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Thunder and Black Wings 11
🕑 Added 2025-02-22 05:26:48 +0000 UTCChapter 11:
– Blake –
I took a slow, shaky breath. My wings were still out, with the new pair itching at the base where they’d sprouted.
Konan, the “hot bomber lady” stood in front of me.
I noticed something odd in her posture. Her shoulders were tense, but her expression seemed… hesitant. Like she wasn't sure what to say next.
I cleared my throat, trying to sound calm. “So, what’re you doing here? You’re not planning to turn this place into a crater, right?”
Konan shifted from one foot to the other. Her cheeks reddened slightly, which threw me off guard. “I came to apologize,” she said quietly. “And I wanted to seek your guidance...”
I blinked. “My guidance? Guidance on what?”
Before she could elaborate, the door to Tsunami’s house slid open behind us. Tazuna, the old bridge builder, stormed out. His face was red with anger. No fear, just absolute fury. He stomped over, glaring at Konan.
I tensed, expecting this to go sideways fast.
“You,” Tazuna spat, pointing a trembling finger at her. “How dare you destroy my bridge and crush the Land of Waves’ hope! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You heartless monster!”
He hurled insults at her, calling her all sorts of nasty names. I felt my stomach drop.
This was the same woman who’d wiped out a huge structure in seconds. Tazuna was basically throwing gasoline on a fire. I edged closer, ready to intervene if she decided to nuke him for mouthing off.
Although I knew I couldn't actually stop her if she attacked, even with my new pair of wings.
Konan’s expression tightened at his words, but then a strange thing happened. Instead of snapping back or attacking, she bowed her head. She bowed so low I could see her hair falling across her face, and it was like she’d deflated.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice trembling with raw emotion.
I froze, trying to process the sight of someone so powerful bowing like that to an ordinary old man.
Even Tazuna seemed taken aback. He still looked furious, but he hesitated, as if unsure how to handle this sudden show of humility.
Konan straightened for a moment and glanced at both of us. “I got caught up in my mission,” she murmured. “I wanted to help the Land of Rain. I wanted to bring it out of constant war. But somewhere along the line, I became no better than the evil ninjas who destroyed my own homeland, who killed my parents when I was a child. I thought if I could just do enough… push enough… I’d help Nagato achieve peace. But I turned into a monster instead.”
I don't know who the hell "Nagato" was, but I'd obviously have to ask later...
Her voice broke on that last sentence, and then she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. The sight rattled me to my core.
Just minutes ago, she’d blown a guy’s head off without blinking, and now she was sobbing in the dirt.
Tazuna looked like he wanted to yell more, but he stopped.
He stared at her, confusion mixing with anger on his face. “You… you expect me to forgive you just because you’re crying?” he asked gruffly, though his voice held less bite now.
Konan let out a choked sob. “No… I don’t expect it,” she whispered, tears dripping onto the ground. “But I’m begging for it anyway!”
– Konan –
Konan sat stiffly on the ratty old couch in Tsunami’s small living room, feeling out of place. The towel Tsunami had handed her felt rough against her skin as she wiped her face.
Across the room, three Konoha genin stared daggers at her, their expressions ranging from distrust to outright hostility. She forced a small, sheepish smile, though it did little to break the tension.
“I’m sorry that Aoi came here trying to kill you,” she said, bowing her head slightly. “That was never my order. We were only meant to destroy the bridge, to stop the people from building a new one.” She hesitated before adding, “Though… I see now that was wrong too.”
Her eyes flickered toward Blake Himejima, who sat relaxed—at least on the surface—on a rickety chair.
He was watching her and pretending to be calm, but she could tell he was also nervous around her. It was frankly adorable, if also a little bit disheartening. She didn't want an actual angel to be afraid of her.
After spending years pretending to be an angel, she had suddenly met someone with real wings, and it had flipped her entire worldview upside down. She didn’t think Blake had all the answers to the world’s problems, but her instincts told her that he was going to be important.
Maybe he could help in ways that wouldn’t require following the masked man’s insane plan...
Tsunami, despite everything that had happened, was still kind. “Would you like anything to eat or drink?” she offered.
Konan shook her head. “No, thank you.”
She noticed how thin Tsunami looked. Her sunken cheeks and the way she stood with slightly hunched shoulders told Konan she’d likely skipped several meals recently.
“So what the hell are you doing here!?” The sudden outburst came from the loud blonde genin—Naruto Uzumaki. His blue eyes burned with frustration as he stood with his arms crossed.
