Chapitre 22: Chapter 37
In front of me, there were three princesses. Ino was standing to the left, wearing a rich purple gown like a Disney princess, complete with crown and long blonde hair. Hinata was to the right, with long blue hair, shining tiara, and a pure white gown. Between them was a stone altar upon which a third princess slept.
As the two girls smiled and waved royally, I moved closer to inspect the figure lying on the table. She had long red hair and a matching red dress. That was all I could make out before I was awake and the vision lingered in my consciousness, the dream having ended there.
"That had better not be me on that table," I thought to myself as I wondered where I was. The last thing I remembered was walking home by myself after saying goodbye to Naruto and Ino and Hinata. The two girls had gotten along better than I could have hoped.
I literally could not see. I tried to rub my eyes but realized I had heavy, metal shackles around my wrists and also my ankles. The floor seemed to be made of steel. I did the sensible thing and tried to summon a small flame of fire chakra to my fingertip for light, but when I unsealed my chakra, I felt it immediately being sucked away into my bindings.
It was only a second before I closed my gates but there was no chakra left to return to physical and mental energy. It frightened me to lose a decent chunk of stamina so quickly. "I guess using the Rasengan to bust out is out of the question."
With nothing else to do, I sat in a lotus position and meditated in the dark. "I hope there's a bathroom."
It was a short while until I heard the click of a locking mechanism and the grinding of a heavy door opening. The hallway outside streamed a dim light through the doorway onto the floor. A man holding a cane walked into my cell. Danzo Shimura. Two masked ninja accompanied him at either side, each holding a lit candlestick.
"Haru-kun. It has been a while. I'm sorry for the rough treatment. I was hoping to have a conversation about something I've been wondering about recently," the old man spoke authoritatively, as if the thought that I would go against him was absurd. "Do you remember the first time we talked, Haru-kun? You spoke in a strange manner, as if you were speaking an entirely different language. I suspect, Haru-kun, the gibberish, the static that Yamanaka Inoichi described as he read your mind, perhaps to you it is not gibberish at all. Perhaps it is simply another language you've known since birth, a key to understanding the visions that exist in your mind."
"That is an interesting theory, Danzo-sama. But even if it were true, what would you hope to learn by bringing me here?" I asked, motionless as I sat on the floor.
"There are many things I plan on asking you. I hope that you will cooperate freely without the need for additional persuasion," he said with a shadow of a smile flickering on his face in the candlelight.
"Then let me explain everything to you, Danzo-sama."
"Please do."
I spoke sadly, "Unable to accept that you could ever possibly be wrong, in all my memories you never once learn what true strength is, calling it weakness. Your first mistake happened long, long ago in the First Shinobi World War. The reason why Hiruzen offered to sacrifice himself before you, why the second Hokage chose him instead of you, is because you decided that you'd be willing to sacrifice yourself for the sake of Konoha, for honor. The reason why Hiruzen volunteered first was because he loved the village. He loved the people of the village, including his teammates. And if you have that kind of reason, it's impossible to hesitate with fear. That is why the Second chose him instead of you."
"Is that so? Well, it's a moot point now, child. Konoha has already rejected me. The Hokage has already ordered my capture and interrogation. I no longer have a home in Konoha," he told me, the weariness of age creeping into his voice.
"Danzo-sama, your second mistake was to destroy the fledgling Akatsuki. From the ashes of an organization that only strove for peace, a hideous perversion of that dream will arise. It's leader has learned from your example, and will seek peace through the obliteration of Konoha. All because you wanted to become Hokage."
"That is...interesting. Are you finished yet?" he said, almost not paying attention.
"Your third mistake, Danzo-sama, is that you do not even truly understand what Konoha is. In the future, you would have secretly ordered the execution of every last Uchiha on the suspicion of treason. In a way, you orchestrated your own death at the hands of the last Uchiha. You must have known of it. I imagined that Yamanaka-san mentioned that you fought to the death with an Uchiha Sharingan user."
Danzo said nothing at this point.
"What you failed to understand is that Konoha is not an army. It is a family. You cannot excise from the family those that disagree with you. To do that is to tear the family apart. If you continue in that belief, what will be left is not peace for Konoha, but quiet ruin. You, who knows not the true meaning of strength, who doesn't know the true meaning of peace, who believes himself to be the whole of Konoha, although you worked so hard for the sake of the village, in my memories, no one has done more to ensure its destruction than you."
That summed up everything I had come to believe about Danzo over the years of picking through my memories. The man simply would justify anything and everything in the name of sacrifice in his foolishness and arrogance. I was surprised I was able to say so much to him.
Danzo spoke solemly at first, "I tire of this. You tell me that everything I ever did was a waste? Who are you to tell me anything? A child lecturing me? And apparently Hiruzen agrees with you!" At this point, his cane splintered violently as he smashed it against the wall. "I've stood in his shadow for decades. I've done his dirty work. I dirtied my hands my whole life and you tell me that I'm wrong?!"
"Danzo-sama, the proof is right in front of you. Am I not Konoha just the same as you? Or am I merely a sacrifice for the greater good? Do you even ask yourself whether you are making the right choice anymore when the only thing you won't sacrifice is yourself?"
For years I had wondered how Danzo would react to the words I had just spoken. Now that I knew, I could only feel sorry for the man. For all of his followers, he had no loyalty. For all of his power, he had no admiration. For all of his earnest, he would destroy Konoha like no other. I felt pity for him because despite all of his years of living and Hiruzen's efforts, he would choose to turn away from the truth in favor of his misguided beliefs.
Danzo impaled the splinted remains of his cane through my leg and through the floor of my cell. I couldn't stop myself from screaming. I gripped the wooden pole with my hands but without chakra I was too weak to pull it out. I kept screaming shamefully as he spoke, "That pain you feel is only a fraction of the pain I've endured for Konoha. If you can't tolerate that much pain, you have no right to question my decisions. Consider my words carefully until I return."
The man and his two masked guards left, closing the door and leaving me again in total darkness. Eventually, I gave up trying to pull his cane from my leg and just wept by myself, clutching my left leg.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone