"A sentient ghost, can you understand it like that?"
Lin Nan turned back, a complex smile on his face.
Fortunately, his past efforts were not in vain, otherwise he would have truly died for nothing.
Standing behind Lin Nan was a figure shrouded in a black robe, yet a few strands of blue hair could still be seen fluttering out.
Lin Nan gave a gentle shake, and the paper wrapping his body fell away.
Then, Lin Nan opened his arms with a smile.
The black-robed figure's shoulders trembled uncontrollably, but ultimately, they did not fall into Lin Nan's embrace. Instead, they slightly turned sideways and asked, "So, you're already dead?"
"Didn't you just see me with Uchiha Itachi? In this situation, how could I possibly be alive?" Lin Nan walked forward with a smile and gently removed the black robe from the person's head.
Blue hair was tied up high, with a pale paper flower on top. A few stray strands fluttered in the wind. The face was exquisite but carried a hint of exhaustion. A single beauty mark graced the corner of the mouth. In eyes as calm as a still pond, a deep sadness was evident.
"Konan, you shouldn't be here!"
Lin Nan slowly shook his head, his expression serious.
It turned out this person was the last remaining member of the Akatsuki organization and the Frog Squad.
With Lin Nan's help, she had survived and lived to this day.
To Lin Nan, this was undoubtedly a tremendous blessing.
"I am merely a widow, and naturally, I must fulfill my mission as the last member of the Akatsuki!" Konan dared not meet Lin Nan's eyes, her voice low, but her resolve was clearly stubborn.
A widow, wasn't that a term for a woman whose husband had died?
Lin Nan frowned slightly but understood that Konan simply meant she intended to seek revenge to the best of her ability, after which there would be no reason to continue living.
Everyone close to Konan in this world was already dead.
She had become like an invisible person, with no one alive caring about her anymore.
Of course, there was another meaning, as this statement was being made to him.
"Let's leave first!" Lin Nan grabbed Konan's hand, intending to depart.
Konan struggled a few times, saying, "You're here to take revenge on Madara, aren't you? I can help you too. I'm not a burden!"
Truly a strong and stubborn woman, but...
"You're in the wrong place. Madara isn't here; he's already gone to the battlefield!" Lin Nan said.
Konan shook off Lin Nan's hand: "You're lying to me again. You lied to me back then, saying you could definitely escape. Now you're lying to me to leave. How long are you going to deceive me? Can't you stop being so stubborn just because you're dead?"
Lin Nan looked at Konan in astonishment, tears streaming down her face.
This was the first time Lin Nan had ever seen Konan like this.
The Konan he knew was always strong, decisive, and calm to the point of being almost emotionless. Even in the final battle, knowing death was certain, she faced it with composure.
Even after the deaths of Yahiko, Nagato, and Jiraiya, she hadn't shed a single tear, yet now she was crying.
Upon closer inspection, Konan had become much more haggard.
Lin Nan didn't know what Konan had experienced during the time between his death and his reincarnation, but he suddenly recalled a saying.
Pain is always for the living.
It wasn't that she didn't cry, but rather, there was always a final straw.
Lin Nan knew what his reappearance meant to Konan.
At first glance, it might have meant Lin Nan was alive, like a ray of hope appearing in endless darkness.
But upon realizing he was only Edo Tensei, this glimmer of light quietly vanished.
Edo Tensei was not resurrection. Sooner or later, dust would return to dust, like a fleeting dream.
Lin Nan had seen girls cry before, but facing Konan, he truly didn't know what to do.
"You saved my life back then, didn't you? A life for a life, we owe each other nothing!" Lin Nan said with a smile, trying to comfort her.
"Who asked you to repay it!"
Konan cried even louder, no longer the gentle and intelligent elder sister she once was, but a little girl.
Perhaps she was truly exhausted.
Lin Nan, ignoring Konan's struggles, pulled her into his embrace, saying nothing and offering no resistance.
Cry, it would feel much better after crying.
It didn't matter where they were or if others noticed.
There was no need to worry about such things.
As mentioned earlier, Lin Nan was a slacker and rarely took on missions.
The fully formed Akatsuki organization that everyone saw, with their paired missions, was not the same before the tailed beast capture plan began.
Like Pain, who stayed at the main base, except for when he initially recruited Sasori and Kakuzu, he only formulated strategies at other times.
Konan was responsible for logistics and finances; Zetsu handled intelligence.
The others went on missions.
Sasori and Deidara, both capable of large-scale destructive ninjutsu, were in the assault group, conquering territories and accumulating resources.
The immortal duo, with Kakuzu's love for bounty missions and their ability to weaken enemy powers, naturally belonged to the disruption group.
As for Itachi and Kisame, they seemed to be traveling most of the time in the story, but in reality, they were the mission team, constantly on the move.
As for Lin Nan and Tobi, firstly, Tobi did not always follow Lin Nan, and the Akatsuki organization had no habit of individuals undertaking missions.
So, most of the time, Lin Nan was passively slacking off.
When there were no missions, Lin Nan would assist Konan with her work in Amegakure. After all, Konan alone managed the logistics and finances of a village and an organization, and she was usually quite busy.
Lin Nan happened to be good at nothing except accounting and counting money, so he was happy to do such work.
As they worked together for a long time, they naturally became more familiar with each other.
However, this familiarity was more akin to colleagues, and Lin Nan's gratitude for Konan saving him from Root.
Perhaps their mutual feelings changed after that incident.
In any case, Lin Nan, as Konan's last close person, had his bones scattered in order to save him.
Even now, seeing him, they would be forever separated soon.
At that time, Konan would truly be alone.
In the vast expanse of heaven and earth, there would be no one familiar to her.
After a long time, Konan seemed to have finally composed herself, her face regaining its usual elegant, world-weary expression.
"So, is there any way to revive you?" Konan's voice was still cool, as if her earlier失态 (loss of composure) had never happened.
Lin Nan nodded: "There is, indeed!"
"Tell me?" A flicker of light appeared in Konan's eyes.
Lin Nan smiled: "Don't ask too many questions about this. I promise you, I will do my best to revive myself. Rest assured!"
Konan glared at Lin Nan, clearly not entirely convinced.
Lin Nan didn't elaborate further, only saying, "I really wasn't lying to you just now. The Uchiha Madara you mentioned might have been here earlier, but he has already left. There is only Kabuto Yakushi here, the caster of Edo Tensei."
"You and Itachi are going to kill him? But wouldn't Edo Tensei be dispelled if he's killed?" Konan immediately asked.
Lin Nan shook his head: "Once Edo Tensei is activated, unless it's self-disbanded, it cannot be dispelled even if the caster dies. Rest assured!"
"No!" Konan shook her head. "Perhaps what you said about Kabuto being here is true, but I am also certain that the person I saw just now was Uchiha Madara. I couldn't have mistaken that patterned mask. However, this Uchiha Madara wasn't wearing the usual orange mask; it had turned white!"