Chapter 209: The Collapse of Faith
The rain intensified.
The trio soon reached the entrance of the designated canyon. Yahiko came to a halt and turned to look at Pakura.
"I'm sorry, Pakura. There might be unknown risks this time. I shouldn't have dragged you into this danger with us."
Pakura shook her head. "What are you talking about? We're comrades."
Though she said it with a smile, she knew the situation perfectly well. Kitahara Kaede had previously hinted that she should evacuate early, but she hadn't left. Part of it was confidence in her own strength; the other part was a powerful intuition. As long as that man was watching from the shadows, she knew she would be absolutely safe.
Hearing this, Yahiko nodded solemnly and led the way down into the depths of the canyon.
High cliff walls towered over them on all sides. The three of them scanned the perimeter, but the area seemed deserted.
"What's going on...?"
Nagato started to speak, but the words died in his throat.
Suddenly, a dense crowd of figures appeared along the edges of the cliffs, where there had been nothing moments before. Ninjas dressed in the uniforms of the Hidden Rain Village stood there, looking down upon them, effectively trapping the three in the basin.
Yahiko looked up, feeling the weight of a hundred gazes.
"You? Lord Hanzo!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the canyon. "What is the meaning of this? We had an agreement! You said you wanted peace in the shinobi world—so what is this?!"
The figures on the cliff didn't react; they simply stared. Then, the crowd slowly parted to the sides.
Hanzo of the Salamander stepped forward, his face concealed behind a gas mask. Behind him, two Hidden Rain ninjas roughly shoved a captive forward. It was Konan. She was bound tightly, her blue-purple hair matted and clinging to her face. A scythe was pressed firmly against her throat.
"Yahiko! Nagato! Pakura!"
The moment Konan saw them, she struggled violently, her voice laced with desperation and worry. The ninja behind her slammed a hand onto her shoulder, forcing her back down.
Yahiko's breath hitched. He instinctively lunged forward.
Seeing this, Hanzo slowly moved his hand, and the scythe pressed a fraction closer to Konan's neck. Yahiko froze mid-step, not daring to move another inch.
Hanzo looked down at them with cold indifference.
"Yahiko," he began. "I truly had high hopes for you once. I thought you were a young man who understood how the world worked..."
Yahiko grit his teeth. "Lord Hanzo, I have always done exactly what was expected of me. I want this country to stop bleeding. I want everyone to be able to live in peace. Is that a crime?!"
Hanzo let out a cold sneer. "You've disappointed me."
He took a half-step forward. "On the surface, you preach peace, but in the shadows, you've been relentlessly expanding the influence of Akatsuki and buying the hearts of the people. Did you really think I wouldn't see through your ambition?"
"I..."
"Silence!" Hanzo interrupted. "You're simply using the guise of peace to strip me of my rule over the Land of Rain!"
Yahiko shook his head frantically. "I didn't! I never wanted power! Akatsuki's only goal was to stop the bloodshed in the Land of Rain!"
Hanzo didn't bother arguing. He looked at Yahiko and suddenly began to laugh—a harsh sound that pierced through the curtain of rain.
"Yahiko, do you honestly believe a few pretty words can change this world? Do you really think the Great Nations will just sit down and negotiate with you? You are far too naive."
He spoke slowly, each word like a hammer blow. "In the face of absolute power, your ideals are worthless."
Yahiko opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He looked at Hanzo, then back to Konan, whose terrified face was framed by the blade of the scythe.
'Am I... really wrong?'
Yahiko's lips trembled. 'Is it true that peace cannot be achieved without military force? Has my naivety failed to save this country... and instead endangered Konan?'
Standing behind him, Pakura watched Yahiko's shoulders begin to shake. She watched as the head that had always been held high by the strength of his ideals slowly, bit by bit, began to droop.
She remembered what Kitahara Kaede had told her in the mines: as long as the current hidden village system existed, tragedies would continue to repeat themselves.
Now, she was seeing it with her own eyes. A man who sincerely wanted to change everything was being crushed into powder by the weight of power. She finally understood what that man had meant.
The light in Yahiko's eyes faded. Despair shattered his final defenses. He looked up.
"Then... what do you want me to do to let Konan go?"
Hanzo took a kunai from one of his subordinates and tossed it down carelessly. The blade sliced through the rain and thudded into the ground right in front of Yahiko.
"Commit suicide with that kunai, and I will release her," Hanzo said casually. "This is the price for your treason."
"No!" Konan screamed, tears streaming down her face as she writhed frantically, trying to break her bonds. "Yahiko! Don't worry about me! Just run! Run away!"
Her voice cracked from the intensity of her scream.
Nagato gripped the kunai, the veins on his arms bulging. He took a step forward, preparing to charge.
"You bastard—!"
"Stop, Nagato!" Yahiko grabbed his arm, pulling him back.
Nagato froze. He watched as Yahiko leaned down and picked up the kunai from the mud.
Yahiko looked up at the weeping Konan on the cliff and forced a fragile smile.
"Konan," he said softly. "I'm sorry. I was too naive. If my life can buy yours, then maybe it's a fair trade."
He turned and gave Nagato a deep, lingering look.
"Nagato... take care of Konan for me."
Nagato's mind went blank. As he watched Yahiko's movements, a wave of pure panic submerged him. He could only watch in horror as Yahiko gripped the kunai with both hands and aimed it directly at his own heart.