"Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son."
— Darth Vader
--
A man no, something large was tearing through squads of trained shinobi. Stone shields erupted at his will, earth swallowed enemies whole, and his axe cut through metal like cloth..
Konan watched him crush two Kusagakure jōnin at once, then rip an earth pillar up beneath another attacker.
A small spark flickered in her chest.
Interesting.
Nagato always spoke of gathering strong individuals who understood pain, this man radiated pain, strength and conviction…
He would be a powerful addition to Akatsuki…
But She decided to observe first.
She hovered over the battlefield, and when the last scream faded… she judged it was time to intervene.
Konan descended like an angel, landing in front Otis.
Her paper wings fluttered once before dissolving into the air around her.
Taro and his entire squad instantly stepped forward, weapons drawn.
Otis lifted a hand slightly.
"Back down."
Taro hesitated, but obeyed.
The street fell silent.
Otis didn't move. His gaze was steady, cold, and assessing.
Konan studied him equally.
"Your strength is… unusual," she said softly. "Unrefined, but overwhelming. A man like you could reshape the shinobi world."
Otis stayed quiet.
Konan raised a hand, her paper gathering around her fingers like sharp petals.
"Why don't you join us," she said.
She stepped closer, eyes never blinking, stopping just outside Otis's reach.
"There is an organization striving to create true peace in this world. Use your power to help end the suffering in this world. To bring peace."
Otis narrowed his eyes a fraction.
"Organization?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
"We are a group of those who understand the truth," Konan continued.
"That pain is the only language this world listens to… That order cannot rise without tearing down the systems that allow suffering to thrive."
She looked straight into his eyes
"We seek people with conviction. People strong enough to change the world instead of being shaped by it."
The paper at her fingertips sharpened into delicate points as she aimed them toward Otis.
"People like you."
Otis stared at her for a long moment… long enough that Konan wondered whether he understood anything she said.
Then Otis suddenly gasped, covering his mouth like he'd just uncovered a massive plot twist.
"Oh. Ohhhh, now I get it."
Konan remained silent, waiting.
Otis tapped the side of his head with one finger, giving her the kind of look people reserved for the most painfully obvious answers.
"A cult."
A vein instantly appeared on Konan's forehead.
Otis kept going, cheerful as ever.
"Yeah, yeah, now it all makes sense. Dramatic speeches, emotional backstory, recruiting on random battlefields, classic cult behavior. Honestly, textbook."
Konan's chakra tightened. But she still didn't speak.
Otis waved a hand in admiration.
"And hey, hey I give you ten out of ten for the dramatic entrance. Angel-like wings, paper aura, the whole divine vibe? Super intimidating. If you sold merch, I might even buy a T-shirt."
Konan's paper shifted behind her like feathers hardening into blades.
Otis held up a hand politely.
"But I'm sorry, miss… I can't join your cult."
"..."
A strange, uncomfortable thought crossed Konan's mind.
Why does this feel like he just rejected a confession?
Silence.
Konan did not yell. She did not move.
But the anger radiating from her was so sharp the air itself felt like it could cut skin.
"…We are not a cult," she said through a perfectly calm and perfectly murderous voice.
(A/N: Same vibe as the pic lol.)
Otis nodded, completely unconvinced.
"Sure. That's what every cult says."
Behind Otis, Taro's entire squad whispered among themselves.
"O-Otis-sama is right," one muttered. "It definitely sounds like a cult."
"My brother joined something like this once," another whispered. "He disappeared the next week"
"Bro, same! My uncle literally vanished. Just 'poof."
"My grandma warned me about groups like this."
Taro sighed. "Yeah, yeah… dangerous grupo. I knew it."
Konan's eye twitched, and she snapped her head toward them.
"We. Are. Not. A. Cult."
One ninja raised a hand sheepishly.
"That's also what my brother said right before he kinda… y'know… vanished"
Otis covered his mouth, trying desperately not to laugh.
Konan saw it.
All of it.
Her expression did not change…but her killing intent exploded like a silent bomb.
Every single one of Taro's men went stiff, spines straightening, mouths snapping shut instantly.
Konan's voice trembled with restrained fury as she said,
"We are NOT a cult. We have a purpose. A vision. Peace for the ninja world."
Then she turned back to Otis, her gaze sharp enough to carve stone.
"Since you do not want to join," she said softly,
"Then you die here. A man like you… on the wrong side… would be catastrophic."
The trees rustled behind Otis.
Taro's men tensed, weapons rising,
Otis raised a hand to halt them, gaze locked on Konan.
Great. Of all people… did it really have to be her? She's literally my favorite. Sigh.
"None of you interfere," he said. "This is between us."
Taro froze.
"B-But—"
"She's not someone you can fight."
Konan's eyes slid briefly to Taro's unit, then back to Otis.
Paper swirled around her like a storm.
Otis lowered his center of gravity, fingers tightening around the handle of his axe.
Paper erupted around her like a hurricane, sheets folding into knives, spears, and wings. She rose off the ground effortlessly, as though gravity no longer applied to her.
Konan's paper storm shot forward with deadly precision, hundreds of razor-sharp sheets slicing toward Otis.
Otis slammed his shield into the ground.
'Earth Release'
A stone wall burst upward, forming a massive slab just in time as dozens of paper kunai rained down on it, clattering against the rock like hail.
Konan's voice echoed through the swirling storm
"You defend well… but defense alone will not save you."
Otis smirked behind his mask.
And then he swung his arm. The earth slab shattered, exploding outward as fragments launched like stone shrapnel.
Konan dispersed into a cloud of paper, her body scattering into a thousand sheets to avoid the deadly spray.
She reformed in the air above him, wings spreading wide.
A paper spear formed mid-flight, chakra coating it until it sharpened into a blade worthy of a blacksmith.
Otis grabbed his axe.
The spear shot downward and at the same moment, Otis hurled his axe upward.
They collided with a thunderous—
CRACK!
The paper spear exploded into fluttering confetti.
Otis raised his hand, and the axe curved back through the air after the strike… snapping back into his grip with a—
FWIP—THUNK
--
Author's Note:
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