Konan knew exactly who he was. Akatsuki had extensive intelligence on the jinchūriki of every village. If she were still operating under their original plan, she should’ve been capturing him since he was literally right in front of her and basically unguarded.
But something inside her hesitated at the thought. She wasn’t sure why, but she knew taking Naruto now would be a mistake.
Instead, she simply bowed her head toward the three young Leaf ninjas. “I apologize for Aoi’s actions,” she said sincerely. "You’re all free to claim his bounty if you wish.”
Sakura frowned. “Wasn’t he your comrade?”
Konan shrugged. “Not really. He was a traitor from the Leaf. We took him in, hoping for information… or at least thinking we’d get a skilled jōnin out of the deal.” Her voice flattened. “We got neither...”
All they got was a boastful loudmouth who was barely a step above the average chunnn without his special sword.
Turning back to Tazuna, she spoke firmly. “I’ll pay for the bridge to be rebuilt. I’ll cover all expenses myself.”
Tazuna huffed, arms still crossed. “That’s pointless if Gato’s still alive.”
Blake, who had been quiet up until now, stretched out his wings slightly. “Yeah, about that,” he said, his tone casual. “Gato’s probably already dead. My girlfriends and the cyclops are handling him.”
Konan blinked. “…Girlfriends?”
Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Blake. “Yeah! That pretty boy is dating two older women at the same time! He’s a total pervert!”
Blake’s face reddened instantly. “I’m not a pervert, brat. You’re just jealous!”
“Damn right I am!” Naruto shot back. “I can’t even get Sakura to notice me!”
Sakura scoffed, rolling her eyes. “As if, Naruto. The only person I’d ever date is Sasuke!”
“Hn. No thanks,” Sasuke muttered, not even looking up.
Konan let out a small chuckle. Something about Sasuke’s brooding silence reminded her of Itachi. She wisely kept that thought to herself.
…Tazuna and Tsunami looked stunned to learn that Gato was being killed so easily by the Leaf ninja and their allies. They exchanged glances, and Konan noticed a flicker of outrage in Tazuna’s eyes.
“This is insane,” Tazuna said, crossing his arms. “Why didn’t you do this in the first place if you could?”
Konan heard Blake sigh. “Missions to assassinate someone like Gato are expensive,” Blake explained in a calm tone. “Tsunade told me that killing wealthy merchants or nobles is a huge risk for most ninjas. They don’t want to lose big clients in the future. Also, it’s bad business to go around killing rich people who might hire you someday.”
Konan nodded in agreement. She met Tazuna’s gaze. “In Gato’s case, he wasn’t known as the richest man for nothing. His death will have an impact on finances all over the world. Entire towns and thousands of employees will be out of work once his businesses collapse.”
Tsunami’s face turned pale at that. She gripped her apron, and Tazuna cleared his throat, looking somewhat guilty.
Konan realized these two genuinely cared about others, even if Gato had tormented them for years. The fact that they felt bad about the repercussions of his death meant they were good people at heart.
“Either way, what’s done is done,” Blake said. “A big chunk of Gato’s money is going to be donated back to the Land of Waves, but I’d say all of you ninja and myself will have to vanish pretty soon,” he pointed out.
Konan grimaced. The idea that Gato had died on her watch was going to make the Hidden Rain look horrible. She felt a twist of regret. They should never have taken this damn mission in the first place, no matter how much cash Gato threw their way.
Sakura cleared her throat. “Should we start packing?” she asked, glancing at Naruto and Sasuke.
Blake nodded at her. “That’d be smart. We have no idea how fast we’ll need to bail. The nobles and merchants who did business with Gato are going to send people here soon. They’ll ask a lot of questions we don’t want to answer.” Blake turned to Tazuna and Tsunami. “I figure the Leaf village is going to erase any evidence that you ever asked them for a mission, so it’s in your best interest to play dumb if anyone asks…”
Tazuna huffed. “I’m not stupid, kid. We know when to keep quiet.”
– Blake –
I sat on the roof with Konan, letting the afternoon sun warm my skin. It had been about an hour since she broke down crying, and I’d realized by now that she wasn’t going to snap or try to blow anything up again.
That made it easier to just sit here and relax, at least a little. I leaned back, resting my head on my hands, staring up at the blue sky.
Aside from all the insane shit that had gone down, it was actually a nice day.
The bridge was gone, my two girlfriends and the cyclops were probably knee-deep in corpses by now, and I was sitting here having some deep-ass conversation with an ex-terrorist. Just another normal day in this crazy ninja world.
Konan finally spoke, breaking the silence. “What do you think of this world...?”
