Yahiko's face shifted between pale and flushed. He wanted to argue—wanted to defend his beliefs—but the words simply wouldn't come.
His birth had limited his knowledge.
A childhood of wandering had denied him education.
Even though he had once met Jiraiya—an unexpectedly kind teacher—Jiraiya himself had still been searching for his own path back then. Three years of instruction could not fill every gap.
The fact that Yahiko had reached his current understanding through sheer lived experience alone was already remarkable.
Hanzo noticed the turmoil in him and spoke more gently.
"Yahiko, do not belittle yourself. If you continue along your present path, you may yet bring a period of peace to the Land of Rain."
"When I was young, I wanted the great nations to hear our voice. When dialogue failed, I sought to make them see our strength."
Yahiko's eyes moved.
"You mean… when you declared war on the Land of Fire, Earth, and Wind?"
Hanzo nodded.
"The Rain Country is small. The great nations do not take us seriously."
"I knew we could not truly match them."
"And yet I declared war."
"Why?"
"To win a seat at the table."
"To force them to acknowledge us as equals."
He paused.
"But I failed."
Silence filled the room.
Yahiko had, in truth, drawn inspiration from Hanzo's legend.
Hanzo had nearly succeeded—he simply lacked enough power.
"Lord… Hanzo," Nagato suddenly asked quietly, "is true peace impossible in this world?"
Compared to Yahiko, Nagato's ambition ran deeper.
The Rinnegan had led Jiraiya to treat him as a child of destiny.
Where Yahiko focused on Rain, Nagato had begun to think about the entire world.
Hanzo smiled faintly.
"To answer that, you must first understand the nature of war."
The three of them straightened.
War had always felt chaotic—triggered by grudges, revenge, misunderstandings.
Hanzo did not hesitate.
"No matter the excuse or justification, war is ultimately a struggle for利益—利益之争."
"利益?" Yahiko repeated.
"Yes.利益."
Hanzo suddenly asked, "Have you ever studied animals?"
Yahiko blinked. "Animals?"
Hanzo paused a fraction of a second before smoothly replying,
"A study of their habits."
The three shook their heads.
"Few people care about animals," Hanzo continued. "But humans are simply more complicated animals."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Imagine a vast grassland."
"Lions, leopards, hyenas—all predators."
"They hunt cattle and sheep."
"The grassland's grass is limited. Therefore, the cattle are limited. Therefore, the predators are limited."
"If predators multiply endlessly without conflict, they will consume all prey—and all will perish."
"So what happens?"
"They compete."
"They kill rival offspring."
"Even within their own species."
"To reduce competition."
"To ensure their own bloodline survives."
"That is balance."
His voice lowered.
"If this world is the grassland…
Resources are the cattle…
And nations are the predators…"
"Then war becomes very easy to understand."
"The Second Great Ninja War I triggered?"
"At its core, it was simply Rain fighting for its利益."
The words struck like cold rain.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan felt their faces drain of color.
If war was rooted in survival…
If conflict was inevitable…
Then what was peace?
If everyone was starving, what did "mutual understanding" even mean?
Die together peacefully?
Impossible.
Beasts fight to survive.
Humans—who possess greed and ambition beyond beasts—would fight even harder.
If conflict could not be erased—
Then true peace…
Did not exist.
Their efforts suddenly felt small. Futile.
Hanzo observed their shaken expressions and smiled.
"Reality can be harsh."
Yahiko forced a bitter laugh.
"It's difficult to accept."
Hanzo nodded calmly.
"Once you identify the problem, the solution becomes clearer."
All three looked up sharply.
"You mean—you've found a solution?" Yahiko asked.
Hanzo inclined his head.
"Given time, you might find your own path."
"But before that…"
"Would you like to hear mine?"
"Yes!" the three answered at once.
Hanzo lowered his gaze.
"Very well."
"But first…"
He slowly lifted his head.
His eyes turned crimson.
Three tomoe spun silently within them.
His expression went blank.
From the shadows behind him—
A figure stepped forward.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan froze.
The voice that spoke was calm, almost warm.
"My name is Uchiha Jin."
"It is a pleasure to meet you."
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