freenovelworld Chapter 458 The Art of Peaceful Talk!
Chapter 458 The Art of Peaceful Talk!
The room at the top of the tower was unexpectedly spacious and simple.
There were no luxurious decorations or elite guards as I had imagined; only cold walls and a few simple tables and chairs used for military meetings.
A tall figure stood with his back to them in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the world under the rain curtain.
He wasn't wearing his signature breathing mask, but rather a plain Rain Ninja combat suit, his hair neatly combed.
Even just a glimpse of his back exudes a suffocating sense of oppression.
It was an aura formed purely from power and the sedimentation of time, like a solid wall, freezing the entire space.
Sansho fish, half-cooked.
"welcome."
He spoke, but didn't turn around.
The voice, though not loud, resonated deeply in the empty room, each word striking the hearts of the three with precision.
"The ninjas of Konoha, the former residents of Amegakure, and..."
Hanzo slowly turned around, his face, weathered and scarred, expressionless. His deep-set eyes held a calm, unwavering depth, as if he had seen through the vicissitudes of life.
"...the founder of Akatsuki."
He accurately stated all of their identities.
Yahiko's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface.
He could feel Xiao Nan beside him tense up instantly.
"It seems you know us very well, Lord Hanzo."
Yahiko responded neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Understand?" Hanzo's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, more of a mockery than a genuine laugh. "In this country, squeezed between powerful nations, not understanding means death. I've just lived a little longer."
He walked to a stone table, sat down casually, and then gestured for him to sit down.
"Please sit down, guests from Konoha."
Without hesitation, Yahiko pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Hanzo. Nagato and Konan chose to stand behind Yahiko, maintaining a fighting stance at any moment.
Hanzo's gaze swept over the three of them before finally settling on Yahiko.
"I heard you're working for peace." His voice carried a strange tone, like curiosity, or perhaps examining some interesting toy. "Truly...nostalgic words."
"Peace shouldn't just be a word to reminisce about. It should be a present that everyone can have." Yahiko looked directly at the other person.
"Yeah?"
Hanzo leaned forward slightly, and the invisible pressure suddenly intensified. "Then tell me, boy. What exactly was the peace you saw in Konoha?"
"Is it about slaughtering the enemy on the battlefield, then stepping on their corpses to proclaim the greatness of the Will of Fire to your own villagers? Is it about using overwhelming power to force the weak to sign unequal treaties, and then calling it order?"
Each of his questions was like a poisoned dagger, precisely piercing the most vulnerable part of Yahiko's ideals.
Paper fragments were already quietly gathering at Xiao Nan's fingertips.
Nagato instinctively crossed his arms over his chest, a flash of anger crossing his dark eyes.
They are insulting the Hokage! They are negating everything Konoha has done!
However, Yahiko remained unusually calm.
He recalled Jiraiya's seemingly absurd peace theories, which always made them laugh.
I remembered the Hokage's gentle smile as he looked out the window at the children while dealing with mountains of documents in his office.
I remembered the bustling streets of Konoha, the aroma rising from Akimichi yakiniku restaurant, the warm lights in Ichiraku Ramen, and Mr. Nara Kazunos's way of complaining about the troubles while arranging everything in an orderly manner.
Those were all acts of peace.
"Lord Hanzo."
Yahiko spoke, his voice clear and powerful, dispelling the oppressive tension in the room.
"What you're talking about is the peace of the victors. It's something predicated on war, aimed at plunder, and ultimately built on hatred. That kind of peace will one day be overthrown by new hatred."
"But what I saw in Konoha was something else entirely."
Hanzo raised an eyebrow slightly, signaling him to continue.
"I see that Lord Hatake Sakumo, the top assassin known as the White Fang of Konoha, is now racking his brains to breed a more productive pig breed."
"The Uchiha clan, with those eyes once considered ominous, used the most powerful Fire Release techniques to set off the most dazzling fireworks for the entire village on the night of the celebration; the Akimichi clan's Expansion Technique can be used to cultivate the most fertile land..."
"..."
Yahiko's eyes grew brighter and brighter, their light as dazzling as the rising sun, so bright that it was impossible to look directly at them.
