Chapter 42: Shifting Blame is an Art
Confrontation
"Who exactly are you? What is your purpose?"
At this moment, Konan was extremely wary, regarding the person before her as a potential enemy.
"My name is 'Adam.' And as for my purpose..."
Uchiha Kazuki paused deliberately for half a second, then spoke slowly with measured gravity: "In the name of 'the Lord,' acting upon 'His' divine will, I walk this world to save those lost sheep who have strayed from the path."
Adam was, of course, merely his disguise.
I have to commend the Beyonder items from that world—they're always top quality!
The 'Creeping Hunger' glove with its ability to fabricate lies was proving remarkably useful indeed.
"Are you calling me a lost sheep?"
Konan's delicate brows furrowed as a hint of coldness flashed across her beautiful face. "What you just said—that all gifts bestowed by fate come with a hidden price—what exactly did you mean by that?"
"Haven't you already witnessed fate's revelation firsthand?"
Uchiha Kazuki's slender fingers tapped lightly against the black book in his lap. "As for the 'price'... isn't it your dear friend Yahiko?"
"Who... who exactly are you? How do you know all of this?! WHY?!"
A thunderbolt seemed to strike through Konan's mind. Her face turned deathly pale as if her very soul had been ripped away, her hands and feet turning ice cold with shock.
"Because all of this was orchestrated by me."
Uchiha Kazuki stated calmly, as if discussing the weather. "I believe I've already answered your question. As for why I know all this—the answer is quite simple. The one who showed you that prophetic dream... was me."
"It was YOU?!"
In an instant, Konan's emotions exploded violently. Her endless regret and guilt transformed into pure, burning rage.
All the repression accumulated over these past agonizing days erupted like a volcano. A cacophony of conflicting emotions ignited the powder keg within her heart.
Pain! Hatred! Regret!
The convergence of these overwhelming feelings made Konan's eyes turn bloodshot, glaring at him like a cornered wild beast ready to strike.
It seemed as though she might pounce on him at any moment and tear him apart with her bare hands.
But a sliver of rationality remained, warning her that if she actually attacked, her fate would be sealed—and not in her favor.
I can't die here... otherwise, who would take care of Nagato?
Yahiko's death had taught her a painful lesson: pointless anger and rash actions would only make terrible situations even worse.
It was better to calm down and carefully seek an opportunity to resolve the problem properly.
Konan painfully suppressed her seething hatred, forcing herself to remain composed. "Can you at least tell me... why you chose me for this?"
The Manipulation
"The one who chose you was not me, but 'the Lord.'"
Uchiha Kazuki's unnaturally calm tone carried a strange, almost infectious quality. "I merely followed the divine will of 'the Lord,' extracting a small fragment from the great river of fate and manifesting it as your dream. As for the outcome—whether you could change it or not—that choice was always yours alone."
"Too cruel..."
Konan clenched her fists until her nails drew blood, biting her lip hard enough that the bitter taste filled her mouth.
The helplessness of witnessing the prophesied outcome unfold exactly as foretold, yet being completely unable to change it—it was like a drowning person grasping desperately at floating weeds. What seemed like salvation revealed itself to be nothing but deeper, heavier, darker despair upon contact. She'd fallen from the paradise of hope straight into the abyss.
The boundless void of that despair felt like a giant hand gripping her throat, slowly suffocating her.
"Though it's regrettable, I have fulfilled my assigned duty."
Uchiha Kazuki crossed his arms before him, his eyes clear as a still lake. "But fate will not change simply because of regret. The future you witnessed will still unfold exactly as shown. So tell me... what will you choose?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"Will you become a slave to fate's predetermined path? Or will you forge a new road through this dark wilderness?"
"Did I ever have a choice?"
Konan was filled with bitter helplessness, a sense of complete powerlessness overwhelming her. "I tried to change it. But I couldn't."
Yes, she had tried with everything she had.
And what was the result of her desperate attempt?
Her rash actions had prematurely caused Yahiko's death!
How utterly ironic!
It was precisely because she'd wanted to try changing the future that she'd accidentally accelerated fate's arrival—and in the end, she still couldn't change anything at all.
If she had simply pretended not to know anything, perhaps she could have felt less guilty.
At least that way, both Yahiko and Nagato might have lived a little longer.
This devastating blow had thoroughly frightened Konan. She no longer dared touch the forbidden red line of fate, terrified of hastening that terrible ending even further.
"The key question is: do you have the courage to sacrifice everything?"
Uchiha Kazuki's deep voice subtly wove in layers of psychological suggestion. "Everyone experiences moments of hesitation. Hesitation itself isn't terrible—what's terrible is failing to make a choice while hesitating. Because once you commit to a decision, you will no longer waver, and you can act decisively in your chosen direction."
