The clamor was incessant. Many people were already drunk and staggering, their bellies bulging from eating.
Fortunately, there wasn't even a shadow of a person in this desolate wilderness; otherwise, they would have been discovered long ago.
This celebration had been prepared for a long time. Konan had put in a lot of effort. The purchased wine and drinks were simply inexhaustible. Coupled with a ninja within Akatsuki named Nobusuke who cooked excellently, the overall cost was actually not high.
A carnival. As the main character, Nagato had long been drunk into oblivion on the ground. Fortunately, the teenager didn't go crazy the first time he drank; otherwise, if Shinra Tensei went berserk, today would have been fun.
There was also an interlude during the carnival. Everyone in Akatsuki was very interested in the true face under Otonashi's mask. Some thought he was severely injured, while others believed Lord Pain was too ugly and deliberately hid it.
So, during the carnival, countless people, emboldened by alcohol, tried to uncover the truth. Various methods like tackling, splashing drinks, slipping cake hands, were all used, eventually evolving into a cake-smashing contest.
Unfortunately, Otonashi had anticipated this and dodged everything. When eating, he only lifted his mask slightly to reveal his chin. As for being dragged to drink, he firmly refused.
It wasn't that he was deliberately acting cool, but there was a real reason.
'Nonsense, I just turned thirteen. Minors are not allowed to drink alcohol.'
Otonashi, who organized the coming-of-age party for others, turned out to be several years younger himself. He estimated others thought he was thirty-three, but the fact was just so.
He was still a handsome teenager, not a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard.
The damp night wind blew away the stuffiness inside the cave. Otonashi stood at the escape opening high up, gazing at the vast land.
The wilderness was already enveloped by the night curtain. He walked to the edge of the cliff and said:
"You guys go. I'll handle it here."
As soon as his voice fell, a camouflage cloth was removed from the rock wall, and two ninjas walked out. With Otonashi's caution, naturally, not everyone would revel.
Hearing the commotion inside, the two rotating hidden sentries were already impatient. They gratefully bowed to Otonashi and went to catch the last train [of the party], looking like they absolutely had to get those mischievous friends drunk to death.
Standing at the highest point, everything within dozens of li was in full view. Finding a protruding rock to sit on, Otonashi supported his head with one hand, overlooking the night scene.
Faint sounds of laughter, noise, and pleas of 'I can't take it anymore' reached his ears. Looking at the vast land again, there was a fantastical feeling.
In Konoha, he was a high-level cannon fodder pushed step by step. But here, he was the king, the king who changed others' destinies.
A displacement of identity. It seemed he could exert his abilities more here. Even the wind felt freer.
'Might as well just not go back to Konoha. Anyway, I'm already considered missing.'
A thought suddenly emerged in his mind, a tempting thought, like floodwater breaking a dike, unstoppable.
Here, he could do whatever he wanted. Those Bosses' destinies changed at his whim.
The sense of dominance, the sense of satisfaction, the transmigrator's sense of self-importance—these thoughts washed over him like waves. Just as Otonashi's eyes gradually lost focus, he suddenly stood up.
"But doing this is wrong!"
If he had arrived here right after transmigration, no, if he had met Nagato and the others three years ago, Otonashi would definitely have chosen to walk with them.
But what had he experienced these past three years? What had he seen along this path?
There were hundreds of battles, geniuses and mediocrities struggling in pools of blood; there was darkness under the light, people spouting lofty ideals while doing dirty deeds; there were friends and acquaintances passing away one after another, leaving only lonely tombstones.
Fourteen years. He was no longer that curious transmigrator, nor was he just a survivor seeking strength.
A true man living in the world must achieve something. How could the two lives given by heaven be for him to indulge in the happiness before him?
Wiping the blood from the blade, stepping over endless bones, this long road lay ahead, actually making Otonashi reveal a self-mocking smile.
With my power, change this world, rather than being a cold bystander, regretting these wasted years in old age.
'Akatsuki' was just a component of the plan. It was far from enough to achieve the goal of changing the world.
"Still need to strive with all my might, grasp that sliver of opportunity."
His flickering eyes finally stabilized, casting aside that comfortable thought.
He needed not only 'Akatsuki', but also Konoha, and even the power of like-minded people across the entire world!
"Eh, Pain is hiding here?" A voice came from behind. Yahiko, smelling faintly of alcohol, staggered over.
"Today's excitement belongs to everyone. I relieved the hidden sentries." Otonashi replied lightly.
"Then I'll stay here and enjoy the breeze with you too." Yahiko sat on the edge of the cliff. The cold wind blew, sobering him up quite a bit. He chuckled embarrassedly, "Anyway, Nagato was drunk under the table by me."
Otonashi didn't speak, just sat beside him. The two overlooked the dark land together.
This silence lasted for quite a while before Yahiko suddenly said, "Thanks for today."
"Mm."
Seeing the brief response, Yahiko rolled his eyes and said in a low voice, "Actually, from the beginning, I was somewhat wary of you."
"I know. You managed to survive the war with Konan and Nagato; you couldn't possibly be that naive."
"But now I've changed my view." The teenager, who had seen countless ugly sides of the world, suddenly smiled: "You don't simply want to use Nagato's power."
"Isn't today's event about getting closer to you all? To make better use of you in the future."
"Hahaha, the best way to use Nagato is to kill me or Konan, then frame someone else. With your eloquence, Nagato would absolutely follow you devotedly, even daring to wage war against the Five Kage!" Yahiko laughed loudly, seeming to have figured out Nagato's temperament.
This laughter lasted for a moment. Yahiko's face turned serious, and he said solemnly, "But you didn't. You are truly trying to change Nagato, change me, change Konan, change everyone in this organization."
Otonashi didn't point out the logical loophole in the other's words, merely asking back, "Want to know why?"
"Yes!"
"Because of magnanimity (qìliàng: tolerance, breadth of mind, capacity)."
"Magnanimity?" Yahiko blinked, seeming to understand yet not fully grasp it.
"Those who aim for the world, how can they rely solely on conspiracies and tricks? False things are always false, just like how we revealed our goal upon first meeting." Otonashi looked at this equally charismatic teenager and stood up proudly.
"On the path of seeking the Way, what I need are followers who willingly follow, not partners deceived by conspiracies and tricks!"
Seek common ground while reserving differences. Those who approve of the idea can overcome any difficulty. Deceived strong individuals? They'll be too busy with infighting.
"Willing followers? I think I somewhat understand." Yahiko nodded. Weren't Konan and Nagato just like that? It was just that his relationship developed from friendship to kinship.
His gaze flickered, and he asked again, "Like a standard-bearer, uniting everyone's beliefs—is this your Nindō (Ninja Way)?"
"Nindō?" Otonashi repeated the word, then suddenly laughed: "Treat others with benevolence (仁道 - réndào), act with the kingly way (王道 - wángdào), conquer with the hegemon's way (霸道 - bàdào). The methods change according to different people. But if measured by a lifetime, it's far more than this—"
Dawn broke. The dark horizon changed from pale blue to pale yellow, then turned crimson, deep red, golden red. Then, a red morning sun leaped out.
Otonashi gazed at that sun, his whole body dyed gold. He reached out his hand, as if grasping the dawn.
The rivers and mountains are so beautiful.
"Such a world under heaven, how can our generation remain unknown?!"