Naruto: Konoha's Traitor

Conversation with Yahiko

When Chi Yu heard the white snake say that the White Snake Sage was aware Yahiko was in Ryūchi Cave, he found it odd.

From what Chi Yu knew, the White Snake Sage was eccentric, cunning, capricious, and notoriously difficult to please. Malicious, even.

He had already prepared himself for a possible Reverse Summoning back to Ryūchi Cave at any moment.

If Yahiko's condition had been truly unstable, Chi Yu would never have permitted the white snake to bring him there. And yet... the Sage allowed it? Yahiko wasn't even under contract with the cave. That was what puzzled him most.

Something didn't add up.

Still, Chi Yu didn't dwell on it. He turned to the white snake and said curtly, "Good work. You're dismissed. Spit him out."

With a low rumble, the serpent opened its maw and regurgitated Yahiko once again, drenched and reeking of stomach acid.

"Alright, Lord Chi Yu," the snake hissed. "Don't forget our deal. I'll return to Ryūchi Cave now."

Chi Yu gave a brief nod. "Understood. I won't forget. Go."

With a puff of smoke, the white snake vanished.

Chi Yu crouched beside Yahiko and frowned. The boy was soaked, covered in slime, and smelled strongly of fish and bile. Disgusting.

He inspected Yahiko's body. Though still frail, his life was no longer in danger.

Chi Yu reached to lift Yahiko's shirt to examine the wound site.

But suddenly—Yahiko's hand shot up and seized his wrist.

Their eyes locked.

"What… are you doing?" Yahiko asked, voice hoarse, eyes hazy with confusion.

Chi Yu released his grip, expression unreadable. "Nothing."

Yahiko sat up weakly, glancing around. "Where… where are we? Where's the divine messenger?"

Chi Yu's eyebrow twitched.

He actually believed the snake was a divine messenger?

"That snake isn't a messenger," Chi Yu explained. "It's my summoning beast."

Yahiko blinked. "Summoning beast?! Then—"

"Yes," Chi Yu interrupted. "You're alive. You didn't die."

Yahiko stared at him in disbelief.

Then, with a sudden burst of energy, he swung at Chi Yu's face.

Chi Yu caught his fist midair and easily twisted his arm behind his back.

Yahiko thrashed. "I know you! You stood beside Danzō that day!"

Chi Yu scratched his cheek with his free hand, mildly annoyed. "Yeah, I saved you."

"Saved me?!" Yahiko shouted. "You captured me!"

Chi Yu sighed. "Just as the white snake said. You really are naive. Capture you? What use would you be to me now? If I hadn't held back, Nagato and Konan would have died on the spot.

Do you really think your suicide would've convinced Hanzō of the Salamander to spare them?

That man never planned to let any of you live. From the beginning, you were all walking corpses."

Yahiko froze, the fire in his eyes faltering. "What… what are you saying?"

Chi Yu loosened his grip and stepped back. "I'll explain."

He then recounted what had transpired—how Hanzō conspired with Danzō, how the meeting was a trap, and how Yahiko's death would never have guaranteed his friends' safety.

Yahiko sat in stunned silence.

His voice trembled. "But… why? Lord Hanzō wanted peace… Why betray us?"

Chi Yu pulled up a chair and leaned back. "Because your Akatsuki became a threat to his rule."

Yahiko looked up, confused. "But… we never wanted political power."

Chi Yu gave a short laugh. "You didn't, but your influence kept growing. You took in more and more of Amegakure's shinobi. That's already a threat to someone like Hanzō—an unelected military dictator. You're not just a group anymore. You became a movement."

He paused, then added, "And rulers hate what they can't control."

Yahiko's lips parted, but no words came out.

Chi Yu continued, "Now let's talk about Konoha. Why did they assist Hanzō? You should know already—the Third Great Ninja War's been dragging on. The Five Great Nations are all bleeding resources.

Konoha suffered massive losses early on when Iwagakure and Kumogakure allied against it. But now the tide's turned. Konoha's recovering.

And here's the truth: Konoha wants compensation for its losses. They want leverage in the post-war world. And peace doesn't serve that purpose."

He looked Yahiko straight in the eye.

"So when a group like yours tries to push for peace? You become a threat to the very profit and power they hope to extract from this war."

Yahiko's mind reeled.

Chi Yu took a sip of water and concluded, "Honestly, even if it wasn't Konoha, someone else would've made a move. Look at the timing. The Third Kazekage is still missing—assumed dead. If you start peace talks now, other villages could blame your organization for the Kazekage's disappearance and use that as a pretext for retaliation."

His tone darkened.

"In short—whether you mean peace or not, your Akatsuki was always doomed to be destroyed the moment you threatened the cycle of war."

Yahiko stared at the ground, blank-faced.

He had believed in ideals. That peace was a universal good. That war was the enemy of all.

But after hearing Chi Yu's words, his ideals began to crumble.

Perhaps, in this shinobi world, no one truly desired peace—not the ones who held the power to make it happen.

And the more he thought about it, the more it dawned on him:

Maybe peace wasn't about idealism.

Maybe it was about power.

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