Will of Fire, Konoha Above All

In Konoha's Death Forest, a figure kept running through the dense woods.

Behind him, a black shadow flickered in and out of sight, flashing from one tree to another in the blink of an eye.

"How strange..."

Watching Naruto's running posture, Shisui found it rather odd.

Unlike a ninja, Naruto did not lean his body forward, keep his arms straight and angled behind him to drift with inertia, or shift his center of gravity forward to drive himself with his feet.

Instead, he kept swinging his arms at his sides, with his center of gravity held relatively higher.

"Is it because no one taught him? A ninja's running posture obviously lets you exert force faster, right?"

Shisui scratched his head in confusion.

But as he continued watching, he gradually noticed the advantages of this running style.

It seemed to improve balance, reduce the strain on the body, and make running feel more natural and effortless.

"By the way, Menma-nii."

At the same time, Little Naruto ran through the forest while asking inwardly, "Why did you have me write ideological studies homework and daily training notes in that notebook?"

"And I could only write about the good points, not the bad ones."

"So certain people who like peeping into other people's privacy can have a look."

Menma's tone was meaningful as he smiled. "Let them see just how excellent the Will of Fire they believe in truly is."

That so-called diary was merely Little Naruto's ideological studies assignment, along with some records of his after-school training.

What decent person even kept a diary?

And who wrote their true thoughts in a diary? If you wrote them down, could they still be called your true thoughts?

The topic of that day's ideological studies assignment had been "An Appreciation of the Will of Fire."

Its central idea was, roughly speaking, Konoha above all.

Of course, it only analyzed and appreciated the merits of the Will of Fire and Konoha above all.

"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns eternally. Its light will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."

"The Will of Fire is Konoha's core principle and the responsibility every villager bears toward Konoha."

"If you live in a house and its roof leaks, then repairing that roof is your responsibility, so that the next generation can live there as well."

Menma had also helped polish it up a little.

It roughly expressed Naruto's admiration for the Hokage, his love for Konoha, and his yearning for friends.

But the flaws of the Will of Fire were something Naruto and Menma had discussed face-to-face within the Sealing Space.

"Hm?"

Menma seemed to notice something suddenly, and a playful look appeared on his face. "Naruto, don't take a detour today. I'm giving you a practical assessment—a surprise inspection of how well you've learned."

"...Okay."

Naruto scratched his head at that, quickening his pace.

Instead of avoiding the bustling streets as he usually did, he ran straight toward them.

Shisui, who had been following behind him and hiding in the trees to keep watch, was also taken aback.

"What's going on? Why didn't Naruto Uzumaki take a detour today? Is he going to buy something?"

Though doubt rose in his heart, he sped up his Body Flicker and followed.

When they reached the street, they saw two groups confronting each other head-on. Each side had more than a dozen people, while more and more villagers gathered around to watch.

One group bore symbols resembling fans on their clothes. They were members of the Uchiha Clan.

The other group bore the crest of the Sarutobi Clan. They were members of the Sarutobi Clan.

Several people on both sides were bruised and swollen, clearly showing that a conflict had already taken place.

The Sarutobi side's leader was furious, but he forcibly suppressed his anger as he warned, "Yashiro Uchiha! Don't push people too far!"

"The matter of your violent law enforcement hasn't been resolved yet, and now you actually dare to bully the Sarutobi Clan!"

In contrast, the Uchiha Clan members looked disdainful, making no attempt to hide their arrogance.

The man called Yashiro Uchiha stood at the front and said contemptuously, "Your clansmen got drunk and caused trouble in the street, insulting the Uchiha Clan. As the Police Force, of course we must take you away according to the rules!"

"You're using public office to settle private grudges!!"

"Settling private grudges?"

Looking at the indignant Sarutobi clansmen, Yashiro Uchiha sneered. "Your clansmen violated Konoha's rules first. How are we settling private grudges?"

"Exactly. If you hadn't broken the rules first and then resisted our arrest, why would we have needed to use unconventional methods on your clansmen?"

The argument between the two sides grew increasingly heated.

Every member of the Sarutobi Clan looked dissatisfied and aggrieved, while the Uchiha Clan members wore excited expressions, as though they were eager to teach them a lesson.

Both sides were restless, on the verge of another armed clash.

The crowd around them grew larger and larger, but most of them accused the Uchiha Clan of refusing to let the matter rest after gaining the upper hand, while expressing understanding and sympathy for the Sarutobi Clan.

Amid the crowd, a small hooded figure remained hidden within it.

"Naruto, have you figured out the cause and course of this incident? Based on this matter, what do you think of the Will of Fire?"

Menma's teasing voice rang out again.

Naruto scratched the back of his head in frustration. "The Will of Fire, as I understand it, means that the predecessors sacrifice themselves to illuminate the path for their descendants, extending hope and the future to the next generation."

"But it doesn't seem to be the same as the Will of Fire I imagined. It feels like... like..."

Naruto pondered for a long time but could not find a suitable adjective.

Menma smiled. "Does it feel like the Will of Fire has been twisted? Like it has completely lost its original purpose?"

Twisted...

"Yes, that's exactly how it feels."

Naruto suddenly understood. "It feels like someone distorted its original meaning and gradually pushed it to an extreme."

The core idea the Will of Fire sought to convey was that Konoha came first—that Konoha was everyone's home and needed to be protected by everyone, that Konoha alone was the true and unique existence.

At first glance, there was nothing wrong with such an idea.

But if it was distorted or misunderstood by someone with ulterior motives, the Will of Fire became a "weapon."

The most typical example was the way Shimura Danzō and the others viewed the Uchiha Clan.

"Even though you haven't done anything yet, I think you'll definitely cause trouble in the future. So I'm going to treat you unfairly now, suppress you, alienate you, and make you do work that offends people."

Then, when the Uchiha Clan was pushed to its limit and voices of dissatisfaction emerged—

"Ah, just as expected, you aren't loyal to Konoha. Since you want to cause trouble, we'll have to deal with you."

That was the most hypocritical part of "Konoha comes first."

Because the definition of "Konoha" was often decided by Konoha's High-Ranking Officials. In their eyes, the Uchiha Clan was not included in that definition of Konoha.

It all came down to this: "If your loyalty isn't absolute, then you are absolutely disloyal."

Thanks to wisp, F Ze, Oni-chan Is ALPEH, and A Name That's Too Long Will Make Idiots Read Along for their tips. Thank you all for your support~