In an instant, space shifted. Uchiha Raizen returned to the Hidden Leaf Village, bringing Konan and the child with him.
The arrival of Konan did not surprise the women at the Uchiha estate. After all, she had served as Raizen's bodyguard for years; it would have been more surprising if he hadn't managed to "claim" her by now. They welcomed Konan into the Uchiha family with open arms.
After settling Konan in, Raizen made his way to the Military Police Force headquarters.
Nawaki stared at Raizen with intense curiosity, his eyes darting between him and the door.
"What's with the look?" Raizen asked, glancing at the boy.
"Tell me, Captain... are you and my sister... you know... a thing?" Nawaki made a gesture representing a couple.
Sakumo Hatake and the others immediately perked up their ears. If the Lady Hokage and their Captain were a pair, that would be the biggest news in the history of the village.
Raizen chuckled. "Nawaki, what makes you say that?"
"Because of me! If it weren't for that, why would you have gone through the trouble of helping my sister resurrect me?" Nawaki reasoned.
"The matter is still up in the air, so stop guessing. Just focus on training with Sakumo-senpai and the others."
Raizen then gave Nawaki a meaningful look. "By the way, I've noticed your constitution is very well-suited for Might Dai's Eight Inner Gates. Dai, why don't you take him as a disciple and pass the technique on to him?"
"It would be my honor to teach Nawaki," Might Dai nodded instantly.
In Konoha, Nawaki's status was far more noble than his own. Nawaki was essentially royalty, while Dai had been a commoner. Being entrusted with the boy's tutelage was a great mark of recognition for Dai, so he agreed without hesitation.
"The Eight Inner Gates? What kind of jutsu is that? Is it powerful?" Nawaki asked curiously.
Having died young, he knew nothing of Might Dai's heroic deeds or the terrifying power of the Gates—a technique that very nearly "kicked" the finale of the world to an early end.
Nawaki possessed the lineage of the First Hokage. His physical foundation and stamina were naturally superior to Might Guy's. If he could achieve mastery over the Eight Inner Gates, his upper limit would far exceed Guy's potential.
After discussing a few more logistical matters at the Police HQ, Raizen departed.
The Two Angels
Raizen didn't head home. Instead, he went to the women-only hot spring inn formerly managed by Keiko Uzumaki.
"Welcome, My Lord!" The new manager, a woman with a notably generous figure, bowed respectfully as Raizen entered.
Raizen nodded and asked while walking, "Is she settling in well?"
"Lady Konan is doing very well!"
"Go back to your work. No need to attend to me; I'm just here to see her." Raizen waved the manager away.
He reached a specific room and pushed open the doors. Inside, a silhouette sat quietly by the window, gazing at the scenery outside. This was the Konan Raizen had brought back from the parallel space-time. He had arranged for her to stay at this inn for the time being.
"How are you feeling, Konan?" Raizen asked with a gentle smile.
"You killed my best friend. How do you expect me to feel?" She shot him a cold, sharp look.
"Nagato's actions were beyond redemption," Raizen countered calmly. "Murdering his own teacher and then slaughtering half the civilians in his teacher's village... such vileness warrants execution by anyone's hand."
"And what about me? I was Nagato's accomplice. Are you going to kill me too?" Konan mocked.
Raizen shook his head. "You are different. We have a history together. You aren't like Nagato."
"Ha! History? What history do I have with you?" she asked indifferently.
"In this timeline, you and I are lovers. How could I possibly raise a hand against you?"
"Lovers? I don't believe you. How could I fall for a guy like you? One is in the Leaf, the other in the Rain—the distance alone makes it impossible. Stop trying to deceive me. Just tell me what you really want from me. Now that I'm in your world, you're the master here; there's no need to hide your true purpose. Speak up—what do you want to take from me?" Konan sneered.
Raizen didn't argue. He reached into his robes, pulled out a stack of photographs, and dropped them in front of her.
"See for yourself."
Konan picked one up suspiciously. Her expression froze. The photo showed her—smiling radiantly—holding a baby while standing beside Raizen.
"How is this possible...? How could I ever love someone like you?" She couldn't wrap her head around the idea that her counterpart in this world was truly in a relationship with this man.
"This is the proof. Otherwise, why would I have gone through the trouble of bringing you here after Nagato fell?" Raizen watched her calmly. "In that world, once Nagato died, Tobi would have hunted you down to reclaim the Rinnegan. Without my intervention, you would have died at his hands."
"Impossible. I had prepared a way to kill him—a trap he couldn't have escaped," Konan argued.
"True," Raizen admitted. "Your hundreds of billions of explosive tags were inescapable. However, the Uchiha Sharingan possesses a forbidden jutsu that can turn reality into an illusion. At the cost of his sight, he can reverse the situation. That is how he would have killed you while your chakra was depleted."
"A jutsu that can rewrite reality...?" Konan's eyes widened. She found it hard to believe her carefully laid trap could be bypassed so easily.
Raizen left the photos with her and turned to leave. Watching his departing back and then looking down at the happy smile on her face in the pictures, Konan fell into a deep silence. She looked at the child in the photo; she felt an inexplicable, visceral connection to him—as if he were her own flesh and blood.
Can I really be a happy mother? After all the sins I've committed, do I even have the right?
Seeing the child's eyes and nose—so much like her own—Konan felt tears sting her eyes. The sight of the infant awakened a dormant maternal instinct, softening the hardened exterior of her heart.
The "Victim"
After leaving the inn, Raizen went to the Hokage building.
"Well, if it isn't the village's most notorious flirt. To what do I owe the honor?" Tsunade teased the moment she saw him.
"Sister Tsunade, you've got it all wrong. How can you call me a flirt? Back then, I only sacrificed my 'virtue' out of a sense of duty to revitalize the Uchiha clan. If anything, I'm the victim here!"
Raizen's skin was thicker than iron as he replied with a cheeky grin.