Reversion. Peace through Pain?

"...Nagato." Konan took a deep breath as she internally prepared herself for a fight, though not in the physical sense as she turned to face Nagato.

"Konan." Nagato, who has traveled using Yahiko's body, approached her. "...You seem to be in a good mood." He noted briefly, though she could already tell the surprise in his voice. That was to be expected, after all, she had been "reborn" as a new person. A much happier and free spirited one at that. And one who wanted to give a more peaceful route another chance.

"Mm..." She nodded to him. "I didn't think you would show up as soon as you did just now. At the very least, I was expecting another week before you would come to check up on me."

"Well...to that end, you are correct. However, I believe that enough time had passed and so here I am." He explained his reasonings to her as they both quietly decided to sit down on a nearby log. "And on a more personal note, I did want to make sure that nothing had gone awry. Of course, I trust in your ability to accomplish any and all tasks given to you, one can never be completely sure in this world, with all its unpredictability."

"In short...you were worried about me?" Konan gave a small smile as she asked Nagato that.

"...Hmph. I suppose there was a bit of emotion involved in my decision." Despite what he said, he too ended up making his own smile.

"Well, as you can see, I happen to be in great health. If anything, I should be worried about your health. How are you feeling these days...? I hope you're not straining yourself too much again..." Konan expressed her own inner worries for him as she turned her head to face him.

"I certainly could be better." Nagato replied back. "Regardless, your worries are unfounded, Konan... While I have been pushing myself farther as of late, I can still handle matters just as well as before."

"Your skill at handling the various matters concerning the Akatsuki are not what I'm worried about.... please try not to keep pushing yourself too far...rest when you need to...if you don't...then..." Konan looked down at the ground, hiding her face.

"...I understand..." Nagato placed a hand on her shoulder to assuage her worries as he told her. "I'll do my best not to strain myself from here on."

"...Thank you..." Konan replied to him, her voice softer. For a little while, they both sat in silence before Nagato broke the silence.

"Konan...how goes the mission to subjugate and capture the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki host?" Nagato asked her. "I can sense he's not anywhere nearby in this area. Have you not yet completed the task?"

"No, I actually have..." Konan replied to him as he nodded.

"Mmm, excellent. I expected as much, then, shall we go to where you've stored the Jinchūriki host? The capture of the Nine-Tails will prove to be the most useful of all the other tailed-beast hosts. The amount of chakra stored within the beast will certainly speed up my plans for world peace." Nagato soon stood up, his desire to take the Nine-Tails into his custody to begin the ritual of extracting it immediately revealed itself.

"But Nagato..." She took a deep breath as she gathered the courage to face him as she stood up as well. "...WE need to talk...About your plan...about everything."

"...What's wrong with it?" Nagato turned to face her, a far more serious and attentive look in his eyes.

"...I..." Konan's voice ended up hitching, her nervousness catching up temporarily before she ended took another moment and continued, matching his look of seriousness with her own look. "...I...I have to disagree...with everything about it..." She could already see the disbelief showing through his eyes as she took a moment before continuing. "There...There has to be another way to bring peace...Without the bloodshed. Without the need to cause so much harm to so many people."

The silence was deafening. For a long while, they simply stared into each other's eyes. The minutes ticked by as they continued to stare, seeing who would blink first. Nagato would be the one to turn his head and sigh.

"Konan, you know as well as I that this IS the best way to bring forth peace to this bloodied, unforgiving world. So long as those who strive to become Shinobi exist...as long as humanity as a whole will never willingly end this cycle of vengeance and hatred! True peace cannot be achieved!!!" Nagato exclaimed frustratedly towards Konan.

"...That's what I thought so as well...but-" Konan started, but was cut off by Nagato.

"There are no BUTS in this, Konan, this path is the only way forward for us. They MUST learn what it means to understand true pain! And through this pain, there will be peace! And that peace can only be achieved by THIS plan!" He firmly stated to her.

"Nagato...please." Konan faced him again, the desperation beginning to show in her own emotional eyes in contrast to his stone cold, yet determined ones.

Nagato once again blinked first after a few minutes as his posture became less aggressive and he calmed himself down. "....My apologies, Konan...I've overstepped a bit...go on..."

"Mmm..." Konan nodded slowly, but gratefully. "Do you...Do you remember...what Yahiko's dream was...?"

"...How could I forget...?" Nagato answered, his tone ever softening as the pain in his eyes shone through. "...He wanted to create a world where peace was abundant...and everyone could understand each other..."

"...Yes, that's right... and do you remember how we used to do that...?" Konan continued to gently remind Nagato.

"...Heh...of course...without having to result to using ****..." Nagato chuckled and smiled, though it was far more bitter than happy.

"And it worked, right...? For so long, we used to follow that path to peace without the use of ****, and it was working...do you remember the smiles of those we helped...? How happy they were to finally live in peace...?" Konan put a hand on his shoulder. "Compared to the dream of "peace" you have now...don't you think it would be better...to go back to those days...to our TRUE dreams of peace before this?"