I flinched slightly, my brain immediately jumping to the worst conclusion—did she know I wasn’t from here? But I shook the thought off. She was probably just asking in general, not trying to pry into something she had no way of knowing.
“The world is beautiful,” I said after a moment. “A little crazy at the same time, though.”
Konan shook her head and rephrased her question. “I mean the wars. The constant fighting. Ninja killing each other by the thousands every few decades…” Her voice trailed off, sadness clear in her tone.
I sighed. “It’s shitty for the ninjas, I guess. But honestly, it’s a pretty good system.”
Konan turned to me sharply, staring in shock. “How can you say that!?”
“Do the math,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “If ninjas didn’t exist, then who would be doing the fighting? Civilians. Instead of trained warriors keeping battles contained, every noble and daimyo with an ego would be raising massive armies of peasants, forcing regular people to fight over their greed. Instead of thousands of ninjas killing each other, it would be hundreds of thousands—maybe even millions—of levies and conscripts slaughtering each other in massive wars.” I glanced at her. “Wars fought by professionals are bad, yeah. But wars fought by civilians? That’s a fucking nightmare.”
At least that's how it was back on Earth...
Konan stared at me, her mind clearly turning over my words. “I… never thought about it like that.”
I continued, “Still, if you hate war so much, what do you want to do about it?”
She frowned, staring in the direction of the bridge she ruined, although we couldn't see it with all the trees in the way. “I want to end it,” she said. “For good. I just don’t know how. I don't know if its even possible...”
"Sure it is..." I told her…
– Konan –
Konan sat still, processing everything Blake had just said. His ideas were so simple, yet they challenged everything she had been taught. The way he spoke about them, so casually and with absolute certainty, made her believe they weren’t just wishful thinking. For the first time in a long while, she felt a flicker of hope.
As expected of an angel…
Her grip tightened on her cloak. Blake had to be protected. He was important. She wasn’t sure why she felt so strongly about it, but she knew she couldn’t let someone like him be swallowed up by the cruelty of this world.
Her mind drifted to Nagato. She was supposed to return to him after this mission, and now she was already thinking about how she could delay her return. She needed time—time to stay near Blake, to learn more, to see if he really was the key to something better.
She lifted her hand and formed an origami bird, a small, precise creation infused with her chakra. She sent it off with a simple message for Team Oboro: return to the Hidden Rain immediately.
Their sensei was dead, but she doubted they’d care. They had spent enough time complaining about Aoi whenever he wasn’t around.
Blake suddenly perked up and looked down below. Konan followed his gaze and saw three familiar figures approaching from the forest’s edge. The Leaf ninjas who had gone after Gato had returned. Bloodstains marred their outfits, but none of them looked injured.
Blake’s four black wings spread behind him, and he floated off the roof to greet them.
Konan allowed her paper wings to unfold, following after him. As soon as they landed, she noticed the older ninja tense at the sight of her. Kakashi’s eye narrowed slightly. The blonde woman—Tsunade Senju—visibly stiffened, and Konan could practically feel the irritation rolling off of her.
Blake raised a hand casually. “Relax, she’s not here to fight.”
Konan took a step forward. “It’s good to see you again, Lady Tsunade.”
Tsunade’s brows furrowed. “Again?”
Konan’s lips pressed into a thin line. She had hoped Tsunade would recognize her, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. “I was Master Jiraiya’s only female student.”
The change in Tsunade’s expression was immediate. Her eyes widened, and a flicker of shock crossed her face. “That was you?” She shook her head, still processing. “Jiraiya and I thought you and your friends were dead!”
Konan sighed. That explained why Jiraiya never came looking for them. He had believed them to be lost. “Nagato and I survived,” she said quietly, before lowering her gaze. “Yahiko was killed by Hanzo...”
Tsunade let out a sigh, rubbing her temple before looking at Blake and Shizune. "Go pack up our things. We need to leave soon."
Blake nodded. "Got it." He turned to Kakashi. "Your team should be ready to move as well."
Kakashi grinned behind his mask, looking far too pleased with himself. "They’ll be happy to know I got my Icha Icha first edition!"
"They Probably won't be..." Blake gave him a deadpan look.
Konan frowned slightly. What the hell is an Icha Icha? But before she could ask, everyone but her and Tsunade took off toward to gather their things.
Tsunade folded her arms, her sharp gaze settling on Konan. "Alright, what the hell are you doing here, Konan?" she asked bluntly. "It's nice that you're alive and all but why are you hanging around Blake?"
Konan met her gaze evenly. "I won’t harm him."
