Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Chapter 200 Nagato's Visit
The sight of Deidara before me was utterly pathetic. Not only were his clothes filthy, but his once meticulously groomed long blond hair was now stained with greasy grime and was also slightly curly and tangled. Judging from the four or five empty ramen bowls piled up beside him and the way he was still wolfing down his food, it was clear that this kid was starving.

That's understandable. Last time, when this kid ran away, he clearly made a careful plan and preparation, treating it as a trip. But this time, Deidara's escape seems like a spur-of-the-moment decision. Not only did he not make any preparations, but he also slashed off his headband before running away. Generally speaking, it is quite difficult for rogue ninjas to survive in the ninja world. Unless they are strong enough, it is already troublesome enough to deal with the attacks of those wandering ninjas who want to take the bounty from the underground gold exchange.

Besides, this kid probably didn't bring much money with him when he went out. As for stealing food? Deidara probably wouldn't have the guts to do that.

After Deidara finished his sixth bowl of ramen, soup and all, he let out a satisfied burp and slumped down at Kakashi's dining table.

At this moment, Jiraiya, who had come with Naruto, also saw the Iwagakure headband with a slash on it, which Deidara had probably tossed aside because it was in the way, and couldn't help but frown and say:
"A rogue ninja from Iwagakure? Naruto, how did you get involved with him?"

Jiraiya's expression was very serious. The fact that rogue ninjas should be killed by everyone was basically a consensus among ninjas in the ninja world. Not knowing the inside story, he naturally did not want Naruto to get involved in such a matter, especially since the one in front of him was a rogue ninja from Iwagakure, which was a great ninja village just like their Konoha.

"What traitorous ninja, what perverted sage? This is my older brother!" Naruto muttered somewhat discontentedly, then handed a glass of water to Deidara, who looked like he had eaten too much.

After Deidara took the drink and gulped it down, he finally let out a long sigh and said to Naruto, "Thanks, brother."

"How long has it been since you last ate?" Uchiha Touko couldn't help but ask upon seeing this.

“Three or four days,” Deidara said. “I left in such a hurry that I didn’t bring any money, and there were some annoying flies along the way. After getting rid of them, I had nowhere to replenish my supplies.”

"So what are you planning to do next?" Uchiha Touko asked.

“Of course I’m coming back to work,” Deidara said.

"Didn't your teacher arrange a job for you similar to the one you had in Konoha during those two years? Why did you have to defect?" Uchiha Touko asked.

"Don't mention this, it makes me angry!" Deidara said. "That old man started some kind of construction company, saying he wanted me to continue being a demolition engineer, but their construction engineers' artistic level is far inferior to that of Yamato. All they do is repair houses all day long. Making me their demolition engineer would be a pure insult to my art."

Uchiha Touko felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this. It seemed that Onoki only noticed that Konoha was making money off Deidara, without considering Deidara's feelings at all. When he was in Konoha, the construction projects he undertook were spectacular projects in the entire ninja world. But after returning, Onoki asked him to repair houses. This was like asking a master artist to paint soulless imitations. It was no wonder that Deidara, who had extremely high standards for art, could not accept it.

“However, it will be a bit difficult for you to come back to work.” At this moment, Uchiha Touko said with some difficulty, “If you hadn’t removed your village’s headband when you left, I could have tried to find a way to get you some kind of external technician status. But now you are a rogue ninja wanted by Iwagakure. Harboring rogue ninjas from other villages is equivalent to declaring war on that village.”

"What should we do then? Uncle Hokage, you can't just watch me get caught and taken back by that old man, can you?" Deidara said.

"How about I introduce you to a new job in a few days?" Uchiha Touko thought of Nagato, who would be coming to Konoha in a few days, and said, "Although the working environment and nature of the job may not be so good, they should not stop you from honing your art in your spare time."

