The sky was cloudless, with only a round moon hanging there.
Under the night sky, Konoha Village remained peaceful and stable as usual, and the bustling night market grew lively with the arrival of night.
"Is this Konoha? Jiraiya-sensei's hometown..."
Nagato, clad in a hooded black cloak, his face concealed beneath the hood, making it difficult to glimpse his full appearance, stood atop Hokage Rock, muttering to himself.
From this highest point in Konoha, one could take in the entire panoramic view of the village.
A peaceful nation, a peaceful village, somewhat of an eyesore in his eyes.
For this village's peace was built upon the suffering of small countries, allowing them to grasp the so-called peace in their hands.
Of course, Nagato now felt he no longer needed to harp on grievances.
Just as Hanzou said, a ninja's life is a life of battle.
You cannot use your own weakness to attempt to awaken the enemy's conscience.
If one does not wish to compromise and surrender as a citizen of a weak country, the only choice is resistance and combat. Apart from the will to resist and fight, there is nothing else to lose.
This is the revelation brought about by the deaths of Yahiko and Hanzou.
Nagato often contemplated whether what he was doing was right or wrong, but then thought such ideas were too arrogant because he hadn't achieved his goal, yet he was talking about right and wrong with a narrow viewpoint.
In this world, there is no absolute right or wrong path; humanity is forever exploring.
If one day he failed, it would only prove that he could only achieve that much, with no one else to blame but his own weakness.
Gazing at the view of Konoha Village, children were happily running on the streets, playing joyfully with their friends.
Street-side snack stalls with distinctive features attracted the attention of passersby.
Exhausted working ninjas, shoulder to shoulder, entered a BBQ restaurant, enjoying delicious food while drinking and freely discussing their life ideals.
This peaceful scene was something Nagato had never seen before; in the past, he and Yahiko and others only held peace ideals, rushing around battlefields filled with smoke, brushing past death.
Will such peace descend upon the Hidden Rain and the Land of Rain in the future?
No, it certainly will! Nagato was resolute in his heart.
Debating right and wrong on matters of stance was undoubtedly foolish behavior.
"Lord Nagato, preparations over there are almost complete."
A White Zetsu emerged halfway from behind Nagato, speaking softly to him.
"Understood. Later, notify Obito to use the Mangekyo Sharingan to control the Nine-tailed and summon it to a farther place."
Nagato said thus.
"Why do it that way?"
White Zetsu was slightly surprised.
"I don't want to involve Konoha's villagers; many of them are not ninjas."
"But, only by summoning the Nine-tailed to Konoha Center can maximum damage be inflicted on Konoha."
White Zetsu said urgently.
"This is just a ninja's battle, and it has nothing to do with civilians who don't understand Ninja Techniques."
"Konoha might not think so on the battlefield in the Land of Rain."
White Zetsu considered Nagato to be too conservative.
Having experienced such things, did he still possess such a heart of mercy?
This way, he would definitely suffer greatly in the future.
Nagato seemed to see through White Zetsu's thoughts, speaking in a calm voice: "This is neither mercy nor compassion. If I did so, what would be the difference between me and the Konoha Ninja who once rampaged in the Land of Rain battlefield?"
Every grievance has its origin; Nagato never saw worldly matters so clearly as now.
If he truly acted, then his mindset would be on the same level as Konoha.
What right would he have, then, to bring peace to this world?
"But I still feel..."
White Zetsu was still speaking, but Nagato gently interrupted:
"Without a heart of peace, possessing power is merely violence inflicted upon others. With a heart of peace, having power is also violence inflicted upon others."
"Given that, why care about the lives of Konoha villagers?"
"Though both are violence, the resulting outcomes are not necessarily the same. I have my principles and methods, Konoha has its principles and methods, that's all."
Nagato's words were nearly definitive.
With that said, White Zetsu knew if he kept questioning, he would appear insubordinate.
"I understand, I will inform Obito. Please wait here, Lord Nagato."
White Zetsu sighed and vanished into the ground.
◎
Anbu Ninjas leapt swiftly across rooftops, gathering at a certain place.
Eventually, they reached a forest outside Konoha through a secret passage, silently.
Not only one squad arrived but, roughly counting, more than twenty Anbu Ninjas gathered there.
The meeting lasted less than half a minute, and the twenty Anbu Ninjas dispersed and took their positions, preventing any intruders.
In a position unnoticed by the Anbu, two figures slowly emerged, silently infiltrating a certain place.
It was a massive rock blocking the cave entrance of a huge mountain.
On the rock, suppression seals were pasted, setting up a Protective Barrier to prevent outsiders from entering.