The moonlight poured coldly over the ruins of the inn. The smell of blood that permeated the air was scattered by the wind. Only tense panting remained.
The faces of more than a dozen ninjas and samurai were filled with fear and a deep sense of powerlessness. Their gaze was fixed on Rika, who stood like a small mountain beside Haruki.
Looking at the fresh blood in the deep pit, their will to resist gradually vanished.
The ninja's words just now deeply touched Yahiko. He looked at these ninjas with no longer just simple anger in his eyes.
"In war, everyone lives a difficult life."
It's just that they were luckier, they met Jiraiya. If they hadn't met Jiraiya, perhaps they would have died long ago.
"But you shouldn't be fighting for those merchants. They don't care about your lives."
"Is the commission they offer you really enough to buy your lives?"
Yahiko was still angry, but the object of this anger was not the ninjas and samurai in front of him. Instead, it was those merchants, those who profited from the bloodshed of war.
The ninjas lowered their gaze. Yahiko's words were like a thorn piercing their hearts.
Of course not enough.
"We will not kill you."
Yahiko took another step forward, his voice was loud.
Open and honest.
Haruki: "..."
Was the decision-making power for this matter in Yahiko's hands?
"If we kill people like you, then our ideal of replacing violence with peace and confronting war with dialogue will be meaningless."
Yahiko turned slightly to look at Haruki, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
Seeing Haruki, a surge of power seemed to well up in Yahiko's heart. No matter how difficult it was, he would not give up on spreading their ideals throughout the Ninja World.
"We are war orphans, we grew up in the war-torn Land of Rain. We know better than anyone the consequences of war and slaughter."
"Mutual slaughter brings endless sorrow, displaced people, deep suffering, and ninjas and samurai like you, who are forced to struggle in mud and darkness, and even have to sell their souls and principles."
Yahiko's words were like heavy hammers, striking the hearts of every ninja and samurai. They clenched their fists, their eyes flickering.
How could they not understand?
It's just that for a long time, the pressure of survival and despair with reality made them choose numbness.
Haruki appropriately interjected, his gaze turning to the samurai clutching their sword hilts.
"The swords in your hands carry the legacy of loyalty and righteousness belonging to a samurai, protecting benevolence and courage. Your path is an upright path. But please ask yourselves, do your current actions still conform to the path of a samurai?"
In terms of Talk no Jutsu, Haruki was not weaker than Yahiko at all.
Yahiko's Talk no Jutsu emphasized sincerity, using earnest and genuine emotions to move people.
Haruki's Talk no Jutsu was about seeing through the other person's heart, striking precisely, and hitting their vital points.
"Acting as an accomplice to evil, bullying the weak—is this what your swords are for?"
"Shouldn't your swords be wielded to protect the weak, to cut down true evil?"
The deepest resentment and shame in the samurai's hearts instantly surfaced.
From the moment they first held a sword as children, they were filled with pride in their samurai identity.
But now...
Yahiko took a deep breath, his eyes shining with the light of an ideal. The light in his eyes was so fervent that it illuminated the pupils of the ninjas and samurai.
"For peace, to save all suffering people, we established the Akatsuki. Pure violence cannot bring true peace, it only breeds deeper hatred."
"We will use our power to eliminate war, to protect those ordinary people who cannot protect themselves!"
Yahiko's voice grew louder and louder, filled with infectious power.
Whenever he thought of his ideal, tears welled up in his eyes.
"We want to create a brand new world!"
"A world where great nations no longer arbitrarily toy with smaller nations, where children are no longer forced onto the battlefield, where there are no longer homeless people like you!"
Haruki's gaze slowly swept over everyone, his voice was gentle yet firm.
"I once had a dream of expelling the invaders from the Land of Rain. Now that dream has come true, not by my strength, but by the combined strength of everyone in Amegakure."
"The ideals of all people, when brought together, will form a terrifyingly powerful force. The existence of Akatsuki is also like this."
"Only with more and more like-minded companions who detest war and cherish peace joining will Akatsuki possess the true power to change the world."
"This power is to make those who try to rule everything with violence hear our voice, and be forced to sit down and listen to our ideals."
Haruki looked at each person in front of him, his gaze burning, and he extended his hand towards them.
"We need like-minded companions. Not subordinates, not tools, but companions who truly understand this ideal and are willing to fight for it together."
"We need your strength, and of course, your strength is not for meaningless slaughter. The power of Akatsuki is to break the chains of war, to open the path to peace."
Yahiko wiped away the tears of excitement from the corners of his eyes. He stood beside Haruki, also extending his hand to the people in front of him.
"Join us!"
"Let us together break this world full of hatred and create a new world where no more tears flow!"
A deathly silence enveloped the ruins.
The wind still blew.
The ninjas and samurai were stunned, the fear on their faces gradually receded.
Why were they no longer afraid?
Because people who could speak such words would not be cruel, bloodthirsty killers.
The fear in their hearts had long been replaced by deep shock.
A group of brats could actually say such things?
Their hearts pounded.
Hearts that had been silent for too long were eager to speak.
The ninjas and samurai stared blankly at Haruki and Yahiko, then looked at their companions who were also lost in thought.
They remembered their childhood. At that time, they were also naive children with fanciful dreams about the world. It was just that with the outbreak of war, they deeply buried the grand dream of changing the world in their hearts.
They thought of the battlefields strewn with corpses, thought of the merchants' disdain. They clenched their fists, their fingernails digging into their palms.
After a long while, they unclenched their fists, and exhaled a long, stuffy breath that had been held for too long. They raised their heads, their gazes no longer flickering, but filled with an unprecedented determination.
"I'll join you."
"I'll join you too!"
"And me..."
...
At this moment, countless souls drifting in the wilderness found their home.
(End of Chapter)
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