ElwynWanderer helped me redo this chapter. She's my beta now! *glomps Elwyn*

Thanks to

Disclaimer: If I was Kishimoto-sensei, this would be canon.

Glossary

Akarui: Hopeful

Amegakure: Hidden in the Rain, short for Village Hidden in the Rain

Hitai-ate: Forehead Protector

Nukenin: Missing-nin

Peace

Akarui closed her eyes as she thought about Nagato's words. Even if he was Jiraiya-sensei's killer and she was just barely restraining herself from killing him, and there wasn't really anything stopping her – the blue haired kunoichi beside him (What was her name again? Konan?) didn't seem to be particularly strong and all of the bodies he had controlled were destroyed – the man's words made sense in a frightening way. Was he right? Was peace through compassion truly impossible? It was only now that Konoha's hypocrisy struck her. The shinobi of the Leaf all wanted peace, yet they fought and killed as much as any village with no regard for the people weaker than them. Blood was spilt carelessly as long as said blood didn't belong to anybody important. The shinobi villages were caught up in an endless cycle of hate, betrayal, war, and ultimately death; a cycle with no end in sight. That much was apparent from Nagato's childhood in Amegakure.

Akarui withdrew a book from her jacket, but still didn't look up. 'The Legend of the Gutsy Ninja, eh? Jiraiya-sensei…what should I do? How…how do I bring peace to the people of the Shinobi Nations? If hatred is a cycle, and the villages are part of the cycle, how does one stop the cycle? How does one stop the villages? How can you loyal to a village you will probably have to fight?'

"I believe the time will come when people can truly understand each other, but if I'm not there to do it, it'll be your job, Akarui!" Jiraiya had said once. Akarui's head buzzed in confusion.

"Just by living, people hurt others without realizing it. As long as people live, so too will hatred. There can be no peace in this land. What Jiraiya spoke of is nothing but fantasy," Nagato pointed out. "As a jinchuuriki, you must understand this better than most. You are hated by the village that you would give anything to protect. Do any of them really care for you, or do they just want to use the power of the Kyuubi for their own means? And now that you have heard my tale…I would like to hear your answer."

"That may be true. I think you're right," Akarui said quietly, still not meeting Nagato's eyes.

The kunoichi could imagine the Rinnegan-user's eyebrows rising. "…Really?"

"I understand you, but I still can't forgive you. I still hate you. But Jiraiya-sensei believed in me. So I will believe in what he believed in. Even if I must stop the cycle of hate with my own two hands, I'll do it. I won't kill you, so there! That's my answer!" Akarui declared, a stubborn fire burning in her eyes.

Nagato snorted and lifted his gaze to the ceiling of the paper tree Konan had built. "You will believe in what Jiraiya believed in? I see, so that's your answer. So should we just sit here and wait for you to bring peace to the world?" he asked bitterly. "Give me a break! How can I believe Jiraiya now, if I haven't been able to for so many years? There's no such thing as real peace as long as we live in this accursed world!"

"I will break the curse! If there's such a thing as peace, I'll find it. I won't give up!"

Nagato looked slightly shocked. "You…that's…"

"Nagato, what's wrong?" Konan asked worriedly.

The Rinnegan-user ignored the blue-haired kunoichi. "Those words…"

0o0o0o

A much younger Nagato pushed aside a rice screen door, entering the room in which his sensei was eating ramen.

"Shishou..?"

"Oh, hey Nagato."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure. I was trying to write a bit, but I'm fresh out of ideas."

"Y'know yesterday, when you were talking about this world's hatred? I thought about that a little…"

"Really?"

"Yeah...Peace…I don't know how to get there, but I believe I will. With Yahiko and Konan, I'll bring peace to the Shinobi Nations. I'll break the curse. If there's such a thing as peace, I'll find it! I won't give up!"

Jiraiya blinked at his student. "Thanks to you, I just got a really good idea for a story. Now, all I have to do is make names for the characters…."

A few years later, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato entered their old hideout. The Rinnegan user was about to sit down when he saw a book resting unopened on the table. Its title read "The Legend of the Gutsy Ninja". Opening it, the red-haired shinobi began to read…

0o0o0o0

Akarui nodded. "That's right. Those were lines from this book, the first book he ever wrote. He wrote this book to try and change the world. And in the back he says he was inspired by a student to write this. That was you, Nagato."

"What..? Is this just a coincidence?"

