Chapter 26: There Was Never a Prophecy Child
"It's a good thing not to be bound by hatred. Hatred can seem to give people motivation, but it can also easily lead to the loss of reason."
Shiromo spoke calmly, while Nagato and Konan listened attentively.
"I don't intend for you to rekindle your hatred. But that doesn't mean you should completely let go of it."
Konan, confused, asked the question they were both thinking.
"If we neither let go of hatred nor rekindle it, what should we do?"
"Nagato, as an individual, may be able to let go of his hatred, but as the leader of the Akatsuki, the village head of Amegakure, and the representative of the Land of Rain, he cannot forget it," Shiromo explained, turning to Konan.
"To forget hatred would only make others think we're weak and easy to deceive. It might even lead them to say that we are the ones who caused the chaos."
Shiromo's eyes shifted back to Nagato.
"When we show enough strength, when Konoha is forced to take us seriously, that's when the 'hatred' we carry will bear fruit."
"Konoha is used to portraying themselves as the embodiment of justice. If our motivation is simple revenge, they will rally and unite even more."
"But if we voluntarily let go of our hatred, merely asking for 'compensation,' and they refuse, then it becomes their decision to take up the chains of hatred once again."
"Don't look at me like that. Have you not noticed how much weaker Amegakure foundation is compared to the five great villages?" Shiromo continued.
"We don't have a ninja academy, and even if we built one, there's not much jutsu to teach."
"That fool Hanzo even used an explosive tag to injure Nagato's leg with a Fire Release jutsu. The rest of his power comes from his poison sacs and summoning beasts."
At this, Nagato and Konan exchanged a glance, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
It wasn't that they hadn't thought about these things before. In fact, they had. They had once been so focused on surviving that they failed to notice how weak their foundation truly was.
"...No wonder you're going to be the future leader of Amegakure, the hope for the village," Konan sighed softly.
After everything they had been through, Nagato and Konan had almost forgotten their original intentions.
When they first formed the Akatsuki, wasn't it to lead their country toward peace and stability? Wasn't it to ensure that children wouldn't have to suffer from hunger and survive by stealing?
Although Nagato had brought peace to Amegakure after killing Hanzo, it was a stagnant and rigid peace. It was peace that only served to provide resources for the Akatsuki. The people of Amegakure were treated as mere tools, not as comrades.
"If you hadn't shown up, Shiromo, would we have lost our way and walked down an irreversible path?"
Nagato asked, breaking the silence. He rarely asked about the future, but this time, he did.
Before this, Nagato hadn't even asked Shiromo about the Konoha ninja who had defeated him and tricked him.
Shiromo thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Perhaps. But in the end, you entrusted Amegakure to the seventh Hokage of the future, and Konan chose to return to Amegakure as its leader instead of staying in Konoha."
"What happened after that doesn't matter for now, but at least your original intentions were rekindled."
"…Tell me something."
"Mm?"
"Tell me one of the mistakes I've made. Otherwise, I'm afraid I might forget again."
Konan bit her lip and stared intently at Shiromo.
Shiromo, slightly hesitant, replied: "Well, for example, Nagato lost his Animal Path. You sent a chunin who greatly admired you on an S-rank mission to die, and then used her body to revive the Animal Path."
"…"
Konan's face turned pale, and she took a step back.
Perhaps the younger Konan, when doing such a thing, wouldn't have felt burdened by it. She would have seen it as a "necessary sacrifice."
But now, influenced by Shiromo, and having just rekindled her original intentions, hearing what she had done made her recall her past, her childhood, her youth, and even her adulthood.
It wasn't just about killing comrades, disciples, or followers; it felt like she had killed her former self.
"Nagato, can you go back on your own?" Shiromo asked, noticing Konan was lost in thought.
"Mm, I'm almost recovered," Nagato nodded, though his leg was still unsteady. But with the power of the Rinnegan, he could levitate.
Therefore, when Kabuto Yakushi controlled the Impure World Reincarnation Nagato in the Fourth Shinobi World War, blaming Nagato's lameness and lack of mobility was because he genuinely didn't know how to operate it.
"Well then, Konan-nee, it's time to go. Let's save our comrades."
Shiromo floated a few inches off the ground and extended his hand to Konan.
She snapped out of her thoughts and took his hand. Together, they flew into the sky.
The Land of Rain, caught between the three great nations, was home to the Amegakure Village. Their target is Iwagakure Village in the Land of Earth, which borders the Land of Rain and isn't too far away.
As they flew toward Iwagakure Village, Konan continued the conversation with Shiromo.
She maintained the Paper Dance technique, which didn't consume much chakra as long as she wasn't under attack.
However, Shiromo pointed out that no matter how little the chakra consumption, it was still a drain. He reached for Konan's hand, and using the New Moon ability, he made the flight easier by manipulating gravity.
Curious, Konan asked Shiromo what he was hoping to get from Konoha.
"Flying Thunder God, or maybe the Flying Thunder Formation," Shiromo replied.
"From Amegakure to the Land of Waves, or even now as we head to Iwagakure, it would save a lot of time and effort. All we need to do is set up the seals in various locations."
"Flying Thunder God? That's a technique that, unless you're at the Six Paths level, will remain forever, kind of like the Silver Mark," Konan noted.
"…"
"I didn't expect you to know about that, Konan-nee. Jiraiya really is relentless when it comes to ruining people's lives," Shiromo sighed.
"What? I don't know anything!" Konan quickly denied, a little embarrassed.
"Then why didn't you ask about it?" Shiromo teased.
"You mentioned the Flying Thunder God Technique, which reminded me of Nagato and Namikaze Minato. He once mentioned the 'Child of Prophecy'."
"At first, he believed Nagato was the 'Child of Prophecy'. After we lost contact, he probably thought it was Minato, who displayed great talent during the Third Great Ninja War."
"But now Minato is dead, too…" Konan said with a hint of sorrow in her voice.
"Konan-nee, you should forget about the 'Child of Prophecy' thing." Shiromo shook his head with a smile.
"Huh? Why? Isn't it the prophecy of the Toad Sage from Mount Myoboku?" Konan asked, confused.
"That Toad Sage was probably still in half-asleep after being affected by Infinite Tsukuyomi from ancient times. So was Otsutsuki Hagoromo."
"Also, this whole prophecy about the 'Child of Prophecy' and the blue-eyed boy calling the names of the nine-tailed beasts? It's all nonsense."
"A toad's prophecy that's been passed down for thousands of years… And what's the result? The prophecy was fulfilled, but there hasn't been twenty years of peace. It's almost laughable."
Shiromo tightened his grip on Konan's hand as they soared through the sky.
"Remember, our fate is in our hands. There was never a savior, and there was never a 'Child of Prophecy'!"
(End of this chapter)