Tsunade scoffed, stepping closer. "If you do, I’ll kill you. And I don’t make empty threats."
Konan swallowed. She knew she was strong—one of the strongest kunoichi in the world. But Tsunade was widely regarded as the strongest. Fighting her wouldn’t end well for anyone. Not that she had any intention of hurting Blake, but still, the threat made her tense. "I have my own reasons for wanting to stay close to Blake," Konan admitted. "I want to make sure he’s safe."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "What, did you fall for him at first sight or something?"
Konan’s face heated, and she shook her head quickly. "That’s not it!" she said, a bit too fast. "I just… I think he’s important," she said.
Tsunade studied her for a long moment, then rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever. Just know that if you so much as look at him the wrong way, I’ll make sure you regret it!" She wasn’t messing around.
Konan nodded, letting the tension ease slightly.
They moved on to discussing their next steps. Konan asked where Tsunade, Shizune, and Blake were heading next. Tsunade’s lips twisted into a grimace, like she was forcing herself to say something unpleasant. "Konoha," she admitted. "It’ll be safer there for the next month or so, at least until the world forgets about Gato’s death."
Konan could tell the idea didn’t sit well with her. "You don’t sound too happy about that."
Tsunade sighed. "Going back means dealing with the council, the Hokage, and all the other headaches I’ve been avoiding. But staying out in the open right now isn’t an option..."
Konan nodded slowly, taking in that information. "And Blake?"
"I'd rather he not go to Konoha, especially since they won't want to let someone with his 'bloodline' leave," Tsunade pointed out. "But it'll be safer for him there too."
– Blake –
I stepped into our run-down little shack, letting out a loud sigh of relief. The place was loaded with holes and practically let the breeze roam free. I was glad we were leaving soon. The idea of a literal beach island was nice, but we hadn’t gotten much out of it except a destroyed bridge and a whole bunch of stress.
Shizune walked in behind me, brushing a strand of dark hair away from her face. “I’m just as happy to be gone,” she said with a small laugh. “Maybe next time we can actually enjoy ourselves somewhere nicer, like the Crescent Moon Kingdom. You’d love it there. Perfect white sand, warm water, endless sun, it’s a real paradise.”
I grinned at the thought of a real beach next time. “I’ll hold you to it,” I said, stepping closer.
I slid my arms around her waist. Shizune let out a playful little squeak, her cheeks going pink as I pulled her in for a kiss. Her lips were warm, and when she pushed her tongue into my mouth, I lost myself in the taste of her. We stood there, making out in the middle of our crappy living room, ignoring everything else.
Suddenly, a noise broke our focus. “Oink!”
We both turned our heads to see Ton Ton, the little pig. I could’ve sworn the pig was scolding us for not paying attention to her—him—whatever Ton Ton was. I spoke a lot of languages thanks to my bloodline, but none of them were pig.
We laughed, breaking apart from each other.
“All right, all right,” Shizune said to the pig. “We’ll remember you’re here too…”
She then went about packing up the supplies. I watched her move around the room, carefully sealing items into scrolls. I couldn’t help admiring her from behind, the way her curves looked in that outfit. Minus the bloodstains of course…
“So, how did everything go with Gato and his army of thugs?” I asked while watching her ass sway back and forth.
Shizune paused, and turned her head, giving me a playful wink. “You wouldn’t have believed it unless you saw it. Gato’s vault had more money than I ever thought possible in one place.” She let out a short laugh. “I’m usually a generous person, but even I felt a little pain handing half of that treasure over to the Land of Waves.”
I chuckled. “I’m proud of you for being so kind.”
She rolled her eyes, a faint blush on her cheeks. “Don’t go praising me too much or I’ll get a big head like Lady Tsunade.” Shizune took a second to settle the scroll into her pack, then reached down to pick up Ton Ton. The pig let out a satisfied snort as it settled into her arms. “Come on,” she said, making sure her bag was secure, “we need to catch up with Tsunade… and then figure out what the deal is with that blue-haired girl.” She pouted slightly at the last part. “Why was she with you, Blake?”
I noticed her expression and rubbed a hand through my black hair. “Oh boy,” I muttered, letting out a sigh. “Where do I even start about her…?”
XXX
Comments
WhatAFungi
Konan redemption!!!
Schloppi
I love this story so much. I can already foresee Danzo getting ripped to shreds in the future and it'll be great.
The Milf Emperor
I can't wait to see the reaction of the leaf village to Blake in general and the fact that he is dating tsunade and shizune.
![[TR] Toxxic Rhiannyr from gumroad](https://patrefans.com/kistorage/109235.jpg)
