Chapter 200 Dead End (Ch 200)

They returned to the base in silence all the way, and Yahiko asked Nagato out alone, intending to have a good talk with him about what happened today.

The two stood beside the fence of the covered bridge, looking at the endless dark clouds and rain in the sky, speechless for a long time.

Yahiko held the slightly rusty handrail, and the slippery, hard feeling came from the palm of his hand, which was bone-chillingly cold.

He lowered his head and saw that the iron handrail was covered with a layer of fine water droplets.

They absorbed the rain water brought by the breeze, and every few seconds one of them became particularly full and round. They shook a little as if they could not bear it, and then slid down quickly along the arc of the iron sheet, dragging a long and thin trail of water behind them.

Then new moisture gathered, which was just like fluff at first, but soon expanded to be visible to the naked eye, and rolled down like its predecessor, over and over again.

Yahiko was stunned for a moment, then he woke up from the repetitive and monotonous scene and said, “Nagato, what do you think of what that person said?”

“Me?” Nagato lowered his head, his thoughts tangled into a mess, “I don’t know, Yahiko, Jiraiya-sensei talked about the Samsara Eye before, and now there’s this ‘Jin’ who’s like this…”

“Perhaps the Rinnegan is really so special, and it is the hope of the entire ninja world. But Nagato, you don’t necessarily have to accept the path planned for you by the Sage of Six Paths.”

Yahiko patted his brother’s arm vigorously, trying to give him some encouragement: “Like I said before, you have your own will and your own destiny that you want to fulfill.”

“Yeah.” Nagato finally smiled and nodded vigorously.

He once again confirmed that what he wanted to do most was to help Yahiko realize his wish and restore peace to the world through understanding between people.

Just when Nagato was trying to regroup, the protagonist of this dream – Yahiko – said something that was completely beyond his expectations.

“Nagato, I have actually been considering letting you be the leader of Akatsuki for a long time.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not cut out to be a leader.”

Yahiko recalled that during a conflict not long ago, he killed an enemy in self-defense, and the enemy’s pale face still flashes before his eyes to this day.

Pain spread across Yahiko’s face like a spider web. His blood-stained left hand was clenched so hard that the knuckles turned white and his nails dug deep into the flesh.

“That feeling is still in my hand, and it’s terrifying just for that.”

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, then turned to Nagato and said, “Everyone is the same, exhausted from the continuous battles, and perhaps even their original ideals are about to be exhausted.”

“But you are different, Nagato. You have the potential to become a hero, and that is the special symbol of the Rinnegan. You can use it to rekindle new ideals for everyone.”

“Yahiko, are you going to use my Rinnegan too?”

Nagato couldn’t tell how he felt right now, and turned around helplessly to look at the wind and rain outside.

“I am afraid of myself. I have always been in pain because of having such eyes…”

“I see.”

Yahiko understood Nagato’s resistance to this matter, but he also maintained an optimistic attitude: “Don’t worry, there are people around you who can control its power for you–“

“Xiao Nan will always be with you.”

He smiled silently, and his gentle tone made people feel extremely reassured.

Nagato gradually calmed down. Before he could figure out how to respond to this matter, he saw Hatosuke, who was in charge of intelligence gathering, running over in a hurry, shouting, “Brother, something happened!”

Yahiko immediately asked, “What’s the matter?”

Hatosuke panted, glared and dropped a bombshell: “Hanzo’s messenger is here!”

The two looked at each other and knew that this was not a good time to have a heart-to-heart talk. It would be more important to deal with Salamander Hanzo first.

Yahiko gathered the people who were currently staying at the base and went to meet the messenger together.

The other party was wearing the most common ninja attire of the Hidden Rain Village and a forehead protector. He asked him in a businesslike tone if he was the leader of Akatsuki – Yahiko.

“That’s right.”

“I am Hanzo-sama’s second in command, my name is Haruzo.”

After the messenger made a brief self-introduction, he continued to explain the purpose of his visit.

“I have heard about Akatsuki’s deeds a long time ago. I heard that you do not advocate the use of force and insist on solving problems peacefully. This is really admirable. Master Hanzo asked me to deliver a personal letter. Please accept it.”

He pulled a scroll from his bosom and held both hands up in respect.

Jiusuke took it and handed it to Yahiko, who was halfway through reading when his face changed drastically. His tone was filled with anxiety and excitement: “Is this true?”

“Yes, the Lord wishes to see you in person. He acknowledges the legitimacy of the Akatsuki.”

The crow’s feet at the corners of the messenger’s eyes became more obvious because of his smile: “My Lord also hopes that in the future, the task of negotiating peace between the Hidden Rain Village and the three surrounding countries can be entrusted to you.”

Hearing this, everyone including Yahiko became excited.

They have worked hard for several years and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the Hidden Rain Village. Finally, they have received recognition from the leader. How can they not cheer?

Amid the excited discussions among the crowd, the messenger left the base.

Although it was still raining, Yahiko felt that the sky had cleared up and the sun was shining through the clouds onto the earth, making the world bright and warm.

He thought of every life that had been extinguished by the heavy rain along the way, and his eyes became sore, but he also felt that the current result was very gratifying.

“Many people have sacrificed their lives for this moment, and this finally lived up to them.”

“It was your determination to understand the pain of others, Yahiko, and your unconditional trust in Hanzo-sama for so long that finally moved him.”

Nagato walked up to Yahiko and smiled as he told him to go see how happy his companions were. Some of them were even crying with joy.

“Akatsuki’s ideals have been reborn, and they don’t need the Rinnegan as a symbol at all.”

“Everyone is here to follow you. You are walking on the right path.”

Yahiko held Nagato’s hand tightly and put aside the anxiety and confusion in his heart.

…

A hundred meters away, Jin looked at the Akatsuki organization that had turned into a sea of ​​joy, snorted coldly and twirled his fingers.

“Innocent.”

“So,” Bai Zetsu approached him slyly, “are they really going to go alone to meet Salamander Hanzo?”

“That’s right.”

Jin remembered that when he came undercover in Akatsuki organization a few years ago, Yahiko had expressed his willingness to trust Hanzo of Salamander first, so there was no doubt that he would go to the meeting unarmed.

This innocent heart, which is unique in the ninja world, will eventually lead him to a dead end.

In the misty rain, Jin leaned against a wet rock pillar and chuckled, the corners of his lips curled up in a soft arc like the warm sun, but his hand roughly pulled a branch growing from Bai Zetsu’s body, causing it to stagger half a step.

“In case there are any small fish that get in the way, you should bring a few more White Zetsu to surround the Akatsuki base, and do not allow any outside intelligence to enter.”

Although he was smiling, his eyes were like a deep pool of stagnant water, swallowing up all the light that shone in. Only bottomless darkness dwelled there, oozing with wisps of bloody smell.

“If they find out something fishy is going on, I’ll slowly boil you down to broth.”

…