Hazō stared at Itachi in the pale red seal-light of the cave, the distant cawing of the crows above them only deepening the sense of ominousness hanging in the air from Itachi's invitation.

"I… I don't know what to say," Hazō said. "May I ask you a couple of things before I decide?"

"You may," Itachi said.

"Could you tell me a bit more about Pain's philosophy?" Hazō asked. "You explained a little last time, but I don't think I fully understood it, and obviously I was in no position to ask for clarifications."

"A natural request," Itachi agreed.

"Where to begin?" he asked himself, looking up past the cave ceiling to the heavens beyond. "I was never one to proselytise, and my patience with the foolish and the ignorant has long since been worn away. Konan would be better at this, or perhaps Kisame in one of his more gregarious moods.

"Nagato identified the root of the problem, or at least the part of it not found in human nature itself, as chakra. In his words, the solution that launched a thousand problems. Chakra is power divorced from volition; it does not place conditions on its use, nor provide guidance to its favoured. Unlike the original Bloodline Limits, its active form is bestowed seemingly by chance, or at least no attempt has been made in the more organised modern age to find patterns beyond simple heredity. Then again, even the Bloodline Limit clans of old have mostly forgotten their missions, to say nothing of mutants like your own.

"The first shinobi were heroes in a world of cataclysm. The third were caretakers seeing to miscellaneous tasks left undone. The tenth were bandits who embraced and enforced the division between civilian and ninja, stealing what they could not create and creating only weapons of war. So it has been ever since.

"Do you know why the overwhelming majority of civilians are subsistence farmers scrabbling in the dirt among deadly beasts, when it should be obvious to any with basic learning that urbanisation brings better odds of survival, more efficient use of resources, and wealth in a thousand forms?"

Itachi watched Hazō, apparently curious to see if he was capable of keeping up with the basics.

The answer would have been obvious just from the flow of Itachi's speech, even if Hazō hadn't had the occasion to discuss the issue with some of the world's smartest people and then ponder their perspectives.

"Because of ninja," Hazō said. "Because typical ninja don't want centralised power other than their own, and don't care enough about civilian welfare to optimise for it if the benefits aren't obvious and immediate."

Itachi nodded. He seemed pleased, if only mildly. Hazō wondered if that was because he was merely living up to Itachi's expectations of him or because Itachi considered the answer to be too obvious to be impressed.

"That is half the answer," Itachi said, "and is already more than Nagato was used to hearing. However, it neglects the lessons of history. The shinobi of the Warring Clans could not see power without attempting to seize it, if only before their rivals could. Any settlement capable of generating wealth and influence was immediately seized or raided, dominated by the strongest faction, and ultimately destroyed by its foes. Cities such as Tanzaku Gai were only possible in very specific confluences of historical circumstance.

"Obviously, all of this was because of chakra. The numerical and technological superiority of city-dwelling civilians grants them an overwhelming advantage against bandits of their own kind; only shinobi can inflict a tyranny of the few."

"But by that logic," Hazō objected, "there should have been much bigger demographic shifts since the start of the Village Era, now that each country's ninja are no longer fighting each other for resources and territory. The fact that they haven't happened can't just be put down to the power gap between ninja and civilians."

Itachi's expression cooled. "Because people do not think. Nagato framed it in more sympathetic terms, perhaps, but at the core is that the shinobi of the modern world remain burdened by a curse stretching from the time of the Sage, for no better reason than that they accept what once was as what must be forevermore.

"I believe I must have touched upon this at our previous meeting. Our heroes are murderers because our ancestors' heroes were murderers, in an age when protecting what one loved was synonymous with murder. Ensuring one's children grew to adulthood was synonymous with murder. Building a better future for the clan was synonymous with murder.

"By the time we are ready to wield chakra in battle, we will have learned that this is its most noble, most important, nay, its only use. Our hands are for holding weapons, because that is the only way to ensure a better future. The civilians, themselves pitiful and helpless, can only pursue this overriding objective by devoting the entirety of their meagre resources to supporting us. Civilians do not need cities; resources spent on urbanisation, on civil technology and art and culture, are resources not spent on protecting our ancestors' obsolete way of life. Even their potential to generate wealth is largely left by the wayside, for past the point where you can feed and adequately arm all your shinobi, the rest is but luxuries and cycles of accumulation."