"The power I see is not for plunder. The ninjutsu I see is not for killing. The Will of Fire is not an empty slogan of sacrifice, but the happiness of protecting every ordinary person, allowing them to walk safely home and enjoy a bowl of hot ramen!"
"This is the peace I seek! A world where everyone can find their own value and strive to make their home a better place! This is the true dawn we, Akatsuki, want to bring to this world!"
The entire room fell into a deathly silence.
Nagato and Konan stared blankly at Yahiko's retreating figure.
At that moment, they seemed to see a god.
That leader of dawn, who is always full of hope, who will never be defeated by darkness, and who can always ignite their hearts with the most fervent words.
Hanzo lowered his head, his gray hair obscuring his face, making it impossible to see his expression.
a long time.
A long sigh escaped his lips.
In that sigh, there was weariness, relief, and a trace of... a long-lost sense of relaxation that even he himself hadn't noticed.
"Strength, not plunder..."
He repeated the sentence in a low voice, as if he were savoring a long-forgotten taste.
Hanzo slowly raised his head, and for the first time, his usually calm eyes were filled with intense emotion.
It was as if I could see myself many years ago, standing before me, full of youthful vigor, declaring that I would use my own strength to end all the conflicts on this land.
But when did I turn protection into domination, caution into suspicion, and power into a sword hanging over everyone's heads?
"You win, kid."
Hanzo spoke, his voice slightly hoarse.
"Your words are more powerful than any ninjutsu I have ever heard of."
He looked at the three young men in front of him, and the light in their eyes was something he hadn't seen in a long time.
Pure, resolute, and...possessing the potential to change the world.
"In that case, I don't need to test you anymore."
Hanzo stood up and walked to the huge map.
"Iwagakure and Sunagakure approached me, promising countless benefits and inviting me to join them in dividing up the defeated Kumogakure."
His finger traced across the map, his tone turning cold and realistic.
"But I know very well that in their eyes, Amegakure is nothing more than cannon fodder that can be sacrificed at any time. The so-called alliance is nothing more than shackles that bind us. When Kumogakure falls, we will be the next ones to be devoured."
"In the rules set by the strong, the weak don't even have the right to choose how they die."
He turned around and looked at Yahiko again.
"But your words have shown me another possibility. A possibility... of not being used as a pawn by anyone, of deciding our own destiny."
"Yahiko, you are the messenger who allows me to lower my guard and sit down to talk."
"State your conditions." Yahiko understood immediately.
"It's very simple."
Hanzo held up one finger. "When your main force clashes head-on with the command systems of Iwagakure and Sunagakure, I will lead the Amegakure forces to deliver a great gift from behind them."
"I need Konoha's commitment. After the war, some of the Land of Fire's trade routes need to be opened to us. Furthermore, Konoha must recognize Amegakure's independent status and sign... a true, equal, non-aggression pact."
"I promise you!"
Yahiko blurted out, then realized something and added, "I will report your conditions in full to Commander-in-Chief Minato. But I believe Konoha will agree. Because it aligns with our shared ideals of peace!"
Hanzo smiled.
This time, it was a genuine smile, tinged with a hint of appreciation.
"it is good."
He walked up to Yahiko and extended his calloused and scarred hand, the one that had ended countless lives.
Yahiko looked at the hand and reached out without hesitation to grasp it tightly.
Two hands, one old and weathered, the other young and full of strength, clasped together.
It's like the transition between two eras.
"I sincerely hope... that the Land of Rain will get better and better."
Releasing his grip, Hanzo took a step back and gave Yahiko a deep look.
"at the same time……"
"The village will always welcome you back."
These words made Yahiko's body tremble violently.
A warm current instantly flowed through my entire body.
He bowed deeply to Hanzo.
"Thanks."
After saying that, he didn't linger and, with Nagato and Konan, turned and walked out the door.
When the three of them stepped out of the stone tower again and stood on the mountaintop.
The last dark cloud in the sky quietly dissipated.
A long-awaited, brilliant golden ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell precisely down, illuminating the path down the mountain ahead of them.