One died inside his naive fantasy, and the other knew he lacked the power to change anything, leaving his hopes to the vague Child of Prophecy. Hashirama Senju stood between idealism and realism, hoping for understanding without believing everyone could achieve it, using overwhelming force to end chaos and build a new order for later generations.
Even though later generations failed to live up to his hopes and wars continued after his death, it was still better than an era where children went to battle at five or six years old and the average lifespan was under thirty. That comparison applied only to great nations, however, as small countries became sacrifices and suffered even more than before. When five war machines collided, the ones crushed between them were always the small states.
Holding idealist thoughts while acting like a realist was Naruto Uzumaki. He believed that understanding and forgiveness could end endless hatred between nations. Yet when he knelt and begged the Fourth Raikage not to execute Sasuke Uchiha for abducting Killer B, speaking arrogantly about not wanting Kumogakure and Konoha to kill each other, he was silenced by the Fourth Raikage's reply, "Wait until I kill Sasuke, then you can forgive me."
In the end, peace was achieved only through overwhelming force, and that world still did not truly change. After Naruto Uzumaki died, the Ninja World would still repeat the same cycle. Having witnessed countless wars and deaths, Hanzo understood this well, just as the later Sasuke Uchiha did.
They knew rationally that after so many wars, the Ninja World was filled with hatred, and people could not possibly understand or forgive one another. The only way was to use overwhelming power to end conflict, establish a new order, and rule the entire Ninja World. This was not an end, but a new beginning.
"As long as you can create so-called Tailed Beast weapons and gain the power to destroy a nation in an instant, those who crave war will hesitate out of fear," Hanzo said. "This will not bring true peace, but if such peace lasts for several generations, when those who hate because of war die off, there is hope for a new order."
Even if a new order could not be built, decades of peace would be enough. Even the once mighty Hashirama Senju maintained peace for only twenty years because he underestimated human desire. If Nagato could achieve several decades, Hanzo was willing to die and hand Amegakure over to him.
"But tell me," Hanzo demanded, staring hard at Nagato. "What are you hesitating over right now?"
"Then you tell me first," Nagato replied, his voice even more hoarse. "Have you ever regretted it?"
Hanzo paused for a brief moment and pressed his dry lips together. After killing Yahiko and destroying the Akatsuki, he had felt regret whenever he saw Amegakure without a successor. He had imagined that if he had kept Yahiko alive and taught him, there might still be hope for peace after his own death.
He knew there had been many choices back then, but under Danzo Shimura's temptation and his fear of death, he chose the worst one. He understood this clearly, but he would not say it. He only wanted Nagato to abandon all illusions about the great nations.
"I have no regrets."
His gaze passed through the distorted air to Nagato's inhuman eyes, and he spoke coldly without fear. "Even if I could choose again right now, I would still kill Yahiko and all of you."
"An Akatsuki clinging to naive fantasies would only drag the Land of Rain into the abyss. Yahiko's negotiations would never gain understanding or peace from the great nations. An Amegakure that loses its will to fight and shows weakness would only become livestock to be carved up."
"The only reason I am here is because I believe you, who possess those eyes, can lead Amegakure to a new future and bring peace to the Land of Rain. Nothing more."
Konan's tightly clenched fists began to tremble again, filled with a sense of powerlessness. She knew that Hanzo was not wrong. The naive girl she once was had died on that rainy night.
"You really deserve to die."
Nagato's tone lost its anger and returned to cold indifference as chilling Dojutsu Power surged outward. Konan swallowed, as if trying to form a sound, but only a thin, stifled breath escaped. The next sound, however, was not the blade piercing flesh.
Clang.
Clang.
A sharp crash of metal burst across the ground and echoed through the space.
The sudden sound made Konan, who had closed her eyes, flinch as she opened them to look. Under the sudden increase of Nagato's pulling force, the sickle blade slipped from Hanzo's hand and skidded away to a farther spot.
"Nagato, you…"
Hanzo frowned, feeling no joy at all, only deep Wang. If Nagato still chose to believe that Yahiko's so-called understanding could bring peace, then he was doomed to fail in leading Amegakure to true peace for the Land of Rain.
"Do not misunderstand me. I still hate you and I cannot forgive you, but…"
Nagato cut off what Hanzo was about to say, his voice calm to an extreme level of reason. "You are no longer an obstacle to me now. Killing you would have no meaning, nothing more than self-indulgence."
"I do not need pointless release of hatred. Letting you burn what little warmth and value you have left is the best choice for Akatsuki."
Hearing this, Hanzo and Konan felt their pupils tremble as they looked into Nagato's purple eyes. In those eyes, there was not the slightest ripple of emotion.
They were calm, rational, and detached. At this moment, he truly looked like a being that had cut away human emotion and impulse, a so-called god.
Nagato calmly watched the figure kneeling on the ground, once the hero and legend of Amegakure and even the Land of Rain. Although Hanzo never held the title of demigod, his name had long been a legend to countless people, one of the shinobi who stood at the peak in their hearts.
But in Nagato's eyes, this hero had become a new evil dragon after slaying the old one. The hero had grown old, his hand that once held a blade now weak and without belief, frightened by outside noise, hiding in the High Tower in a cowardly and withered state that was hard to look at.
With the coming Fourth Shinobi World War, if such a Hanzo continued to rule Amegakure, then the Land of Rain would surely fall into disaster during the war. That was why he ignored Zetsu's warning and came to kill this evil dragon.
It was not only for the hatred in his heart, but also because Hanzo was blocking the path. But now, things were different.
The Hanzo who was willing to believe him and even die for him was no longer an obstacle to his and Akatsuki's future. Instead, he could become an important aid to both him and Akatsuki.
Nagato had not forgiven Hanzo's past mistakes, and resentment still remained in his heart. He simply understood that the current Hanzo was more valuable alive, and killing him would only be a childish and meaningless outburst.
A god would not be ruled by hatred and make impulsive, reckless choices. For the peace he Wanged, no matter who or what stood in the way, everything could be sacrificed and everything could be cast aside.
This included his hatred. This even included himself.