"And this status quo is mutually reinforced by the villages because even if you want peace, you still need to have more military power than any village that doesn't," Hazō said.

"Precisely," Itachi said, "except that Nagato considered the problem to run deeper still. What is peace, Gōketsu? Is it merely the absence of war? Is AMITY humanity's desired final state, a lack of murder the utopia we wish to leave behind for our heirs?"

Now that one Hazō could talk about for hours. He opened his mouth–

"No need," Itachi said. "The mere fact that you have an answer worthy of the word is perhaps the greatest reason Akatsuki are allowing you to live. Certainly, it is flawed, grievously in some respects, but Nagato never demanded perfection, or he would have been forced to pursue his quest alone. If you assist in his return, you will doubtless have many opportunities to discuss the matter with him and benefit from his wisdom.

"At issue, Nagato perceived, is the fact that such answers are as rare as hens without teeth, and those with the conviction to act on an answer much more so. Humanity will not rise from its knees unaided, for we have built a world where only a handful are capable of implementing change, and that handful achieved their power through dedicating themselves to violence more thoroughly than those around them."

Itachi, no longer looking at Hazō, smiled softly.

"That was why Nagato was such a miracle. With his sheer power, he should have been the most violent, the most corrupt of the monsters. Instead, he was gentle when he should have been a tyrant. He was self-sacrificing when he should have claimed the Earth for his possession. He was humble when he was humanity's best, and he refused to use the one tool at his disposal because it would not have led to the future he sought. That is the man you killed."

Itachi returned his gaze to Hazō, who was once again vividly reminded of his mortality and the irrationality of demigods.

"If the thought ever crossed your mind of becoming his replacement, forget it. You have never had true, ultimate power in the palm of your hand and chosen to set it aside for reasons you could never know to be correct, nor watched a hundred possible answers burn and then sifted their ashes for the truth with seared fingers. You have reached the stage of imposing your ideals on reality without first passing the necessary trials or learning the necessary lessons, and you will need Nagato's guidance before you commit some truly irreversible error that forces us to act."

Hazō did his best not to even think of Elemental Mastery.

"So what was Pain's solution?" Hazō asked. "I can see how a huge mystical ritual would bypass both the problem of perpetuating violence and the problem of no one in power having the right values, but I still don't know what he was trying to do. No one does."

Itachi contemplated him for a few seconds.

"Does the term 'Primal Malice' mean anything to you?"

Hazō shook his head.

"The Binding of the Outer Path? Ninshu?"

One of those sounded vaguely familiar, but if Hazō was being tested for forbidden knowledge, he already knew he wasn't going to impress Itachi.

"Then you lack the context to properly understand," Itachi said. "Perhaps this is for the best–if you decide not to join us, it would hardly be to our advantage for you to spread the secrets of the ancients throughout Leaf, and we have already earned enough enmity from the Nara today.

"Regardless," Itachi said, "considering the limitations of the ritual when performed under favourable conditions, I doubt it would be wise to attempt it again with three Beasts missing. I suspect that this time, Nagato will pursue a more prosaic solution. He will be overjoyed to discover he has AMITY to serve as a foundation for his plans, even if, in an unfortunate irony, the three leaders least touched by the ancestral curse–Utakata, Fū, and allegedly Naruto–all have compelling personal reason not to cooperate with us, and the less said about the Tsuchikage on the other end of the spectrum, the better. Even so, a bloodless victory is no longer outside the realm of possibility."

Hazō nodded. "So Pain would prefer to avoid violence?" He nearly added "like last time", but fortunately caught himself.

"Shinobi know how to respond to violence," Itachi said. "The greatest threat to AMITY as it stands is the signatories' instinct to retreat into the familiar when challenged, and that includes ourselves; the present scenario is a prime example on several levels. Nagato's solution must circumvent that instinct to the greatest possible degree. Humanity's final war, its war against itself, must be won without combat.

"But that is enough of that. The detail of Nagato's plan will depend greatly on the circumstances that await him upon his return. The sooner we complete the research, the less risk that AMITY will deteriorate or collapse before he does. Has this explanation helped you make your decision, Gōketsu?"

"Yes," Hazō said, "but there's one more important factor we need to talk about. How familiar are you with the Dragon situation on the Seventh Path?"

"More with some aspects than with others," Itachi said. "The Crows are famously well-informed, and of course the Sharks have observed some of the events directly. Why do you ask?"

