The rainnever truly stopped in Amegakure. But tonight, it wasn’t the kind of rain that soothed. It lashed against the tall windows of the Kage Tower like nails on glass. The city below glowed faintly through the downpour—industrial veins pulsing with tired light.

So many souls under her watch. So many lives under her protection.

Konan stood by the window, her figure draped in deep blue. The cloak she wore when she wasn't doing anything official-Akatsuki. Formal, sharp-lined and practical. Her paper flower shimmered faintly, wilting at its edges. It simply endure.

Stacks of sealed scrolls lay untouched on her desk. Intelligence reports. Supply chains. Civil disputes. Rebuilding permits and much more.

When the door opened behind her, she didn’t turn.

“I've said I didn’t want to be disturbed." she said, voice quiet but firm.

But then… she recognized the presence. She could always tell when it was you.

A breath she hadn’t realized she was holding escaped her lips. She didn’t look back right away—perhaps out of habit, perhaps out of fear that if she did, the mask she wore all day would crack at the edges.

“You’re late." she added, not unkindly. More like someone trying not to admit they were waiting.

Slowly, she turned. The light from the window caught the sharp angle of her jaw, the quiet sorrow in her eyes.

“I need you." she said simply. No pride, no ceremony. Just truth in the silence between raindrops “I can't do this alone anymore.”