Konan mustered her courage and turned down Mukai's invitation. Her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes began to mist over.
She was afraid that refusing him would cause them to grow apart.
But she had depended on Nagato and Yahiko since childhood, and they were closer than blood siblings.
They were all her family!
The refusal had drained all of Konan's strength. Fighting back tears, she bowed and offered Mukai a solemn apology:
"I'm sorry, Mukai.
I can't leave the Land of Rain right now."
Mukai patted Konan on the shoulder and asked in puzzlement:
"Why are you apologizing?
You didn't do anything wrong, did you?
Besides, even if you can't join Sunagakure, that doesn't stop us from working together!"
"Huh? You're not mad at me?"
Konan looked up at Mukai through tear-filled eyes.
Oh, wow. Even the future ice-cold Sister Konan had moments when she was this adorably clueless!
She's way too cute, isn't she?
Mukai reached out and wiped away Konan's tears, his inner creepy uncle acting up.
He couldn't resist pinching her cheeks before looking at Yahiko and Nagato and asking:
"Yahiko, Nagato, what do you two think?
Will you join Sunagakure and become shinobi,
or stay in the Land of Rain and pursue your dreams?"
Yahiko's mouth twitched. Mukai had put so little effort into asking them!
He hadn't been nearly as solemn as when he asked Konan.
Were he and Nagato just throw-ins that came with Konan?
A guy who puts girls before friends!
Still, when his dream came up, Yahiko, who had been dealt a blow by Kurosawa Kazuo and the others, clenched his fist and said:
"Of course!
If we all leave this weeping land,
who else will be there to save the people of this country?
I won't give up trying!
I believe that one day, through communication and negotiation,
I'll persuade those great nations and important people to take our demands seriously.
I'll make sure the people of this land never have to go through war again!"
Nagato, with his long red hair, stood firmly behind Yahiko and nodded vigorously.
His silence was his answer.
Hearing Yahiko's idealistic answer, Sasori shook his head.
With such childish ideas, he probably wouldn't survive a single day on the battlefield!
If it weren't for the fact that Konan and the other two had helped save Mukai,
Sasori's temper would have led him to mock Yahiko by now.
Pakura stood off to the side, leaning against a large tree with her arms crossed.
She controlled several fireballs of Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder, keeping them suspended above Mukai and the others.
The scorching, dry fireballs blocked the steady rain, working even better than an ordinary umbrella.
She watched Mukai with interest, waiting to see how he would respond.
Mukai didn't laugh at Yahiko's unrealistic ideal,
even though he knew that Yahiko had failed in the original timeline, as had Nagato and Konan.
He gave a gentle round of applause and said seriously:
"That's a great dream!
Someone with such a selfless and noble dream, who's willing to act on it, shouldn't be laughed at!
But..."
Mukai changed tack and pointed to Kurosawa Kazuo's corpse not far away.
"But Yahiko, do you think those bad guys will listen to what you have to say?
I also want to bring true peace to the Shinobi World.
Not just the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, but the entire Shinobi World!
But I won't hold on to unrealistic fantasies like you.
The conflicts, disputes, and hatred in this world
can't be resolved by ideals and speeches alone.
Sometimes, you need strength too!"
As Mukai spoke, he held out his right hand to Yahiko.
"Sasori and I set up a workshop. We've already had capable companions join us, and we're bringing together others who share our beliefs.
Although we're not shinobi from the same country, I firmly believe that one day, we'll all live together wearing the same Forehead Protector.
One day, we'll fight side by side and use our courage and strength to defeat those schemers and bring true peace to this world!
So even if we can't be on the same side right now, we'll each work toward it in our own way.
Since we share the same aspirations, why can't we form an alliance?"
"An alliance?"
Yahiko looked at Mukai's serious expression and didn't laugh at his unrealistic ideal in the slightest.
Not only that, Mukai's ideal was even greater than his own!
The entire Shinobi World!
All he had dared to imagine was peace between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.
Only after the two great nations made peace would small countries like the Land of Rain stop being forced into war.
Though Hanzō had actually been one of the instigators of the Second Shinobi World War.
Looking at Mukai's outstretched hand, Yahiko hesitated for a moment before asking in a slightly hoarse voice:
"Peace throughout the entire Shinobi World!
Mukai, you said my dream was unrealistic, but yours is even harder to achieve!
Hashirama Senju, who was hailed as the God of Shinobi, only managed to bring about a brief period of peace!
And you're still just a Genin of Sunagakure, aren't you?"
Mukai didn't withdraw his outstretched right hand. Instead, he used his left to point at his Zealot Mecha,
the Mountain God Mecha behind Sasori, and Pakura watching the show from beneath the tree, and said:
"These highly practical mechas are my first step toward changing the world.
This is a world where strength reigns supreme. If you and I want to achieve our respective ideals,
we must first grow stronger, whether it's our own Chakra and Ninjutsu, or your Akatsuki.
Only with enough strength can we make those lofty important people willing to listen to us seriously.
A lion doesn't care what an ant thinks.
The one currently in charge of this weeping country's shinobi village is Hanzō, the man hailed as a demigod!
And which of the Kage of the other hidden villages is easy to talk to?
If you want others to acknowledge you, you need strength worthy of their acknowledgment.
We've already begun making concrete efforts toward this goal, and that's why I invited you to join us or form an alliance.
And you, Yahiko, do you want to keep running into walls with your speeches and negotiations,
or will you work to become stronger while persuading more people to join Akatsuki and help you achieve your dream?"
Yahiko thought for a long time, then looked up at the orange fireballs hovering overhead, shielding them from the heavy rain.
That destructive power alone was more than he could resist as he was now.
Perhaps the boy before him, Mukai, was right.
To persuade someone, he needed at least enough strength to earn their acknowledgment.
Yahiko thought back on how the three of them had run into walls everywhere and had their ideals mocked by countless people. Was that why?
He had already seen how quickly Mukai progressed.
Not long ago, Mukai had been a battered Genin at death's door,
but now he could face such a powerful rogue shinobi head-on and kill him.
Whether Mukai's ideal was a fantasy or not, at least his progress was plain to see.
By comparison, what about his own side?
For the first time, Yahiko's conviction wavered a little.
He reached out and clasped Mukai's right hand firmly in his own.
"Perhaps you're right, but I'll keep holding on to my ideal.
There's one thing I'm willing to change, though: I'll work hard, keep my feet on the ground, and become stronger.
I'm glad I met you, Mukai.
You have the most ideas of anyone I've ever met, and you've improved faster than anyone too.
You're right. If I want to talk to those important people as an equal,
I need the ability to make them take me seriously.
So even if it's thanks to Konan that we got this chance,
I'm still glad to form an alliance with you.
Tell me your specific plans!
What can we do to help?"