"Let me explain," Hazō said. "I think the full context is very important for my decision, especially with regard to the Great Seal and the Conclave. You see, when I travelled to Arachnid territory in response to a distress call sent to the Dogs, I saw with my own eyes that…"


Itachi stood lost in thought.

"Allow me to clarify," he eventually said.

"Yes?"

"Orochimaru…" Itachi said slowly, "...is currently married to a giant spider and two Leaf sealmasters. Is that correct?"

"Technically."

To Hazō's utter shock, Itachi burst out laughing.

"That is… the best thing… I have heard… since… since… I don't even know…"

Hazō waited politely until Itachi finally gathered himself.

"No matter how long I live," Itachi said, "I will never cease to be reminded that the universe is full of wonders. I cannot wait to tell the others."

Hazō decided not to point out that if Pain was going to play by the rules, he would also have to marry Orochimaru, a giant spider, and two other Leaf sealmasters. He doubted Pain's possibly-lover would find it quite as funny.

"You see," Hazō steered the conversation back to the point, "how the Dragons are enough of an existential threat that even Orochimaru is taking it seriously. The same goes for Enma and… went for Asuma. If you're not convinced, you can talk to either of them, or go see for yourself–just as long as you have some kind of protection from the Dragon of Beauty."

Itachi nodded thoughtfully. "I doubt the Monkey King would welcome me with open arms, all things considered. As for Orochimaru, phlegmatic though he is, our previous two meetings did involve us and our allies attempting to kill each other, in both cases with apparent success."

"I don't suppose you would get the Crows involved?" Hazō asked. "Legend says they helped the Karasu Clan defeat the souldrinkers, and the Dragons' ability to absorb powers from bosses sounds very similar to theirs. If there's any help they can offer, I'll do whatever I can to get them in touch with the Arachnids and the Conclave."

Itachi gave him a piercing look.

"Where exactly did you hear this legend? The Uchiha went to considerable lengths to suppress all information about the Karasu and their blasphemous research."

Uh.

"I must just have heard it somewhere," Hazō said quickly. "But that doesn't really matter for the Dragon problem, does it? The important part is that the Conclave is finally on the move, even if it's moving only now multiple Dragons are on the loose, and my reputation and my relations with the other Leaf summoners are essential to make sure that keeps going and we go from negotiating to actually getting the Crusade out there and killing the enemy.

"That means if I go missing or fake my death, it's going to significantly hinder those efforts, and put the Seventh Path in greater danger. Do you think it's possible for me to join Akatsuki in a 'legitimate' way that doesn't do that?"

"What would you consider a 'legitimate' way?" Itachi asked with an edge of amusement.

"You could make me a diplomatic envoy," Hazō suggested, "or hire me for a long-term mission, like Leaf hired Akatsuki."

"A diplomatic envoy?" Itachi asked. "You mean like an ambassador? I doubt that would convince anyone. Akatsuki can be contacted via AMITY channels or messengers to Rain. If a direct line to the Leaf government is necessary, that can be accomplished via the upcoming Shark embassies on the Seventh Path. For specific sensitive issues, it makes much more sense for Leaf to continue to use Ami, who has earned a measure of our trust, is a trained diplomat, and possesses an impressive track record of not provoking Akatsuki members into attempting to kill her. I'm afraid the age when ambassadorship existed as a thinly-veiled excuse to keep a Kurosawa in somebody else's village is long past.

"As to hiring you… come, Gōketsu. If you were Tsunade, would you permit Leaf's second most valuable sealmaster, who also happens to be the head of an influential clan, to spend his time assisting Akatsuki in our private objectives immediately after we killed the Hokage and then essentially extorted concessions unprecedented in peacetime? Even were she so… mercenary, I suspect she would at least have the sense to question for what purpose Akatsuki, already in possession of the world-class sealmaster Sasori and recently seen attempting a world-changing ritual that involved heavy use of original seals, would wish to hire you.

"The point, however, is moot. The Sage himself could not concoct a 'legitimate' way for you to leave Leaf at this time. Unless Leaf is insane, between your access to your lover's blood and your association with Hidan, you are surely a suspect for the presumed framing that led to Sarutobi's death. If you leave hand-in-hand with Sarutobi's killers the day after the murder, will there be any doubt that you are being urgently exfiltrated after a successful mission?"