"Then I'll leave it to Uncle Hokage." Deidara nodded. He wasn't picky about the conditions Uchiha Touko mentioned. As long as he could focus on his art, he would be happy to sleep under a bridge and eat pig feed.

"However, you should stay here and not go out during this time. Your teacher will be leading a team to Konoha in two days to participate in this year's Joint Chunin Tournament. If he catches you, I won't be able to help you."

"Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere during this time," Deidara quickly said.

……

Two days after Deidara was settled, the genin from the Land of Rain who came to participate in the joint Chunin Exams also arrived in Konoha. On the surface, the person leading them was Konan, who helped the Land of Waterfall fill the gap in high-level combat power in the past Waterfall-Earth War and successfully helped the Land of Waterfall resist the offensive of the Land of Earth, thus making a name for herself as an angel in the ninja world.

However, even the genin from Amegakure who came to participate in the Chunin Exams were unaware that a dark red-haired man mixed in with the Konoha villagers who had come to watch was their true leader. At this moment, Nagato was leaning against his wheelchair, watching Konan meet with Uchiha Touko.

"Your Excellency, I've long admired your name." Uchiha Touko smiled and extended his hand to Konan.

"I am the one who should say I've heard so much about you," Konan said with a smile, grasping Uchiha Touko's outstretched hand.

"In any case, welcome to everyone from the Land of Rain to Konoha for this Chunin Exam. I wish you all the best in achieving the results you desire," Uchiha Touko said with a smile. "In addition, Konoha has prepared a sumptuous banquet in the village to entertain all of you guests who have traveled from afar."

After saying that, Uchiha Tokō took the group from the Land of Rain to the high-class restaurant that Gato had opened in Konoha.

After treating the genin from the Land of Rain and the accompanying jonin leaders to a big meal, Uchiha Tokō prepared tea in the restaurant's tea room, awaiting the arrival of his true guests.

Before long, Gato personally led Konan and Nagato, who was sitting in a wheelchair and being pushed by Konan, into the secret tea room that Gato had reserved specifically for Uchiha Tokō.

After dropping the two off, Kado tactfully left. Inside the tea room, a faint incense wafted around. As Nagato was pushed in by Konan, the first thing he saw was Uchiha Touko, who was focused on brewing tea.

After a while, as the aroma of tea spread through the boiling water, Uchiha Touko poured tea into the two cups in front of him before looking up at the two of them. "Sorry to keep you waiting, please."

Nagato and Konan looked at the teacups that were brought to them, making no other move, simply watching Uchiha Touko silently. Uchiha Touko wasn't annoyed, and said with a smile, "It's been three years since we last parted ways in Kirigakure. During these three years, your Land of Rain has been closed off from the world. I wonder how your development has been during these three years."

"Thanks to the Hokage, things are alright," Nagato said calmly.

"Lord Nagato, what brings you to Konoha?" Seeing that Nagato didn't seem to have any intention of chatting with him, Uchiha Touko got straight to the point.

Nagato took a deep breath and said, "After leaving Kirigakure last time, although our Akatsuki organization suspended its activities in the ninja world, we have been paying close attention to your and Konoha's movements. I have a few questions that I hope Your Hokage can answer for me."

“Okay.” Uchiha Touko nodded, indicating that the other party could begin.

"Of the nine tailed beasts in the ninja world, four are now within your Konoha territory. I originally thought you intended to use the power of the tailed beasts to wage war, but after the Six-Tails lost its jinchūriki, you released it back into the wild at the Tailed Beast Nature Reserve established within the Land of Fire. Therefore, I would like to know Konoha's purpose in collecting the tailed beasts."

Upon hearing this question, Uchiha Touko smiled first, then looked at Nagato and asked, "Before answering your question, I'd also like to ask you something. Your Akatsuki organization must have wanted to collect the Tailed Beasts before, right? Now that the Five-Tails of Iwagakure is still in your hands, can you tell me what your purpose was in collecting the Tailed Beasts?"

