Naruto: IHCS Ch. 136

"Who are you?"

Aoki did not answer Shiratori's question, but asked back instead. Although the boy before him had saved his life, he couldn't just let down his guard so easily.

What if it was the enemy's scheme?

The chance was slim, but he couldn't ignore it just because the probability was low.

Shiratori looked straight at Aoki and said sincerely: "I am Shiratori, from the Land of Rain."

Hearing that name, Aoki's pupils shrank.

But the Shiratori standing before him was completely different from the reports Aoki had received... 

He hesitated for a moment before replying in a low voice: "I am Aoki, a ninja of Iwa."

His voice was still hoarse, but much better than when he had just woken up.

He paused to catch his breath before continuing: "Our squad was ambushed two days ago. Only I..."

He suddenly stopped. His throat tightened, and pain and fear flickered in his eyes.

From his answer, Shiratori could more or less guess what had happened.

"...Thank you for saving me."

As soon as Aoki finished speaking, he started coughing violently.

"What do you plan to do next?" Shiratori asked, looking at him.

"Can you make it back to your Iwa camp on your own?"

Without waiting for Aoki's reply, he pressed further.

Aoki's breathing gradually steadied. Hearing the question, a flash of fear quickly crossed his eyes. His body stiffened. He looked at Shiratori, his deep brown eyes filled with helplessness.

"I don't want to go back..."

His voice trembled. After saying that, his face turned deathly pale, as if the words had drained all his strength.

He lowered his head, not looking at Shiratori.

An unexpected answer.

Shiratori stared at him in surprise and asked curiously: "Why?"

Nagato frowned, his Rinnegan never losing their vigilance and rejection toward Aoki.

Suguru, on the other hand, watched Aoki with interest, a glimmer of amusement flickering in his narrow eyes.

"I know... right now, you must look down on me..."

"You think I'm a deserter..."

"A missing-nin..."

Aoki lowered his head further and further, not meeting the eyes of Shiratori and the others, as if he would only find ridicule and scorn in their faces.

"But I just want to live!"

His voice cracked into sobs. His throat felt like it was being torn apart, his hoarse voice grew even harsher under the weight of his emotions.

"The moment I go back, I'll just be sent to the battlefield again..."

Gradually, his emotions calmed. His voice became quiet, laced with numb despair.

Shiratori gazed at Aoki's bowed head and, in his eyes, saw deep exhaustion. War truly wore down both body and spirit.

"But you are, after all, a ninja of Iwa. If you don't return this time, then you may never have the chance to go back again," he spoke earnestly, his tone gentle.

For a ninja like Aoki, who had barely survived the battlefield by sheer luck, there were only two choices: either return as soon as possible, or abandon the identity of an Iwa ninja and live on as a missing-nin, as though he had died on the battlefield. But the price of that choice was to lose forever the chance to reclaim his past identity and return to his homeland.

Aoki let out a bitter laugh, his smile heavy with sorrow. Of course he knew that truth, but he no longer had the strength to fight.

The blood and corpses of his comrades haunted him constantly.

"I'm so tired. If I go back to the Iwa camp, maybe the next time I step onto the battlefield will be the last, and I'll remain there forever. Either way, I won't be returning home..."

"If I leave the battlefield, I might not be able to go home, but at least I'll still be able to look toward it..."

Struggling, Aoki tried to sit up.

Shiratori reached out a hand to support him.

Aoki was stunned for a moment, then gave a small smile. "Thank you..."

Leaning against the wall behind him, his breathing grew heavy.

"Three months ago, my best friend died right in front of me."

Aoki's expression was calm.

"He died saving me... From that moment, I began to hate this world drenched in war."

Shiratori listened silently to his story.

Why did it sound so familiar?

But then again, during times of war, such tragedies happened every day. It was nothing unusual.

Complex emotions churned in Aoki's eyes.

"And then my teacher..."

He stared blankly at the ruins in the distance. "Last month, in order to cover the intelligence squad's retreat, she faced ten enemy ninjas alone. In the end, they couldn't even recover her body."

Aoki's voice began to tremble. "Now all my teammates are dead. I'm the only one who survived. But I don't feel lucky at all. I know exactly what awaits me. Once my wounds heal... no, even before they fully heal, I'll just be thrown back into battle, until one day, I too become just another number in the statistics."

Suddenly, Aoki seized Shiratori's wrist, his grip surprisingly strong. Staring straight into his eyes, he said word by word:

"I don't want to go back! I loathe war! I hate the endless killing! I hate how someone who's alive beside me today could be dead tomorrow! I don't want to return to that hell again!"