Damn. Hazō could see people believing that. Hopefully not Shikamaru, but definitely Kurenai, and Hazō wasn't optimistic about Tsunade giving him the benefit of the doubt either. Even if there was a chance that the Powers that Be of Leaf would see reason, the man who'd been killboxed for being too friendly with Akatsuki and only recently accused of heresy for same could not afford to roll those dice.

"It hardly matters anyway," Itachi said. "It is not as if you would be able to attend the Conclave without the Dog Scroll."

"Why would I not have the Dog Scroll?"

Itachi gave him an unimpressed look. "Gōketsu, are you under the impression that we would entrust you with the precious secrets necessary to rescue Pain and then immediately allow you to share them with the other Leaf summoners, or summons who might communicate with them? Whether you choose to leave the scroll in Leaf or bring it with you, you will not be seeing it until Nagato has returned and you have earned our trust.

"Not that it would be a great loss. The information you possess, you have already shared with the Conclave, and there are others who have beheld the Dragons and the Great Seal for themselves. Some of Leaf's summoners have greater credibility than you do, while others are trained for diplomacy where you are not. At this stage, I find it difficult to believe that you would personally make the difference between the Crusade and its absence.

"As for the Great Seal, you have laboured over it for well over a year with the aid of a veteran sealmaster, and have apparently made no progress to speak of. You would be better off leaving the matter to Orochimaru and focusing on rescuing Nagato, whose aid will vastly accelerate the timeline for the Dragons' defeat and thus buy time for additional research. In fact, if you wish to delay your departure long enough to send any unshared notes to Orochimaru's lair, I am prepared to wait."

Hazō let this sink in. He'd decided not to tell Akatsuki about lithosealing, which meant that yes, they weren't going to take him seriously. He could still change that–surely they'd agree to let him access the Seventh Path, under whatever conditions, if he proved that him studying the Great Seal was important–but he was under no illusions as to what would happen if Akatsuki learned that the world's only lithosealer was within their grasp.

He couldn't leave Leaf without being assumed a traitor. He couldn't participate in the Dragon war without the Dog Scroll. Even if he could keep the scroll, he'd be of little use to the Conclave as a missing-nin whom the other summoners would be obliged to kill on sight, and he wouldn't be able to fix the Great Seal without revealing lithosealing to Akatsuki.

Hazō couldn't see how to make this work.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I don't think this is going to be viable. Events on the Seventh Path are too important for me to abandon it and focus exclusively on the rift."

"I disagree with your priorities," Itachi said, "but I suppose you cannot be expected to understand the full power and genius Nagato will be able to apply to the problem."

"There's just one thing," Hazō said nervously as he sensed the meeting about to end. "Even if I don't join you, then eventually… once Pain is back and the world is safe, and you're ready to start resurrecting other people… could you bring back my family? It was for them that I started this research to begin with."

For a second, Itachi's gaze was tinged with sorrow, but it vanished quickly enough that Hazō might have just imagined it.

"Were you to join," Itachi said, "it would be entirely natural to reward your loyalty by prioritising your loved ones when the time came. As matters stand, however, you are far from the only one who wishes for certain people to be restored to them, and Nagato will surely also have a list of departed souls whose aid will be instrumental in building the world we seek. Likely, he has even made converts in the afterlife whom he will deem worthy of hastened restoration."

Hazō's heart sank. "I… I understand."

Itachi studied him thoughtfully, as if trying to decipher an abstract painting.

"With that said," he added, "I cannot say how long we will need to scour the afterlife before we find Nagato, or how far we will have to range. If we encounter Akane in the course of our search, and it is possible to retrieve her without risk to our mission… I suppose there would be advantages to having Leaf's second greatest sealmaster owe us a favour."

"Thank you," Hazō said, speaking from the heart.

"Is this your final answer, Gōketsu?" Itachi asked. "Understand that your own rift research is over. Akatsuki will not tolerate any action that may interfere with Nagato's rescue. You would be far better off hastening the day of the Dragons' demise and your loved ones' salvation by assisting Sasori than herding recalcitrant summons or wrestling with sealing projects far beyond your grasp."

Was that Hazō's final answer? Was there any path, any path at all, on which he could work with Akatsuki without making sacrifices he couldn't accept? Or would it be a mistake even to look for one?

What is Hazō's final answer?

Voting closes on Oct 14, 2023 at 1:00 PM