Chapter 240: The Boundary of Humanity

What exactly was Otsutsuki Shibai? After defeating Otsutsuki Isshiki, Nagato finally began to understand what kind of existence Shibai truly was.

Otsutsuki Shibai, Isshiki, and Kaguya. These three stood at the very peak of the Otsutsuki clan. They were not "born" in the way humans understood birth. They were the first beings that emerged directly from the Original God Tree, not through union between male and female, not through reproduction, but through growth. The Otsutsuki were cultivated by the tree itself. Even the "god pills" they consumed for power and immortality were made from their own kin, bloodline, flesh, and origin alike. And the so-called God Tree planted across other worlds was merely a fragment of that greater Original God Tree. As long as the Original God Tree existed, the Otsutsuki would never die out.

But there was a problem. Where was the Original God Tree? Isshiki did not know. Nagato had searched through his memories completely, there was not even a trace of its location. It made sense. A source of an entire species, something tied to their very existence, would never be easily known.

"I think Shibai might know." Obito spoke casually during their long discussion.

At that moment, Konan felt something strange. A faint pulse in her chest. A discomfort that flickered and vanished in an instant. Her expression shifted into confusion without her realizing it. Kita, who had been watching her closely, immediately noticed.

"Are you okay?"

Konan shook her head. "I don't know. It just felt... strange." She said it plainly, even squeezing Kita's hand as reassurance.

She understood her own condition better than anyone. Sleeping too much wasn't normal, but for her, it had become frequent. She tried to resist it, to stay awake longer, to stop worrying others, but every attempt ended in failure. Still, she did not feel ill. In fact, she felt stronger than ever. In battle, she could instinctively stop attacks within three meters of her body without even trying. Honestly, she herself did nothing at all. That was what worried everyone. Not just Kita, not just Nagato. Everyone present felt it. Something about Konan was changing.

And there was more. She had begun sleepwalking. The first to notice was Kita. One night, Konan simply walked out of the tent, ignoring every call behind her. She stood beneath the night sky, staring at the stars. Kita panicked and woke everyone.

Sakura confirmed immediately: she was not unconscious. She was awake. Eyes open. Heartbeat stable. Chakra normal. Everything normal.

Then Konan spoke.

"What is a human?"

"...Konan?"

"What are emotions? What is the meaning of life? What is the reason for existence?"

Nagato felt a headache forming. Then Konan turned and went back to sleep. The next morning, she remembered nothing.

Nagato's Rinnegan confirmed it. There was no possession, no illusion, no interference. It was Konan herself. But her gaze that night had been distant, as if she were looking at something far beyond the world, as if everything was meaningless. That realization terrified them. Kita more than anyone. It felt like Konan could slip away at any moment, so far away that even reaching out would not be enough to pull her back.

But when Konan woke again and casually complained, "I think I slept wrong, my neck hurts," everyone finally felt relief. She's back.

"I don't know what's going on," Konan said while scratching her hair. "It's not an enemy. And I don't think Shibai knows anything either." Her hair had grown longer; she stopped tying it neatly. Loose and unbound, it gave her a softer, different aura.

Kita looked at her gently. That night had scared her. She never wanted to see Konan like that again. Never.

"Why do you think that?" Kita asked softly.

Konan shrugged. "I don't know. It's just intuition. If I knew, I'd tell you. Women's intuition, you know?"

Nagato felt uneasy. Because Konan's intuition had recently proven disturbingly accurate. Just days ago, she stopped him from opening a spatial gate, and it turned out to be an Otsutsuki sub-dimension filled with nothing but white emptiness.

Kita suddenly asked, "Konan, do you feel something special toward Shibai?"

Konan blinked. "...Special?" She thought for a moment. "No. I just think there's no need to fight him. And he's not as strong as Isshiki."

Isshiki had been defeated earlier, turned into a sphere and crushed by Nagato. Itachi, who had never met Shibai, quietly listened. Sakura, however, had, and she spoke carefully. "When we met him before, we were exhausted. We might have overestimated him. It doesn't necessarily mean we would lose now."

"That makes sense," Obito nodded.

Konan, annoyed, picked up a small stone and flicked it at him. "Why are you looking at me like that? It's uncomfortable."

Obito didn't dodge. Instead, he asked, "...Do you really not know what you've done?"

BOOM! A force struck his forehead. He flipped backward instantly. A new technique Konan had developed recently, one she called "Konan teaches you how to behave." Obito was its first victim. Hidan remained a frequent one.

Nagato sighed. The women in this organization are all monsters. Even Kakuzu agreed. "Let them deal with it themselves. Less trouble."

Obito groaned while holding his head. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, don't hit me again!"

Konan crossed her arms. "I know I've been sleeping a lot. I'm fine. I just think I've been overusing sensory techniques lately. No matter what, I'm still a sensor-type ninja."

Nagato silently disagreed. You're beyond sensor-type now, you're practically prophetic.

"Alright," Nagato finally said. "We rest one day, then we go find Shibai."

Obito panicked. "Wait, don't decide so fast! Isshiki said there's a whole group of Otsutsuki coming for us! We should hide first!"

But Kisame, lying on the ground carving wood, spoke lazily. "Let them come. If Isshiki was already that weak, the rest won't matter."

Itachi nodded. Kita sided with Obito. "We just beat one. Don't get arrogant."

Konan snorted. "If we hide, we'll just waste time finding them later. Better to finish it when they arrive."

Obito and Kita exchanged a glance. Fair point.

Deidara finally added, "Cowards. Stay away from us." Obito and Kita collapsed in despair.

The Void Realm. There was no sky, no earth, only infinite stars. Konan stood beneath the void, staring upward calmly. A familiar figure approached. Shibai.

Konan remained expressionless. "Everything has its law," she said. "What you are doing goes against it."

Shibai replied calmly. "What I see is the truth. I am tired."

Konan shook her head. "Is that truth, or expectation? I see the death of mankind, but not their future. How can you call that truth?"

Shibai said, "You once said you came here for that purpose."

Konan blinked. "...Did I say that?" She sounded indifferent.

Shibai nodded. The scenery shifted. The stars became fields of flowers, familiar yet distant. Kita appeared. Nagato appeared. Even the long-dead Yahiko appeared. Konan looked at them. She could name them. But I felt nothing.

"Do you see?" Shibai said gently. "This is what you love."

Konan frowned. "What is love?"

Shibai answered, "I do not know."

Konan waved her hand. The illusion vanished. Flowers disappeared. Figures dissolved. Only emptiness remained.

"Shibai, where will I go?"

"You will live forever."

Konan paused. "...Then that is fine."