Chapter 206: Shortcut to Paradise
Haruki displayed the most appropriate expression for the situation.
He froze. His eyes were filled with shock and confusion.
Nagato suddenly lifted his head, his Rinnegan sharply fixed on Aoki, with a hint of subtle vigilance.
"No one needs to be sacrificed?"
"Eternal peace and happiness?"
Haruki repeated the words that sounded like a fantasy coming from Aoki’s mouth, his brows slightly furrowed.
"How can such a method exist?" Haruki looked at Aoki suspiciously.
Even the Akatsuki couldn’t guarantee that there would be no sacrifices on the path to promoting peace in the future.
Nagato frowned. The bodies and blood on the battlefield from last night were still vivid in his mind, making such an almost utopian idea seem so unreal.
"It does!" Aoki’s tone suddenly became urgent.
He nodded vigorously, repeating with certainty, "It does."
Aoki leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I... I once saw some fragmented records in an ancient book."
"It mentioned a Ninjutsu, a Ninjutsu so powerful it was beyond imagination, almost God’s power."
Aoki’s eyes glowed slightly with excitement, and his face showed an indescribable awe and fear.
Haruki: "..."
Ancient book?
Was that ancient book called "Naruto"?
Or was the ancient book named Black Zetsu or Madara?
Who would believe that?
Haruki muttered in his heart, his face still showing a look of skepticism.
"This Ninjutsu is said to be able to connect to the moon, projecting an incredibly powerful Chakra onto the moon’s surface, and then..."
Aoki paused, staring intently at Haruki, and said solemnly, word by word, "Then, through the moon, the light of this Ninjutsu will cover the entire earth."
Haruki: "..."
He looked at Nagato, keenly catching a hint of killing intent in Nagato’s eyes.
Haruki rubbed his eyes, suspecting he had seen wrong.
Who did Nagato want to kill?
Aoki?
How did Nagato’s way of solving problems become so violent now?
Aoki continued speaking, "Anyone who sees that moonlight..."
A hint of intoxication flashed in Aoki’s eyes. He seemed drunk, or as if he had fallen into a dream.
"Anyone who sees the moonlight, all their desires and thoughts about war, hatred, and conflict will be completely purified, replaced by an incredibly strong yearning for happiness and peace."
"From then on, there will be no more strife, no more killing in the world. Everyone will achieve true, eternal peace."
Aoki finished speaking.
A deathly silence fell over the table.
Haruki stared at Aoki, thinking that this child had been thoroughly deceived.
It’s an illusion, not purification?
What has Madara and Black Zetsu conned Aoki into?
Fortunately, Haruki held the script. No matter how hard Madara and Black Zetsu tried, they would never have guessed that Haruki was the man with the script.
Under Aoki’s expectant gaze, Haruki slowly shook his head, his voice soft but with an undeniable firmness. "No, Aoki. This sounds... this is clearly a Genjutsu."
"Using powerful force to forcibly distort everyone’s will, eradicating all strife and negative emotions, leaving only so-called happiness and peace?"
Haruki’s brows furrowed even tighter, and his tone became agitated. "What’s the difference between that and being a manipulated puppet?"
"Such a world, seemingly beautiful, is actually a desolate desert of death."
"Without true emotions, without the freedom to choose, what meaning does such happiness have?"
Nagato looked at Haruki, his tightly furrowed brows relaxing.
[Ding!]
[System detected Nagato’s Faith Value +5000]
[Your Cursed Spirit Suguru’s rank has risen to 75.8%]
"That is not true peace!" Haruki’s voice rose slightly.
"That is just the most powerful violence, an eternal hypnosis imposed on the entire world! It is false! It is self-deception!"
Haruki looked directly into Aoki’s stunned eyes and said, word by word, "What I want is not a beautiful dream woven by Genjutsu."
"What I want is for people to truly, from the bottom of their hearts, recognize the cruelty and foolishness of war, to learn to understand, tolerate, and communicate, and to break the chains of hatred with their own will and wisdom, to build a real peace with their own hands!"
[Ding!]
[System detected Nagato’s Faith Value +5000]
[Your Cursed Spirit Suguru’s rank has risen to 79.3%]
"Even if it takes a very, very long time, even if the process is incredibly difficult, even if there will be countless sacrifices along the way..."
Haruki’s gaze was incredibly firm. "I will stick to my approach! Because that is true change! Not replacing one form of coercion with another!"
Aoki opened his mouth, wanting to retort. He wanted to tell Haruki, "You’re too naive," and "The essence of humanity will never change," but looking at Haruki’s clear and resolute eyes, those words got stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken.
Aoki’s emotions were extremely complex. He felt an inexplicable irritation and disappointment, as if seeing a foolish child reject a shortcut to paradise, insisting on treading a muddy path full of thorns.
But on the other hand, Haruki’s uncompromising pursuit of truth in his words also gave him a shock to his soul.
Aoki fell silent, looking out the window with a complex gaze.
It’s okay, he had plenty of time. One day, Haruki would understand him.
Haruki had not yet experienced heartbreaking loss. Once he went through that day, he would, like him, choose the path without bloodshed and sacrifice.
Nagato looked at Haruki, a glimmer in his Rinnegan.
He trusted Haruki. He would always trust him.
Haruki stared at Aoki, narrowing his eyes. Following Madara and Black Zetsu’s smooth combo to manipulate Obito, next, the two of them should target the people around him.
The people around him?
Jiraiya, Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, and reluctantly, Hanzō.
Nagato was ruled out first. Madara couldn’t kill his revival card.
Jiraiya and Hanzō were also ruled out, they were too troublesome to kill. Old man Madara couldn’t kill them either.
Only Yahiko and Konan remained.
Those two tragic children.