Kitsuchi drew a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the figure before him.
He took a step forward, his voice hoarse and low, every word carrying barely contained fury:
"What are you trying to achieve by capturing the Tailed Beasts? Power? Control over the Ninja World?"
Pain slowly turned around, the burning ruins and scattered corpses reflected in his Rinnegan.
"Peace."
Kitsuchi's brows knitted sharply, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes.
He had expected to hear ambition, some madman's delusion of ruling the world.
But peace? He looked at the houses still burning, at the villagers weeping in the ruins over the loved ones they had lost.
This was his peace?
Pain continued, "You Five Great Villages have stood above everyone else for too long. For years, every war has been started by you.
Everything we in the Akatsuki have done has been for peace. True peace requires all of you to feel pain.
Only those who have experienced pain will fear war. Only those who fear war will yearn for peace. The Tailed Beasts are the steps toward peace, the tools to create it."
He raised a hand and pointed into the distance, toward the villages still burning:
"This world has been torn apart by hatred and self-interest for far too many years. Great nations have their ambitions, small nations have their grudges, and war has never truly stopped.
Only absolute power can silence everyone and make this world quiet."
Kitsuchi's lips moved a few times, but no sound came out.
To some extent, Pain was right.
This world had indeed been torn apart by hatred and self-interest for many years. War had indeed never truly stopped.
But he could not accept this method, could not accept buying peace with destruction.
Pain no longer looked at Kitsuchi. His