[Mizukage Mei Terumi: "Did he buy the title of God of Shinobi or something? He's too naive..."]
[Boruto Uzumaki: "Hehe, my dad bought his position too!"]
[Shikadai Nara: "Boruto, you can't buy the position of Hokage..."]
[Kawaki: "Idiot..."]
The video continued.
"You and I are no different. We both act for our own justice.
My justice against Konoha is the same as yours against me!"
"The pain of losing something important is the same for everyone..." Pain stared at Naruto.
"We both know that pain. We seek revenge in the name of justice. We're both ordinary people."
"But if revenge is justice, that justice will give rise to more hatred!"
"It sets off a chain reaction of hatred!"
Naruto listened, confusion in his eyes.
He wondered:
Was he a murderer?
In Pain's country,
many of the weak had been killed or injured,
and they had hoped their leader would return to the village to protect them...
"Living in this environment, knowing the past and foreseeing the future, you realize that this is history.
I know all too well that humans will never understand one another!"
"The world is ruled by hatred!"
Naruto recalled Jiraiya's words.
The scene changed.
"I want to put an end to hatred, but I don't know how.
But I firmly believe a time will come when people understand one another..." Jiraiya patted Naruto's head.
"If I can't find the answer, I'll entrust it to you!"
"All right, I'll take on the task you've entrusted to me, Master Jiraiya!"
His younger self chuckled, not understanding what he meant.
Now, Naruto's face was full of anguish.
"If you seek peace, how will you deal with hatred? I want to hear your answer..." Pain stared at Naruto on the ground.
Naruto closed his eyes and frowned.
"I don't know that either..."
[Boruto Uzumaki: "My head's spinning just listening to this. So was Pain a victim too...?"]
[Sarada Uchiha: "That's the Seventh Lord Hokage for you. Even in a situation like this, he can keep his composure!!"]
[Jiraiya: "."]
The video continued.
A gust of wind swept up some of the smoke.
"I founded the Akatsuki to stop this chain of hatred.
I can put a stop to it all. To do that, I need the Nine-Tails' power!"
"Using the power of all the Tailed Beasts, I'll create a Tailed Beast Weapon far more powerful than anything needed to destroy a village, powerful enough to destroy a country in an instant!"
"A Tailed Beast Weapon?" Naruto froze.
"Let the world experience true pain. The fear of pain can stop wars and guide the world toward stability and peace!"
Pain's gaze was especially grave.
"But peace like that is nothing but a lie!"
Naruto protested weakly.
"Using warfare and violence to fight violence—how is that peace?"
"Humans aren't that clever. Without doing this, peace can't be created.
And decades later, this pain will eventually heal, the anguish will fade, and people will start wars again!"
Pain's words were meaningful.
The people watching the video
were utterly baffled.
Only those in high positions could understand what Pain meant.
"This time, they'll use the Tailed Beast Weapon themselves and experience that true pain once more!"
"Then, temporary peace will come again, in this endless river of hatred!"
The scene shifted to a dimly lit hollow inside a tree.
"Brief peace born from pain—that is my wish!"
Nagato coughed several times as he spoke.
Konan looked at Nagato with concern.
"Nagato, don't push yourself too hard. You've already used a lot of Chakra..."
Nagato gasped for breath, then raised his head. "Peace is right before us..."
[Boruto Uzumaki: "I think I get it now. Revenge isn't the best way to solve a problem. Instead of thinking about how to get revenge...
people should use that energy to better themselves and keep history from repeating itself."]
[Tobirama Senju: "Well said. Big brother, take a lesson from the comment above!"]
[Hashirama Senju: "...Can't everyone just be honest with one another and not start wars?"]
[Ōnoki: "Young Boruto has a point. Indeed, instead of thinking about revenge, it's better to focus on improving yourself..."]
[Fourth Raikage A: "And then get revenge after improving yourself?"]
[Mizukage Mei Terumi: "You really won't listen to reason, will you!"]
The video continued.
Hinata gazed into the distance with a worried look, her teeth clenched tight.
The scene changed.
"Although you say my peace is a lie," Pain said in a complicated tone,
"in this cursed world, nothing is more false than peace born of true understanding between people."
"But Master Jiraiya believed
that a time when people can truly understand one another will come. That's different from what you think!" Naruto retorted.
"Those are just words. What can someone like you, who has no answer, possibly do?
All you can do is hand over the Nine-Tails' power to me!" Pain took out a black rod as he spoke.
The scene changed again.
At that moment,
a memory of Hinata's childhood suddenly appeared.
The people watching the video were confused.
Wasn't this Naruto's story?
Why had it suddenly switched to this little girl?
[Kinkaku: "What's going on? Did someone switch to the wrong channel?"]
[Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hozuki: "Wait, don't tell me... this little girl is going to save Naruto next?"]
[Shimura Danzō: "Hehe, Naruto has no chance of winning now. In my opinion, he'd be better off running away!"]
[Ino Yamanaka: "Shut up, you old bastard! Naruto only ended up in this predicament because he was protecting everyone!"]
[Choji Akimichi: "That's right!!"]
[Shikadai Nara: "I never thought there were such dark elements in the village..."]
[Shikamaru Nara (young): "Even though we're from different timelines, I have to say this. Elder Danzo, isn't what you said a little inappropriate?"]
[Shimura Danzō: "Hehe, I'm doing this to protect Konoha. None of you understand!"]
[Ōnoki: "Danzo really is something else..."]
[Tobirama Senju: "Danzo, shut your mouth! I never should have taken you as my student!!"]
The video continued.
Hinata appeared before everyone.
As a child, she had trained hard,
but she lacked talent
and was soon knocked to the ground by her younger sister, Hanabi.
Even her father looked disappointed in her.
Little Hinata's tears fell onto the corridor floor, her voice full of anger.
Not long afterward, she ran away from home
and, by bad luck, ran into three children on the road.
Before long,
she angered the three children.
They cornered Hinata and began insulting her.
"I... I didn't do that..."
Hinata had just started to leave when they grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"You didn't even apologize. That's too much!"
As the three spoke, they knocked Hinata to the ground.
"Apologize properly!"
"I'm sorry..."
"Too quiet!"
"Didn't you hear me tell you to apologize?"
One of the children gripped Hinata's hair tightly.
Hinata's tears fell to the ground, and her voice was choked with sobs. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
The scene changed.
Hinata had her Byakugan activated now.
Seeing the injuries Naruto had suffered in the distance, she was filled with anger.
The scene changed again.
"Pain's Chakra is flowing into me..." Naruto fought to endure the pain in his heart.
"I avoided your vital points and made all the wounds shallow..."
Pain stared at Naruto as he lay on the ground.
(The next big moment is coming up. Please support me with a free gift (ó﹏ò｡))