No matter how Tsunade questioned him, Jiang Feng only sneered—a laugh that made her shiver with cold, as though the man before her could see through every thought in her mind.
"Quit being so mysterious."
Tsunade muttered under her breath. She didn't want to get bogged down in personal matters with Jiang Feng, so she got to the point. "You said Yahiko and the others were your friends?"
"Very good friends."
"And yet you just stand by and watch your friends sink into a quagmire, unwilling to pull them out."
"What do you mean?"
"The Akatsuki Organization has almost no chance of succeeding."
Tsunade criticized Yahiko's ideals with absolute certainty. "Getting the major ninja villages to lay down their arms and set aside their disputes, resolving their conflicts through peaceful dialogue, and achieving world peace.
"It's an utterly unrealistic ideal."
Tsunade was, after all, Tsunade. She had weathered many storms, lived through Konoha's early years, and seen and taken part in two Ninja World Wars. Her life experience was extensive, and she could see at a glance how naïve Yahiko and the Akatsuki Organization's ideals were.
"I know." Jiang Feng answered calmly.
"You know?"
"I know."
So you said you knew, and that was that? If you knew, and Yahiko was your friend, how could you remain so unconcerned?
Tsunade figured Jiang Feng was probably pretending to know. He was still young, about the same age as Yahiko, and lacked life experience.
Tsunade continued, "It's hard for people to understand one another. Getting two ninja villages to put aside their differences and coexist peacefully is difficult enough, let alone getting two people with a grudge to let it go."
"I know."
"When you're talking about entire factions, it's even harder. Every ninja village has countless clans, ninja, and civilians behind it. Their shared interests determine the will of the village.
"He might be able to convince a Kage, but convincing an entire village is almost impossible."
"I know."
"To persuade those villages, you either need enough strength to make them fear you, or you need to satisfy their interests. But the Akatsuki Organization can do neither.
"They're neither strong enough nor rich enough."
"I know."
"Forget the other villages. The Akatsuki Organization's ideals and agenda would probably have a hard time convincing even Amegakure.
"They're nowhere near as powerful as a major village, but they're no small faction, either. A force like that appearing in the Land of Rain might even make Hanzo the Salamander wary."
"I know."
"You know all of that?"
"I know all of it."
Tsunade was astonished. "If you know all that, why don't you talk your friend out of doing something so unrealistic?"
Jiang Feng countered, "Then what do you think? Do Jiraiya, Yahiko, and all the people gathered around him know?"
That was right.
Did they know?
Tsunade suddenly froze.
The last time Jiraiya visited her, he had bragged about Yahiko and the others, saying his students had done many remarkable things.
Over the past few days, Yahiko had gone out with Jiang Feng to help refugees and spread the Akatsuki Organization's ideals. She had gone along a few times, too, and seen for herself that the organization wasn't having an easy time growing.
Far too many people were unwilling to let go of their hatred. That was understandable. And far too many clever people like her pointed at Yahiko and said, "You're just dreaming."
They had met too many difficulties and suffered too many setbacks. They had endured heartbreak and hardship along the way. More than anyone, they knew how difficult it would be to achieve such a grand ambition.
But Yahiko still threw himself into it, and so did the people of the Akatsuki Organization. They held fast to the justice in their hearts and believed in their ideals, striving to make them real.
They cut paths through mountains and built bridges over rivers, like arrows loosed from a bow, never turning back.
Tsunade couldn't help murmuring, "If they know their dreams will ultimately come to nothing, why keep struggling so hard?"
"But the meaning of life lies in the struggle."
Jiang Feng lay motionless on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His thoughts drifted, and he remembered someone from his previous life.
That person was far more capable and learned than Yahiko, yet, like Yahiko, he had an ideal that others considered so naïve as to be unrealistic.
Betrayed by former comrades, misunderstood by the people... The challenges he faced were millions of times greater than Yahiko's, but he still struggled on, facing every obstacle.
Jiang Feng wasn't that kind of person. He knew he wasn't nearly so noble, but he admired people like that.
"So that's why you support Yahiko?"
"No. That's probably why Jiraiya supports him." Jiang Feng came back to himself and shook his head.
Yahiko probably wouldn't achieve his ideal, but his efforts could at least make the Ninja World a little better. He could be a pioneer, a spark that might start a great fire.
That was perhaps why Jiraiya, despite all his experience, still supported Yahiko instead of discouraging him.
"Then why do you support Yahiko?"
"Because he's my friend."
"???"
Tsunade stared at him in bewilderment, completely unable to understand what Jiang Feng meant.
"How long has it been since you did something you truly wanted to do?"
Jiang Feng asked first, then sighed and continued without waiting for Tsunade to answer. "This world isn't perfect. It's full of joy and sorrow, of partings and reunions. Somewhere in the Ninja World, even now, a heartbreaking story might be unfolding.
"That's why, throughout history, countless poets have been moved to write endless wistful, sorrowful waka and haiku.
"But no matter how sad a poem is, nothing makes my heart ache like one sentence: 'I've never done what I wanted to do.'"
When people do something they truly want to do, the happiness it brings is something no outsider can understand. No matter how difficult the obstacles or how many setbacks they face, none can erase the joy of following their hearts.
Yahiko and the others were working wholeheartedly toward a great goal, one that might be difficult but was surely right. That was enough.
"Someday, their dream will end."
"Then we'll talk about it when that day comes. At least until then, they're happy."
Tsunade poured cold water on him again. "They might be torn to pieces before that day ever comes."
"I'll do my best to keep that from happening. That's what friends are for."
Tsunade stopped trying to discourage him and only sighed. "No wonder you have so many friends. No wonder everyone wants to be your friend."
Why were there so many conflicts in the Ninja World?
Because people in the Ninja World were like the stubborn heroes in Gu Long's novels. Everyone had their own reasons and convictions, and wanted to change the world—or someone else—in their own way.
From their perspective, you couldn't say they were wrong. At least, they weren't entirely wrong.
Jiang Feng had no burning desire to change the Ninja World, nor did he expect to impose his views on others. He never demanded that people abandon their obsessions and live according to what he thought was right.
He really was just a breeze, a passerby, an immortal cast down from the heavens. He simply admired and supported them, and lent a hand when his friends needed him most. He had no fundamental conflict of interests or ideals with any of the stubborn people in the Ninja World.
Jiang Feng only smiled. For the first time since Tsunade had entered the room, he moved, patting the bed beneath him. "It's getting late. Want to sleep together?
"My bed is really soft."
"That girl called Konan laid three quilts on it. Of course it's soft."
He already had a mountain of romantic entanglements, and now he was flirting with me?
Tsunade rolled her eyes and walked out of Jiang Feng's room.
Hmph. Women. She was definitely jealous.
[From now on, updates will be posted after 23:50 until the novel is released.]
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