XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Yahiko's POV (Lair of God - Village Hidden in the Rain)
Early Evening
People were predictable creatures. Reactive to their very core, most spent their lives responding: repaying kindness, cursing cruelty, and pursuing justice. It all was a circular way of life that resulted in frequent, repeated outcomes, one of which was war.
Yahiko stood in the rain, allowing it to soak his robes fully. He had come to love the constant downpour of his home village. The water was clean and wiped away the filth. Rain was pure. It was fitting that their homeland built homes that reached for the heavens. He hoped the downpour brought them the peace it brought him.
The war was something more; Yahiko had seen some himself. It was something more significant than the mere human lives it cost. An ancient and all too human ritual. It could be waged over hate, politics, revolution, fear, love. And yet, it always resulted in the same ending. There would be a victor and the defeated, the conqueror and the conquered, but it was inevitable only devastation, death, and despair would be spread after. Those who arranged such would benefit greatly; those spared were left ignorant of the hell they narrowly avoided. The world always seemed to move on…
But the victims of war, the innocent and guilty alike, ravaged and tainted for years to come, were stuck. The wounds and scars of the past would weigh on them from then on. Helpless to escape the cruel, meaningless life they were left with. Yahiko had experienced it himself, after all. That wound left would be remembered even by them by the defeated and cursed. Even if the two parties made peace afterward, it set the seeds. War was never truly over. Another would always be waged; if not from the one trapped in hatred from before, a new one would be born. Humans seek to always choose to relive past mistakes.
There had been a period in which Yahiko doubted what he had learned. With the lack of care or eyes on their village, it was shockingly easy for Yahiko to move discreetly, placing flawless spies within nearly every hidden town to keep track of international affairs. Over a decade ago, his spies had learned of an exciting move made by the Hokage.
The old fool had somehow managed to create a tense standstill to combat between the Five Hidden Villages. Somehow, the old decrepit fool had done it. While his sources spoke of the peace being paper thin, Yahiko had been shocked to see a relic of the past finally achieve his own goal. He had been no fool, of course. Yahiko had spent the past years waiting and preparing for it to break. But he had nearly lost faith that such was necessary. Perhaps his dream was merely an unneeded and unrealistic pipe dream.
But the new information gathered had shattered that small hope. His spies had confirmed quite the turbulent decision made by the Raikage. Bounties had been placed upon the new generation of shinobi, ones that had prospered during the standstill. His intention was clear: to stir up controversy and tension to lead to a grave decision. It seemed he was preparing to end this peace; he was getting ready for war.
"It pains me to see they have thrown away the potential new world they had created." Nagato bitterly spat. "The bastards finally wise up to the needless waste of war, only to willingly relapse to their violence." He and Konan had emerged within the building. They lacked his love of rain but were used to speaking.
"It is nothing we didn't already know," Konan added. "The people of this world can't be blamed for their suffering. The current leaders and the influence of the people's world doom are the ones who repeat this dark pattern. Besides, this saves us some effort."
"The jinchuriki." Yahiko sighed heavily at the thought. "It pains me to target the people affected by this broken world. But they represent the very flaws of it…"
"It is unavoidable, Yahiko." Konan decided with ease, his face and body portraying none of the stress it brought him. "They are needed for our plan to ever work."
"It brings me discomfort as well, brother." Nagato chimed in. "But it is just as you had declared before. To bathe this world from sin, we must embrace them ourselves…"
The three of them had survived countless bouts, tackled endless problems, successfully assassinated Hanzo, and replaced him as leaders; they had even formed their newest force for their vision together. It was their unity that gave them strength. Yahiko was their leader. It was his passion that inspired him; Nagato was their heart. He felt the pain of others deeply and
ensured they never would become the monsters they sought to destroy; Konan was their balance; when either of them fell short or lost vision, she guided them back.
"It seems the time we suspected will come soon. With this pressure placed upon each village, tensions will surely rise. Konan has Kakazu hire missing shinobi and bandits to target these new bounties. Increasing the payload and offering them assistance should ensure we accelerate the shattering of this false peace."
"Of course, Yahiko, though the greedy man will demand that we refrain from paying. Knowing him, he's likely to hunt him down to rebuild lost funds." Konan replied.
"Such is fine; his skill and financial ability were why we acquired him anyway," Yahiko said. "Nagato, I need you to have Sasori's spies keep an eye on this jinchuriki and get us as much information as possible."
"Understood," Nagato replied evenly. "Naruto Uzumaki, Gaara of the Sand, and Fuu of the Waterfall, our information regarding them was scarce before. With the new bounties in place, however, gathering information should be simple."
"Excellent. I also intend to send Kisame and Juzo to wage chaos in the Mist. If we do this correctly, we can weaken and distract the great villages. Leaving them helpless to even realize we are the true threat… for the New Dawn!"
"For the New Dawn!"
"For the New Dawn!"