Chapter 248: The Door That Wouldn’t Open

Just as he tried to reach forward, just as he intended to touch it, to worship it, everything in front of him vanished. At some point, without even realizing it, he was already kneeling on the ground.

Where did it go? He wanted to follow it, follow that art, that presence, but the scene was gone. Anxiety surged through him, quickly turning into anger.

He was about to roar when, BOOM! A massive force struck from afar. A sharp impact landed on his forehead, and in the next instant his entire body was sent flying backward. He crashed through mountain rock, shattered the stone platform he had been resting on, and only after being thrown dozens of meters did he finally stop.

He snapped awake as if from a dream. Everything he had just seen felt unreal, distorted, like a fading illusion. Cold sweat broke out across his body. I completely lost consciousness just now? What happened?

“This is the God Tree. It has extremely strong hypnotic abilities.” Konan’s voice was calm. “Without the Eye of Foresight, it’s almost impossible to harm it. What you just saw was only an illusion. The real God Tree has already been destroyed.”

Fear set in. If even an illusion alone could possess such terrifying control, then what would it feel like to experience it firsthand? His gaze turned sharply toward Konan, carrying a faint chill. “If that’s the case, how can you be sure you weren’t influenced by it? That the God Tree was really destroyed?”

Konan looked immediately displeased. And somewhere far away, Zaraki Kita’s “big win streak” in bets had just been completely wiped out.

Deidara snapped. “YOU BASTARDS!!! JUST HOW MANY BETS DID YOU MAKE ON ME?!”

HA, HAHA. Broken laughter scattered through the group.

After the chaos settled, Konan spoke again, this time with clear resentment. “You really disappointed me. You’re supposed to be the one with the most careful mind, aren’t you? The Eye of Foresight, do you think I got it for nothing?” She waved her hand. “No seafood banquet anymore. Go settle for ramen at the village entrance.”

Well, they had been asleep for too long. And they had made everyone wait for far too long. In the end, the Otsutsuki matter was resolved. Everyone had awakened, recovered, and was more or less ready. It was time to go home.

A celebration banquet belonged at home, not in a foreign world. No one could even properly calculate how long they had been gone. Everyone felt a deep urge to return.

Kisame, especially. On the way out, he had heard Guy preparing for a flower arrangement competition. Did he win that longed-for third prize? And his precious fish tank, if even one fish was missing, Kisame would make him pay with his life. Actually, that might be a good idea.

Compared to him, Itachi also wanted to return urgently. His beloved Kiki cat, did it still remember him? When he got home, he would cook liver and spinach, a lot, a proper feast. And then solemnly announce, “I’m back, and I brought your mom.”

Obito, on the other hand, had marriage on his mind. Konan had said it was possible, just a formality, a simple ceremony, a gathered meal. He had already decided he would drag himself to Konoha and invite Might Guy, Kakashi’s former classmates, and even those old acquaintances, Anko, Asuma, Kurenai, and that younger Wood Release subordinate from the ANBU.

He even considered wedding attire carefully. If Kakashi wore white kimono, he would too. If not, they’d both wear suits. Black suits are boring, maybe a white suit? Kakashi would look amazing in it, heh.

Sakura, however, wasn’t thinking about nonsense like that. She wanted to go back to Konoha with Itachi, see her teacher, even if she might not even be there. She wanted to see her parents, Ino, and if possible, Naruto. Then find her teacher again and report everything. This wasn’t classified Akatsuki information, it was for her teacher. She would also show off the medical jellyfish she developed. And maybe introduce Itachi too.

Hidan and Kakuzu had no one in particular to meet. But like others, they wanted hot springs. Kakuzu preferred hot springs. In the end, Kakuzu decided, fine, both. This time, no saving money. He would order the most expensive hot spring banquet and eat until full.

Konan also wanted to go home. She had abandoned her role as leader for too long. And now she has come back, blind. She was absolutely going to get scolded. She wondered if the crows and trainees had improved. If not, she would throw them straight into training camp.

And Karin, that girl better have improved a lot, maybe even dual-wielding by now. If so, she would assign her more complex missions.

Konan thought of Karin. And someone else did too. That child suffered a lot since she was young. Now everything was finally settled. With her body recovered, Konan could finally train with her properly.

There were also the squad taught by Kita who had been taught the improved single-sword style. And Orochimaru. There wasn’t anything special from the Otsutsuki for him to study, but this otherworld was full of strange things. And then there was Toneri, that boy, still as clueless as ever, probably.

Nagato was thinking too. About Toneri. His Six Paths power was becoming more refined. Maybe he could finally remove the sealing rods. He needed to test it.

After returning, he would visit Jiraiya-sensei. Tell him the Otsutsuki matter was fully resolved. No more threats. And explain Akatsuki’s future direction. He had seen too much now. The world didn’t need conquest through pain. All living beings had the right to exist. Even the Otsutsuki, though they stripped that right away. Akatsuki had once been no different. But not anymore. This time, they would build instead of destroy.

And he remembered Orochimaru. He had to thank him properly. Without those seeds, they would have starved. He should also give him the rest of the samples from this dimension. Maybe Orochimaru could cultivate something new.

And lastly, must not forget. Eat curry. Eat until full.

“Alright.” Nagato stood from the stone platform. Everyone followed suit. Sakura looked especially excited. She couldn’t wait to go home.

“This mission is complete. Good work, everyone.”

“Yes!” Their voices rang in unison.

Nagato smiled. “No more talk. Go pack up. Tonight, we eat a full heavenly banquet. My treat.”

“WOOOOO!!! BIG BOSS SPENDING BIG!!!”

Obito immediately grabbed Zaraki Kita’s shoulder. “Let’s go let’s go I’m drooling already. Can we bring family?! Or I’m not going!”

They all placed their hands together. Kamui activated. In the next instant, they vanished.

“Huh?” Confusion came from Obito. He had set the coordinates next to Kakashi. So why were they inside the Kamui space?

Nagato was confused too. Deidara exploded. “HEY!!! WHY ARE YOU LOCKING US IN A BLACK ROOM?!”

Obito waved it off. “Relax, relax, don’t yell or I’ll lock you alone in there.”

Kamui activated again. Half his body already rotated into space, then stopped, and returned.

Nagato narrowed his eyes. “Your Sharingan is malfunctioning?”

Obito frowned. “No idea. Let me try again.” He formed hand seals. His eyes turned into Mangekyo Sharingan, but even after draining most of his chakra, he still couldn’t fully enter Kamui.

“Damn it, still not working! Your turn!”

Nagato closed his eyes. After absorbing Urashiki’s memory, he had gained dimensional access abilities. But he needed to feel his world’s coordinates first. After several minutes, he shook his head. “I can’t sense it.”

Silence fell. No one had jokes anymore.

“This shouldn’t be happening,” Itachi said. “If Kamui is failing, then even the Rinnegan should work, unless that water had something wrong with it.”

Konan raised a hand. “Come here. Let me check.”

Obito blinked. “Huh?”

Konan calmly replied, “The Eye of Foresight isn’t just a prophecy.” She extended both hands. “Focus.”

Five minutes later, a spatial gate opened smoothly.

Konan shrugged. “Maybe no one’s been here for too long. The doors got rusty.”

Everyone froze. Then collectively went pale. Konan had gotten increasingly casual. Too casual. Far too casual.

“WE’RE GOING HOME!” Nagato declared.

“OOOOOHHHH!!!”