Chapter 164: Peace

For safety reasons, Nagato shouldn't have let his main body come into contact with anyone other than Konan, not even his comrades in the Akatsuki organization. The reason why he took such a risk...

"Concept of peace? As a child born in a peaceful country, do you know what peace is?" Xiaonan on the side asked first.

Nagato is always like this, usually cautious, but becomes aggressive once it comes to the issues he cares about most.

"Why don't the children know what peace is?" Luo Yi asked calmly, "When they wake up, they have bread for breakfast and a bowl of hot soup; they have a swing in the yard and candy in their pockets."

"So kids..." Xiaonan wanted to laugh and get angry at the same time.

"Konan, let me tell you." Nagato interrupted her, "Young man, you are right. But have you ever thought about what we can do to make all the children in the ninja world live the life you described?"

Luo Yi is good at this and can say it right away: "Liberate productivity, develop productivity, eliminate exploitation, eliminate polarization, and ultimately achieve common prosperity."

Hanabi, Nagato, and Konan: "?"

I don't understand what's going on but it seems to make sense.

"The theme of the world is peace and development." Luo Yi quickly entered the teacher's state, "I know you are worried about how to achieve the former, and for this reason you spare no effort to collect tailed beasts and improve your combat power."

"You seem to know everything." Nagato felt that Akatsuki had no secrets at all in front of this young man.

"How could that be? There are many things I don't know. For example, humans clearly have plenty of time and energy to invest in production, so why do they have to devote themselves to fighting?" Luo Yi spread his hands helplessly.

When will the world turn swords into plowshares? To this day, and perhaps in the foreseeable future, there is still no answer.

"Because big countries always build their stability and prosperity on the chaos and pain of small countries." This is Nagato's conclusion. "For this reason, we must create super weapons that are enough to destroy big countries, so as to create and maintain peace."

So far there is actually nothing wrong with it. It’s nuclear deterrence, and those who understand it will understand it.

The "Long Live Understanding" advocated by Jiraiya and Naruto is ultimately too idealistic. In a sense, it is the other side of Madara's "Moon Eye Project".

"Okay, then what? Suppose you have gathered all nine tailed beasts now, and the nuclear... no, the super weapon has been built, what are you going to do next?" Luo Yi asked with great interest.

Both of them claim to be "God", I wonder what the difference is between Nagato and the facial expression artist next door, Kami Sama.

"After the manufacture is completed, we will show the world the power of the tailed beast weapons and let humans feel the pain. At the same time, we will declare a strike against all countries that attempt to start a war, and use the fear of pain to suppress the war."

It sounds like result-oriented extremism.

"Is this the meaning of "Akatsuki" in your eyes? Do you think that doing this will bring the "sunrise" to the dark ninja world?" Luo Yi asked calmly, "I know a man who is regarded as the sun by the people. He sees more than you."

Don't just think about how to end war or curb war, you need to think about how to eliminate the incentives that trigger war.

"Who is he and what did he see?" Nagato found it hard to believe that there was such a person in the world.

Even though Pain was revered as a god by the people of the Hidden Rain Village, he understood that "God" and "the sun" could not be compared.

"What he saw was that war brings suffering; and war, in turn, is born out of suffering. You only saw the former, but never thought about why war occurs." Luo Yi said frankly, "As a leader, you are standing on this high tower, looking down at all living beings. How long has it been since you stepped into the market and listened to the voices of the people?

"The man I'm talking about has always considered himself as just one of the people. You think you can see far if you stand high up, and that's true; but have you ever thought that you can only see clearly if you get close?"

"You bastard!" Xiaonan stepped forward, "Don't you know that we are talking about our childhood here so shamelessly..."

"Of course I know, even though I haven't experienced it myself." Luo Yi closed his eyes and recalled a purgatory on earth somewhere in his original world. "The wars I know are just as cruel as the ones you have experienced, so I also want to know, which one do you want, to temporarily suppress war or to eliminate war forever?"

Even Nagato himself only said "suppress", which is a huge difference compared to what Luo Yi said "eliminate".

Xiaonan suddenly felt a little regretful.

She originally thought that they were just two children, and instinctively felt that meaningless killing could be avoided. However, she didn't expect that their mouth was even more powerful than that of "Uchiha Madara".

"Young man, do you have a way to eliminate war forever?" Nagato was silent for a long time, then asked slowly.

"I alone can't help, but the people can." Luo Yi smiled confidently, "If you are willing to go among the people and ask them about their ideas on peace, I can... help you restore your legs."

Nagato's breathing became rapid.

Xiaonan didn't regret bringing them here.

...

"Luo Yi, I, I don't understand."

In a bedroom somewhere in the tower, Hanabi listened to the sound of raindrops outside, her eyes filled with confusion.

Not to mention that within half a day they went from being mortal enemies to potential partners, both sides chattered a lot of big truths that filled her little melon bag to the brim.

I knew my fiancé was well-educated and eloquent, but I didn’t expect him to be so…

"When we were so young, Uncle Nagato and Aunt Konan were faced with danger and hunger every day. We didn't know when the next meal would be after this one, or maybe we wouldn't live to see the next meal." Luo Yi hesitated for a while, but still decided to explain it in a euphemistic way.

Small countries and regions devastated by war are the best breeding grounds for terrorism. It is not easy for Nagato and Konan to be born in darkness but have their hearts towards light.

"Is that so? How... pitiful." Hanabi lowered her eyes. Just imagining it made her breathless.

"Their past is indeed sympathetic, but it does not mean that their actions can be recognized." Luo Yi touched her head, "They... have been trapped in the shackles of the past for too long, and never thought that what everyone wants is not the same false peace, but carefree happiness."

“I… still don’t understand.” The little girl’s face puffed up unconsciously, like the exhaust vent of a console whose heat dissipation was blocked.

"Don't be discouraged. Many people can't figure it out in their entire lives." Luo Yi didn't know how to comfort her. This topic was too advanced for her who was only at the end of her 7 years old.

I remember Hiruzen said Itachi could "think like a Hokage" when he was only 7 years old. I wonder what he would think when he heard these words.

On the other side, two 35-year-old young men are also facing a difficult choice.

Although it was a bit of a stretch, Nagato was able to regain his normal legs. For example, in the early days after being injured by Hanzo's explosion, he had not yet sustained any serious injuries and only needed ordinary medical ninjutsu to treat him.

However, his longing for Yahiko and his reluctance to step forward made him miss the opportunity for treatment. Coupled with the burden of the Rinnegan and the exploitation of the Outer Path Demon Statue, his legs are now unable to be restored.

"Nagato..." Konan looked at him with a conflicted expression.

To be fair, she hoped that Nagato could recover; although she had never said much, her fear of the outer demon statue was engraved in her bones.

The genius physiques of the Uzumaki clan can be overdrawn to this extent, and it is unknown whether their rapidly consumed lifespans can last until they can achieve their long-cherished wish.

"Konan, what do you think about what that boy said?" Nagato was not concerned about whether to cure his leg, but what to do next if it was cured.

Use your own legs and walk your own way.

"To be honest, it's not as simple as Uchiha Madara said. I really hope this is just some ignorant kid talking nonsense, but somehow..." Konan frowned, his words didn't make sense.

"I think he makes sense, right?" Nagato smiled miserably. "I thought he was just here to gather information, but now that I think about it, he seems to understand the meaning of "sunrise" better than we do."

"What you mean is..." After years of getting along, Xiaonan can roughly guess his intentions through his words and actions.

"Yes, I want to fight him again, a fight to the death. If he wins, I will entrust Akatsuki to him." Nagato's eyes gradually became firm.