I, Konoha's Sage of Life

"Are we really just going to sit back and watch?"

Yahiko clenched his fists.

From his perspective, Kyoichi had no understanding 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 plan?"

"The conflicts between the great nations leave small countries like ours with no place to survive. If Amegakure unites the other small villages, 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.

Naïve…

Akatsuki sought revolution, yet with just a handful of fighters, they wanted to 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 benefits 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 benefits them. But does everyone see it that way? Take Takigakure, for example."

"Takigakure..."

Yahiko hesitated.

Takigakure was given a Tailed Beast years ago.

Among the small nations, if there was one that 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 villages were even hoping to quietly build up their strength, waiting for a day when they could rise above the great nations.

Takigakure was a prime example.

With so many conflicting interests, 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 can 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 can 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 shaken, let 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 handle these situations."

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

A classic Body Flicker.

Minato was speechless.

You just dropped this philosophical bombshell and then ran off?

And what about me?

I'm just a shadow clone!

He turned to look at Yahiko and Konan. Fortunately, neither 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 unconscious Nagato in the distance. After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and said, "Minato-senpai, can 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 contradictions—problems far too complex 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 techniques, combined with explosive tags, were a significant threat to the young genin under his care.

In comparison, Yahiko was the easiest to handle.

Because he was rational.

Yahiko understood what could and couldn't be done—except for his naïve 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 direction, Yahiko had already taken action.

There was nothing laughable about that.

He didn't think Kyoichi was mocking 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?

Forget the entire ninja world.

According 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 flaws in his plan.

Minato, meanwhile, was piecing things together.

If it weren't for Kyoichi's squad encountering 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 chain reaction.

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

Came to investigate, and found Yahiko.

Minato traced the sequence in his mind, scratching his head, feeling more and more troubled.

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

"Fine. You'll come with me. Konan, take Nagato back before your people start worrying."

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 committed any crimes. There was no need to eliminate them.

"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."

Konan felt conflicted.

Unlike Yahiko, she didn't think about such grand ideals. She just wanted to live peacefully with Yahiko and Nagato.

But Yahiko had his dream—peace.

Born from childhood suffering, nurtured under Jiraiya's teachings.

Akatsuki was created for this very purpose.

And yet…

Kyoichi's words had completely shattered Yahiko's vision.

Konan had no answers.

She could only let Yahiko find his own.

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

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

She wrapped Nagato in origami 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 clone had been left behind, but Kyoichi wasn't worried.

After all, Minato was destined to be the Yellow Flash.

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.

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