"That's just the kind of person he is. How could he be so easily persuaded?"
"Forget it, forget it. I was just saying it casually."
"But, Shisui..."
"Don't tell me that instead, you were persuaded by him?"
A cold gleam suddenly flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes as he stared intently at Uchiha Shisui...
Chapter 12: The Will of Fire
Facing Lord Hokage, Uchiha Shisui did not want to lie.
"I... do feel somewhat lost..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened, but he quickly returned to normal.
"Oh? What exactly did Qianyu say to you?"
Uchiha Shisui shook his head.
"It was only some casual discussion."
"It's just that his views may not be entirely without merit..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi expressionlessly exhaled a ring of smoke.
The smoke spread through the stale, decaying air of the Hokage's Office.
"For example?"
"For example, what war is, what justice is, what good and evil are..."
"Lord Hokage, Uchiha Qianyu seems to believe that Konoha was not always on the side of justice. It may even have committed the sin of invading other nations in the past..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply. "When?"
"Amegakure."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered inwardly.
Yet his face remained kind and benevolent, and his tone became even more earnest.
"Shisui, I can understand your confusion and uncertainty..."
"This shinobi world is like an endless spiral of hatred, while shinobi are merely tools struggling to survive within it. But even so, there are always things that stand above all else..."
"What does Lord Hokage mean?"
"The Will of Fire."
Uchiha Shisui hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.
He had once firmly believed in the so-called Will of Fire, but Uchiha Qianyu's words had dropped a bomb into his heart, once as steady as a mountain and calm as water.
Hiruzen Sarutobi could see his hesitation.
"Shisui, have you now become unable even to believe in the Will of Fire?"
"No, Lord Hokage. I would never do anything to betray Konoha. For the village's peace and stability, I would not frown even if I had to sacrifice myself at any moment. It's just..."
"It's just that you are no longer so resolute."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire burns on."
"I often tell you all this. Many people think it is merely an empty phrase, hollow words, pretty nonsense..."
"But in truth, these are the genuine feelings that rose from the depths of the hearts of the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and myself, their successor."
"On the surface, these words mean cherishing new sprouts, cherishing the younger generation, and protecting the village's future hope even at the cost of sacrificing oneself. But in a broader sense, they mean more than that..."
Uchiha Shisui raised his head, his eyes full of thirst for knowledge. He hoped that the Lord Hokage before him would clear away his confusion.
"The Will of Fire, in a nutshell, is..."
"Everything for the greater good."
"Whether the older generation sacrifices for the younger generation, or shinobi sacrifice for the village, both are manifestations of the Will of Fire."
"The First Hokage created the village in order to erase barriers, allowing so-called individuals and clans to gradually dissolve into the collective of the entire village..."
"The Konoha of his ideals was one great family without clans, without distinctions between us and them, with only villagers and family."
"During the Warring States Era, I was of the Senju Clan and you were of the Uchiha clan. We fought endlessly, to the death, for profit and hatred. Flames of war spread across the shinobi world, and many children never even lived to adulthood..."
"After Konoha was founded, in order to erase the barriers between clans, the First Hokage took the initiative to gradually abandon the Senju surname and let the Senju Clan integrate into Konoha. Today, his vision has truly been realized..."
"Of course, not everyone or every clan possesses the First Hokage's breadth of mind and grand vision. Thus, Konoha still has many problems, even perilous hidden dangers..."
Uchiha Shisui's heart trembled.
Of course, he understood what Lord Hokage meant.
Konoha had been founded jointly by the Senju Clan and the Uchiha clan.
Now, the Senju Clan had already faded into the dust of history.
Yet the Uchiha clan had instead increasingly become a ticking time bomb, liable to explode at any moment and threaten the peace and stability of the entire village.
The Will of Fire...
For the greater good...
Uchiha Shisui's heart stirred once more.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "If every clan could detach itself from its own identity and position when viewing problems, if everyone could truly view problems from the village's perspective, then Konoha would not be as it is now, and neither would the shinobi world..."
"I am not a saint, nor can I demand that everyone be one. Even the First Hokage could only lead by example; he could not demand that others or other clans do anything."
"But I hope that one day..."
"I truly hope..."
Uchiha Shisui's heart suddenly calmed once again.
He said solemnly, "Lord Hokage, I understand."
"People love themselves first, then their own clans, and only above that, the entire village..."
"But as long as one's capacity is great enough, one can break free from the limitations of one's clan and view gains and losses, view the bigger picture, from a higher angle and a broader perspective..."
"I, Uchiha Shisui, am first and foremost a shinobi of Konoha, and only then a member of the Uchiha clan."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled with satisfaction.
He gently exhaled a ring of smoke and nodded with a kindly expression.
"Good, very good..."
"It's good that you understand..."
"The Uchiha clan indeed has many historical problems, and the conflicts have even intensified further in this generation. However, I have never believed that they cannot be completely eased and resolved."
"The key does not lie with me, but within the Uchiha clan itself."
"In particular, with the existence of two people."
"One is naturally you, Shisui. The other is..."
"Uchiha Itachi."
Uchiha Shisui smiled faintly. "Itachi?"
"He truly is the most special one..."
"Sometimes, even I cannot see through him..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Although Itachi is young, he already possesses the thinking of a Hokage. He can break free from the shackles of his clan and view problems from the perspective of the entire village."
"With the two of you here, I believe that no matter how complicated or intense the Uchiha clan's problems may be, there will come a day when they are resolved peacefully..."
Uchiha Shisui felt a longing rise within him.
"I also believe that day will come..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "As for what Qianyu said about great nations and small nations, war and peace, justice and injustice..."
"Those are even grander questions. But precisely because they are so grand, they instead seem illusory and intangible."
"If one day, everyone could set aside their villages and view problems from the perspective of the entire shinobi world, perhaps all disputes truly could be resolved. However..."
"At least within a limited timeline, that is something that can never happen."
"The First Hokage created the village to erase the barriers between clans. He also once said at the first Five Kage Summit that perhaps one day in the future, the Five Great Nations and the Five Great Shinobi Villages could likewise erase the barriers between their nations and villages. Then, true peace would arrive..."
"But he also knew that it was an infinitely long, infinitely distant dream..."
"We can only take things one step at a time."
"Right now, you and I, including that child Itachi, can rise above our clans and think from the village's perspective. That already sets us apart from the vast majority of people..."
"We cannot take too large a step at once. Every era has its own limitations, and every era has its own tasks. We only need to do the things of our own generation well..."
"Qianyu's words sound grand and righteous, but they are all empty, like castles in the air. Just listen to them; there is no need to take them too seriously..."
Uchiha Shisui finally let out a complete sigh of relief and revealed a brilliant smile.
"Yes, I understand, Lord Hokage..."
"Good, that is good..."
"Although my confusion has been resolved, Lord Hokage, the extreme methods Uchiha Qianyu used to carry out his so-called justice have also gained the approval of some villagers and civilians..."
"What do you think about this matter...?"
Chapter 13: A Spark of Fire
When Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of Uchiha Qianyu's methods, especially the death of his nephew Sarutobi Jiro, his heart naturally filled with bitter hatred.
What was even more frightening was...
He even realized that Sarutobi Jiro's death and Uchiha Qianyu's actions might instead cause many villagers and shinobi to look at him differently this time, completely changing their opinions of him...
Before you continue