"...It was nothing more than an idealist's dream...just like Jiraiya-sensei's dream..." Nagato clenched his teeth as well as his fists as he began to recall the events. "You know what happened afterwards...we were naïve, Konan...we were just children playing with something we didn't truly understand... and we paid the price... We were tricked, DECEIVED by Hanzo and his alliance with Danzo of the Leaf!!! Then you were captured...then...then Yahiko died...by my hands...and the original Akatsuki crumbled! We were the ONLY ones to survive this senseless slaughter..." The pain in his eyes grew larger as he shut them closed. "Everything we did up until that point...was futile...nothing mattered because...in the end...nothing had changed... those same people we brought happiness to would eventually falter and die to the **** brought on by the endless repeating **** and war!" His breath had grown ragged as his agitation grew more and more apparent. "It was only by accepting that peace cannot be achieved through the original Akatsuki's creed of pacifism, but instead can be achieved through **** and the fear of total annihilation could true "peace" be enacted."

"...But even so..." Konan began after a few moments, her own breath heavy with her own emotional weight as she moved in front of Nagato's tense form. "...Is this really the right way to peace...?"

"It has to be...I can't see any other way..." Nagato shakily responded to her. "And if there is no other way...then this is the only way..."

"Then what about Yahiko's way...?" She suggested. "I know it's failed once...but we can try again! I know we can make it work! We just need to try harder and smarter this time!"

"There's no way it can work without us being taken advantage of again!" Nagato angrily retorted.

"As if we're not being taken advantage of right now by Madara Uchiha?!?" Konan countered right back "You know as well as I do that that man is just using the us and the Akatsuki for his own end goal!!"

"Madara Uchiha, despite his untrustworthiness, has proven useful in providing intel and competent members for my plans, not to mention that as long as our current goals align, we can at least work on a common ground without backstabbing each other!" Nagato stated.

"I know you don't believe that for a second!" Konan continued to steel her resolve. "He's been manipulating us and he would most certainly get rid of us the moment we cease to be useful to his plans!"

"I KNOW THAT MUCH!!" Nagato raised his voice loudly, glaring straight at Konan. "But the circumstances right now permits the need to work together with him for the sake of progressing our goals! For the sake of achieving PEACE across the world!"

"What "PEACE"?! The peace of ****?! What exactly does killing hundreds, if not thousands, of people achieve?! Yes, we might achieve at the very most, a few years of artificial "peace"! But artificially creating "peace" may very well spell the end of any notion of true peace! We wouldn't be giving anyone actual peace, only more reasons to cause further pain and suffering to everything and everyone around them!!" Konan shouted at him, hot tears beginning to spill down from her eyes as she unleashed her emotions and thoughts. "I know...I suffered every step of the way with you! I know why you're being so stubborn! I know why you're so angry, because I feel that way too! But Nagato, please! I'm begging you, please reconsider! For the sake of yourself, for me, for Yahiko, for everyone! We can change!!! We can find a better path!! It's still not too late!"

"..." Silence was the answer.

For another while, neither spoke after such a heated argument, but they remained unmoving from their positions.

"...I've asked this to many shinobi that have gone against me and stood in my path thus far, disagreeing with my way and my philosophy... I never expected to have you answer it as well..." Nagato began in a solemn manner. "Konan...what is your solution...to solve the world's problems then...? I've heard you using Yahiko's dream...Yahiko's way...what's YOUR way...?"

Konan immediately went into thought as she prepared her answer for Nagato. Eventually, she opened her mouth again. "My way...? My way...consists of following Yahiko's way..." When Nagato opened his mouth to respond, she stopped him first. "And that's because...his way is the amalgamation of all our ways...isn't that right...?"

"...!" Nagato's eyes opened up in surprise.

"...We all just wanted to end the pain and suffering of others...right?" Konan began to talk more determinedly. "You despised hurting and killing more than anyone else...just like me...just like him..." She reached out and clasped his hands in her own. "I know this much...Yahiko...and everyone in the original Akatsuki believed you were going to be the one to lead this world to peace...but in a way that didn't involve mass ****...we believed you would use your powers in a way that would peacefully bring the people of this world together...of course that didn't happen...but that doesn't mean it's too late to try one more time, while we still have time..."

"...." Nagato looked at her silently, his face filling with doubt and pain, looking away. He then felt Konan's hand cupping his cheek.

"...I am your biggest supporter... I always will be..." Konan said in her most sincere tone, pulling him into a hug. "...And no matter what you do...I will help you out no matter what...because that's what we do in each other's time of need...we will help each other....That's why...I want to help you NOW...to find a different solution...a better solution...than what we have..."

"...Konan..." Nagato started off.

"Mmm...?" She responded.

"...Do you truly believe that we can find a better way than what we have right now?" He asked her, his tone being one of honesty and curiosity, with a hint of sadness and regret, but with an added amount of growing hope. "Can you guarantee me that we won't just fall back into a string of **** and madness...?"

"...I can't do that...but I can assure that we will certainly be doing our best..." Was all she could say.

"I see..." Was all he could say.

They hugged and held each other close before soon pulling away, each coming out of it with a feeling of closure, and of hope.

"...So...what do you say, Nagato...?" Konan tentatively asked him.

"..." He looked down, his eyebrows furrowed as he went into deep thought. He remained like that for a fair bit of time. "...I...think we have some planning to do...if we want to start making this work..." He looked to her, a small smile formed on his face.

"Mmm...I see...~" She smiled back. Indeed, they both will have a lot of work cut out for them.