Evening settled in, and the rain finally eased.
Outside the cave, several lush canna plants grew thickly, their wide leaves partially concealing the entrance. Water droplets gathered at the tips, occasionally slipping through and falling onto the stone below, creating a slow, rhythmic sound.
If one listened long enough, even their heartbeat seemed to calm.
Konan sat on a small stool made of folded paper, quietly reading a newspaper under the dim glow of a candle. When she reached an amusing passage, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"I knew I would find you here."
Footsteps approached. The leaves at the entrance were gently pushed aside, revealing Yahiko's familiar, cheerful face.
As he stepped inside, the water collected on the leaves poured down, splashing into the shallow puddles and sending ripples outward.
Behind him stood Nagato, holding an oil paper umbrella.
"You're back." Konan stood and reached out to take it.
Nagato shook his head and placed the umbrella by the entrance. "Stay seated."
"That's right. You are injured, so act like a patient," Yahiko added, his tone carrying concern. "Why come out here alone? It is not safe."
"With you two gone, I do not like staying with the others," Konan replied softly.
She lowered her head slightly, then nudged a small stone with her foot, sending it into a puddle. Water splashed up and hit Yahiko.
…
"Sorry, I did not mean to," she said quickly.
With a small motion of her hand, several sheets of paper appeared and gently brushed against Yahiko, wiping away the water.
"Konan, you are still careless," Yahiko muttered.
"I already apologized. You are the one being petty," Konan shot back.
Nagato watched them quietly, a faint smile on his face.
He had seen this scene countless times, yet it never grew old.
If only things could remain like this forever.
He did not seek anything grand. Even with the legendary Rinnegan, said to be the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, all he truly wanted was a peaceful, ordinary life.
But Yahiko desired peace for the world.
So the world would have peace.
To Nagato, Yahiko and Konan were everything. No matter the cost, he would help Yahiko achieve that dream.
After drying himself, Yahiko noticed the newspaper on the stool.
"What is this?"
"Oh, this." Konan picked it up and waved it slightly. "I got it from another shinobi during a mission. It is serializing Jiraiya sensei's novel."
"Jiraiya sensei's novel?" Yahiko's expression immediately changed. "Konan, are you sure you should be reading that?"
Even now, Yahiko's strongest impression of Jiraiya sensei had not changed.
He still remembered that winter, when Jiraiya sensei left him and Nagato standing guard in the freezing wind while he went off for so called research.
Yahiko had been shivering from the cold.
At one point, he had wanted to sneak a look, not for any deep reason, just to distract himself.
But Nagato had stopped him.
During their struggle, Nagato stepped on a stray dog they had been feeding, and the two of them were chased across three streets.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya sensei remained completely focused, peering into the bathhouse as if nothing else in the world mattered.
That was when Yahiko fully understood his teacher's personality.
Later, he and Nagato had secretly looked through some of Jiraiya sensei's manuscripts.
Every single one of them was inappropriate.
They even kept a few copies hidden.
So hearing that Konan was reading one now made Yahiko instinctively wary.
"It is not like that," Konan said, sticking out her tongue slightly. "This is his new novel, the one he has been planning for a long time."
"The one with Naruto as the main character?" Yahiko asked after thinking for a moment.
"Yes, that one."
Yahiko was about to respond when Nagato suddenly paused.
"Do you smell something burning?"
"Ah!" Konan jumped to her feet. "The sautéed bird is still on the fire!"
…
Deeper inside the cave stood a wooden table. It was clean, though clearly worn from years of use.
Yahiko and Konan sat across from each other while Nagato worked nearby, trying to salvage the meal Konan had nearly ruined.
The kettle began to boil, its lid rattling softly as steam filled the cave.
"In the end, Nagato is the one saving the day. You really are careless," Yahiko teased.
"I just forgot to watch the fire," Konan replied, raising her fist slightly, her short blue hair swaying.
Among the three of them, Nagato had always been the one who cooked. Konan's attempts rarely turned out well.
Even during their time training under Jiraiya sensei, it had been the same.
As Nagato worked, Konan resumed reading the novel aloud. Yahiko leaned back slightly, glancing around the cave with a nostalgic expression.
This was the place where the three of them had first met Hayashi, Mikoto, and Nawaki.
Back then, the Second Shinobi World War had just begun.
In the blink of an eye, several years had passed.
They had grown from children into young adults, while Hayashi and the others had likely matured even further.
Time moved quickly.
Yahiko wondered how they were doing now.
Probably well.
After all, the name Konoha's Lightning Flash had spread even to this remote corner of the Land of Rain.
When he first heard that Hayashi had infiltrated Kirigakure alone and brought an end to the war, Yahiko had been stunned.
That was when he truly realized that some shinobi possessed the power to end wars by themselves.
But when news followed of the heavy casualties in Kirigakure, Yahiko fell silent.
That was not the kind of peace he sought.
Peace achieved through overwhelming force still left behind hatred.
Was that truly peace?
Jiraiya sensei once said that a day would come when people could understand each other.
But even now, Yahiko could not fully grasp which path was right.
He let out a quiet sigh.
He still remembered gathering the courage to ask Hayashi to take him as a disciple, only to be turned down.
It felt like it had happened just yesterday.
If things had gone differently, they might never have met Jiraiya sensei.
Everything could have changed.
Konan's voice continued softly as she reached the final part of the story.
"As long as we live in this cursed shinobi world, we can never truly know peace."
"Then I will break that curse."
"If peace exists, I will seize it. I will never give up."
Their eyes met.
Leaves drifted quietly through the air.
"Who are you?"
He looked up toward the sky beyond the trees.
"My name is Naruto."
"I have decided."
Yahiko suddenly stood up, startling both Konan and Nagato.
"What is it?" they asked almost at the same time.
Determination burned in Yahiko's eyes.
"I am going to negotiate with Hanzo."
Konan blinked in surprise.
"I cannot just watch the Land of Rain fall into war again. I will find him and stop this before it begins."
"But…"
"The Land of Rain has suffered through war for too long. Hanzo understands that pain. He must also want peace."
Yahiko clenched his fists slightly.
"I believe he can understand us."
He looked at them both, his voice steady.
"Driving away darkness and bringing light and hope to the world, that is the meaning of Akatsuki."
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