“Deterrence,” Nagato said calmly. “I originally planned to use the power of all the tailed beasts after I gathered them all to make the great powers that want to start wars at will experience the pain that war brings. Only after experiencing the pain will everyone realize the value of peace, thus bringing peace to the ninja world. As for why I abandoned my plan…”

After saying that, Nagato looked at Uchiha Touko in silence.

In their last encounter, Uchiha Touko effortlessly withstood all of his attacks. His prized Six Paths of Pain were like toys in front of him. At that time, Nagato realized that even if he collected all the tailed beasts, he probably wouldn't be a match for Uchiha Touko, after all, the opponent possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan, which was the most effective counter to tailed beasts in the entire ninja world.

“This won’t work,” Uchiha Touko sighed.

Upon hearing this, Nagato gave Uchiha Touko a deep look before nodding.

Seeing Nagato's gaze, Uchiha Touko realized that the other party might have misunderstood him, so he added, "Even if I didn't exist in the ninja world, it would be impossible to achieve peace through such means."

"How do you know?" Nagato asked.

"Everything you've imagined is nothing more than what our village's First Hokage did back then. The First Hokage and Madara were truly dominant in the ninja world back then, and their will represented the will of the ninja world. They both wanted peace, so before they passed away, the ninja world experienced an unprecedented ten-year period of peace since the Warring States period. However, as you've seen, as soon as the First Hokage died, the First Shinobi World War immediately began."

“No, the consequences of your plan may be even more serious than before, because if you really succeed, what you created will not disappear because of your death. If the sword you forged falls into someone else's hands, can you guarantee that your successor will be as pure as you?” Uchiha Touko said.

Upon hearing this, Nagato fell silent.

Uchiha Touko is right. The reason he longs for peace is because he has truly experienced the pain of war. But what if he dies?
"Furthermore, I have another piece of advice for you: 'Possessing a powerful weapon breeds murderous intent.' Allowing someone who has never experienced the brutality of war to obtain the ultimate weapon you created is perhaps more dangerous than the war itself," Uchiha Touko said.

After Uchiha Touko finished speaking, a long silence fell over the tea room.

"Is there really no way to end this war in the ninja world?" After a long while, Nagato sighed helplessly.

“Let me answer your question first. Konoha is indeed collecting the Tailed Beasts, and like your Akatsuki organization, we have a plan to collect all the Tailed Beasts,” Uchiha Touko said. “As for the purpose of collecting the Tailed Beasts, it is for the peace of the ninja world.”

"For peace?" Nagato frowned slightly. "But I haven't seen any indication of your pursuit of peace in your country's actions. Whether it's your interference in the war between the Land of Waterfall and the Land of Earth, providing the Land of Waterfall with a lot of ninja tools, or your actions in the Land of Water, they don't seem like things a peace-loving force would do. You seem more like you're preparing for war."

"Nagato?" Konan wanted to remind Nagato, who seemed to be getting a little carried away, but Uchiha Touko waved his hand with a smile after hearing what he said.

“It’s alright,” Uchiha Touko said. “Mr. Nagato is right. Konoha has indeed been preparing for war all along, but that doesn’t change our goal: peace in the ninja world.”

Upon hearing Uchiha Touko's words, a hint of doubt appeared in Nagato's eyes.

"I wonder if Mr. Nagato has ever thought about the nature of war?" Uchiha Touko asked.

"The essence of war?" Nagato asked, frowning.

"Yes, war is a continuation of politics. In the three Shinobi World Wars, Konoha was always the one being besieged. Do you know why? Because their rulers coveted the fertile land of the Land of Fire. And in the Second Shinobi World War, the Land of Rain was chosen as the battlefield for the three-way battle between fire, earth, and wind. Do you know why? Because none of the rulers of these three countries wanted their homeland to suffer losses."

“Therefore, if the war cannot be resolved at this level, then peace will never come,” Uchiha Touko said.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Nagato asked after hesitating for a moment.

(End of this chapter)