Dreams

In the blink of an eye, they had already been living here for a month.

Over the course of that month, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato had grown at an astonishing rate.

They had started out as ordinary civilians who couldn't even refine chakra. Now they could competently use basic ninjutsu to spar with one another. Even in Konoha, their talents would have been considered exceptional.

Nagato stood out in particular. Once he had learned to refine chakra, his Rinnegan revealed an affinity for every nature of ninjutsu. Even Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, was stunned. They really were the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, weren't they?

Indeed, from the first time he had met the boy, Jiraiya had suspected that he might be the child of destiny Great Toad Sage had spoken of.

After all, these legendary eyes were exceedingly rare.

One evening at dusk.

After training, they gathered around a campfire and roasted several fish they had just caught.

"Jiraiya-sensei, when will we be as strong as you?"

Yahiko took a bite of his grilled fish, grease shining around his mouth as he asked.

A flame called ambition burned in his eyes—the precociousness and longing unique to children who had endured the ravages of war.

"As strong as me?" Jiraiya burst out laughing. "You'll need to train for another ten or eight years! But once you're strong, what do you want to do?"

"I'm going to change this country!"

Yahiko sprang to his feet, his voice echoing through the empty cave. "I'm going to become the god of this world! If I'm strong enough, I can make every country stop fighting. Everyone will have enough to eat, and no one will have to cry anymore!"

Konan and Nagato looked at Yahiko, their eyes full of admiration.

In their hearts, Yahiko was the light, the hope that would lead them out of the darkness.

"That's a noble dream." Jiraiya nodded, pleased. He hadn't misjudged the boy. He really was kind.

But then an ill-timed voice cut through the fervor.

"Then what's your actual plan?"

Nishikawa Tetsu, who had been quietly recording data nearby, suddenly spoke up.

He looked at Yahiko without mockery, but with a rationality that weighed heavily on the boy.

"You say you'll make every country stop fighting. How? With your strength alone? Or with that 'god' you mentioned?"

Yahiko froze.

He had clearly never considered the question that deeply. In his simple worldview, all he had to do was grow stronger and defeat the bad guys, and the world would be a better place.

"If... if everyone could just understand one another..." Yahiko said, sounding less certain now. "If they all felt the same pain, they'd understand how precious peace is."

"Understand one another? Feel pain?"

Nishikawa Tetsu shook his head. As expected, it was the same old line.

He didn't hold back as he doused Yahiko's enthusiasm with cold water. "That's far too naive. The struggles between great nations are driven by interests and geopolitics, not feelings. Your so-called mutual understanding is worthless when set against those interests."

"And if you want to use pain to intimidate the world, how are you any different from Hanzō? You'll only become the next tyrant, eventually overthrown by a new hero."

Yahiko's face flushed. He wanted to argue, but couldn't find the words.

Namikaze Minato, sitting nearby, tugged at Tetsu's sleeve with concern. "Che, don't be too hard on him..."

"No, Minato. You're still too softhearted. If he doesn't face reality, his dream will only get him and those around him killed."

Nishikawa Tetsu stood and walked to the cave wall.

He picked up a piece of charcoal and sketched a simple map of the shinobi world on the wall.

"Look at this map."

Nishikawa Tetsu pointed to the Land of Rain at its center.

"The Land of Rain lies between the Three Great Nations. That's a disadvantage, but it's also an advantage. The disadvantage is that it can easily become a battlefield and buffer zone for the great nations. The advantage is... it's a transportation hub."

Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato gathered around, drawn in. Even Jiraiya sat up straighter.

"Changing a country takes more than strength. What you need is an organization, a platform, and an economic foundation."

Nishikawa Tetsu drew several circles around the Land of Rain.

"Hanzō may be strong, but his thinking is somewhat outdated. Maybe he's still open to new ideas now, but what happens when he gets old?"

"And you, if you want peace, can't follow in his footsteps."

"Then... what should we do?" Yahiko asked without thinking.

Nishikawa Tetsu turned and looked at the three future pillars of the Akatsuki Organization. Then, slowly, he laid out a theory unheard of in this world:

"Step one: encircle the cities from the countryside."

"What?" Everyone stared at him, baffled.

"Hanzō controls all of Amegakure, and its defenses are tight. If you go there now, you'll be walking to your deaths. But throughout the rest of the Land of Rain, there are countless war orphans and refugees just like you."

Nishikawa Tetsu's gaze sharpened.

"The people Hanzō has abandoned are your firmest foundation. Unite them. Give them food and protection. Teach them ninjutsu. Build small bases one by one, and gradually eat away at the areas under Hanzō's control."

"Step two: form a united front."

"Don't treat every great nation as an enemy. The Land of Rain needs time to recover. Use your geographical advantage to develop transportation and trade. You could even sell intelligence or offer mercenary services to the great nations in exchange for money and supplies. You need money to raise troops and build things."

"Step three: seize power by force."

The charcoal in Nishikawa Tetsu's hand jabbed hard at the spot marked "Amegakure."

"Once your organization is large enough, and Hanzō realizes his orders can no longer reach beyond the village... that's when you launch your final assault and take his place."

The cave fell deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned by this tightly woven, meticulously reasoned strategy.

This was no longer the childish "I'm going to become a god." It was a practical blueprint.

Yahiko's mouth hung open as he stared at the drawing on the wall. The vague dream in his eyes suddenly became crystal clear.

"Encircle the cities... from the countryside..." he murmured, as if a door to a new world had opened before him.

Nagato looked at Nishikawa Tetsu, a glimmer of brilliance flashing in his Rinnegan.

For the first time, he felt there was another kind of power in this world besides Yahiko's passion: wisdom, something equally worthy of awe.

Jiraiya drew a deep breath. His gaze as he looked at Nishikawa Tetsu grew immensely complicated.

"Tetsu... what's going on in that head of yours?" Jiraiya gave a wry smile. "I've never heard of a theory like this, but it really makes you think."

He hadn't thought much of it when Fugaku had told him about Tetsu. Now, he was truly impressed. To have this kind of wisdom at such a young age—who knew what he'd be capable of in the future?

"I'm just standing on the shoulders of giants."

Nishikawa Tetsu dropped the charcoal and brushed the dust from his hands.

He looked at Yahiko, his expression softening a little.

"Yahiko, it's good to have a dream. But to make it come true, you need a method like this. And..."

He looked at Nagato and Konan.

"You need to protect your friends. Before your organization grows strong, lying low... I mean, keeping a low profile, is what matters most."

"I understand!"

Yahiko bowed deeply to Nishikawa Tetsu, his eyes full of gratitude and determination. "Thank you, Che! I know what to do now!"

"We... will do our best," Konan said softly.

Seeing the flame of hope rekindled in the three children's eyes—now tempered with reason—Nishikawa Tetsu quietly let out a sigh of relief.

He couldn't completely change the fate of the Akatsuki Organization, but at least... he had planted a seed of reason in their minds.

He hoped that before the tragedy called Pain arrived in the future, that seed would bloom into something different.

"All right! Now that you have a goal, tomorrow's training will be twice as hard!"

Jiraiya waved his hand. "If you want to realize your ideals, you'll need strength first!"

"Yes, Sensei!"

The campfire flickered, illuminating the hopeful faces of the young people.

Deep in the cave, Nishikawa Tetsu looked at the map and began thinking about something else.

The Akatsuki Organization now had a theoretical foundation. Next... should he get it some startup funding and a technology tree?

After all, a revolution with ideals but no bread could hardly last long.