From the raw intensity of his words, Shiratori was certain Aoki was speaking from the heart. Aoki's bloodshot eyes burned with hatred and fear. But he did not pull away. Instead, he asked calmly: "If you don't go back... where do you want to go?"

"I don't know..."

Aoki's voice was filled with pain. He shook his head. "I don't know where to go... I have nowhere to go."

Aoki lifted his head, gazing at the deep blue sky.

"Anywhere without war would be fine."

"I just want to live in a peaceful world, where I don't have to worry every day about myself or others dying."

"I want to see children running and playing in the streets, not learning how to dodge kunai and explosive tags."

"I want to see the elderly enjoy their twilight years, not shivering with hunger in shelters."

"I want to see life being cherished, not so easily sacrificed..."

"I just want such a world, why is it so hard?"

Tears shimmered in his eyes, but he held them back.

Shiratori looked at Aoki, what a coincidence. Aoki's ideal was the same as his own.

"If only there were a way to bring peace to the world..."

"Even if it required a huge price, it would still be better than this endless mutual slaughter..."

These words sounded more and more familiar.

Shiratori sharply drew in a breath. He glanced at Aoki, feeling Nagato's gaze from behind.

Oh, Nagato was still here, he had to stay in character.

"You're right."

His voice was soft, but his eyes held great strength as he looked at Aoki.

"War only brings pain and destruction. No matter the justification, in the end it is always the innocent who suffer most."

Aoki looked up in surprise, as if he hadn't expected such words from someone so young.

"I have fought in wars. I've treated the wounded on the front lines. I've watched life slip away before my eyes. In the end, no one can escape war's grasp."

He let out a long sigh. "I kept asking myself, what is the meaning of war? If war never ends, then no matter how advanced my medical ninjutsu becomes, all I'm doing is delaying death, not truly saving lives."

Aoki listened intently, and in his eyes, a faint light of hope rekindled.

"Later, I came to understand a truth."

His voice grew firm. He stared straight at Aoki and spoke each word clearly: "To truly save lives, we must eliminate war at its root. And to eliminate war, we must create an entirely new world order."

Aoki stared at him, stunned.

Shiratori took a deep breath. "Aoki, if you truly yearn for peace, if you no longer want to return to meaningless slaughter, then I have a proposal."

Aoki swallowed, nervously looking at him. His trembling hands could barely support his body.

"Join us."

Shiratori met Aoki's eyes.

"Join Akatsuki."

"We are striving to create a truly peaceful world."

"This path will not be easy. It may require great sacrifice. But everyone in Akatsuki fears neither storm nor hardship."

Aoki's eyes widened, and almost unconsciously he glanced at Nagato, who had been silently standing nearby.

Nagato gave no sign, only meeting his gaze with calm his Rinnegan.

"Akatsuki?"

Aoki asked hesitantly, "Is it just the two of you?"

"Of course not. More and more ninjas are joining us. Every member of Akatsuki fights for peace."

"Aoki."

"I heard the hatred for war in your voice. If that is so, will you join Akatsuki? Let's create a new world of peace together."

Shiratori's burning gaze locked onto Aoki.

[Affection detected: Nagato +3000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 53.7%]

[Faith detected: Nagato +3000 points]
[Energy transferred to Suguru]
[Development progress: 74.6%]

Aoki stared blankly at the boy before him. Shiratori's smile was reflected in his eyes.

A new, peaceful world?

Such a grand dream...

For a moment, he was speechless.

"But... how will you create a peaceful world?" he murmured.

"By replacing war with dialogue, so that all in the shinobi world gradually learn to understand one another."

"By making negotiation the way to resolve conflict," Shiratori replied.

Aoki fell into deep thought.

Shiratori extended his hand toward him. "Join us. Work with us to create true peace."

Aoki looked at his determined, sincere expression. Slowly, he lowered his gaze to the offered hand. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. He clasped Shiratori's hand.

"All right. I'll join," Aoki said. His voice was soft, but unusually firm.

"No matter how hard this road may be, it's better than returning to that hopeless battlefield."

Shiratori's lips curved into a faint smile. "Welcome aboard, Aoki."

Aoki nodded lightly. "I've thought of many ways to achieve peace, but none were possible, because one person's power is too small—"

"Yes. That's exactly why we created Akatsuki, to draw in more people, to gather our strength together to build a peaceful world." Shiratori interrupted.

Aoki studied him, then after a pause, cautiously asked, "Have you ever thought of... a way to achieve permanent peace without anyone needing to be sacrificed?"

Shiratori narrowed his eyes at Aoki. If he mentioned the Eye of the Moon Plan, he'd better shut his mouth.

So that's it, no wonder he just happened to rescue a ninja whose ideals matched Akatsuki's so perfectly.

Looks like that strange old man has already taken notice.