The natives of the Hidden Rain Village watched the unfamiliar man with complicated expressions, a mixture of caution and fear. They whispered amongst themselves, their eyes following him as he walked, while others simply hurried away, fearing the disaster such an uninvited guest might bring.

Kagami's clone, of course, didn't care.

Suddenly, a strange, familiar chakra signature caught his attention. He stopped, his sharp gaze cutting through the rain-soaked gloom, locking onto its source. A woman stood there, clad in the iconic black and red cloud-patterned cloak of the Akatsuki. The robe swayed gently in the breeze, making her look like a phantom in the night, both mysterious and dangerous. Her face was as delicate as a porcelain doll, but her expression was as cold as ice.

The clone knew her instantly. This was Konan, one of the reasons he had come.

She appeared before him like a ghost, and the moment he acknowledged her, she turned without a word and vanished into a dark, narrow alley.

Kagami's lips curled into a playful smile. "Interesting," he muttered to himself. "Leading me somewhere more private, are we?"

Without a moment's hesitation, he followed, his own form disappearing like a ghost, leaving only a faint afterimage in the rain. She led him away from the main thoroughfares, the scenery shifting from the steel towers of the city to a more desolate, forgotten corner of the village. When she finally stopped, he stopped as well, a comfortable distance between them.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice a low, cautious hum. "What is your purpose in coming to the Hidden Rain Village?" She had intended for her tone to be sharp, accusatory, but the sheer weight of the aura coming from the man before her softened her words against her will.

Kagami's clone smiled faintly, taking a few steps closer and giving a slight, formal bow. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Uchiha Kagami."

Uchiha Kagami!

Konan's expression hardened instantly. Why is he here? Does he know about our plan? Did he come to eliminate us first? A dozen frantic scenarios played out in her mind. This was the man who had even the legendary Sage of Six Paths scrambling to form an alliance. She knew she stood no chance against him alone. A heavy dread settled in her heart, but she did not let it show on her face. As her mind raced, she secretly sent a pulse of chakra through her ring, alerting Nagato.

"So you know of me," Kagami's clone noted, a flicker of surprise in his voice. He quickly put the pieces together. With Obito and Itachi in her organization, it was only natural she would be aware of him.

Konan was silent for a moment before giving a single, curt nod. How could she not?

"Kagami-sama," she said, her voice carefully neutral, "I wonder what business brings you to our territory?" She had to stall, to buy time for Nagato to prepare.

As she spoke, she noticed the way he was looking at her, an intense, appreciative gaze that made her feel, for the first time in a long time, a little shy. Fortunately, her usual cold expression was a well-practiced mask, and she was certain the faint blush on her cheeks was not visible.

Hearing her question, Kagami chuckled. "No business at all. I simply heard tales of a legendary beauty in the Hidden Rain Village, and I came to see for myself. Now that I have..." He let the sentence hang in the air for a moment. "If you are willing, I would like to take you back with me and make you my wife."

"Ah...???"

Konan's body went rigid, her icy composure shattering in an instant as a deep crimson blush spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. She had been prepared for a fight, for an interrogation, for the destruction of her home. But this... this was something she could never have anticipated. She didn't know why, but his direct, audacious words sent her heart fluttering erratically in her chest. His fiery gaze made her feel flustered, and she had to look away, though she couldn't resist a quick, stolen glance at his face. Handsome, was the only word that came to mind.

Meanwhile, Nagato, who had no idea his lifelong companion was in the process of being seduced, felt a surge of pure panic as Konan's warning reached him. He never thought Kagami would appear here, now, at this most critical moment. His strongest Path, the Deva Path, was currently locked in the Sealing ritual and could not be moved. For a moment, he felt a crushing helplessness. But the thought of Konan being killed spurred him to action. He immediately sent his five remaining Paths to intercept, to buy time. Even if they couldn't defeat Kagami, they had to delay him long enough for Nagato to alert the Sage.

Having dispatched his forces, Nagato immediately relayed the message through the Deva Path. "This is a disaster! Uchiha Kagami is here! Konan has engaged him!"

Obito and Itachi reacted instantly, their expressions hardening. Though Itachi's face remained a blank mask, the words Kagami had spoken to him echoed in his mind, his gaze complicated. Obito's visible Sharingan seemed to burn with a new intensity, a mixture of his deep-seated fear and simmering rage.

Around them, the other members—Kakuzu, Kisame, Sasori—also reacted, but their surprise was quickly overshadowed by a predatory excitement. Obito and Itachi had repeatedly warned them of Kagami's terrifying strength, but such warnings had only stoked the flames of their battle lust. They couldn't believe anyone could truly be that powerful and were eager to test their own strength against this new legend. For now, however, they were bound to the sealing ritual and could not move without Nagato's permission.

Only the Sage of Six Paths remained calm. He understood the gravity of the situation.

"You will all continue the sealing ritual," he said, his voice a steady, unshakable command. "I will go and fight Uchiha Kagami." He had considered this possibility and was prepared.

He quickly formed a series of complex hand seals, and circles of mysterious, ancient runes materialized around his body. Following a burst of dazzling light, the Sage's figure began to blur, as if being swallowed by space itself, leaving only a fading afterimage and a soft whisper on the air.