Nagato nodded slightly. "That's right. Only after experiencing pain can one truly appreciate the value of peace."
Rorin smiled as he looked at Nagato, leaving him somewhat puzzled as he quietly waited for Rorin to speak.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Rorin clapped rhythmically, then suddenly stopped.
"No matter what, your original intention was good—peace."
Hearing this, Nagato unconsciously leaned forward, a faint light appearing in his eyes.
"But in my view, it's nothing more than your own self-satisfaction!"
Rorin's latter words stunned Nagato. He gave a faint smile.
"As expected, no one can understand what we do. I originally thought you'd be different."
Rorin shook his head, his sharp gaze locking onto Nagato.
"You think this world is twisted and want to bring it peace. But have you really made an effort toward that? In your heart, is making the world feel pain truly the only path?"
"You don't understand anything! We once tried to create peace without relying on force—but what was the result? Endless suffering. It's one of the two greatest pains I've experienced in my life!"
Nagato leaned forward emotionally, his voice nearly a roar.
"So you abandoned your original path? You chose what you think is a shortcut to achieve your goal. In my eyes, that makes you a coward!"
"What do you know? You've never experienced pain—how could you understand us?"
Rorin slowly covered his chest, his expression dimming, filled with nostalgia.
"You know… when I was young, my clan was wiped out. I also endured the days of barely surviving in this deceitful ninja world.
You say I don't understand your pain, but just like you can't understand mine, true empathy doesn't exist in this world."
Hearing this, both Nagato and Konan froze slightly. The young man before them seemed to carry countless untold stories.
Rorin closed his eyes and slowly lowered his head. After a minute, he exhaled deeply, his expression turning calm and relieved.
"But I learned to let go. I won't drown in pain. To move forward, I never gave up. That's why I think you're a coward.
I also want to bring peace to this ninja world. I don't want anyone to go through what I've experienced. I've always been working toward that."
Hearing that Rorin's goal was also peace, Nagato's eyes lit up.
Rorin smiled slightly and said softly, "No matter what, there's one part of your idea I agree with."
"Oh?" Nagato murmured, waiting for him to continue.
"To bring peace to this world, people must truly come to hate war from the bottom of their hearts."
At this, Nagato finally found some agreement with the young man before him.
"But that's the end goal—not something that can be achieved overnight. You can't simply make people fear war; everything must be done step by step.
Take your original idea—using absolute force to suppress the great nations, making them fear you so they wouldn't dare start wars, creating an illusion of peace. It may seem feasible at first glance, but it treats the symptoms, not the root cause.
A friend once told me about the First Hokage—Senju Hashirama—who single-handedly pacified a chaotic era. Indeed, the ninja world was peaceful for a time under his deterrence.
Don't you think that story is similar to your idea? And what happened after he died? Didn't the ninja world fall into war once again?"
Nagato frowned, carefully pondering Rorin's words.
"Besides, you don't currently possess power that surpasses everyone else, do you?" Rorin added, his tone slightly teasing.
"That's why I'm working toward it…" Nagato said softly.
"But can you escape death? Even the legendary Sage of Six Paths couldn't escape the cycle of reincarnation."
Rorin cut him off again with another piercing question.
"…" Nagato fell silent.
"That's why I say this is just your self-satisfaction. You think you can bring peace to the world, but in reality, you're only adding more hatred. Once you turn to dust, the flames of war will reignite."
Nagato slowly raised his head, his eyes now filled more with longing. "If it were you, how would you bring peace to this world?"
Seeing Nagato gradually open his heart, Rorin felt a sense of relief.
"First, where there are people, there will be conflict. This world needs a central authority—a true leader. Beneath that leader must be a group of capable aides with sound values, people who can pass down the right ideals continuously.
Second, the key to unifying the world is a shared community of interests. Only when everyone has a common enemy will they truly be bound together.
After enduring a painful war and defeating that common enemy, people will cherish the hard-won peace even more. Having experienced loss, they will grow to hate war—that's the key condition for peace.
Once there are no enemies left, the world must be fully integrated, ensuring the young are cared for and the old are supported.
Finally, start from the small things—cultivate high-quality new generations and pass down correct values from one generation to the next. Only then, after people like you and me are gone, can true peace be achieved."
As Nagato listened to the world Rorin described, his eyes filled with longing, as if he were already standing in that harmonious future.
Nagato recalled the words he once said to Jiraiya.
"Peace… the way to achieve peace—I still don't know."
"But someday, I will break this curse!"
"If peace truly exists, I'll grasp it tightly. More important than methods is the power of belief!"
Nagato slowly lowered his head, then smiled faintly.
"The power of belief… I actually forgot that, haha!"
He raised his head again and looked at Rorin.
"There's an opportunity to grasp peace right in front of me. I choose to believe in the future you described."
Beside him, Konan stared at Nagato in shock.
Rorin returned a smile. He'd finally convinced him—what a struggle.
"Unfortunately, I may not live to see that future you spoke of. But I'm willing to spend the little time I have left working toward it," Nagato said, gazing up at the sky with emotion.
A look of sorrow appeared on Konan's face. Nagato didn't have much time left.
"You think you can just walk away from everything early? Not a chance. After all the mistakes you've made, you'll have to repay them—with interest," Rorin said with a smile.