Chapter 86: A Lie Repeated a Hundred Times Becomes the Truth
The rain in the Land of Rain rarely stops, much like the endless tears this country once shed.
But in these past few days, the musty smell in the air has faded, replaced by the pungent scent of ink—in a sense, this stuff is even more dangerous than an exploding tag because it can blow apart the human heart.
In the underground printing plant of Amegakure, the massive rotary presses are letting out low roars, like tireless steel monsters frantically spitting out paper. Thousands of intelligence personnel in gray ponchos are as busy as worker ants. They will disguise themselves as traveling merchants, wandering entertainers, or even beggars to stuff these still-warm "paper bombs" into every tavern across the Five Great Nations.
"Is this the'Second Battlefield' you were talking about?"
Konan stood on the high tower's corridor, holding a freshly printed flyer between two fingers, her brow slightly furrowed.
The paper was coarse, but the bold black text on it was almost blinding—"Amegakure Neutrality Declaration: To All Wandering Souls of the Ninja World."
"Konan, broaden your perspective a bit."
Yahiko appeared behind her at some unknown time, holding a cup of steaming tea in his hand, looking at the busy crowd below with a playful gaze. "In this world, legitimacy is often more important than Chakra."
"Repetition is a form of power; a lie repeated a hundred times becomes the truth."
Three days later.
The no-man's land on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain. This place was a paradise for scum, fugitives, and degenerate gamblers.
The tavern, usually filled with an atmosphere of violence, was eerily quiet today.
Everyone was gathered around the notice board, their breathing rapid.
"The great nations treat us as mere grass, and war treats us as kindling. Amegakure—the only Noah's Ark in this chaotic world."
A one-armed wandering samurai read haltingly, his voice growing louder: "We promise that as long as you step into the Land of Rain and obey the laws, no matter what crimes you once bore, this place will grant you... political asylum?"
He read out this new, "high-class" term somewhat awkwardly.
"What is political asylum?" someone nearby asked.
"There's an explanation in small print below!" The samurai pointed at the line, his eyes shining terrifyingly bright. "Look here! So-called rogue ninjas are actually 'pioneers' who have seen through the corrupt systems of the great nations; so-called criminals are merely 'reformers' who pursuit truth and art but are not understood..."
"Amegakure vows to defend everyone's right to'survive' to the death!"
Boom!
The tavern instantly erupted, the atmosphere more heated than if free drinks had been handed out.
"Pioneers? Reformers?" An S-rank fugitive with a face full of scars slammed his glass down, his eyes bloodshot. "Damn it, I only killed and ran because I didn't want to be a dog for the Daimyo. I've been wanted by Konoha for three years... Turns out I'm so great?"
"Holy crap, look at this one! That freak scientist Orochimaru is described here as a 'martyr exploring the Profound Truths of life'?"
"And Sasori of the Red Sand! Sunagakure says he's a demon who turns living people into Puppets, but Amegakure actually calls him an 'ultimate craftsman pursuing eternal art'?"
An unprecedented resonance frantically sprouted in the hearts of these rats living in the gutters.
This wasn't a recruitment order; it was practically a ticket to heaven! Not only did someone provide food, but they also provided "dignity," and even washed their pitch-black records into being "pioneers of the Ninja World."
"And it says here that Amegakure practices 'armed neutrality'." The samurai clenched his fist and slammed it onto the table. "Anyone who dares to use force in the Land of Rain is trampling upon this sacred right of asylum, and they will be punished no matter how far they are!"
"To the Land of Rain!"
Someone shouted at the top of their lungs, their voice hoarse.
"Right! To the Land of Rain! That's the home for people like us!"
The same scene was playing out frantically in various places across every nation.
Amegakure, which had been portrayed as a "terrorist nest" by Konoha and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, saw its reputation reversed overnight, transforming into a "beacon of freedom" that resisted hegemony and embraced all.
And the Fire-Wind Allied Forces about to press onto the borders? Sorry, the current public opinion was that they were stifling freedom and persecuting these poor "dissenters"... At the top of the Amegakure tower.
Nagato sat cross-legged on the cold floor, the Rain Tiger at Will Technique fully activated.
His Chakra merged into every drop of rain, turning him into the city itself. He "saw" it.
He saw the wanderers flocking from all directions, and the fanatical, almost pathological expectation on the villagers' faces. Before, they shivered in the rain; now, they stood tall in the rain because they believed a true god was protecting them from above.
That "trust" and "prayer" surging like a tide fed back into Nagato's perception through the rain.
His heart throbbed violently, and his blood felt as if it were burning.
Is this what it feels like to be needed?
Is this... the authority of a god?
"Yahiko."
Nagato slowly opened his Rinnegan. There was no longer any confusion in those purple eyes, only a heart-palpitating determination.
"They are calling for us." Nagato's voice was low and raspy. "They are praying for justice."
Yahiko stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the crowd that was like ants yet full of vitality, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
The human heart is the easiest instrument to manipulate.
Give the desperate a bit of illusory light, and they will offer their hearts to you.
"It's not praying, Nagato."
Yahiko turned around and looked at his best friend, who was now completely "in character," and softly corrected him, "They are waiting for a miracle."
"When the great nations raise their butcher knives, these lambs who believe in justice will feel fear."
"And what we must do is bring down the thunder at that very moment."
Yahiko pointed at the pitch-black night outside the window.
"Those flyers are'scriptures' for the living."
"Next, we need to use the enemy's blood to stamp this scripture with the most authoritative seal."
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