Qianyu felt a flicker of strangeness upon hearing the white snake's claim.
The Great White Snake Sage… knew Yahiko was there?
Based on what Qianyu knew, the Sage was capricious, finicky, unpredictable, and a pain to deal with. Not to mention, utterly malicious at heart. Qianyu had been prepared this whole time to be reverse-summoned back to Ryūchi Cave at any moment. If the situation hadn't been right, he never would have let the snake take Yahiko there in the first place.
So if the Sage knew… why would it tolerate an un-contracted human just hanging around its domain?
Weird.
But he didn't dwell on it. "You've worked hard," he told the snake. "You can stop now. Spit him out."
Yahiko was unceremoniously deposited onto the floor once more.
"All done, Qianyu-sama. Don't forget our little arrangement, yes? I'll be returning now."
Qianyu nodded. "I won't forget. Go ahead."
The snake vanished in a puff of smoke.
Qianyu crouched beside Yahiko, his nose wrinkling in disgust. The kid was covered in a thick, glistening slime that reeked of foul fish and stagnant water. He checked Yahiko's vitals. Weak, but stable. No immediate danger.
He reached for the edge of Yahiko's shirt, intending to check the wound.
A hand shot up and clamped around his wrist.
Qianyu looked down. Yahiko stared back, eyes wide and confused.
"What… are you doing?" Yahiko's voice was hoarse.
Without a change in expression, Qianyu released the fabric. "Nothing."
Yahiko blinked, taking in their surroundings. "Where… is this? Where's the Divine Messenger?"
Qianyu's eye twitched. Divine Messenger? He really bought that act, huh?
"That 'snake' wasn't any divine messenger," Qianyu explained flatly. "It's my summon."
Yahiko's eyes went wider. "Your… summon?! Then that means…"
"Yeah. You're alive. Not dead."
A moment of stunned silence. Then, Yahiko's gaze sharpened. Focused.
His other fist rocketed toward Qianyu's face.
Qianyu's free hand snapped up, catching the punch with effortless ease. A twist, a shift of weight, and Yahiko was pinned face-down on the floor.
Yahiko struggled, furious. "I know you! You were standing next to Danzō that day!"
Qianyu scratched his cheek. This is annoying. "Hey. I saved your life."
"Saved me? You captured me!"
"Tch. Just like the snake said. An idiot." Qianyu's voice was laced with contempt. "Capture you? What value do you have right now? And if I hadn't held back then, Nagato and Konan would be dead already. You thought your suicide would make Hanzo spare them? Hanzo never intended to let any of you three walk away. Not from the start."
Yahiko stopped struggling. He lay there, brow furrowed. "What… happened? What are you talking about?"
Qianyu laid it all out for him: the trap, Hanzo's true intentions, the Leaf's deal.
Yahiko's resistance faded. Qianyu released his hold and sat back in a chair.
Yahiko pushed himself up, hands clutching his head. "Why? Why would he…? Lord Hanzo also desired peace for the shinobi world… Why betray us?"
"Because your Akatsuki stepped on too many important toes," Qianyu said from his seat.
Yahiko looked at him, lost. "Stepped on… toes? But isn't peace in the best interest of the majority?"
Qianyu let out a short, derisive laugh. "You're supposed to be the leader of an organization. How are you still this naive? Sure, peace benefits the majority. But you need to understand—that majority is controlled by a very small group of people. Threaten that small group's interests, and you threaten the entire system they rule over. You become a threat to everyone under their control."
Yahiko's eyes remained clouded with confusion.
Qianyu sighed, thinking of a simpler way to explain. "Let's start with Hanzo. Easiest to understand. Your Akatsuki's existence threatened his rule."
"But we never wanted to rule anything!" Yahiko protested.
Qianyu smirked. "You didn't. But your actions forced him to think you did. An organization growing in his village, outside his control? No ruler tolerates that. Your ranks swelled with Rain shinobi—his shinobi. In his eyes, they betrayed him. You tell me, how could he possibly let you keep going? Honestly, the fact he didn't crush you the moment you formed is a testament to his patience."
Yahiko's mouth opened, then closed. "We… we really didn't mean it like that…" he mumbled.
Qianyu ignored the muttering. "Now, why the Leaf cooperated. This war's been dragging on for years. Things are in a stalemate now, but one thing's clear: every major village has taken losses. No one's gained anything. You know why it started, right? The Land of Fire is too rich. Iwa and Kumo teamed up to carve off a piece."
He leaned forward slightly. "But they failed. Konoha's situation improved. After all that pressure, all those losses, you think they'd just call for peace now? No way. Konoha wants payback. They want to squeeze benefits out of the rest of this war to recoup their losses. If peace breaks out now, how do they get that back? So an unpredictable element like your 'peace-loving' Akatsuki? In Konoha's eyes, you're a loose thread that needs cutting."
He paused, watching Yahiko's dazed expression, then took a sip of water. "But even if it wasn't Konoha, your 'peace talks' were doomed from the start. Iwa started this war to gain something. They haven't gained it. Why would they agree to peace now? And with the Third Kazekage of Suna missing… if you push for talks now, everyone will suspect your Akatsuki killed him to create the opportunity. No matter how you slice it, the moment your Akatsuki seriously pushed for peace, your fate was sealed. Annihilation."
Yahiko just stared. His world was crumbling.
He'd truly believed… if people just talked, understood each other's pain, they could find common ground. Who would want war?
But listening to Qianyu's cold, logical dissection… it felt like a death sentence had been hanging over Akatsuki from the very first idealistic word they'd spoken.
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