Naruto: IHCS Ch. 148

Aoki slowly closed his eyes. He withdrew the short blade from the Iwa ninja's neck. Turning around, he returned to Nagato's side and stared at him.

"We almost killed you just now!"

But Nagato looked at the corpse on the ground.

"The one who almost killed me wasn't you. The one who almost killed me... is already dead."

"We're all ninjas of Iwa. We all wanted to kill you, and you wanted to kill us," Aoki said, fixing his eyes on Nagato.

"No."

Nagato shook his head firmly.

"Every person has different thoughts in their heart."

He turned his gaze toward Shiratori, who was lowering his eyes.

"I know... you never wanted to kill them."

"..."

You know again?

Aoki's eyes flicked back and forth between Shiratori and Nagato.

Nagato looked at the Iwa ninjas.

"Killing them won't change anything. Hatred will only continue the cycle."

He paused, then looked back at Shiratori.

"This was something you once said."

His eyes shifted away. He looked at the Iwa ninjas on the ground without any expression.

"Let us go. We are not your enemies. There are no natural enemies in the shinobi world. Your enemies are all created by war. Don't keep pointing your weapons at the innocent."

That speech... came from Nagato's mouth?

Shiratori was caught off guard. It seemed Nagato really had been influenced by his and Yahiko's ideas.

The Iwa ninjas stared at them in disbelief. Lowering their heads, no one knew what they were thinking. Supporting each other, they struggled to their feet and stumbled away from the wooden bridge in disgrace.

On the bridge, only Shiratori, Aoki, Nagato, and the corpse remained.

Aoki silently watched the backs of the Iwa ninjas.

Such pitiful naiveté...

He sighed in his heart.

"We should leave."

His hoarse voice broke the silence. He held back the urge to speak his mind about letting them go.

Shiratori nodded and supported the weakened Nagato.

The three slowly walked down the blood-stained wooden bridge, continuing toward the heart of the Land of Grass.

On the way, Aoki could no longer suppress himself.

"Nagato almost died back there. Shiratori, what were you thinking?"

Before Shiratori could answer, he went on talking to himself.

"The bloodlust in their bones, their fanaticism for war, it won't disappear because of a few kind words. Hatred breeds hatred. Violence begets violence. This is the eternal cycle of the shinobi world. You're too naive if you think kindness and words can break it. That kind of thinking will only result in more corpses. You saved Nagato this time, but can you guarantee you'll always make it in time?"

Shiratori resisted the urge to tune him out.

Aoki was starting again. He glanced at Nagato beside him and, unsurprisingly, saw his brows knit tightly.

He let out a long sigh and stared at Shiratori intensely.

"Only that jutsu... Only that jutsu can erase the evil in their hearts at its root, that's the only way to truly end this cycle. It can create a real shinobi world without betrayal and pain. No more comrades dying before your eyes. No more blood. No more sacrifice. Isn't that perfect? What just happened, isn't that proof enough? Peace talks? Negotiation? Those are castles built on sand. One wave of betrayal will crush it all. Are you really going to keep believing in that empty illusion?"

His words were practically propaganda.

Shiratori sighed inwardly.

If the jutsu he spoke of were really that perfect, with no side effects, it might be tempting.

But that was impossible.

He knew the so-called Eye of the Moon Plan was a lie. If everyone was trapped in an illusion, how unbearably dull the shinobi world would be. He chose to stay on his own path.

"Shiratori."

Nagato's voice reached his ears, steady and unshakable.

He turned to look at Shiratori. The Rinnegan fixed on him contained no doubt, no hesitation, only complete trust and a quiet strength.

"Don't listen to him. I believe in you."

Aoki fell silent.

Shiratori imagined that in Aoki's eyes, Nagato was no different from a lost cause now.

Nagato tightened his grip on his hand, looking into his eyes.

"I believe in the path you believe in. I believe in the power of communication and understanding. I believe you have the power to change the shinobi world."

[Faith detected: Nagato +5000 points]
[Energy transferred to Suguru]
[Development progress: 76.5%]

"You saved me. You used your power to save me. Your power is meant to protect and heal, isn't it? Just like you've always done. Don't let one betrayal make you deny yourself, or the future we believe in together."

[Faith detected: Nagato +5000 points]
[Energy transferred to Suguru]
[Development progress: 77%]

Shiratori sighed in his heart again. Bringing Nagato along really was a smart decision. He stared at Nagato as the confusion in his eyes faded, replaced by a clear and unwavering light. He tightened his grip on Nagato's hand and nodded firmly.

"You're right."

He raised his head, looking past Nagato to Aoki, and shook his head with unshakable resolve.

