say anything?"
Konan's back was ramrod straight.
For the first time, a visible fluctuation appeared in their amber eyes.
She spoke.
The voice remained cold, but there was a very subtle tremor at the end:
"... When did you first find out?"
Naruto smiled.
The laugh was short and nasal.
He extended his right hand.
With his index and middle fingers together, he casually tugged at a strand of blue hair that had fallen beside Konan's face.
Tuck it behind your ear.
The movement was as light as brushing a petal.
"From the moment you entered the border of the Land of Fire."
Konan's pupils contracted.
Naruto did not retract his finger.
His fingertips slid down the strand of blue hair and stopped at her earlobe.
So--
He bent down.
His breath brushed against her earlobe.
His voice was extremely low, as if it were a secret he was only telling her:
"Go back and tell Nagato, if he wants to see me next time, don't send a paper doll."
He paused for a moment.
"Let him come in person."
Konan's fingers clenched the shredded paper tightly inside her sleeve—but the mental lock prevented her from even folding a single piece of paper into a weapon.
Naruto straightened up.
Withdraw your hand.
It was tucked into the pocket of the bath towel.
Turning around, I walked barefoot towards the hot spring.
He had his back to her.
"I'm in a good mood today, so I won't kill you."
His voice drifted on the night breeze, casually, "But you owe me a favor."
Konan knelt on the wall.
Moonlight shone on her profile.
His amber eyes were fixed on the receding figure.
Her lips were pressed tightly together into a straight line.
The residual warmth on the back of the neck had not yet dissipated.
In my mind.
The system alert sounded.
[Ding--Detecting changes in Konan's (Angel of God) affection level...]
[Current Affection Level: +15 (Dangerous Unknown)]
[System suggestion: The target's psychological defenses are extremely high. It is recommended to apply continuous pressure through a combination of overwhelming strength and repeated contact. Avoid being impatient.]
Naruto stepped into the hot spring pool, and the hot water once again covered his shoulders.
He closed his eyes.
The smile at the corner of his mouth never faded.
"SS-rank... an angel of God."
He smacked his lips silently.
"Nagato, you're really willing to do this."
On the top of the wall.
There was no one there.
Only a single white scrap of paper spun silently in the night wind, drifting into the distance.