Tell Your World

Before the 14-year-old boy could figure it out, the host urgently announced an intermission.

"Halftime break - we'll continue in half an hour!"

A sigh of relief rippled through the audience. Some stood up and stretched, some went to buy snacks, and some were still discussing with those around them the thrilling and tumultuous matches they had just witnessed.

Izuna on the Arena was stunned for a moment, then remembered something and hurriedly stepped off the Arena.

As soon as he stepped down the steps, a hand reached out and grabbed his arm.

Spot.

Madara's expression was very unpleasant, which made Izuna involuntarily shrink back.

He led him into the corridor at the entrance.

"Turn around once," Ban said.

"... ha?"

"Take a turn around," Ban said firmly. "Let me see if you're hurt."

Izuna looked at him speechlessly, but still spread out her hands and obediently turned around, like a primary school student being inspected.

"It's nothing, Brother Ban, not a single hair was lost."

Madara ignored him, his gaze sweeping from Izuna's head to his toes. Only after confirming there was no blood, no wounds, and no hidden injuries did his expression soften slightly.

But only slightly.

"Explosive Tags." Madara's voice deepened. "That child was carrying Explosive Tags. Why didn't you just throw her off the Arena?"

"Because she's just a child--"

"A child?" Ban interrupted him, his eyes as cold as knives. "A child carrying a dozen Explosive Tags, intending to take you down with him? You call that a child?"

Izuna opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Madara didn't give him the chance.

"And those others before. Those who tried to use poison, those who planted hidden weapons, and... those who used Explosive Tags— all of that was perfectly legitimate. Don't think I didn't see them; I was watching every single one." Madara emphasized each word. "These people, adults and children alike, are all after your life."

"And you, you let them go one by one, and even started to comfort them."

Izuna blinked, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

"Brother Ban, are you worried about me?"

"I'm talking to you about serious matters." Ban's brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

"Alright, alright, let's get down to business." Izuna raised his hands in surrender. "But Madara, do you really think those kids want to die?"

Ban scoffed, dismissing it with disdain. Since they'd already gone on stage, they must have been prepared.

But he didn't say anything harsh to his younger brother, saying, "Who knows?"

"Those kids, they just don't know what to do with the fire burning inside them," Izuna said. "After so many years of hatred, suddenly telling them, 'You can't hate anymore, you need peace,' is something they can't do."

So I gave them an exit.

"Exit?" Ban scoffed. "Let them throw Explosive Tags at you?"

"It didn't explode, and I don't care anyway, they can't beat me."

"But..."

Izuna interrupted Madara, "Isn't it better than letting them bottle up their hatred and become twisted in the end?"

"This isn't your responsibility." Ban's voice was still cold, but his tone wasn't as harsh anymore.

"I know," Izuna said tentatively, spreading his hands. "It's just something I can do, what's the big deal?"

Ban stared at him for a few seconds.

Izuna blinked and gave a fawning smile.

Ban took a deep breath and then exhaled.

"Okay," he said, "I'll let this go for now."

Before Izuna could even breathe a sigh of relief, Madara turned and walked out.

Where are those children's parents?

"Brother Ban!"

Izuna quickly chased after him and grabbed Madara's sleeve.

What are you going to do?

"Talk to them." Ban said it casually, but the word "talk" coming from his mouth sounded more like "find a secluded place and beat them up."

"No, no!" Izuna clung to Madara's arm like a cat trying to stop its owner from leaving the house. "They don't even know the kid brought Explosive Tags! Going to them won't do you any good!"

"Then let them know."

"They already know!" Izuna clung tightly to Madara's arm. "And think about it, what can they do if you go to them now? Beat the child up again? That child just came off the Arena and already regrets it. If you push her further, what if she does something rash—"

Ban paused for a moment.

Izuna pressed his advantage. "Besides, with so many eyes watching today, that child's life in the village is definitely going to be tough from now on. If you cause trouble for her parents again, it'll be even harder for her. If we don't kill Bo Ren, Bo Ren will die because of you! You don't want that, do you, Madara-ge?"

Madara stood there, his expression complex. He didn't understand what Boren meant, but he understood what Izuna was trying to say.

After a long while, he snorted through his nose.

"You're so kind-hearted."

"This isn't out of kindness." Izuna released his arm. "I just felt that those kids could still be saved. If they hadn't come to me and had instead gone to take their frustrations out on innocent people, then they would have been beyond saving."

Ban glanced at him. "You think you can tell the difference?"

"Of course." Izuna straightened his back confidently. "Alright, alright, go back to your seat in the stands. I need to rest for a bit before continuing."

The spot didn't move.

"What's wrong now?"

