Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

Warning: This story contains major spoilers for recent chapters of the manga.

The Pure of Heart

Pein stood at one of the few windows in his tower, gazing out over the Hidden Village of Rain. The ground was glistening with the rain that had fallen earlier in the day, but now, as evening fell, the sky was clear. The sun had just set and the stars were starting to become visible. The glittering stars in the sky above were mirrored by the twinkling lights strung over nearly every building in the village in celebration of the season. Groups of people wandered happily from one house to the next, singing and laughing and talking. Ordinarily it would have warmed Pein's heart to see the citizens of his village so cheerful--they had suffered so much and for so long, and they richly deserved the peace and prosperity he'd given them. But today, all the joy permeating the air did nothing to raise his spirits. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he'd killed his childhood teacher less than a week ago. Without Jiraiya's training and guidance, Pein wouldn't be what he was today--he would never have defeated Hanzou, ascended to godhood, and brought an end to decades of civil war. Pein--and, by extension, the entire Rain Village--owed the Toad Hermit a great debt. By openly opposing his intention to bring the peace that Rain currently enjoyed to the rest of the world, Jiraiya had left Pein no choice...but killing someone to whom he owed so much still didn't sit well with him.

So while the rest of the Rain Village celebrated, Pein stared out the window, brooding and melancholy. At the opposite end of the plaza in which his tower stood, a group of children paraded from house to house, singing merrily (if a bit off-key). Pein watched them, feeling envious as he looked at their smiling faces and heard their carefree laughter. Unlike him, they had the chance to enjoy a true childhood, untroubled by war and violence. He blinked in surprise as one of the children broke away from the group and hurried across the plaza. In the light of the candle the child carried, he could see that it was a young girl of eight or nine years old, with fluffy blond hair and vivid green eyes. She marched up to the doorstep of the tower and started singing.

Pein was nonplussed. Most people in the Rain Village regarded his abode with a mixture of awe and fear. They gave it a wide berth, as if they were afraid their god would strike them down for coming too close to him. On the anniversary of the day on which Pein had defeated Hanzou, some of the citizens left offerings on the doorstep. But even then, they walked up tentatively, laid down what they had brought, and scurried away like children ringing the doorbell of a local haunted house. Even the most hardened ninja in the village treated Pein's tower as a forbidden place--the realm of god, not man. And yet, here was a civilian child, less than ten years old, boldly standing on the doorstep as if this were any ordinary house. Pein quite literally didn't know how to react.

By this time, the girl had gotten through her first song and started into a second. The other children in her group had noticed that she was missing and were starting to file across the plaza, following the sound of her voice. When they saw whose door she was caroling in front of, they stopped and stared, whispering among themselves.

Within a few seconds, Pein had traversed the many stories of his tower and arrived in what he always thought of as the "entryway", even though no one ever actually entered through it (he and Konan usually used one of the upper windows). Since it hadn't been opened in so long, the front door squeaked noisily as he eased it open. The little girl, who had just launched into an enthusiastic rendition of yet another carol, stopped mid-sentence and regarded Pein with wide eyes. The group gathered behind her took a collective step backwards.

"Pein-sama...?"

"What's your name?"

"Shirotani Ikeuchi, sir."

Pein gazed down at Ikeuchi curiously. "Why did you decide to come here?"

Ikeuchi blushed nervously. "I wanted to see you. So few people in the village ever have. Everyone always talks about you bein' a god and all, and how you did all this good stuff for Rain, but they don't even know what you look like. And when we go out caroling, everyone opens their doors and comes out to listen and say hi to us. So I figured, if I came here and sang for you, maybe you'd come out and I'd get to see you." She was carrying a small bag filled with candies that the adults had given her as she went from house to house. She reached in and pulled out a fistful of candy canes, which she extended towards Pein. "I wanted to give you a Christmas gift. Here."

This was another thing Pein wasn't used to. "Why?"

"Because...a long time ago, before I was born, my mom was a ninja. She said that she fought against this guy who used to be in charge before you, a guy who was really bad. An' one time, she got hurt real bad. She was layin' on the battlefield, and the medical ninjas said they couldn't fix her. They said she was gonna...you know...die...But then you came! And you fixed her, and if you hadn't, I wouldn't be here. So I thought I should say thank you." She brandished the candy canes at him again.

Pein slowly reached out and plucked the sweets from her hand. He was starting to realize something that made him feel as though a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Because of him, someone who otherwise would have died had survived, and gone on to raise a family. Because of him, this adorable child with bright eyes and dimpled cheeks had been given a chance at life. He had done the right thing. And trying to bring the peace and serenity of Rain to the other nations was the right thing, too. How many children like Ikeuchi were sufferring right now because no one had the guts to challenge the status quo? How many children like her had already died? How many more would die if he wasted time hesitating and mourning his old sensei?

Besides, his people were happy. The inhabitants of Rain didn't hate or resent him for what he'd done--they revered him, worshipped him. The hope and awe shining in Ikeuchi's face were so different from the despair and pain he'd seen in Konan when they were children. The contrast between the new generation and the old was proof that he'd made his people's lives better. Before this thoroughly ordinary youngster, all his doubts about the path he'd taken in his life melted away. Jiraiya claimed he'd chosen the wrong road to travel--but the pure and innocent soul in front of him seemed to disagree.

Pein smiled, and gently ruffled Ikeuchi's hair. "You and your friends ought to go back to your parents--they're probably wondering where you are." Ikeuchi nodded and ran back to the group of children. But before they could leave the plaza, a boy broke away from the group and ran up to Pein, shyly handing him a candy cane of his own. As soon as he had returned to the group, a third child came up and presented Pein with a piece of chocolate. By the time all the children finally regrouped and headed back across the plaza, Pein was holding a bunch of candy canes, several pieces of chocolate, a small stuffed reindeer doll, and a painted wooden snowman. To Pein, the assorted candies and toys were more precious than Kakuzu's entire hoard of wealth--they symbolized what he'd made possible, and what his people thought of him.

As the cheery singing faded into the distance, Pein was amazed to find himself engulfed by a feeling of warmth and contentment that he wasn't used to. It is a wonderful thing to restore faith and hope to a man, he thought. But, Ikeuchi-kun, you must be a truly remarkable person, for only a truly remarkable person could restore faith and hope to a god.

A faint voice floated back to him on the wind: "I wish it'd snow. Mommy says that in the town she grew up in, it'd always snow on Christmas, but it never does that here." Pein closed his eyes and concentrated, smiling as the fat white snowflakes drifting down from the sky provoked gasps of delight from all the citizens of Rain.

Merry Christmas, little one.

A/N: I know I really should be writing the last chapter of "True Love", but I wanted to write a heartwarming holiday story, and I can only go so long without writing something Akatsuki-related anyway. So this is my attempt at a cute and fluffy story, featuring Pein because I like him.

The title of this fic is from one of the Beatitudes in the Christian bible: "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God." Since Ikeuchi's about as pure as you can get, and she sees the person she firmly believes is a god, it seemed like a fitting title.

Happy Holidays, everyone!