Chapter 237: What It Means to Be Human

For the past half month, the Akatsuki had not encountered any lone Otsutsuki. From the intelligence they gathered, it was clear that the Otsutsuki had realized their clan was being attacked. Their tendency to appear in pairs was proof enough.

Fortunately, the Akatsuki had grown quickly, so quickly that even when facing groups of five or fewer Otsutsuki, they could now handle them with ease. Nagato had become even more certain of one thing: the Otsutsuki were terrible at fighting. In simple terms, as long as their wide-area attacks could be avoided, the rest of the battle became the Akatsuki's stage. Where once they struggled to eliminate a single Otsutsuki in close combat, they could now coordinate seamlessly with kunai, shuriken, and teamwork, so efficiently that they could even discuss where to eat afterward mid-battle.

For example, right now, one of Deidara's disruptive techniques blocked the enemy's vision, and Hidan swung his scythe with reckless abandon, beating the target mercilessly. Even though the Otsutsuki bodies were said to be impervious to blades and blunt force, Hidan's speed and persistence made that irrelevant. As the saying went: even iron rods can be ground down into needles. If you strike the same place long enough, even stone will break. And that was exactly what was happening.

The battered Otsutsuki finally managed to break free from the obstruction technique, only to be immediately restrained again by Kakuzu, whose hardened chakra threads wrapped around the target like steel wire. Then Hidan repeated the same process all over again. To be honest, the Otsutsuki looked genuinely pitiful.

Nagato's policy was simple: kill as many as possible. So when ten Otsutsuki were wiped out in succession, he couldn't help but wonder: are the Otsutsuki just weak, or are we too strong? Then he recalled the moment one of them had summoned a meteor from the sky. That answered the question. We're too strong.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" Nagato asked.

At the time, the meteor had been falling from the sky. Sakura had shot upward like a bullet and punched it head-on. With a single strike, BOOM! The meteor shattered into dust. What followed was a rain of debris. Deidara had muttered that it looked like the stone rain from his hometown.

The consequence, however, was that Sakura's right arm fractured from overexertion. Now that the battle was over, her boyfriend, Uchiha Itachi, carefully bandaged her arm.

Sakura waved casually. "I'm fine, it's just a small injury~" She even lifted her injured arm slightly. Everyone instinctively took a step back. A punch that shattered a meteor. From this day onward, Sakura became the single most untouchable person in the Akatsuki. No exceptions.

Only Sakura was injured in this battle. The opponent: ten Otsutsuki. The Akatsuki had grown stronger, but not to the point where only one person would be wounded in such a fight. The real credit belonged to Konan, whose abilities had grown to a level even she could no longer fully control.

Originally, Konan had shifted from offensive combat to support. Her paper-based attacks and explosive tags were ineffective against the Otsutsuki's bodies. So instead, she used her extraordinary sensory abilities to predict enemy movements and warn her allies. Like the meteor just now. At the last possible second, Konan had relayed the warning. That gave Sakura time to react. It also gave her time to destroy the meteor.

It was an absurd ability. So strong it felt like cheating. But there was a cost.

Less than five minutes after the battle ended, Konan fell into deep sleep. Not unconscious, just asleep. Before that, she had yawned repeatedly, looking physically fine and with stable chakra. She simply leaned against Kita and said softly, "I'm sleepy, I'll sleep for a bit." Then she immediately drifted off.

Nagato understood that sensory techniques consumed mental energy. The stronger the perception, the greater the strain. So Konan was simply exhausted. Still, this level of sleep was not normal.

After cleaning the battlefield and setting up camp, everyone gathered in the wooden cabin created by Obito. Konan lay peacefully asleep in the center.

"How is she?" Kita asked.

Sakura finished her examination. "Chakra normal. Physical condition normal. Everything is normal, she just seems sleepy." She frowned. "If it were narcolepsy, her memory and thinking would be affected, but Konan doesn't show any of that."

True. If her thinking had slowed even slightly, she wouldn't have been able to stop a meteor. "I don't think it's narcolepsy."

If not that, then what? Kita's expression darkened. She gently held Konan's hand.

Then Hidan suddenly shouted, "Ah! Hey, what the hell is that on your forehead?! Did something break?!"

Everyone looked up. A diamond-shaped mark. Sakura showed her a mirror. It was identical to the mark on Sakura's forehead. The Byakugo Seal had finally been completed after nearly two years of effort.

"Huh? What is this?" Hidan asked.

Kakuzu sighed. "If you're stupid, read a book."

"HEY! I'm not stupid, I'm just." Hidan paused. "Not smart either."

The room became slightly lighter with laughter.

Nagato quietly observed Konan. Don't worry, she'll be fine. He believed that. Because someone had once told him so.

The void realm was unchanged. The same Konan. But Konan was different. At least now, she no longer thought about attacking her.

Cherry blossoms drifted through the air. A chessboard stood beneath the tree. One black piece. One white piece. Move after move. Eventually, white wins. Black loses.

Konan waved her sleeve. The board disappeared. In its place: sake. Two cups. She poured one for Shibai and one for herself.

"Do you regret it?" Shibai asked.

Konan shook her head. "That question should be mine for you."

Shibai also shook her head.

Konan smiled faintly. "This is a famous plum wine from my country. I don't know if you'll like it, but I do." She drank it in one motion.

Shibai smiled gently. "Your joy is my joy." Warm. Calm. Benevolent. But distant.

Konan lowered her cup. "Today, I saw something I shouldn't have seen. I feel like something is coming soon." She paused. "If that day comes, will I still be human?"

Shibai replied softly, "What is human?"

That question silenced Konan. After a long pause, she said, "To me, being human means having emotions. Happiness. Sadness. Anger. But I've started changing. I still care about Kita. I still value Nagato. But today, I chose the most rational answer without hesitation. I'm starting to think beyond human perspective. I don't know if that's good or bad. So I want to ask you, am I still human?"

Shibai answered, "Emotions are not the absence of truth."

Konan fell silent. Then she smiled, strangely calm, almost enlightened. A smile like Shibai's. As if she could see through everything. Warm. Gentle. But hollow.

Then she spoke, "I once thought being human was something inferior." "But now I think, even being that 'inferior thing' is a blessing." "I don't want to abandon that part of me." "If I must give it up, I would rather end here." She looked up slightly. "Kitai and Nagato are the most important people in my life."

"If I lose that feeling, then I won't be the one making this choice anymore."

"Did you consider that?"

"I did." Shibai answered calmly.

Konan nodded. "I see."

Then she knelt. She bowed deeply. "This is my gratitude."

Shibai asked, "Why?"

Konan replied, "I can still feel the part of me that is human."

"You taught me a lot." "So I call you teacher."

"Thank you."

Shibai smiled. "Do you resent me?"

Konan shook her head. "No."

"This is the best outcome."