Hearing those words, Nagato turned toward the village without the slightest hesitation.
All he wanted now was to make sure Yahiko was truly safe.
Yahiko had the same thought. When he found that Nagato was not home either, he rushed out to search for him, his face full of worry.
The two finally met at the border of Amegakure, relief written all over their faces.
They exchanged a glance without asking any further questions, then returned to the village together.
Meanwhile, in Konoha.
At home, Konan held a cup and was about to bring it to her lips when it shattered in her hand before she could even raise it halfway.
Hot water spilled all over the floor, still giving off clouds of steam.
At that instant, Konan felt a sudden, uncontrollable pang of anxiety.
It felt as though something precious to her was about to come to harm.
Konan crouched down to clean up the mess and accidentally cut her slender finger.
Looking at the crimson blood on her finger, Konan felt deeply unsettled.
Finally, she could wait no longer. She flicked the blood off her finger and held out her hand. "Dance of the Shikigami!" A mass of paper scattered through the air.
Konan stared intently at the sheets, steadily channeling chakra into them until they finally took the shape of a small bird.
Konan wrote something on a sheet of paper and placed it in the paper bird's beak. She extended her hand, and the bird instantly took to the air, disappearing after a few circling turns.
The paper bird was headed toward Uchiha Yin. Although they were not far apart, Konan had not seen him in a long time.
She had even resorted to using this ninjutsu to send him a message, an exceedingly cautious approach.