Madara looked at him, remained silent for a few seconds, then reached out and patted Izuna on the head.

"Next time anyone brings Explosive Tags onto the stage," Madara said in a low voice, "Just throw them down. I'll handle the rest."

"He'll blow it up."

"It can't be blown up, I said." Madara raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think I am?"

Izuna paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you, Brother Ban~"

"Izuna."

"Um?"

"The spring night is fleeting, onward, young man." Madara raised an eyebrow at him, "Sounds quite poetic."

Izuna's face flushed red instantly, his chuunibyou-ish shame kicking in, "Brother!"

Ban laughed heartily and left.

Izuna watched Madara leave, a question suddenly occurred to him.

I'm not being narcissistic, but shouldn't Madara have rushed over when he saw the Explosive Tags? How come he waited until now to come and check?

As he pondered this, he arrived at the entrance and noticed a small tree that had appeared there sometime earlier.

The sapling seemed to be trying to straighten its back, pretending to be a little decoration here.

Oh— Hashirama stopped him.

No wonder.

Izuna looked up at the stands, but he couldn't see much from his angle.

While Hashirama maintained a smile on the surface, his back was actually soaked with cold sweat.

He almost rushed in, but if he hadn't seen Izuna easily subdue the child and quickly controlled Madara who had already rushed out of the exit, Izuna probably wouldn't have let things go.

Hashirama quietly rubbed his hands Hashirama, and couldn't help but sigh.

Sigh... Izuna, why did you say there were no restrictions on weapons? Do you know you almost scared your brother to death?

If anything really happens to you, Madara will definitely blow this place up.

At this moment, the music troupe from the halftime break came on stage.

Senju Hideki stood on the left side of the stage, holding a small taiko drum. He wore a vest-like Jinbaori with leaf-like patterns, and his hair was tied up. He looked much more energetic than usual.

Uchiha Shinya stood beside him, holding a biwa (a type of Biwa).

He wore a black and red kimono with the Uchiha Clan's Gunbai pattern embroidered on the cuffs. His expression was as indifferent as ever. His fingertips lightly plucked the strings of the Biwa, producing a few tentative notes.

The other musicians also took their places. Some held Shakuhachi, some played small drums and taiko drums, and a young man held a Shamisen.

The lead singer was a young girl who had just left the Arena with a flushed face.

Her name is Watase Asuna.

She's an Ordinary People, but because of her great voice, Izuna chose her to be the lead singer.

Shinya's Biwa began to play first.

The crisp sound of plucking strings leaped through the air, followed by the sound of another Shamisen. The sound of the Biwa was slightly deeper than that of the Shamisen. The two intertwined, creating a wonderful rhythm that was both traditional and fresh.

The rhythm of taiko drums then joins in, the beats light and lively, making you feel as if you're in Natsuhi festival.

The song is a refreshing modern piece, and its performance by a young girl is delightful and uplifting.

Everyone was captivated by this new form of music and began to enjoy it immensely.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stands.

The four Envoys from the Land of Whirlpools sat at the very edge of the Delegation's private area.

It's not that they're deliberately keeping a low profile; they simply don't want to have much contact with other people.

They declined the invitation to visit the Amusement Park, saying they "didn't need it."

In reality, Quhai wanted to see was Konoha's true face when no foreign guests were present.

Those hidden contradictions, those grievances concealed beneath smiles, and those hidden dangers that will inevitably erupt only reveal themselves in front of "our own people".

But after his speech yesterday noon, Quhai realized he was wrong.

When Hashirama stood on the platform and said, "I sincerely thank you all, and I still have hope," Quhai saw the faces of those Ninjas.

That was a heartfelt following.

That kind of thing can't be faked or disguised.

From that moment on, Quhai understood one thing.

The Land of Fire is no longer the Land of Fire it once was.

The Daimyo is still the Daimyo, the court is still the same court, but those who truly wield the sword are no longer them.

"Showy but impractical."

Uzumaki Wataru's voice came from the side, carrying his usual disdain.

His gaze swept over the musicians playing instruments and singing on the stage, and over the visual effects created by the Genjutsu that appeared before him, a smile that he made no attempt to hide.

"What's the point of all this fancy stuff? Can it feed us? Can it fight a war?"

Quhai remained silent.

Uzumaki Gensei chimed in, his tone even more sarcastic than Hang's. "Exactly. Instead of spending so much effort building a stage and putting on a show, they should train more Ninjas. Ultimately, the people here are just too complacent."

"But..." Hideki opened his mouth.

"But what?" Yuansheng glanced at him sideways.

Hideki hesitated for a moment, but then said, "But they seem so happy."

Yuansheng scoffed, "Happy? Can happiness put food on the table?"

