Outside, three small figures, drenched by rain and shivering from the cold and hunger, slowly approached the farmhouse.
"Excuse me, could you give us something to eat?"
A small boy with short, dark-golden hair stepped forward, his eyes full of helplessness, looking hopefully at Takuya and the others.
These newcomers were none other than Yahiko, the future leader of the Akatsuki, accompanied by Konan and Nagato, who kept his head down, making it hard to see his face.
What a small world, Takuya thought.
Seeing the three of them—shivering, emaciated, and pale—Takuya nodded and said:
"Come on in. We've got some rice and roasted snake meat. If you're not afraid, you can have some."
"Really?"
Yahiko's eyes lit up immediately.
Minato and Nawaki exchanged cautious glances, signaling Takuya to be careful.
You couldn't blame them for being so wary.
After all, in the dangerous and treacherous world of Naruto, many children were trained from a young age to become skilled spies.
It was a common occurrence.
Some children, as young as five or six, had already killed their comrades, standing out from the rest.
Don't worry, Takuya reassured them, beckoning Yahiko and his friends inside.
"We're really going to have something to eat," Yahiko said joyfully, pulling Konan and Nagato along with him into the farmhouse, bowing gratefully to Takuya. "Thank you for giving us food."
Konan seemed a bit shy, appearing somewhat nervous, while Nagato tensed up as soon as he saw the Konoha headbands on Takuya and the others, remembering his parents.
The sound of them devouring the food made Takuya shake his head.
Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato didn't even care if the food was too hot; they just wanted to fill their bellies as quickly as possible.
Takuya had once thought that Tsunade ate like a refugee, but after watching Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato eat, he realized that Tsunade's eating habits were nothing in comparison.
At least Tsunade knew to blow on her food to avoid burning herself.
War…
With a sigh, Takuya tried to comfort them:
"Eat slowly. If it's not enough, I can prepare some more. Be careful not to burn your stomachs; that could be fatal. And don't eat too much at once."
Konan paused, her dirty little hands holding a clump of rice in one hand and a piece of meat in the other. Her eyes instantly reddened, and the next moment, she broke down in tears.
It seemed that Takuya's kindness, after so long without anyone showing concern for them, had made the usually more sensitive Konan lose control.
Yahiko forced an awkward smile, while Nagato continued eating, though at a slower pace.
Unable to bear it, Nawaki pulled out some dry rations: "You can take these with you. If you're hungry later, eat them slowly."
"Thank you," Yahiko replied, his voice trembling with emotion, tears welling up in his eyes.
The three of them had been wandering for a long time, encountering other ninja from different villages along the way.
But they didn't dare get close to them because those people were too fierce.
Some even killed civilians who asked for food, not sparing even the children.
Minato silently offered some of his dry rations.
All he could do was share a portion of his own rations with them.
After the three had finished eating, Takuya said to them:
"There's a wardrobe in the back. You can look through it to find some clean clothes.
You'd better change into something dry, or you'll get sick.
In times like these, you know what getting sick could mean, right?"
"Damn it!"
As Yahiko and the others went to the back room to find clothes, Nawaki couldn't help but punch the floor in frustration and curse:
"This damned war!"
"You shouldn't curse the war but those who started it."
Takuya shot him a glance, throwing two more logs onto the fire, causing a thick, choking smoke to rise.
It was hard to find dry firewood in the Land of Rain, while soaked logs were everywhere, and burning them produced a lot of smoke.
"I…"
Nawaki opened his mouth but didn't know who to curse.
Some people just couldn't be cursed casually, like the higher-ups of the village. After all, it was the leaders of Konoha who started the war, so cursing them would mean cursing everyone involved.
After a long struggle, Nawaki could only stomp his foot in frustration.
"Do we really have to go to war? Is fighting the only option?
Why can't problems be solved through negotiation?"
In the back room, now wearing clean but oversized clothes, Yahiko perked up his ears to eavesdrop.
"Why do you get to live in the resource-rich Land of Fire, in the militarily powerful Konoha?"
"Why were you born with things that many people spend their entire lives striving for?"
"Why do some people work hard their whole lives but never achieve their dreams or goals?"
"Wake up, will you?"
Takuya gave Nawaki a light kick, snapping at him:
"If negotiations could solve problems, what would we need fists for?"
"…"
Am I really that naive? Nawaki thought, rolling his eyes, feeling stuck between embarrassment and frustration.
Minato couldn't help but chuckle because he also thought Nawaki's words were unrealistic.
Rather than hoping for no war, it would be better to hope that he could become the Hokage someday.
Becoming Hokage was a goal that could be pursued, but world peace? That was nearly impossible.
Seeing the awkward expression on Nawaki's face, Minato was reminded of his younger self.
He had once asked Takuya similar questions, only to be left speechless, questioning his own beliefs.
"Sir, is war truly unavoidable?" Yahiko, who had been quietly listening, couldn't help but step forward. He cautiously approached, standing respectfully in front of Takuya.
This is unbelievable, Takuya thought. Three idealists in one room.
Nawaki was like this, Minato had been the same in the past, and now Yahiko seemed even more persistent than both of them.
Thinking about the foolish actions of the Akatsuki, Takuya felt a pang of anxiety for Yahiko.
I wonder if Jiraiya-sensei put them under some kind of spell.
As for Yahiko's question, Takuya replied:
"Fists are justice, strength is truth. Instead of hoping others won't start wars, you should focus on increasing your own strength. Intimidate everyone, make them fear you, so they wouldn't dare start a war.
This way, you achieve peace too, just by different means."
Fists are justice, strength is truth?
Yahiko was bewildered, his mind completely thrown off by Takuya's words.
If the technology of this world hadn't gone astray, Takuya would have told them that cannons are justice, and the size of the barrel is the truth!
Seeing Yahiko's confused expression, Nawaki couldn't help but tug on Takuya's sleeve, whispering:
"Don't corrupt the kid."
Corrupt the kid?
Takuya was puzzled. I'm still a kid myself!
He looked up at Nawaki with a sideways glance and said:
"Your grandfather did the same thing. Because he was the God of Shinobi, his fists were big enough, his strength was overwhelming, and the entire ninja world didn't dare provoke him. That's why the ninja world was peaceful at that time."
Why are we suddenly talking about my grandfather?
I… wait a minute!
Nawaki was about to complain but suddenly froze in realization.
***********
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