"But sometimes the final obstacle on the road to realizing your dreams is not death, but other things you value most, such as Konan and Nagato. If one day you encounter an ideal that requires you to sacrifice them in order to achieve peace, what will you do?" Yusuke seemed unwilling to let Yahiko off the hook and continued to press Yahiko for answers.
Yahiko fell silent. He didn't speak, but walked quietly down the road, his head bowed, lost in thought.
This situation worried Nagato and Konan, but they didn't offer any words of comfort. They simply stayed firmly by Yahiko's side Yahiko, as if supporting his decision in this way.
After a long silence, Yahiko, who had been hanging his head, raised it again and looked at Yusuke with a determined expression, saying, " Yusuke, I don't know how much I'm willing to give up for peace, but I know there's always a way to have both. I will strive to hold onto everything I value and never give up. I want to create and witness the arrival of peace together with Konan Yahiko."
It must be said that Yahiko at this moment exuded an amazing leadership aura, and his words carried a powerful persuasive force. If it were an ordinary ninja, they would probably be unable to resist bowing down in worship after hearing Yahiko's words.
However, Yusuke disagreed. In response to Yahiko's words, he thought to himself, "He has too little experience and doesn't understand the cruelty of the world. This world is cruel to the kind-hearted, yet smiles at the cold-blooded and ruthless."
Although that's what he thought in his heart, Yusuke simply smiled, as if agreeing with Yahiko's ideals, "I believe you can do it, Yahiko. I hope you can always maintain this optimistic and positive attitude. Together with Konan and Nagato, bring peace to the Shinobi World."
"Hehe, of course! I already made a promise with Konan and Nagato that we'd change the world together." Hearing Yusuke's praise, Yahiko scratched the back of his head and chuckled, seemingly a little embarrassed.
Konan and Nagato had no objections to Yahiko's words. In their hearts, Yahiko was the leader among the three of them, and their role was simply to stand behind Yahiko and help Yahiko achieve his ideals.
"But Yahiko, having a lot of enthusiasm isn't enough to achieve your grand ideal. To put it simply, right now, do you really think the three of you alone can accomplish your dream?"
Although Yahiko's ideals were admirable and he had the drive to put them into action, in Yusuke's view, these were far from enough. They lacked a guiding principle, sufficient preparation, and a clear goal; simply forcing things forward would not lead to anything.
Yusuke's words were well-intentioned, but Nagato wasn't listening. He felt Yusuke was negating Yahiko's achievements, and retorted with a resentful expression, "Even if it's just us alone, we can achieve Yahiko's ideal. And I also have..."
Before Nagato could speak, Yahiko interrupted, "Alright, Nagato. Usuke-nii Yusuke. We all know we're still a long way from realizing our ideals, and we haven't even found the path to peace. You can probably feel it too, right? Every time we help one village and move on to another, the same problems reappear in that village not long after. This has happened repeatedly, as if all our previous efforts have been in vain."
It seems that Yahiko is not entirely unaware of his current situation.
" Yahiko..."
" Nagato, I'm fine." After saying that, Yahiko looked at Yusuke beside him and asked, " Yusuke, did you bring this up suddenly because you have some advice for me?"
Yahiko wasn't stupid; he could tell that Yusuke seemed to have something to say.
"That's true, Yahiko. I sense a unique quality about you that commands respect. So I want you to know some things that I hope will be helpful." Yusuke's tone was full of admiration for Yahiko, as if in his eyes Yahiko was the one who could change the world.
As soon as Yusuke this, Nagato's slightly displeased expression immediately softened, as if praising Yahiko was praising him.
Yahiko was also very excited. In his eyes, Yusuke, who had a mysterious background but was willing to help, was the first person to recognize his ideals and was willing to give him guidance, which made his trust in Yusuke rise rapidly.
So, with great eagerness, he asked, " Yusuke, what advice do you have for me? I will take it seriously."
Seeing Yahiko's anxious expression, Yusuke chuckled gently twice and, without keeping him in suspense, said directly, "The essence of the struggle between ninjas isn't purely driven by hatred, but also by the plunder of resources and the struggle for strength. Why do large countries attack each other? Why do small countries fight each other? It's all for survival. Trust Yahiko, you must have seen two people with no grudges suddenly start fighting over some trivial matter. Is it really because of hatred? Or if everyone lived a wealthy life with a happy family, who would want to engage in meaningless battles Tenten? I think those who truly yearn for battle and are battle fanatics are probably a minority."
"That's why I said Yahiko, you've chosen the wrong path. All you've done so far has been to control resources using your own abilities, but you've forgotten that without you, everything will go back to the way it was before."
"Without external control, the side lacking resources will inevitably seek to plunder the rich side. Because they just want to survive. And it is this struggle that creates suffering, such as the emergence of orphans like you, Konan, and Nagato. Orphans like you harbor hatred and think about revenge, so hatred leads to suffering, and suffering breeds hatred, and so on, endlessly."
Yusuke's words rang in Yahiko's ears like a morning bell, or a bolt from the blue that shattered his beautiful vision of mutual understanding. He had thought that hatred stemmed from a lack of mutual understanding. But now, he realized that he had been naive and did not understand the true nature of things.
"So, Yusuke, is my ideal of letting all those who have felt and experienced pain understand each other and eventually live in peace wrong?" At this moment, Yahiko's eyes were somewhat empty, without the light he had at the beginning, and his voice trembled.
Yusuke's words caused the collapse of his long-held beliefs, leaving him feeling lost and helpless. He seemed to have lost his spiritual support in an instant, appearing so fragile.
Yahiko's condition greatly worried Konan and Nagato, who were by his side, but they didn't know what to say to comfort him.
Although they also share the ideal of a peaceful Shinobi World, their beliefs are influenced by Yahiko and they lack independent thought.
Their true ideal was simply to help Yahiko achieve his own, so they were at a loss and helpless as they watched Yahiko become confused.