"And the name of the main character's sister, the one who dies to protect her brother, is Akarui! So my name is a precious memento of Jiraiya-sensei! Because the character he created believed in peace and her brother! She had faith! I won't give up on what we call 'peace'! I'll keep trying, no matter what, because my namesake would sacrifice anything for peace! I'll make sure there's hope for Amegakure, too!" Akarui declared. "Believe it!"

Nobody spoke for several minutes. Konan looked indecisive, as if she was unsure of what to believe now. Nagato was impassive as ever, but Akarui could tell he was reflecting on his way of life in the past.

"…We studied under the same master. Earlier, I said that we should be able to understand each other because of that…but I was joking then. You're an odd kid. You remind me of myself when I was younger."

"…Nagato…" the blue-haired kunoichi murmured. Her voice was laced with concern.

"I think…you may have the ability to stop the wars that torment this world. To stop the never ending pain caused by brutal fighting. The power of hatred is truly terrible; it can turn friend against friend…"

Akarui bowed her head, remembering her battle with Sasuke at the Valley of the End. "That I know from experience," she admitted. "My former teammate, Uchiha Sasuke, tried to kill me to gain the power to kill his brother. The Mangekyou Sharingan…"

"Aa, yes, the Uchiha brothers…They are the perfect example of what hatred can do to a person. A loyal Konoha shinobi turned that which he wished to kill…"

Akarui was silent, but she feared that what Nagato said was true. "I made a promise to my other teammate, a long time ago, that I would bring Sasuke back to Konoha. But is he really even the Sasuke we knew or just some emotionless killing machine?"

"That is something you will have to decide for yourself, Akarui…but there is one thing I can tell you, and that is that you are this world's hope. I'll pass on my dreams to you; mine and Jiraiya-sensei's. I couldn't believe in what Jiraiya believed in. Or…in the man himself. But I can see a different future in your eyes. I will believe in you, Uzumaki Akarui…" Nagato said as he formed his hands into a ramseal. "Gedo Rinne Tensei no Jutsu,"

Akarui's eyes widened. 'What is he doing?' she wondered as a large pulse of chakra seemingly exploded from Nagato's body.

There was panic in Konan's movements as she moved towards her teammate. "Nagato, you-!"

The Rinnegan user shook his head slightly. "Konan, it's enough. I have a new choice now, a choice I'd given up on."

"What is this technique?" asked Akarui.

Konan looked down slightly before meeting the blonde's eyes and answering. "He who controls the Rinnegan is the master of all the Six Paths' powers. They say he is outside life and death. Nagato is the 7th Path, able to control life and death. If he uses this technique now, with these chakra levels…you truly are a strange child, to have changed Nagato so completely."

Suddenly, Akarui felt a huge burst of chakra reappear where there were none before. Closing her eyes to help her concentrate, the Uzumaki sorted through the chakras and tried to identify them. Lots of them felt vaguely familiar, but the blonde didn't recognize any of them until her senses touched a chakra that seemed white. 'Kakashi-sensei…' she thought, barely allowing herself to believe it. The man had been dead, she was sure of it. Her capabilities in chakra sensing didn't lie.

"How…?"

Nagato's face was covered in sweat, his eyes closed in concentration. The last of his chakra was being pushed into this technique, whatever it was.

"What's going on? What does that technique do?" Akarui asked, slightly panicked.

"The villagers are being revived," Konan replied. "I'm sure your sensing abilities are showing you the return of chakra to the area."

"There is still time to save those I killed when I came to Konoha. It's the least I can do," the red-haired shinobi explained.

Akarui's eyes widened as the full gravity of Nagato's technique struck her. "Nagato…you…"

"War…brings death…and wounds…and pain to both sides…" said Nagato, his voice soft with his impending demise, "especially those…who haven't known war…like your generation. You try and find meaning in death, but…there's only…pain…and hatred…that you don't know what do with…Dying like trash, never-ending pain that never heals…that…is war. Akarui…this is what you…must face. Heh. That book…and you…it's like somebody set this all up. Or maybe…this is the hand of the real god…"

The tree collapsed. A beam of sunlight pierced the cloud of falling paper, falling upon Akarui's whiskered face. 'Nagato…thank you.'

Konan smiled almost imperceptibly before commanding her paper to wrap around Nagato's body. When the blue-haired kunoichi was done, the Rinnegan user looked something like a wrapped mummy. The chakra-infused paper made the body float and follow the origami user. After that was done, Konan walked down the hill and returned to the edge of the giant crater Nagato's bodies had created earlier during their fight against the blonde jinchuuriki while Akarui followed wordlessly. Once Konan reached the God Realm's body, she began to wrap the body in paper as well.

