Yongye pushed the door open and walked in.
Konan sat on a low stool by the window, gazing out at the void simulated by the Spatial Villa.
She heard his footsteps but did not turn. Her voice was strained as she asked:
"Did you... kill Nagato?"
Yongye stopped by the doorframe, his hands in his pockets, and nodded.
"Yeah."
Konan fell silent for a moment. Then she turned to look at him, her voice calm with the resolve of someone who had nothing left to lose.
"Then can we begin?"
"You promised me!"
Yongye looked at her, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. His voice held its usual ease and candor.
"Don't worry. I always keep my word."
"I haven't forgotten your aerial combat skills."
A faint blush touched Konan's ears, but she did not look away. She rose from the stool and walked toward the door.
"Let's go."
They followed the corridor down to the basement.
The basement was dimmer than the floors above. Luminous minerals embedded in the walls bathed the space in cool, dark blue light.
Two cultivation tanks stood in the center of the room. Fine Chakra patterns flowed across their transparent surfaces, while the nutrient fluid inside glimmered pale green under the lights.
Yongye walked up to the first tank and pressed his palm against it. Advanced Yin-Yang Release activated, and gray-white light seeped from his hand into the tank, gathering and taking shape in the fluid.
Bones, muscles, and skin grew layer by layer, turning a vague outline into a distinct form.
The form of a three-year-old boy slowly emerged in the fluid. His features were young, but his eyes held a gentleness and stubbornness beyond his years.
Yahiko.
The second tank began working at the same time. Gray-white light gathered inside it