"Waaa! Waaa!"
The crying of an infant echoed, and the screams of the woman in the room finally ceased.
A female doctor walked out holding a bundle. "My Lord, mother and son are both safe. The Lady Angel has given birth to a healthy baby boy," the doctor said, smiling at Nagato.
"Let me see him." Nagato sat in his wheelchair, his eyes fixed intently on the child in the doctor's arms.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Uchiha Raizen was sitting in Rin Nohara's room when a mechanical voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
[Ding! Uchiha Clan Member +1. You have obtained 10 Kakashi units of Chakra, Eye Power +100, and Sage Body.]
Raizen's body stiffened in shock.
"What's wrong, Raizen-kun?" Rin asked, noticing his sudden reaction.
"Did... did someone in the family just give birth?" Raizen asked.
"No," Rin replied, puzzled. "None of the sisters are due today."
"That's impossible!" Raizen immediately focused his mind, gathering natural energy and entering the Perfect Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku. He extended his sensory range across the entire Uchiha district but felt no presence of a newborn.
How can this be? Raizen was bewildered. All his women lived within the compound. If no child was born here, why did the System trigger a reward? Did the System make a mistake?
System, is this reward a glitch? No child has been born in my house, he questioned internally.
[Ding! The System does not make mistakes. Host, a new child of your lineage has indeed been born into this world.]
Raizen's eyes widened as a realization hit him like a thunderbolt. Could it be...?
The image of Konan surfaced in his mind. On the night before she left, they had drunk together and ended up in bed. Could it be that just that one time was enough?
Calculating the time since the Konoha Crush, it had been about ten months. The timing was perfect.
"Rin, rest well. I have to go out for a moment."
"Did something happen, Raizen-kun?" Rin asked with concern.
"It's nothing. I just need to verify something. I'll be back soon." Raizen leaned down and kissed Rin's forehead.
"Mhm. Come back early," Rin whispered shyly.
Stepping outside, Raizen locked onto a specific coordinate marker he had placed months ago. He wove a hand seal and activated the Flying Thunder God, vanishing instantly.
The Reunion in the Rain
In the next heartbeat, Raizen appeared inside a sterile hospital room.
On the bed lay a pale, exhausted Konan.
"Who are you!?" a nurse cleaning the room shrieked, startled by the man appearing out of thin air.
Outside the door, Nagato—who was holding the baby—changed expression. He immediately controlled the Six Paths of Pain to burst through the windows. To ensure Konan's safety during labor, Nagato had stationed the Six Paths all around the hospital.
For someone to bypass the shared vision of the Six Paths and evade his Rain Tiger at Will Technique was unprecedented. Nagato's face darkened with alarm as his puppets crashed into the room to protect Konan.
Nagato's gaze landed on an exceptionally handsome young man. It was his first time seeing Raizen in person.
"Why didn't you tell me, Konan?" Raizen ignored the Six Paths of Pain surrounding him, his gaze full of tenderness as he looked at the weakened woman on the bed.
Meeting Raizen's gentle eyes, Konan's own grew misty. "How did you... how did you find out?" she whispered.
"My sixth sense told me," Raizen said softly, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "It seems my guess was right."
Seeing the intimate way they spoke, Nagato understood everything in an instant. The Six Paths of Pain stood silently against the walls, watching.
Nagato's original body, still holding the child, slowly rolled his wheelchair into the room.
"Konan, you're weak. Drink this." Raizen skillfully produced a bottle of Papaya Nutritional Juice, popped the cap, and personally fed it to her.
As she drank, Konan's complexion returned to a healthy rosy glow at a visible rate. "Thank you, Raizen-kun," she said, her eyes overflowing with happiness.
Nagato watched this with a heavy, complicated heart. He felt a flicker of happiness for Konan, but also a sense of melancholy. If Yahiko were still alive, perhaps he would be the one standing there...
Nagato handed the baby to a nurse and silently gestured for the Six Paths to push his wheelchair out of the room.
"Lady Angel, here is your precious son." The doctor brought the baby over and placed him beside Konan's face.
Looking at the adorable infant, Konan's heart melted. Raizen looked at the child with equal joy.
"Come home with me, Konan," Raizen proposed, his hand covering hers.
Konan was deeply moved, but she hesitated. "Raizen-kun... give me a little time to prepare, alright?"
She needed time to settle matters with Akatsuki and Nagato. She had originally planned to raise the child alone in the Hidden Rain without ever telling Raizen. She never expected him to appear the moment the child was born. His sudden arrival had completely upended her plans.
Raizen nodded understandingly. "I understand."
The Warning
After a few more tender words, Raizen left the baby with Konan and stepped into the hallway. Nagato was waiting there with the Six Paths of Pain, staring at him in silence.
"Uchiha Raizen. I didn't expect us to meet under these circumstances," Nagato spoke slowly.
"I am taking Konan with me," Raizen stated calmly.
Nagato remained silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "Konan is in the Hidden Rain. I can protect her."
Raizen countered immediately, "She is safest in Konoha. Staying with you is dangerous."
Nagato let out a scoff of disdain. "With my power alone, I could level Konoha. Therefore, her living here is the ultimate security."
Raizen's voice remained flat. "You won't destroy Konoha. Because if you try, I will kill you."
Nagato's laughter turned mocking. "Oh? You plan to kill me right here?"
Raizen shook his head. "Your current actions have nothing to do with me yet. Why would I kill you now?"
Nagato sneered. "You speak so casually, as if you actually have the ability to kill me. How amusing."
Raizen calmly pulled out a scroll and tossed it to Nagato. "Take a good look at this before you make your final decision."
Raizen turned to leave, but after a few steps, he paused and looked back. "Don't doubt it—what you see is the truth. With your current strength, you are incapable of making me 'feel pain'."