Child of Prophecy? Infinite Tsukuyomi Would Be Better!

"Ah?"

Jiraiya looked at Nagato, unable to understand what he meant.

"Did he eat nothing but exotic delicacies, ingredients that were hard to find in the entire Shinobi World? And were those three wives all the kind of women who could ruin a nation?"

Nagato thought about it and nodded.

"Although the Emperor's meals were simple, his standards were extremely high. Take Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes, for example—the pickled peppers alone had once taken him endless effort to find."

"And his wives... one was a woman who had betrayed her clan's beliefs, one was a woman obsessed with power, and the last was addicted to gambling. Recently, she seemed to have picked up the bad habit of drinking as well."

Jiraiya was immediately shocked.

Good lord, any one of those women would be enough to bring disaster upon a nation, yet that Emperor had three of them!

No wonder the people of their Empire were so dissatisfied with that Emperor!

No wonder he wanted to invade other parallel universes even after unifying that Shinobi World!

"I feel sorry for you. How could someone like that still be Emperor? Was there no one willing to overthrow his tyranny?"

Nagato shook his head.

"Our Emperor is descended from both the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan. He perfectly inherited the Kekkei Genkai of both sides."

Jiraiya's face changed drastically upon hearing that.

"You mean he possesses both the Sharingan and Wood Release?"

Nagato nodded.

Jiraiya clicked his tongue inwardly. No wonder! Such terrifying power truly could unify the entire Shinobi World!

He had inherited the Uchiha's madness while possessing the Senju Clan's powerful Sage Body and Wood Release. No wonder!

How pitiful! The people of that world must have been living in utter misery!

"However..."

Nagato's tone suddenly shifted.

He smiled, and his smile was full of mockery.

"I once thought our Emperor was a foolish and tyrannical ruler, with nothing but his strength to his name."

"But today has truly broadened my horizons!"

"You so-called Daimyo are all fat as pigs. You possess not a shred of Chakra, yet you can casually trample on the dignity—and even the bodies—of those around you..."

"And this is merely the Daimyo of a tiny Land of Fire. I don't even dare imagine what horrifying things they would do if they held even greater power!"

"And the Kage of your Hidden Leaf Village actually need to be appointed by them..."

A flash of killing intent passed through Nagato's eyes.

He could sense that after the dancer, who looked barely grown, entered the room, the Daimyo had continued their bloody battle despite bleeding heavily.

The girl had already fainted, yet they found that boring and splashed her with water to wake her up again.

Jiraiya swallowed. He could sense that Nagato had changed after coming here.

That wasn't right! This place was clearly peaceful and prosperous, filled with endless splendor. Why had Nagato changed after witnessing their prosperity instead?

"This... here, the Daimyo govern the nobles and commoners, while the villages govern the ninja. Everyone restrains one another, so no one can dominate alone. The commoners and ninja can continue living in harmony and balance..."

Jiraiya explained.

Nagato, however, repeated Jiraiya's words with disdain.

"Harmony?"

"Yes. Once I find the legendary Child of Prophecy, the conflicts and hatred between people will be erased. At that time, there will be no more war in the Shinobi World!"

As Jiraiya spoke, his expression became excited.

"Child of Prophecy?"

Nagato frowned deeply.

This world had one too? Although Jiraiya had once believed him to be the Child of Prophecy, could the Empire's definition possibly be the same as this world's?

Moreover, Jiraiya had only mentioned it in passing and offered no specific explanation, merely saying that the Child of Prophecy could bring peace.

"The Child of Prophecy you speak of—does he possess some special Kekkei Genkai? Can he erase the hatred between people?"

"Uh... no. He can use himself to mediate people's hatred and conflicts, ultimately allowing peace to descend!"

Upon hearing that, Nagato thought of a forbidden technique the Emperor had passed on to him.

Infinite Tsukuyomi!

"What you're talking about isn't even as reliable as Infinite Tsukuyomi!"

"How could the hatred and conflicts between people possibly be mediated by one person?"

"And you keep saying that you long for peace, so why place your hopes in something so illusory? Why not make a tangible effort for peace?"

Jiraiya was stumped, but his gaze soon became clear.

"I have my own mission too! My mission is to find and guide the Child of Prophecy!"

Nagato merely shook his head.

This world was too absurd!

The Empire he had once seen had been dark and soaked in blood. Though countless people had not been pierced by blades, their souls were already riddled with wounds.

But only after coming to this world did he realize that while the Empire pressed people so hard they could barely breathe, this fucking world could truly suffocate them!

"Jiraiya! If you truly hope for peace to descend forever, I'll tell you of a path—a path that has already been achieved and proven!"

This time, Nagato did not even use an honorific. He could no longer stand it.

Speaking with the master before him always gave him the urge to suffer a brain hemorrhage.

"The so-called Child of Prophecy is far too illusory. If you truly want peace to descend, then unify the entire Shinobi World. At that time, there will be no more war in the world! And the changes of history will no longer be struggles between nations. At most, power will only change hands among those at the very top!"

As Nagato spoke, realization suddenly dawned on him. He finally understood what the Emperor had meant: as long as the world was unified, it did not matter who was king or ruler!

It turned out that the Emperor twenty years ago had seen farther than narrow-minded people like them!

Yet Jiraiya kept shaking his head as he listened to Nagato.

"No! That's impossible. Wouldn't unifying the world require war? How many people would die or be wounded then? I will never allow such a thing to happen!"

Jiraiya resisted this with all his heart, and he felt miserable as well.

So after everything I said along the way, you didn't take any of it in? You've actually become even more determined than before?

Don't you long for peace too?

"Without destruction, there can be no rebuilding! Jiraiya! If you reject war, does that mean war will never come? As far as I know, your world has already gone through three Ninja Wars! And every year, there are conflicts and killings between countries!"

"If you don't solve this problem once and for all, war will never end!"

Nagato looked at Jiraiya. His resolve had become incomparably firm. He would carry out the Emperor's will to the very end!

He understood the heart of this master from the Other World. Jiraiya still longed deeply for peace. If he could recruit him into the Empire, that would be for the best!

Seeing Jiraiya remain silent, Nagato continued, "The distribution of benefits between countries is far too unequal. Everyone seeks profit for their own country, but it will be different after unification! After unification, everyone will be equal. Even if there are truly struggles for power, they will only happen during the election of a provincial leader. They will not affect commoners or ordinary ninja like us at all. No matter how many generations power changes hands, large-scale wars will never happen again!"

Hearing this, Jiraiya fell silent.

Nagato's words plunged him into deep thought. He knew Nagato had a point, but he still could not accept such a reality.

The ideal in his heart was a world filled with love, justice, and peace—not one driven by power and desire.

Jiraiya looked at Nagato, and there was even a pleading note in his voice.

"Our world is already perfect and prosperous. Can I beg you not to bring war to our world? Even unification requires bloodshed. Our world can no longer endure any more devastation!"