Hatake Tatsuya in Naruto

Her paper wings were severed by Tatsuya, causing her to plummet rapidly toward the top of the iron tower below.

Konan quickly glanced back at Tatsuya, who was closing in on her with alarming speed.

"This guy…!"

Though irritated, Konan had no time to deal with him now. She had to focus on rescuing Nagato immediately.

"Universal Pull!"

At that moment, Tendo Pain leaped from the top of the falling iron tower. His palm radiated a powerful gravitational pull, pulling Tatsuya toward him.

"So, this is your plan? Trying to crush me under the tower? Well, let's see how you handle this!"

Feeling the force tugging at him, Tatsuya smirked and casually swung his blade. A jet-black flame slash screamed through the air, hurtling toward the sky.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Seeing the dark flame approaching, Pain's multi-ringed Dojotsu contracted sharply as he switched tactics. Before the flames could reach him, he shattered them with a powerful wave of repulsive energy.

"You rely far too heavily on the Rinnegan's abilities, especially with that predictable five-second interval," Tatsuya remarked, his voice dripping with disdain. "Honestly, for someone who claims to be a god, you sure like repeating the same jutsu again and again. How long did you think you could keep me off balance with that push-and-pull routine?"

The intense heat of his Zanpakutō gathered at the tip of his blade as he suddenly lunged forward.

"Damn!"

Pain's eyes widened in alarm. He still had three seconds left before his ability cooled down—at this moment the three seconds seemed too long. With no way to use Rinnegan's powers, he was forced to dodge.

Puff—!

In the next instant, a gaping wound appeared on Tendo Pain's left shoulder. Seizing the opportunity, Konan swiftly descended on the collapsing tower, landing just ahead of Tatsuya.

Not even two seconds passed—

Rumble—

The top of the massive iron tower, severed by Tatsuya, came crashing down with a deafening thud, smashing into the buildings below and crushing several structures in its path.

"As expected, it's not that easy…" Tatsuya muttered as he leaped down after her. He surveyed the scene and shook his head, sighing in frustration.

The chakra rods meant for controlling the Six Paths, along with Nagato himself, were now completely encased in a plant-like structure, similar to mayfly, and merged with the earth.

The two bizarre figures—black and white—had already whisked Nagato's body away, a step ahead of Konan.

"Where are you taking Nagato!? I'm supposed to protect Nagato!" Konan shouted in fury.

But no one responded. Even Tendo Pain, who was still ready to fight even after being injured by Tatsuya moments earlier, suddenly collapsed to the ground. It was clear that Nagato, the one controlling Pain, had lost consciousness, rendering Pain immobile.

Konan's breath hitched, and for a moment, she stood frozen, her eyes glued to Tendo Pain's unmoving form. That puppet, once an embodiment of Yahiko's ideals, now lay broken and silent.

She felt her anger surge, her hands trembling. Spinning on her heel, she locked her gaze onto the one man standing nearby, watching the scene unfold with infuriating calm—Hatake Tatsuya.

"Don't blame me too much, Konan," Tatsuya said with a smirk. "I didn't even get a chance to do anything… Though to be fair, it's already too late now."

Looking at the Konan, far from the gentle and composed teenager she was ten years ago, Tatsuya couldn't resist teasing her.

"Why are you doing this?" she spat, her voice shaking, a mix of fury and desperation. "What do you want with me? What do you want with Nagato!?"

Her wings, made of paper but as sharp as blades, flexed in preparation for an attack. She wasn't a naive teenager anymore. She was a Kunoichi—a weapon. But as much as she wanted to fight, she knew deep down that the battle was lost. Nagato was gone. Yahiko was gone.

But if Tatsuya thought she would surrender, he was mistaken.

Her question caught Tatsuya off guard. His original goal had been to destroy the Rinnegan in Nagato, but that plan had failed. Now, by chance, he had captured Konan. So, what should he do with her?

"Well, there's only one option," Tatsuya muttered to himself.

He stepped forward and, with surprising swiftness, tapped the hilt of his Zanpakutō against Konan's forehead. It happened too fast. Konan barely had time to react before she felt a sharp click on her brow.

"What… what did you do to me?" Konan asked, covering her forehead with her hand, eyes wary.

"I've placed a soul seal on you," Tatsuya replied calmly, sheathing his Zanpakutō. "With that, I can track your movements. So, I'm sure we'll meet again."

"You're after Nagato's eyes too, aren't you?!" Konan glared fiercely, fully aware of the immense value of Nagato's Rinnegan. She even suspected that the self-proclaimed "Uchiha Madara" had similar plans, which was why she protected Nagato at all costs.

Tatsuya smirked. "First of all, I have no interest in that brat's strange eyes. And secondly, they aren't even his."

Just like he had done ten years ago, Tatsuya playfully ruffled Konan's rare dark blue hair before turning to leave.

"You're not going to kidnap me?" she asked, confused.

Without bothering to fix her hair, now disheveled from Tatsuya's rough grip, Konan stared at his back in confusion.

"Even if I took you away, no one would come to rescue you. I suspect they've already abandoned you," Tatsuya remarked bluntly.

The soul seal he had placed on her should be enough to keep Konan safe. He felt a pang of sympathy for her—a woman who had lived her whole life for two companions, only to face betrayal and possibly meet a lonely end.

"Abandoned… me?" Konan muttered, still dazed, as she stared down at her toes.

In the Shinobi world, only a few women like Tsunade and Terumi Mei would have trouble seeing their toes when looking down. Someone like Haruno Sakura? She could probably see her ankles, not just her toes.

Ha… ha… ha…

Tatsuya had just stepped out from the wreckage of the iron tower when Shisui appeared before him, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion. He was on his knees, hands braced on the ground, gasping for air.

"Did he get away?" Tatsuya asked, already guessing the outcome from Shisui's state.

"Yeah… although I've almost figured out the principles behind his space-time ninjutsu, dealing with him is still too much for me," Shisui replied, struggling to stand despite the searing pain from his wounds.

"If only… if only I were stronger…" he murmured, frustration evident in his voice.

"Master Tatsuya, do you know where he'll escape to next?" Shisui bit his lip in frustration, unwilling to give up.

"Do you think I'd still be standing here like an idiot if I knew? I would have already caught up with him long ago," Tatsuya said, rolling his eyes at Shisui.

Shisui froze, and a few seconds later, tears of frustration began to well up in his eyes.

"Seriously, kid? Why are you Uchiha so dramatic?" Tatsuya muttered. Shisui was crying like a child who had lost their favorite toy. But, when Tatsuya thought about it, he understood.

If they had managed to capture Obito, they could have cleared Uchiha's name from the blame surrounding the Nine Tails Incident. But now, with the chance gone, who knew when—or if—it would come again?

"It'll be fine, Konoha," Tatsuya said, in his awkward attempt at reassurance. Comforting people was never his strong suit, and this was as gentle as he could get.

Shisui silently followed behind, wiping his tears with his sleeves.

As they passed Konan, Tatsuya leaned close to Konan and whispered in her ear, "If you ever find yourself with nowhere else to go, you can come to Konoha. Goodbye."

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