Upon hearing this, Konan hesitated, genuinely unsure of what path to take.
As Adam said, should she become a slave to fate and passively watch the tragic future unfold? Or should she forge a completely new path through this dark wilderness?
"I... I don't know..."
Konan stammered, her voice barely a whisper.
If Yahiko were still alive, surely he could make the right choice, couldn't he?
The Perfect Scapegoat
"If you can truly see fate's design, could you tell me something?"
Konan bit her lip as tears welled in her eyes, her voice trembling with anguish. "Why... why is fate so unspeakably cruel to us? Yahiko... Yahiko always wanted to change the shinobi world for the better, wanted everyone to find happiness and peace. Why... why did he have to die?!"
"The cruel truth is..."
Uchiha Kazuki instantly formulated the perfect way to shift all blame away from himself—and this reasoning was absolutely flawless.
"Yahiko had to die. Only his death could facilitate Nagato's necessary transformation into what he must become."
"Nagato?!"
Konan was completely shocked by this revelation, her pupils dilating in disbelief. "Why... why would Yahiko's death be connected to Nagato?!"
"Because Nagato's existence serves as the catalyst for the Child of Prophecy to properly mature."
Uchiha Kazuki's tone remained utterly calm and detached, his eyes filled with an unsettling, distant look. "The fate of every single person in the entire shinobi world was predetermined from the very moment of His birth."
"Who is 'He'? What is this Child of Prophecy?"
Konan felt her brain nearly short-circuiting. The sudden influx of overwhelming information left her completely unsure how to process or react.
But faintly, a voice seemed to echo deep within her heart.
It was a name—a name that commanded reverence and awe throughout the entire shinobi world. A name that existed only in ancient legends passed down through generations!
Konan's eyes darted around in barely controlled panic, unable to meet his penetrating gaze. A nameless, primal fear gripped her heart with icy fingers.
"The blue-eyed boy who can call forth the name of the nine-tailed beast is the Child of Prophecy."
Uchiha Kazuki glanced at her with complete indifference. "As for that 'He' you're wondering about—didn't you already form a guess in your heart? Why bother asking me to confirm it?"
"The Sage of Six Paths..."
Konan subconsciously took two stumbling steps backward, muttering the name to herself in horror.
Perhaps others would dismiss the Sage of Six Paths as merely legend or myth—but she was absolutely certain that he was not just a story, but a person who had once truly existed in this world.
Because Nagato possessed the very eyes of the Sage of Six Paths himself—the legendary Rinnegan!
Resolve
"All that we've experienced... all our suffering... was it all just for this Child of Prophecy?"
Overwhelming hatred surged within Konan unlike anything she'd ever felt before.
She wanted to scream and demand answers from the Sage of Six Paths himself—why should everything she cherished be destroyed because of some ridiculous ancient prophecy?!
But then, crushing powerlessness washed over her once more. She looked at Adam with lost, bewildered eyes. "What... what should I do?"
"You should ask yourself that question."
Uchiha Kazuki spoke softly, pointing meaningfully at her chest. "Ask your own heart what it truly wants."
Konan slowly closed her eyes.
Scenes from the past flashed through her mind like a slideshow playing at rapid speed.
Yahiko's bright smile and impossible dreams. Nagato's quiet perseverance through endless suffering. The painful entanglement of past memories and prophesied future—countless images swirled together before finally settling into clarity.
When Konan opened her eyes once more, there was no longer any trace of confusion in them.
At this moment, she had transformed completely—as if reborn from ashes.
"I will NOT become a slave to fate!"
Konan's voice rang out firm and resolute, a dark flame of determination burning in her pupils. "I refuse to become a pawn in someone else's ancient prophecy. I will carry forward Yahiko's dream with my own hands!"
"In your eyes, I can see true 'resolve.'"
Uchiha Kazuki extended his hand with an approving smile. "Then... the Twilight Hermit Order welcomes you to join our ranks."
Unknown Observer
In an unknown dimension—an empty space beyond normal reality...
A pure white humanoid figure sat cross-legged in meditation, an ornate staff resting across its lap. Several pitch-black spheres floated serenely behind its back.
"Hmm?"
The pure white figure suddenly opened its eyes, a hint of confusion crossing its ancient features. "Fate itself... has made a new, unexpected choice. But who could have caused this deviation?"
In its eye sockets were perfect circles of purple—the legendary Rinnegan themselves, radiating an aura of unfathomable power.
[End of Chapter 42]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/DarkFoxx (20+ advanced chapters)