Akatsuki's goal is peace, and the reason this grand ideal was formed is the tragic fate of the Land of Rain, which has long been a battlefield between the three great nations, and the internal strife among its ninja. The tragic childhood of Akatsuki spurred the formation of this new generation.
Akatsuki was formed by young ninjas who survived the chaos of war. Their profound suffering instilled in them a deep-seated desire for peace. Under Yahiko's influence, these young ninjas, filled with a wish for peace, came together and formed the Akatsuki we know today.
Therefore, Akatsuki's initial goal was very simple: peace in the Land of Rain!
Sato Hideaka's goal was simple: to ensure that the Land of Rain would not participate in the war.
With the possibility of the four great nations simultaneously invading the Land of Fire, no one could guarantee that the Land of Rain wouldn't join the battle. However, once a peace agreement was reached, the Land of Rain would lose the possibility of joining the war. Coupled with the "troublemaking" of these hot-blooded youths, Hanzo was simply unable to concentrate the forces of Amegakure to attack the Land of Fire.
Although their starting points differ, their common goal is to stabilize the Land of Rain.
Seeing that Yahiko's attitude was softening, Sato Hideaka said, "If my plan succeeds, there will be no casualties, but you... Akatsuki, will likely become a thorn in Hanzo."
"So, Yahiko, can you accept such consequences...?"
After listening to Sato Hideaka's words, Yahiko frowned and asked with some doubt, "Would Hanzo see Akatsuki as a thorn in his side? You mean, our actions will harm Hanzo's interests? Hideaka- kun, what exactly is your method...?"
"Let's not talk about the method for now, Yahiko. Besides the fact that the Land of Rain is involved in the battle between the great powers, you probably also want to cooperate with Hanzo to recruit some of the wandering ninjas within the Land of Rain and then eliminate the saboteurs who are interfering with the security of the Land of Rain, right?"
Sato Hideaka abruptly changed the subject, saying that this information came from the Naruto anime. In the later stages, after the Akatsuki gradually grew stronger, Yahiko wanted to negotiate with Hanzo the Salamander, but he did not expect that Hanzo never trusted him at all and even joined Danzo with Konoha's Root to eliminate the Akatsuki.
This led to the tragic fate of Akatsuki. Yahiko was willing to die to save Nagato. Under the leadership of the Nagato, Akatsuki's worldview and goals changed, and they began to collect the Tailed Beast... to take revenge on Konoha and the Five Great Nations in an extreme way.
"How... how did you know?" Yahiko asked incredulously, as if he had seen a ghost.
This idea was just the result of a recent discussion among the core members of Akatsuki. It involves working with Hanzo the Salamander of Land of Rain Salamander to formalize or completely eliminate the unstable wandering ninjas, samurai, and bandits in the Land of Rain, making it a safe country.
Sato Hideaka smiled calmly and said, "Don't ask me where I know this. Let's talk about how to negotiate with Hanzo the Salamander. We'll offer Hanzo the Salamander both a soft and a hard approach to cooperation. I'm sure he'll make the right choice."
"One soft approach, one hard approach—are these two cooperation methods your solution to this crisis?" Yahiko frowned, his tone questioning.
"Yes, that's right. The soft approach is to promote cooperation between Akatsuki and Hanzo, using that as leverage... If Hanzo the Salamander agrees to cooperate, then with your cooperation, the Land of Rain will move towards peace, Hanzo's prestige will also increase."
Sato Hideaka explained to Yahiko, "As for 'hard,' that means if Hanzo insists on cooperating with Sunagakure... our Konoha will support Akatsuki, allowing Akatsuki to replace Hanzo the Salamander, thus securing a chance for peace."
Upon hearing Sato Hideaka's proposed method, Yahiko's pupils constricted sharply, and he vehemently refused, "This... this is your goal? You previously told me to kill Hanzo, but this method is impossible. The Land of Rain absolutely cannot descend into internal strife."
"Don't worry, our cooperation is just a show, meant to force Danzo to make the right choice. If you don't even want to put on an act, then disregard what I just said. Our cooperation is over. You should know that even with Akatsuki's strength, they simply cannot stop Hanzo's decision."
Sato Hideaka spread his hands, indicating that this was his plan, and handed the decision-making power back to Yahiko.
Was it all just... an act?
Yahiko murmured a repeated sentence, then frowned and fell into deep thought.
After pondering for five minutes, Yahiko, with his saintly nature, finally agreed with Sato Hideaka's view. He knew that Akatsuki couldn't change Hanzo's mind, but for the peace of the Land of Rain... Yahiko had reasons that he had to change Hanzo's mind.
If anyone could make Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, wary and change his mind, then it would probably only be someone like the Konoha Ninja before us, a "person" who could speak, a "person" with power... and that "person" is the flourishing Konoha.
Konoha has the power to communicate with Amegakure, but Akatsuki does not...
After thinking it all through, Yahiko gave a wry smile and said, "Alright, I'm willing to cooperate with you. Even if Hanzo might misunderstand Akatsuki in the future, I believe he will eventually understand Akatsuki's good intentions, just like Lord Hanzo's ideals... We started out for the peace of the Land of Rain."
"Then, it's a pleasure to cooperate." Sato Hideaka's lips curled slightly as he extended his right hand.
Yahiko grasped Sato Hideaka's hand with his right, shook his head, and said with a bitter expression, "I feel like you knew from the beginning that I would choose to cooperate with you, and I feel that from the moment I stepped into this alley, I had already fallen into your trap step by step."
"Indeed, Yahiko. The moment you walked into this alley, I knew you would cooperate with me..." Sato Hideaka nodded in agreement with Yahiko, then casually asked, "So, Yahiko, do you know why?"
"I'm curious too, why is that?" Yahiko was also somewhat curious about this.
"The reason is... because you're Yahiko."
Sato Hideaka winked at Yahiko and laughed loudly. Yahiko was completely bewildered by his words. What did he mean by "If I'm Yahiko, I'll get infected"...? Was the reason that Yahiko had to be infected the only justification?
Actually, the real reason is that Sato Hideaka has watched the Naruto anime and has a deep understanding of Akatsuki. Their yearning for peace and their understanding of the tragedy of the Land of Rain make them willing to give up many things for peace, even themselves and their lives. Sato Hideaka knows Yahiko's saintly heart very well! (To be continued.)