The Tenth Akatsuki

Epilogue

My mother and father protected me throughout the Second Shinobi World War that the Hidden Leaf started. I remembered the day so vividly when I left my parents, but I wanted to help those that were suffering, I didn't want to be selfish. I'll never forget the first time I met Konan, how polite she was. I couldn't stop thinking about her, I had romantic feelings towards Konan, which were reciprocated. 

Yahiko, my trainer, he was someone that questioned reality, but he had a good heart. Konan was very empathetic towards Yahiko, and she was willing to protect anyone that was suffering. There was also the time when I met Nagato, someone that stood strong behind his ideals, and so did Yahiko. Yahiko never lost hope - he was always so compassionate, and empathized with mistakes. There was an unfortunate day when we all felt pain, the internal darkness uncontrollably intruding into our lives. It made me so furious - why was this happening to us?! Our minds exploded into disarray, and our enemies continued to uphold the advantage. 

It was Jiraiya Sensei and his two comrades, as the story about Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan's life before meeting me was told. Konan told me the tale after Pain killed Jiraiya, and I couldn't help thinking just how lucky I was to have two parents. Jiraiya's opponent was Hanzo, leader of the Hidden Rain. The battle raged on. Konan told me just how scared Yahiko was, which surprised me at the time that the leader and founder of the Akatsuki was ever scared! Yahiko was very determined though, usually thinking about the mission first. This made him very upset, he was too young with too much pressure on his hands. He knew how imperative missions were to achieving peace, but he took all of the pressure as a leader upon himself that everyone returns safely. He also questioned his decisions a lot, often taking the blame, and filling his conscious with guilt to the brink of insanity as he accused his failures with his own mental stupidity. In a way he was mentally destroying himself, first taking the blame, then getting upset, and finally promising that he will fix his behavior and change the world. Yahiko was almost always the one to take initiative and make decisions, and Konan told me that when it was just the three of them fighting for survival it was a good thing, because Yahiko saved them by keeping them intact. 

Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato later found Jiraiya Sensei. Konan showed her sign of appreciation to the Hidden Leaf by giving them a paper flower as a sign of peace. Jiraiya wanted the three to go with Tsunade temporarily, and when Jiraiya returned he would stay in Amegakure and take care of the three of them. Soon after, a certain incident took place. Yahiko was attacked by the Hidden Rain, and Nagato noticed for the first time that he possessed a special power, the Ocular Jutsu known as the Rinnegan. 

Three years passed. By training with Yahiko and meeting Konan and Nagato, I felt that I had grown stronger physically and mentally through training. Long ago, people constantly fought. Wars never ended. It was an age far worse than today. Sensei entrusted Nagato with the quest for peace, and then left us by ourselves. With Yahiko as our leader, we began to take action. Our organization quickly gained fame. We agreed to cooperate with his proposal, but that was the beginning of all of our misfortunes. We were naive children. Because of that, Yahiko died. 

It was all a trap laid by Hanzo. He suspected that we would steal his power over the Hidden Rain from him. The following day, we went to a certain location to make arrangements. Hanzo's subordinates and the Leaf's Anbu Black Ops were already there. 

"Your organization is a nuisance to me. You are the leader, so you must die. You! The red haired one. Use that to kill Yahiko. Hurry it up. Or do you want this woman to die?! Kill them! Did we get him? Those eyes - what - is that?! So you were the leader behind the scenes. Teleportation Jutsu!" yelled Hanzo. 

Yahiko died - since that day, countless comrades fought and died. The peace addled citizens of the Land of Fire - Nagato thought the peace great nations enjoy only exists precariously atop the sacrifices of us small nations. I disagreed, thinking more about Yahiko's ideal of true peace, I believed it existed as I kept trying by Konan's side. On the other hand, Nagato believed more of Obito's ideals, corrupting them with his own, like Nagato was Obito's puppet, standing next to Nagato as he mentored him, enclosing him in his manipulations. Obito influenced Nagato to believe that true peace cannot exist in this cursed world. Pain killed Jiraiya because Nagato believed that everything Jiraiya Sensei said is wishful thinking! 

I wanted to save Jiraiya, but Konan knew that it was safer for me to stay somewhere else and away from the fighting rather then engaging in my own emotions. Konan was the one that forced me to stay at the Akatsuki base while Pain locked me in a Genjutsu, because she knew that if she decided to let me get all emotional and let me be a hero, then she might've never seen me again. Instead, Konan decided to replace my anger with love. 

War inflicts death, injury, and pain to both sides. It especially can't be helped with generation. Don't know war. An unbearable hatred - eternal hatred - and pain that does not heal. I believe in true peace.