"Huh?"
Upon hearing Pain's words, Zabuza wore an "are you kidding me" expression. Looking at these people, most of whom were infamous rogue Ninjas, he would have believed it if Pain said they wanted to subvert the Ninja World.
But to say they wanted peace in the Ninja World? Looking at the surrounding environment, did this look like a peace organization? It was more like a terrorist organization.
Yagami Light nodded solemnly. "So that's how it is. A very noble goal."
"Hey, do you really believe him!"
Zabuza looked at Yagami Light in disbelief. This guy couldn't actually believe it, could he?
"Of course. My goal is also peace in the Ninja World, and I have already put it into practice."
At that moment, Zetsu spoke in a raspy voice, "The Evil God Cult in the Land of Birds belongs to you, doesn't it?"
During this time, he had been searching the Ninja World for Yagami Light and found an Evil God Cult in the Land of Birds, where the statue looked exactly like him.
"The Evil God Cult in the Land of Birds is currently treating the sick and saving lives in remote villages everywhere, winning over the people's hearts. From the looks of it, they are likely preparing to rally the masses for a rebellion."
Everyone present immediately turned to look at Yagami Light, their eyes filled with surprise and scrutiny.
They hadn't expected this guy to be such an ambitious schemer, already preparing to take over a country.
Yagami Light seemed completely indifferent to their gazes. "So, how does the organization plan to achieve world peace?"
Pain's voice echoed from within the Illusion Space, carrying a cold and resolute tone:
"We will collect the nine Tailed Beasts and create a Tailed Beast Weapon powerful enough to destroy a country. We will suppress all nations with absolute fear, forcing them to stop their wars amidst Pain and deterrence.
When the world is shrouded in fear, only then will people truly yearn for peace. At that time, we will act as the sole controllers of order, guiding the world toward true peace."
Zabuza stared at Pain, dumbfounded. This was going against the Five Great Ninja Villages. The Tailed Beasts were their lifeblood; this would surely invite a joint suppression.
Where did this confidence come from? Just from these rogue Ninjas? The Five Great Ninja Villages could crush them with sheer numbers alone through human wave tactics.
Yagami Light said dismissively, "What's the difference between your method of peace and the First Hokage's?"
"Back then, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara settled the chaotic era, and subsequently, the structure of the Five Great Ninja Villages was formed. His extraordinary combat power made other Ninja villages not dare to act rashly."
"But after his death, the First Ninja World War broke out immediately, and the scale of the war was even larger than during the Sengoku period."
"Your vision is beautiful, but even if you succeed, how long can you live?"
"Right now, you have the legendary Rinnegan to suppress everything, but after you die, can your successor withstand the assassinations from other countries? At that time, will this war weapon cause an even greater war?"
Then, Yagami Light said meaningfully, "Unless you can live forever, otherwise an even greater war will sweep through the Ninja World later."
"Actually, the war could have been resolved during the First Hokage's time, and that would have been by unifying the Ninja World. Then, everyone would belong to one country, and wouldn't war disappear?
As for the struggles within the country, they would be slowly absorbed internally over time. The Five Great Ninja Villages are an example; when they were first established, people only cared about their own clans, but now they treat the village as their home.
However, Senju Hashirama was too naive, actually believing that people could understand each other.
To balance the combat power of each village and make everyone hesitate to act for fear of the consequences, he actually distributed the Tailed Beasts to other Ninja villages. The final result is clear to everyone: the Tailed Beasts were thrown into war, causing even greater casualties."
Pain's projection paused slightly, and for the first time, those Rinnegan eyes showed a noticeable ripple. Yagami Light's words had touched him.
The others also looked at Yagami Light with expressions of surprise.
Most Ninjas only know slaughter all their lives. Even someone as meticulous as Uchiha Itachi only weighs pros and cons from the perspective of a Ninja village. No one had ever stood at the height of the entire Ninja World like him, seeing the essence of peace so clearly.
"Then should we be like you, inciting coups and dragging the people into the chaos of war?" Konan spoke up, her face filled with defiance.
She firmly believed in the Akatsuki Organization's philosophy of "peace through fear." Even if they were doing the work of a terrorist organization now, in her eyes, it was for the sake of ultimate peace.
But the man before her was utilizing the people and instigating turmoil for the sake of power, which made her feel displeased from the bottom of her heart.
Yagami Light suddenly sneered. "Do you know what kind of lives the commoners in the Land of Birds lead?"
Without waiting for Konan's answer, he continued on his own, "Even if nations don't dare to start wars according to your vision, what about the commoners?
The war has stopped, but what about those Daimyo, nobles, and elite Ninja clans?"
Yagami Light's tone turned cold. "Without the flames of external war, they will only turn all their greed inward.
Land annexation, heavy taxes, and layers of exploitation—in the end, the commoners will still live in misery. It's just a different way of dying."
His tone was calm, but every word hit home. "Your so-called 'peace through fear' essentially extends the lives of these privileged classes.
They can safely remain as superiors under your deterrence, continuing to drain the last drop of blood from the commoners.
To truly solve the problem, one must uproot these blood-sucking nobles and Daimyo, abolish the shackles of private land ownership, and return the land to those who farm it.
Only by distributing Land Rights equally to every commoner can peace be a right for everyone, not just a privilege for the nobility."
As soon as these words fell, the people present were left dumbfounded, their breathing becoming much lighter.
They hadn't expected this person to be even more radical than Pain. By his method, he would be going against the privileged classes of the entire Ninja World; everyone would hunt him down at all costs, in a fight to the death.
Yagami Light looked at the stunned crowd and nodded with satisfaction. He didn't actually have such grand ambitions; he just said it to show off.
After a long while, Pain regained his composure, masking the fluctuations in his eyes. Although the other party's words made sense, if successful, it could maximize peace and fairness.
However, there would definitely be a long-lasting war sweeping across the entire Ninja World, and the casualties caused would be too great. This didn't align with Yahiko's dream. It was better to maintain basic peace first and worry about the rest later.
He then spoke, "Your peace is too slow. The Ninja World has been weeping for too long; peace must be achieved as quickly as possible."
Yagami Light shrugged. "Fine, you're the leader, you have the final say."
"But let's get this straight beforehand. As you know, I have my own business in the Land of Birds, so it's impossible for me to team up with anyone. I will act alone."
Pain fell silent upon hearing this. The reason he established the rule of two-man teams was that every member of the organization had their own hidden agendas; two people could supervise each other to prevent betrayal.
"Fine, but I want to see if you are qualified enough for me to make an exception. Follow Konan to find me."
Although he had made a decision in his heart, he still had to give an account to the other members.
Of course, if Yagami Light's strength was insufficient, then he wouldn't have that qualification."
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
Read Ahead & Support Access up to 200 chapters ahead with daily updates on Patreon: patreon.com/laktozlu
Discover more novels: 02radnovel.com
Connect & Updates:
Twitter • x.com/02IsmetHQ
Instagram • instagram.com/02novelofficial
100 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