"No..." Hideki wanted to explain, but didn't know how to say it, "It's just... it's fine this way."

Yuansheng rolled his eyes, too lazy to pay him any more attention.

Uzumaki Wataru's gaze shifted from the stage, sweeping across the entire Dueling Arena.

The Ninjas and Ordinary People sitting together, the children laughing and playing, the tourists queuing in front of the stalls, and the amusement park rides gleaming in the sunlight.

His lips pressed into a thin line, and after a long pause, he said, "What a waste of such a good foundation for the regime."

Quhai finally spoke, his voice gentle and devoid of emotion. "Oh? Elder Hang, what insightful opinion do you have?"

"Look at them! The God of the Shinobi World is their leader, the Asura of the Ninja World is backing them up, and Tobirama Senju and Uchiha Izuna are their strategists. In any country, wouldn't they be able to do whatever they want?"

The resentment and envy in Hang's voice seeped out unconsciously from between the lines, "And what was the result? They're stuck in this remote mountain village, trying to establish Special Administrative Region, and even holding celebrations, Arena, and Amusement Parks."

"If you ask me, we should take this opportunity to completely sideline the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and seize real power. At that time, not only will the Special Administrative Region belong to Konoha, but the entire Land of Fire will be Konoha's."

Yuansheng lowered his voice and chimed in, "That's right, everyone here is united and full of energy. We haven't seen this kind of cohesion in the Land of Whirlpools for many years."

"Those Elders are only interested in fighting for power and profit all day long. They're constantly arguing and underhanded. Today you impeach me, tomorrow I'll impeach you. They can't get a single important matter done."

After saying this, he was completely unaware that he was praising something he had just been belittling.

Hideki noticed.

He glanced at Yuansheng, then at Quhai, and finally turned his gaze back to the stage.

Quhai's smile remained on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes. He felt that letting these two come along was the worst decision he had ever made.

Can't they see it?

When Konoha was granted the authority of Special Administrative Region, it was already half a Capital.

They have quietly completed the transfer of power.

He had asked Mito about the policies of this Special Administrative Region, and seeing that sent chills down his spine.

Granting Special Administrative Regions a high degree of autonomy, including maintaining their existing socio-economic systems and lifestyles.

It is important to note that the Land of Fire has no power to challenge the Konoha Special Administrative Region, because the people in the Konoha Special Administrative Region are the ones who possess the military force.

This is practically like establishing another regime within the country.

That Daimyo is indeed still the nominal ruler of the Land of Fire, but in reality, whoever controls the power of the Ninjas is the true monarch.

Rather than saying that the Daimyo granted Hokage the position of Hashirama, it would be more accurate to say that the Hokage gave the Daimyo the opportunity to vacate the position for him.

This is a disguised form of divine right of kings. This "god" doesn't actually need to exist; he only exists because Konoha currently needs the Daimyo to stabilize the situation.

Even if the Daimyo no longer exists, even if the Hokage changes, their status remains unshakable.

With this much freedom, whether or not to seize power is no longer important.

And those two idiots, Hang and Yuansheng, are still arguing about why they don't seize power.

It's utterly ridiculous. Look at Konoha now. This doesn't look like a military base at all. This is the ideal country that everyone yearns for.

Those four Konoha High Command... are truly terrifying.

Who exactly came up with the idea of One Country, Two Systems ?

He looked back at the stage. Asuna finished singing, and enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience. Some whistled, and others shouted "Tamaya!"

Asuna blushed and bowed, then was quickly picked up by an adult in the band and taken off the stage.

Hideki clapped along.

Just then, his Mind's Eye of the Kagura caught something.

It's some kind of... fluctuation.

It was as if someone had cast a glance from an extremely distant place, and that glance carried such immense Chakra that even across such a vast distance and through the auras of so many people, his sensory network still managed to detect a trace of its afterglow.

Hideki sat bolt upright, his pupils contracting sharply.

"Hideki?" Yuansheng noticed his unusual behavior. "What's wrong?"

Hideki did not answer. He closed his eyes and extended the range of Mind's Eye of the Kagura's Eye perception to its fullest extent, stretching it in that direction.

But that slight fluctuation had vanished, as if it had never existed. He found nothing.

"Hideki!" Yuansheng's voice rose a little, causing the people in front to turn around and look.

Hideki opened his eyes, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

His heart was pounding so fast he could hear the blood surging in his ears.

But no matter what he did, he was unable to detect that unsettling, powerful aura again.

"What's wrong?" Quhai's voice came from the side, still gentle, but with a hint of wariness.

Hideki took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible. "It's nothing... I might have misjudged."

Quhai stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded slightly and turned his gaze back to the Arena.