"You're taking him too?" Akarui half asked, half observed.

"Yes. The body of the God Realm was made from Yahiko's corpse. He was very important to both of us…" Konan replied quietly.

The Uzumaki nodded. "What are you going to do now? I don't like to think you'd go back to Akatsuki."

The origami user shook her head. "I'm through with Akatsuki. Yahiko and Nagato were everything to me. So…what are you going to do?"

Akarui looked up into the sky and did not reply for several seconds. 'This world is full of pain and hate. Nagato…entrusted me with the duty to end that hate. But…can I really carry that out as a Konoha shinobi? I am tied to the will of my Hokage, and Baa-chan would never let me leave the village and travel as I need to. I must train and get stronger, but can I really do that in Konoha? But…if I leave Konoha and become a nukenin, I'll never be Hokage…'

Akarui was torn between her ideals of peace and her dream of becoming Hokage.

Before Akarui could give her answer, Konan began to speak again. "Yahiko's dream and Nagato's dream…If they've entrusted their dreams to you, then you are there dreams. Nagato believed in you so I will believe in you too, no matter how you go about bringing peace. Amegakure will help you make that dream come true."

The blonde looked down, deciding how to phrase her response.

"If I can't find the answer, it'll be up to you to do it," Jiraiya had murmured.

"I will believe in you…Uzumaki Akarui," declared Nagato

Jiraiya and Nagato's voices rang in her head.

"Peace…is elusive and fleeting. I…cannot find it while still in Konoha. To achieve peace…I need to shed my ties to Konoha…and travel and train, because sometimes the road to peace is littered with enemies and death. And there may come a time where I must come into conflict with Konoha. I cannot let my selfishness get in the way of the greater good. And even if I must sacrifice my dream, I will bring hope to the Shinobi Nations!" Akarui declared. "That's a promise!"

"I see…" Konan said softly. Paper shifted around her hand as the blue-haired kunoichi formed a black rose. "While its petals may be black, I believe this ever-blooming flower will be a symbol of hope for everybody. Wear it well."

A soft smile touched Akarui's lips as she accepted the rose and tucked it behind her left ear. 'Thank you…Konan…' she thought. "I will probably be visiting Amegakure soon. I look forward to seeing you again."

Konan smiled as well. "Me too. Until we meet again, Akarui."

The Uzumaki untied her hitai-ate and allowed it to clatter to the earthen ground before leaping up onto one of the slabs of earth forced up by her battle with Nagato's Six Paths. "I had better get going. The farther away from Konoha I am when they realize I've left the better."

The origami user nodded, disappearing in a swirl of paper. Akarui took off at a dead run and quickly disappeared into the forests surrounding Konoha.

The Uzumaki was suddenly glad that Katsuya had fallen off during her fight with Nagato. And for the scent-concealing seal Jiraiya-sensei had taught her three years ago, now that she thought about it.

0o0o0o0o

Hatake Kakashi landed in front of a large slab of earth with an almost indiscernible thump, raising small clouds of dust around his feet. 'That was pushed up with a large amount of force…Akarui, what did you get yourself in to?' the jounin wondered.

His black eye caught the glint of metal in the early afternoon light. He frowned slightly underneath his mask before walking the few steps that it took to reach the as-of-yet unidentified metal.

It was a two-foot long piece of black cloth with a plate of metal attached to it; a plate of metal with the stylized leaf that was Konoha's symbol.

Kakashi's heart clenched painfully. There was only one shinobi that he knew of that wore a hitai-ate like that. Akarui. But she would never leave her hitai-ate behind, would she? It was probably her most prized possession. Had it been torn off in battle?

But no, the metal wasn't nicked or scratched. The cloth held no tears or rips. It looked exactly as it had when Kakashi had last seen the Uzumaki, a week earlier when she had gone off to train with the toads. And that…that left one alternative.

But it just didn't seem possible. Akarui, of all people, would not betray Konoha. There was just no freaking way. She was just too loyal to do something so absolutely stupid, right?

Right?

'Where did I go wrong? First Sasuke, now Akarui…damn it. Damn it all.' But that was incorrect; he knew exactly where he had gone wrong. It was when he had shown favoritism to the Uchiha that would eventually betray them all and almost completely ignored Akarui.

The Copy-nin's hand fisted around his former student's hitai-ate so hard that he could feel the metal edge digging into his gloved hand.

Full of regret, he returned to the remnants of Konoha.