Peace and War

"Xiao Ye, I think you're just trying to slack off!"

Hearing Ye Liangnai's answer, Mei Terumi looked on with suspicion.

"Forehead..."

Ye Liangnai was speechless. Was it wrong for him to want to slack off?

Besides, Kirigakure is so powerful now, with so many talented people, that he doesn't need to worry about it anymore!

"Whatever!"

"Go ahead and slack off if you want. Who told you to build Kirigakure with no shortage of talent?"

Now, let alone Ye Liangnai, she can finally relax and have some free time.

Even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen have all relinquished their duties, spending their days either training or wandering around.

There's absolutely no need for him to hold any Anbu position anymore!

At most, he would occasionally go to the Ninja Academy to provide guidance for practical classes.

Life was both pleasant and comfortable!

Mei Terumi really wanted to say, "I don't want to be the Mizukage anymore, I want to be idle every day."

Unfortunately, this idea remains just that – an idea!

There's nothing we can do; no candidate for the next Mizukage has appeared yet!

Of course, Ye Liangnai in front of her was a good fit, but he was unwilling to become the Mizukage, Mei Terumi helpless.

"Choosing a candidate for Mizukage isn't that easy!"

Mei Terumi sighed deeply, then returned to her political duties.

As for Ye Liangnai ...

"The wind is quite noisy today, not bad, not bad, it's that time of year again when the autumn sky is clear and crisp!"

Ye Liangnai lay on a tree in a training field, her hands behind her head, enjoying the moment with a contented expression.

If you look closely...

You'll then see that he's holding a silk thread that's attached to the water not far away.

Good heavens, he was fishing!

"Nagato, now that you're here, why hide?"

Ye Liangnai suddenly spoke, addressing a grove of trees behind her.

The next moment, a man and a woman appeared in front of Ye Liangnai; they were Nagato Uzumaki and Konan.

Nagato Uzumaki's eyes remained closed; he had not received any eye transplants.

On the contrary, his legs have returned to normal and he can walk normally again.

"Tell me, what do you want? You wouldn't come looking for me for no reason!"

With a flick of his right hand, Ye Liangnai pulled up a plump, large fish.

"I have a group of people here who have suffered from war and are now homeless, and you need to help them!"

"Don't worry, their backgrounds are all spotless, there are no spies among them!"

Nagato, seemingly without eyes, could see Ye Liangnai and everything around her, and tossed a scroll to Ye Liangnai.

"Is it worth making the trip yourself for something like this?"

Ye Liangnai took the scroll, looking on with curiosity.

"Placing these people with their homes is only one of my objectives!"

Nagato seems to have let go of his past obsessions and is no longer fixated on pursuing world peace.

He said, "Indeed, under the powerful deterrent of the Land of Water, the Allied Nations, and the Kirigakure that you have built, the Shinobi World has entered an unprecedented period of stable development!"

"But it seems your peaceful mode won't last long!"

"Isn't there a better way to achieve peace?"

Hearing this, Ye Liangnai climbed down from under the tree. "It seems not at the moment, but we don't know if it will happen in the future. Are you here today to discuss ways to achieve peace?"

Nagato nodded, then shook his head. "Yes, but not entirely!"

"I want to discuss with you a more comprehensive way to achieve world peace, but after thinking about it for a long time, I haven't come up with a better solution than the one you're currently implementing!"

"So, I wanted to ask if you have a better idea!"

"But you already said you don't have a better solution!"

Hearing Nagato's words, Ye Liangnai couldn't help but sigh, "Peace, that is indeed an age-old problem!"

"So, after wandering around the Shinobi World, what did you gain?"

Nagato smiled wryly upon hearing this, "There have been gains, of course, but none of them have been good ones!"

"In the world outside the Five Great Nations, there is war, hatred, poverty and all kinds of disputes. People's lives can be described as miserable, and there is deceit and treachery everywhere!"

"In comparison, your allied countries are more like paradise."

"Peace seems to be more than just a dream to you!"

Nagato's words sounded inexplicably sorrowful.

But Ye Liangnai could probably understand his feelings.

From the very beginning, when Nagato founded Akatsuki Organization, his goal was world peace.

Although he later went astray due to Obito Uchiha's temptations, after being defeated by Ye Liangnai, he was successfully persuaded back by Ye Liangnai and his yearning for world peace was rekindled.

However, after wandering around the Shinobi World, he discovered with disappointment and even a touch of despair—

World peace.

This is something that is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to achieve!

"Peace? Perhaps only a legendary god could achieve that!"

Ye Liangnai set up a fire nearby, skillfully butchered and skewered the fat fish in her hand, and placed it by the fire to roast.

As the saying goes!

"Wherever there are people, there is a world of conflict; wherever there is conflict, there is struggle; and where there is struggle, there can be no lasting peace!"

"All we can do is eliminate the factors that threaten peace. As for how long this peace will last, that's up to fate!"

Ye Liangnai knew very well that there was no such thing as lasting peace in this world.

War and peace have always been the main themes in the history of human development.

As the saying goes, long-term peace will lead to chaos, and long-term chaos will lead to peace!

It's unrealistic to expect humans to always understand and tolerate each other!

Therefore, peace cannot last forever.

It all depends on how individuals maintain peace, whether it's short-term or long-term!

Even Ye Liangnai might not be able to guarantee whether his descendants, three generations later, will be able to maintain their original aspirations, continue his work, and maintain peace in the Shinobi World.

Is peace really such an elusive and untenable thing?

Upon hearing Nagato, Nagato's eyes showed confusion.

"I guess so!"

Ye Liangnai took out a handful of spices from her ninja tool bag and sprinkled them evenly over the grilled fish.

The golden oil bubbled and gurgled, much like the peace in the world—brief and fragile, yet it truly existed.

"In this life, just take care of your own life!"

"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings; perhaps a gifted person will emerge in the future and realize our dream!"

Ye Liangnai, on the other hand, was quite calm.

He did his best, and that's enough; he has a clear conscience.

At least, he didn't live his life in vain; he made some contribution to the world!

Peace?

He can't make this last forever, not even God!

"I understand. I feel much better after you stopped saying those things!"

"By the way, Orochimaru seems to be researching something lately, which has caused quite a bit of panic near the Land of Rice Fields. Should you handle it or should I?"

As she was leaving, Nagato asked a question.