"Are we really just going to sit bad watch?"

  Yahiko ched his fists.

  From his perspective, Kyoichi had no uanding of the suffering of small nations. Standing from the vantage point of a great nation, pointing fingers at their struggles—it made Yahiko despise him.

  Kyoichi shook his head, unwilling to get tangled in this debate. "You say you're striving for peace. What's your pn?"

  "The flicts between the great nations leave small tries like ours with no pce to survive. If Amegakure uhe other small vilges, we could form a force strong enough to persuade the great nations to stop fighting," Yahiko said.

  "And why would they listen?"

  "What?"

  "Why would the small nations listen to you? Why would Hanzō listen to you? And why would the great nations listen to you?"

  Kyoichi spread his hands.

  Na?ve…

  Akatsuki sought revolutio with just a handful of fighters, they wao form alliances and intimidate the great nations into stopping their wars?

  The idea was noble.

  Unfortunately…

  It could only work in a dream—or if Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were as powerful as Hashirama and Madara.

  But then again—

  If they had that kind of power, they wouldn’t need small nations or Hanzō’s support.

  They could just go in and sweep the battlefield themselves.

  "This bes all small nations. Why wouldn’t they—"

  Yahiko suddenly paused, his voice trailing off.

  Halfway through his reasoning, he realized something was off.

  "You think it bes them. But does everyo that way? Take Takigakure, for example."

  "Takigakure..."

  Yahiko hesitated.

  Takigakure was given a Tailed Beast years ago.

  Among the small nations, if there was ohat rivaled Amegakure in strength, it would be Takigakure.

  But…

  Would Takigakure actually follow him?

  Many of these smaller nations were already aligned with the great nations, receiving annual support that maintained a certain level of stability.

  Some vilges were even hoping to quietly build up their strength, waiting for a day when they could rise above the great nations.

  Takigakure rime example.

  With so many flig is, how could they possibly unite?

  He had no answer.

  "One more question—after you form this alliance, who leads it? Hanzō or you? Because from what I tell, you and that so-called 'Demi-God' don’t seem to be on the same page."

  "Uh…" Yahiko was stumped again.

  Who would be in charge?

  Him?

  Going by Kyoichi's logic, that was impossible. The other small nations would never accept it.

  But without unity, how could they ever oppose the great nations?

  "Do you even know what the other small nations want? Look at yourself. You don’t even know who your allies are and who your enemies are, yet you still think you achieve peace. Give it up. You’re just setting yourself up for failure—and taking others down with you."

  With that, Kyoichi retracted his Raijin Sword.

  Minato remained silent.

  Kyoichi’s words…

  They were a wake-up call.

  Even he found himself shake alone Yahiko and his group.

  "I’ve said my piece. As for this guy, Minato-senpai, I’ll leave it to you. I’m just a newly promoted jōnin—I have no idea how to hahese situations."

  With that, Kyoichi’s figure flickered and vanished into thin air.

  A cssic Body Flicker.

  Minato eechless.

  You just dropped this philosophical bombshell and then ran off?

  And what about me?

  I’m just a shadow e!

  He turo look at Yahiko and Konan. Fortunately, her of them showed any signs of hostility.

  "Wait!"

  Yahiko finally snapped out of it.

  Kyoichi had disappeared too quickly.

  By the time he reacted, Kyoichi was long gone.

  He looked at Minato, then at Konan and the unscious Nagato in the distance. After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and said, "Minato-senpai, Konan take Nagato back? I’ll go with you! I want to learn more from that jōnin."

  "Well…"

  Minato hesitated.

  Kyoichi had brought up too many tradis—problems far too plex to resolve with mere words. If it were that simple, the ninja world wouldn’t still be in chaos.

  And besides…

  Minato wasn’t sure what to do with Yahiko.

  But after some thought, he recalled that Nagato possessed some unique abilities, and Konan’s paper teiques, bined with explosive tags, were a signifit threat to the young genin under his care.

  In parison, Yahiko was the easiest to handle.

  Because he was rational.

  Yahiko uood what could and couldn’t be done—except for his na?ve idea of uniting the small nations to oppose the great ones.

  Idealistic, but Minato knew…

  The dream of peace was something he, Jiraiya, and even Yahiko all shared.

  And unlike Minato, who had no real dire, Yahiko had already taken a.

  There was nothing ughable about that.

  He didn’t think Kyoichi was mog him either.

  "I know… Before, I was excited, believing my efforts could bring peace to the ninja world. But now, I feel lost…"

  Yahiko sighed.

  Peace?

  Fet the entire ninja world.

  Acc to Kyoichi, he probably couldn’t even deal with Hanzō.

  Though his allies trusted him, their support also meant he had a responsibility—to not lead them blindly into disaster, especially now that someone had pointed out the fws in his pn.

  Minato, meanwhile, ieg things together.

  If it weren’t for Kyoichi’s squad entering bandits, they wouldn’t have captured one for interrogation.

  If they hadn’t interrogated him, they wouldn’t have discovered ninja activity in the Land of Rivers.

  If they hadn’t pursued it, they wouldn’t have met Yahiko’s group.

  So…

  Everything that happened was a rea.

  Team One was on a mission, stumbled upon bandits, learned about enemy ninja activity.

  Came to iigate, and found Yahiko.

  Minato traced the sequen his mind, scratg his head, feeling more and more troubled.

  Kyoichi had just thrown a huge problem at him and then ran off.

  "Fine. You’ll e with me. Konan, take Nagato back before your people start w."

  Minato finally made his decision.

  The less trouble, the better.

  Right now, Konoha didn’t have the strength to provoke Amegakure or wipe out these rogue ninjas.

  Besides…

  Yahiko’s group hadn’t actually itted any crimes. There was o elimihem.

  "Thank you!"

  Yahiko bowed deeply.

  He knew…

  This put Minato in a difficult position, especially since he was now taking Yahiko back to Konoha.

  But Minato still agreed, which made Yahiko ecstatic.

  "Yahiko, are you sure…?"

  "Konan, take Nagato home. Don’t worry about me—I’ll be back soon."

  Yahiko reassured Konan.

  "Be careful."

  Kona flicted.

  Unlike Yahiko, she didn’t think about such grand ideals. She just wao live peacefully with Yahiko and Nagato.

  But Yahiko had his dream—peace.

  Born from childhood suffering, nurtured under Jiraiya’s teags.

  Akatsuki was created for this very purpose.

  A…

  Kyoichi’s words had pletely shattered Yahiko’s vision.

  Konan had no answers.

  She could only let Yahiko find his own.

  Besides, she knew—Akatsuki would have to expin themselves to Konoha.

  Otherwise, as Kyoichi warned, Hanzō himself might decide to wipe them out.

  She ed Nagato in ami and watched as Yahiko left with Minato.

  …

  Kyoichi, meanwhile, was rushing toward Asuma’s group.

  From a distance, he could already hear voices.

  But…

  The battle seemed over.

  All that remained were the cries of those begging for mercy.

  Minato’s e had bee behind, but Kyoichi wasn’t worried.

  After all, Minato was destio be the Yellow Fsh.

  If he couldn’t handle a few bandits, that’d be a real embarrassment.

  "Sensei’s back!"

  Kurenai, sensing Kyoichi’s approach, immediately lit up with joy.

  Although Minato had been looking after them, without Kyoichi around, something had always felt… off.

  Gcell