"Shin, what nonsense are you talking about?!"
"Have you lost your mind?!"
"Shut up! Yahiko couldn't be wrong!"
Yahiko possessed incredible natural charisma, and the members of the Akatsuki trusted him implicitly. They were furious to hear Shin declare that Yahiko and the organization were walking down the wrong path.
Shin turned a deaf ear to their angry rebukes. He stood quietly in the flickering light of the hearth, his calm gaze locked onto Yahiko.
He knew perfectly well that in this organization, Yahiko was the sole core. As long as he could persuade Yahiko, it would be equivalent to persuading everyone else.
During the past few months, Yahiko had dealt with various villains and protected countless ordinary people. Seeing their smiles and hearing their sincere gratitude gave him immense satisfaction.
His past experiences had helped him find his direction in life. Now, full of passion and ready to give his all, Yahiko was genuinely angry to be doubted by a kid who had just joined.
However, since he had allowed Shin into the organization, Yahiko truly treated him as family. He swallowed his anger and chose to reason with the boy instead.
"Shin, you've only just joined us. You don't yet realize the greatness of what we are doing," Yahiko said earnestly. "In time, once you see people living stable and peaceful lives because of our work, you will understand that we are not wrong."
Shin countered flawlessly. "Yahiko, I understand better than any of you how noble your ideal of peace is. But think about it—since the Age of Legends, the entire world has been trapped in a cycle of war, death, and slaughter."
Shin stepped closer. "In just the past few decades, the Ninja World has erupted into two massive World Wars, with countless smaller conflicts in between. For this world, combat is the norm. Peace is but a fleeting illusion. Your desire to achieve peace, even just for the Land of Rain, is a sacred endeavor. It is my dream as well."
Yahiko sensed Shin's genuine loathing for war and felt slightly gratified. "Exactly, Shin. War creates too much sorrow. Many people long for peace just as we do, and they will support us. As long as we keep working hard, more comrades will join us, and one day, peace will be realized."
Shin's expression remained perfectly stoic. "Yahiko... you don't actually think that in all of history, you are the only ones who have ever worked for peace, do you?"
Yahiko frowned, taken aback. "Shin, what do you mean?"
"Whether it was the legendary Sage of Six Paths or Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage—they all wanted to end the chaos of war," Shin explained, his voice echoing in the quiet room. "Yet, nations are still destroyed one after another. The world remains full of conflict."
"Even chakra, originally intended to help people understand one another, was corrupted into a tool for slaughter. And the Hidden Village system, designed by the First Hokage to end the clan fighting, has instead resulted in even more terrible, large-scale world wars."
Shin let the weight of history settle over the room before delivering the final blow.
"They all failed. Why do you think you will succeed? Is it because your strength is greater than the God of Shinobi? Is your wisdom deeper than theirs? Or is your desire for peace simply stronger?"
"Yahiko, I don't deny your sincerity or your strength. But you cannot deny the sincerity and efforts of the Sage of Six Paths and the First Hokage. They failed. What makes you think you will succeed?"
Shin abruptly turned his gaze to the red-haired boy in the corner. "Is it because of Nagato's eyes?"
Nagato flinched.
"Those eyes possess the power to change the world," Shin stated coldly. "But unfortunately, they belong to someone else! Are you really going to create global peace using eyes that aren't even yours?"
Following Shin's brutal interrogation, the room fell into a deathly silence. The only movement was the shadows shifting on the wall with the swaying of the firelight.
Yahiko opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Nagato gripped his sleeves tightly, his Rinnegan emitting an imperceptible purple glow in the dim light. Konan unconsciously crushed the paper flower in her fingertips, her pale face illuminated fitfully by the flames.
Most of them were incredibly young. Exposed to so much classified historical information at once, their throats felt dry. They didn't know what to say or what to even ask.
In the magnificent sweep of history, so many legendary heroes had fought to the death for their ideals. In terms of vision, strength, or sacrifice, this small group of orphans couldn't even compare. Yet those legends had failed to change the world.
What right do we, a few young people struggling in the rain, have to think we can do better? The doubt was palpable in their eyes.
Finally, Konan spoke first. Her voice trembled slightly. "How... how do you know all this? And about Nagato's eyes... will there be any danger to him?"
Shin naturally wouldn't reveal he was a reincarnated soul with meta-knowledge. Instead, he sighed deeply.
"I cannot tell you my sources. Regardless, as your strength grows, you will obtain more intelligence and meet more people. You will find out the truth for yourselves eventually. If you don't believe me, I can walk out that door right now."
He looked back at Konan. "As for Nagato's eyes... as long as he continues to grow stronger and becomes the most powerful person in the Ninja World, there will never be any danger."
Yahiko finally snapped out of his shock. He walked up to Shin, placed both hands heavily on his shoulders, and gave a brilliant, carefree smile.
"Shin. I can feel your sincerity. You're telling the truth."
Shin was somewhat speechless. Looking at Yahiko, who had returned to his normal, sunny self in seconds, Shin thought to himself: Is this just Yahiko's shonen protagonist character trait? I dropped massive lore bombs, and he isn't even going to interrogate me? I prepared so many excuses!
Seeing Shin's strained expression, Yahiko burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Shin, even if you made up such a brilliant historical story just to trick us, I wouldn't be mad, because it was so well-told! Besides, if I didn't trust you, saying these things would only arouse suspicion. Either you're a fool, or I am."
Yahiko squeezed Shin's shoulders. "It doesn't matter how you know. As long as you work toward our ideals, you are our most reliable comrade."
Fine, Shin thought. His logic is basically: 'Spies don't randomly reveal world-shattering secrets on day one.' I suppose that's not entirely wrong.
Faced with Yahiko's blind trust, Shin simply shrugged. He looked over at Nagato. "Nagato seems to be having a hard time accepting that the Rinnegan was implanted by someone else. You should probably go comfort him."
Nagato saw them looking at him with deep concern. His heart warmed, but he also found it a bit amusing.
So what if someone else's eyes were implanted in me? Nagato thought. They're powerful. Although I feel a bit uncomfortable knowing it, I'm not going to lose my mind over it. Just how fragile do you guys think I am?
Thinking this, Nagato grinned, showing a wry expression. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Whether these eyes are mine originally or not doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that I will use them to see the world Yahiko spoke of."
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