"Not good, Konan—this rain is off. We might have already been discovered."
Nagato, who had been discussing follow-up plans with Konan after Pain's Six Paths were swiftly defeated by Furina, suddenly widened his eyes.
The light patter of rain outside reminded him of his own similar ninjutsu—the Rain Tiger at Will Technique—and he knew its effects all too well.
His earlier battle with Furina had already made him不敢 underestimate her in the slightest. Although Konan's paper-based camouflage was covert, one must always prepare for the worst.
"I didn't expect her to know this technique too. But it's fine—we chose a position still some distance from the battlefield. She probably can't catch up right away. I'll take you and withdraw first."
Konan had initially paid little attention to the light rain outside, but after Nagato's reminder, she immediately realized the gravity of the situation. Without further delay, she prepared to take Nagato and leave.
However, contrary to their expectations—even though their reaction was already fast enough—the moment they were about to move, a strong sense of threat surged toward them.
The instant she detected the crisis arriving, Nagato did not hesitate at all. An invisible repulsive force erupted once more around himself and Konan, blocking everything that could possibly pose a threat.
After Shinra Tensei sent the paper tree obstructing their view flying, Konan and Nagato also discovered the source of that intense sense of danger. Directly above them, a water sphere hundreds of meters in size was rapidly crashing down toward them.
Although it was merely a water sphere, neither Nagato nor Konan doubted its destructive power in the slightest. Their long careers as ninjas had their instincts screaming warnings in their hearts.
The next second, the water sphere collided head-on with Nagato's Shinra Tensei. But this time, Shinra Tensei was not the invincible force it had been before. The water sphere was not repelled; instead, after a brief stalemate, it slowly continued descending against the repulsion.
Although shocked to the core by this sight, Konan was also a decisive ninja. After observing the water sphere's descent speed and coverage range and concluding escape was unlikely,
countless sheets of paper immediately manifested from her body, merging with the paper she had pre-placed around them, then shot toward the now dangerously close water sphere above.
What followed was a continuous series of explosions. Although the paper placed here this time was far less than what had been used to ambush Obito in the original story, it was still considerable.
Thus, after Shinra Tensei blocked the initial momentum, Konan's countless explosive tags truly wore down most of the water sphere, no longer giving off that unstoppable feeling from the beginning.
"Shinra Tensei"
Taking advantage of the time Konan had bought, Nagato's Shinra Tensei cooldown reset once more. And out of anger from the earlier danger, this time Nagato poured in far more chakra than usual.
The massive repulsive force instantly scattered the water sphere, whose power had already diminished greatly. As the sphere burst, water sprayed everywhere. Feeling the coolness of the water droplets, Nagato's mood gradually calmed.
Although the sensation of having his life on the line was hard to accept, from the performance just now, he knew that continuing to fight with his current self would most likely not make him a match for Furina. He immediately urged Konan to take him and leave.
After that delay, the other side would surely arrive soon.