"Aoki, thank you for the warning. But I believe in Nagato, and in the path we've chosen. I will never use that jutsu. True peace should not be built on stripping people of their will."

The figures of Shiratori, Nagato, and Aoki gradually turned into three small, blurry dots in the distance, and finally disappeared completely into the shadows of the deep canyon.

A suffocating silence once again shrouded the blood-stained wooden bridge. It was as if thick ink was slowly seeping out of the wood grain. The shadows slowly gathered, rising and stretching, eventually condensing into a vague, intangible humanoid shape.

A pair of yellow eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness. Black Zetsu had appeared silently at the center of the bridge. His gaze swept across the corpse lying on the bridge. Then, he turned toward the direction in which they had disappeared.

The corners of Black Zetsu's mouth curled upward.

"What a pity... what a pity... Shiratori, you actually refused. You actually turned down the shortcut to true peace? All because of that ridiculous, soft-hearted refusal to strip people of their will?"

He let out a mocking, quiet laugh.

"Do you really think that with your half-developed power, plus Nagato, you can change this world? The darkness of this world runs far deeper than what you've seen. The chains of hatred have long bound everyone's fate tightly. The bonds you cherish with your comrades are, in fact, the easiest weaknesses to exploit. When your kindness and your principle of not taking away people's will are weighed against the lives of the ones you most want to protect... What will you choose?"

"I can't wait to find out."

His form began to slowly sink back down, merging seamlessly with the darkness beneath the bridge.

"It's time to tell Madara about this. And to activate the contingency plan..."

His voice faded completely.

On the bridge, it was as if nothing had ever happened. Black Zetsu vanished without a trace.

The wind kept blowing, its howling echoing through the empty canyon, lingering stubbornly.

---

The endless wilderness was swallowed by deep blue-gray shadows. On the horizon not far away, a faint warm yellow glow finally appeared.

"We're here," Aoki spoke first.

The closer they got, the clearer the outline of the town became.

The town wasn't built on flat land but along a slightly elevated hill, with a simple wooden fence and watchtowers encircling its outskirts.

Though no guards were visible on the towers, the town was clearly larger than the one they had stayed in before.

The houses were mostly made of wood and earth, not fancy, but sturdy and orderly.

Stepping into the town, they were struck by the great contrast between its liveliness and the dead silence of the wilderness outside.

The streets were packed dirt, flat and firm, lined with houses of varying sizes, their windows glowing with warm light.

Even though it was nighttime, there were still people walking about.

Not many, some hurried by carrying baskets, others strolled lazily, and here and there came the faint sound of laughter and conversation.

The shops lining the streets were mostly still open: simple food stores, cloth sellers, potteries, herb shops, and occasionally the rhythmic clanging from a blacksmith's forge.

"This place feels different," Nagato whispered to Shiratori.

His Rinnegan, hidden beneath his red hair, curiously scanned the surroundings.

This town was unlike the previous one, the atmosphere of war was much weaker, and its effects were clearly less severe here.

Shiratori nodded. He noticed it too.

And though the town seemed ordinary at first glance, he spotted two or three figures who were clearly ninjas.

They wore civilian clothes and blended into the crowd, but their sharp eyes gave them away.

"This place is basically an intelligence hub and supply post within the Land of Grass," Aoki said in a low voice.

"During wartime, these ungoverned yet somewhat orderly places attract all kinds of people. Be careful. Don't expose who we are. It's much more dangerous here than in the last town."

Shiratori and Nagato silently nodded.

The deeper they walked into the town, the livelier it became. A wave of noise surged from the central area. Bright lights shone everywhere. The air was filled with chatter and clamor. Mixed scents of powder, greasy food, and alcohol drifted in the air.

Shiratori's eyes widened at the sight of a street unlike the plain outer area. Tall, two-story wooden buildings lined both sides of the street, each draped in colorful banners and red lanterns, illuminating the night in dazzling light.

On the balconies, leaning against carved railings, stood women with delicate makeup.

They wore vibrant kimonos, holding folding fans or long pipes, their laughter soft and charming, casting flirtatious glances at the passersby below.

"..."

"This is the pleasure district," Aoki explained.

"In times of war, people like to come here to escape reality, drowning in indulgence. And of course, it's also a goldmine for intelligence gathering."

Shiratori and Nagato both stopped walking almost at the same time.

Nagato stared blankly at the lively street bathed in crimson light. It was Shiratori's first time seeing such a place too, and curiosity filled his eyes.

Seeing their reactions, Aoki coughed lightly.

"Don't stare. There are a lot of missing-nin, and spies from every nation around here. Let's find a quiet inn to stay at for the night."

Shiratori finally tore his gaze away.