Ch 300 : The true meaning of peace
Konoha Prison.
When Nagato woke up, he saw that his teacher was being held in the cell opposite his.
It only took him a moment to grasp the situation—his body was bound with countless sealing jutsu, making even the simplest movements extremely difficult.
"Jiraiya-sensei..."
"You're awake, Nagato."
Jiraiya sat on the ground.
Hearing the voice, he glanced at Nagato before slowly lowering his head again.
Silence.
"I'm sorry, Nagato."
Jiraiya's voice was low and hoarse.
His long white hair hung loosely around him, and the once-gallant rogue now looked nothing like his former self.
Though only in his forties, he seemed like an old man approaching the twilight of his life.
Nagato leaned against the wall with effort, yet his heart remained calm.
"There's no need to apologize, Jiraiya-sensei. This was something we had to do."
The prison had only two cells, and they were the only ones inside.
Where was Minato?
A terrible premonition welled up in Jiraiya's heart.
The chances of Minato escaping from the Hokage's grasp were slim—it was far more likely that he had already perished at his hands.
From the very beginning, the entire spectacle orchestrated by Hyuga Makoto had been aimed at Minato.
How could he possibly have allowed him to escape again?
A disciple had died because of him.
Jiraiya felt as if a knife were being twisted in his heart.
He should have died long ago—why did he continue bringing disaster to those around him?
"Jiraiya-sensei," Nagato spoke again from the opposite cell.
"Hm?"
"What will the Hokage do with us?"
"..."
A thought suddenly struck Jiraiya—if Yahiko and the others learned that he and Nagato had been captured, would the Hokage once again use the same tactics?
If Yahiko and Konan recklessly risked their lives to rescue them, wouldn't they also end up falling into the Hokage's hands?
This thought filled Jiraiya with dread—he couldn't allow others to be harmed because of him again!
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the distance.
Before long, three figures appeared in their view.
The moment Nagato saw them, he immediately stood up.
"Yahiko! Konan!"
"You…"
Jiraiya was also momentarily stunned, his heart sinking.
Could it be…?
Following Yahiko and Konan was Hyuga Hakumen.
He stood not far away, not approaching any closer, allowing them space to talk.
Konan anxiously asked, "Nagato, Jiraiya-sensei, are you both alright?"
"We're fine for now… But why are you here?" Nagato asked in shock.
Yahiko glanced at Nagato, then at Jiraiya, and smiled. "As long as you're safe, that's what matters."
Nagato's expression turned dazed. "Could it be that you two have also…"
He had been captured trying to save Jiraiya-sensei.
Now that their identities were exposed, would the Hokage spare Amegakure?
Yahiko said, "We're fine... The Hokage said he's willing to let you go."
He seemed hesitant, making Nagato and Jiraiya realize that something had happened—something they weren't aware of.
Jiraiya stepped forward, gripping the bars of his cell. "Yahiko, where is Minato?"
"..."
At those words, both Yahiko and Konan fell silent, their eyes clouded with sorrow.
"I see," Jiraiya lowered his head and responded.
Yahiko didn't say much more, only offering reassurance. "For now, just stay here a little longer. Before long, the Hokage will release you."
His words carried a respectful tone when referring to Hyuga Makoto.
Nagato glanced at Hakumen, standing nearby, and asked worriedly, "Yahiko, what happened?"
Yahiko hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's just… we've reached some agreements with the Hokage, that's all. You'll understand once you're out—there's no need to worry."
After that, Yahiko and Konan spoke a few more comforting words, urging them to stay patient and wait.
Nagato couldn't shake his concern, but seeing Yahiko's demeanor, he felt it was difficult to press further.
Had they been coerced by the Hokage?
Otherwise, how could the Hokage possibly agree to let them go?
Yahiko must have paid some kind of price!
Nagato grew anxious, frustration gnawing at him.
If only he had handled everything better, perhaps things wouldn't have come to this.
.............
After capturing Nanabi Jinchuriki, Makoto extracted the Tailed Beast that very same day.
The Jinchuriki was already half-dead, and Makoto couldn't be bothered to save him.
As for the Tailed Beast itself, there were spare containment vessels prepared during their initial creation, so Nanabi temporarily became yet another contributor to Konoha's power supply.
As for why Makoto chose to spare Nagato and Jiraiya, he had only one demand—Amegakure would henceforth belong entirely to Konoha.
Faced with a choice between his ideals and his loved ones, Yahiko ultimately chose the latter.
At the very beginning, Yahiko had prepared himself for the worst possible outcome.
However, when Kosuke arrived at his doorstep, he realized that he still lacked the courage to stand against Konoha.
The Land of Rain had long suffered from the ravages of war.
Yahiko himself had grown up during those war-torn times, enduring hardships that few could imagine.
That was why he had always resisted war in his heart.
He longed to resolve the conflicts of the ninja world through peaceful negotiations, allowing people to coexist in true harmony.
That was why he had gathered like-minded companions and founded the original Akatsuki.
But now, he had to use war to achieve his goal.
Back then, waging war against Kumogakure to aid Konoha could still be justified as fighting for peace. But now?
Wasn't he doing all of this purely out of personal selfishness—to save Nagato and Jiraiya?
As a leader, Yahiko had always believed that he needed to remain pure and unwavering, but now he was gradually straying from his original ideals.
Perhaps… he should never have become a leader in the first place.
How could someone as weak as him ever hope to achieve true peace?
The Kage of the great villages probably understood everything but simply didn't care.
Could mere negotiations ever make them cast aside their arrogance?
When the Hokage met with him, he was straightforward—if Yahiko wanted to save Nagato and Jiraiya, he would have to trade Amegakure for their lives.
In the past, if someone had tried to threaten him with his comrades' lives, Yahiko would never have compromised.
But after everything that had happened, he finally understood—without strength, the dream of peace was nothing but empty words.
Yahiko looked at Makoto and asked, "What is the Hokage's goal?"
"Did you demand Amegakure purely for profit? Just to expand your own power?"
His question was blunt—naïve and foolish, even.
Makoto sat calmly behind his desk, his expression unreadable as he looked at Yahiko.
"A small village like Amegakure—how much could it possibly strengthen me? But if you willingly submit, it will save me a lot of trouble in the future."
A small village like Amegakure…
Yahiko had no way to refute that.
But this "small" Amegakure carried all of his hopes and efforts—he had devoted his life to it.
He carefully pondered Makoto's words.
"Lord Hokage... what do you want to do in the future?"
"Do I need to report my plans to you?"
Yahiko fell silent for a moment before saying, "The ninja world is in a rare era of peace right now. Surely you don't intend to start another war?"
"Peace?"
Makoto let out a mocking laugh. "A so-called balance of power? That's not peace."
"Unity is the True peace!"
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