Naruto: North and South

"Heatstroke? Who got heatstroke? I brought medicine." She was training as well, working on aerial combat. While Deidara's clay birds could carry everyone into the sky, after their battle with Isshiki, that kind of "shortcut" felt far too clumsy.

"If we don't cool down soon, someone really will get heatstroke," Zaraki Kita said. She didn't need to train flight techniques, but her taijutsu still required refinement. Her robe was soaked through with sweat. She walked a few steps toward Konan, but before she could even get close, "Hey, stay away from me. You're too hot."

Kita's mouth twitched. That's not what you said when you were clinging to me in your sleep. Even so, she kept her distance. As she reached out, Konan already understood what she wanted. A Water Release technique activated, drenching her from head to toe. In this scorching environment, the sudden coolness was almost blissful.

On the other side, Obito, who had just been soaked through, was already heating up again. "Hey, can you make it rain harder or something?" he called out to Konan. "That's too light. Can you make it heavier?" "Yeah," Deidara chimed in, "like a real downpour."

Konan scratched her head. "Uh, I'll try." She could use the technique, but it had always been Nagato's role. Forming hand seals, she increased her chakra output.

Thunderclouds gathered. A soft drizzle began to fall, but before it even touched the ground, it evaporated. Konan pushed more chakra into the technique. The rain thickened. Heavier. Faster. Dark clouds spread, blotting out the sky, all three suns. Yes, three suns.

As the rain poured down, the unbearable heat finally eased. Obito dismissed parts of the wooden canopy, letting everyone stand under the rainfall. This time, when Kita sat beside Konan, she wasn't chased away.

The water inside their cups had already turned scalding due to the heat. When the lid was opened, steam visibly rose from within. Konan made paper cups and poured the water back and forth, cooling it slightly as she sighed. "Man, if only I knew Ice Release. This would be so much easier."

"Heh, dreaming big, aren't we?" Kita said with a smile. She looked up at the growing storm clouds and the intensifying rain, genuine admiration appearing on her face. "Your Water Release is getting stronger. At this rate, you'll be able to use it in combat soon."

Konan snorted dismissively. "Only Kakuzu and idiots use ninjutsu to fight. So low." Kakuzu: "Why do I suddenly feel like killing you?" Laughter broke out among the group.

After long hours of training, this brief, cool respite felt like a well-earned balance between effort and rest. Konan yawned. She handed a cup of now-warm but drinkable water to Kita.

Kita accepted it, replenishing the fluids she had lost, but she didn't miss that yawn. In her memory, Konan wasn't someone who slept excessively. From yesterday until now, she had slept at least seventeen hours. That wasn't normal. And yet, she still looked tired.

"Didn't sleep well?" Kita asked. Konan nodded, complaining softly. "I must be sleeping wrong or something. I'm so tired, Kita. I didn't even do much in the fight yesterday."

"Ohhh, so the truth comes out!" Obito pointed at her, laughing. "No wonder that fight was so hard, you were slacking!" Konan shook her head, smiling as she defended herself. "I wasn't! I mean, I didn't overuse my chakra or anything. I'm just really tired."

"That is strange," Obito said, more serious now. "You even fell asleep during the leader's meeting yesterday. Something's off." "Huh? I did? I didn't even notice. What did he say?" "Nothing major. We reorganized the teams, you're still in the same one. But you should let Sakura take a look at you. This isn't our world. Better to be careful." He spoke cautiously.

Konan understood. This wasn't about ignoring problems out of pride. And she did feel that something was wrong. Sleeping seventeen hours without doing anything, that meant something wasn't right.

Unfortunately, Sakura couldn't find anything wrong. Her chakra was normal. Her body was normal. Everything, normal.

Konan yawned again. "Want to go sleep some more?" Kita suggested. Konan shook her head with a small smile. "It's too hot. I'm afraid I'll get heatstroke." That was a real concern. Itachi and Hidan had no choice, but thankfully, the two Tailed Beasts were constantly cooling them down. Any more patients, and they wouldn't be able to keep up.

Thunder roared. Lightning flashed. The artificial rain grew heavier. Kita looked up at the sky, then back at Konan, whose expression remained unchanged. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Have you practiced this technique before?"

Konan shook her head. "To be honest, I only used it once before. And it was just a light drizzle. But this." This was a torrential downpour.

Kita smiled. She reached out and tapped Konan lightly on the head. "Nicely done. At least we won't have to worry about the heat anymore." "Hey, hey, hey! It's already hot enough, do you really have to show off like that too?!" Obito protested loudly.

Kita chuckled, standing up. "You're overthinking it. I'm going to check on Itachi." Not just Itachi. Nagato, too. Konan's condition was unusual. Kita was worried. Not about her surpassing her in ability, but about something else entirely.

The storm had expanded beyond the canopy, covering even the wooden shelter. The heat had largely dissipated. There was even a hint of chill in the air. The Four-Tails and Five-Tails no longer needed to physically cool Itachi and Hidan.

Nagato stood at the doorway, watching the rain. Or rather, watching the faint traces mixed within it. Hail.

"Konan's ability is strong," Kita said quietly, "but I don't think she should be capable of this." Nagato nodded. Turning water into ice was a delicate process. Even he couldn't do it. And yet, Konan had.

He should have been happy that his companion had grown stronger. But instead, that joy twisted into unease. "Sakura didn't find anything wrong?" he asked. "No."

Kita hesitated, then continued: "The Otsutsuki have strange abilities. Konan slept seventeen hours. I'm worried that something might have been done to her while she was asleep." "Is that possible?" "I don't know. But you can't judge the Otsutsuki by common sense."

Kita's expression darkened. Nagato understood immediately. "You think it was Shibai?" She nodded. "Yesterday, he looked at Konan a bit longer than necessary. That's strange. To them, we're no different from insects."

She paused. "If we think in crude terms, even if he cared about appearances, Sakura and I wouldn't be unpleasant to look at. So why Konan? And from what I know, the Otsutsuki tend to be ascetic." Kita couldn't make sense of it. Neither could Nagato.

The rain intensified. The air turned pleasantly cool. In the distance, beyond the reach of the storm clouds, the heat still warped the horizon.

"This is all we can do for now," Nagato said quietly. "Her body is fine. Just keep an eye on her. We can't let our guard down against the Otsutsuki." "Yeah. I know."

The serious discussion ended. Nagato leaned casually against the doorframe, a faint smile returning to his face as he enjoyed the rain and the cool breeze. "Still, thanks to Konan, we get this bit of relief. Though I think your title as 'Water Release Master' might be in danger."

Kita laughed, shrugging. "I'll pass it on to her."

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