"Can you really let my companions go?" In truth, Yan Liu knew perfectly well that she had no choice.
Uchiha Kin's skill at controlling kunai with his nerves was simply chilling. So many people hadn't been able to defeat him just now; with only the two of them left, they stood even less of a chance. All she could do was take a gamble and trust that Uchiha Kin was a man of his word.
Uchiha Kin smiled. "Of course... You can trust in the honor of the Uchiha." Although, I don't have any.
If he could choose, he definitely wouldn't have wanted to be reborn into the Uchiha Clan... The Sharingan was certainly enviable, but so was the clan's destruction.
"Fine. I'm willing to be your vessel! What do you need me to do?" Yan Liu asked.
"What do you need to do? I haven't decided yet. But I won't make you surrender to the Hidden Leaf Village, and I won't make you betray Iwagakure. You'll simply be my personal vessel."
He reached out and gently placed his hand on Yan Liu's head. His palm felt slightly cool as it rubbed her scalp, creating an oddly pleasant sensation. She didn't even feel much resistance to it. Uchiha Kin continued, "We can't choose whether to go to war... This damn era. Do you know what I mean?"
Tiny nerves emerged from his palm and silently burrowed into Yan Liu's brain, following the layout of her neural pathways and fitting tightly alongside them, one for one. It felt as though some of her nerves had simply grown thicker.
Yan Liu asked, "What?"
"Do you know how many people the Senju and Uchiha Clans had before the era of the Hidden Leaf Village? Heh. The Senju Clan had 203 people, and the Uchiha Clan had 187.
"These two clans... During the Warring States Period, the Uchiha actually kept a Clan Registry. I'm someone who likes looking through Clan Registries, and I found an entry that was completely at odds with the world we live in today."
With Uchiha Kin's earlier promise that she wouldn't have to surrender to the Hidden Leaf Village or betray Iwagakure, and that this was merely a contract between the two of them,
Yan Liu felt little resistance toward Uchiha Kin. Now, as he rested his hand on her head, inserted his nerves, and spoke of secrets, she was keenly interested.
Everyone was interested in secrets like these.
Her ruby-red eyes stared fixedly at Uchiha Kin, waiting for him to continue.
"I saw a lie. The Senju and Uchiha Clans used to be two shinobi clans that stood at odds with each other, locked in endless conflict.
"But the populations of both clans kept growing, with more and more children being born. Do you know what that means? It means that even though our clans fought, not many clan members actually died. Do you know what that means?
"Let me tell you one more thing, and you'll understand. The Senju Clan—can you still name anyone from the Senju Clan?
"They're gone. The First and Second Shinobi World Wars—just a few decades, and the once-glorious Senju Clan had vanished. What about the Uchiha Clan?
"The Uchiha population is only a little over fifty now, and we're still considered a powerful clan in the Hidden Leaf Village."
Perhaps because chakra was a form of energy that required spirit and conviction, shinobi rarely made calm, data-driven analyses like this. They tended to focus instead on more immediate, personal experience.
So when these two sets of numbers were put side by side, they looked glaringly wrong—
Yan Liu asked, "Does that mean it's a lie that the era of the Hidden Leaf Village ended the chaos?"
Uchiha Kin asked, "Then is it true?"
"I don't know."
"When this damn war is over and you return to Iwagakure, perhaps you can investigate the clans. I believe the results will give you an answer... If you insist on asking me, then I'd say—
"When the system of one country, one village was established, it turned the scattered grievances between shinobi clans into wars between entire nations.
"Before, when clans fought, they could fight if they were strong enough and run if they weren't. They usually didn't involve ordinary people, either. And because of the limits of chakra, individual shinobi and small clans each had their weaknesses, making it difficult to cause heavy casualties.
"Especially when it came to retreating. Before the Hidden Leaf Village was established, running away or avoiding battle wasn't shameful. There was nothing wrong with preserving your clan.
"But the era of the Hidden Leaf Village was different. It tied shinobi to the greater good of their countries, forcing them to charge into battle and die. What had been a simple conflict between shinobi clans became a contest of overall strength between two nations, or even several.
"Entire countries were dragged into war. Countless war orphans were born in this era.
"So what was the Hidden Leaf Village system, in essence? It opened Pandora's Box and unleashed a demon called World War. That's all."
Uchiha Kin glanced at the Rock Ninja lying face-down on the ground. He had actually woken up already; he was just pretending to be dead.
But how could such a clumsy trick fool Uchiha Kin's senses?
Still, Uchiha Kin didn't mind him listening.
"I don't doubt that the person who came up with it wanted to end the conflicts between shinobi clans and resolve their disputes. But some things can't be accomplished with nothing but passion and wishful thinking. The consequences of acting recklessly are exactly what we're facing now. It's a mess, isn't it?
"Why are we at war? Because when the Hidden Leaf Village system was established, another system was established alongside it: the shinobi-for-hire system.
"A shinobi's income comes from missions. The total number of missions in this world is limited. If your village gets a bigger share, the other villages get less. And the only way to win missions is to demonstrate your strength.
"If your village is powerful and trustworthy, the employer will choose you. Employers vote with their feet.
"Can you guess what lies behind this war? The Hidden Leaf Village occupies the best geographical position and has the richest land. Its shinobi are trustworthy, and one thing in particular is that it tries to make shinobi education accessible to the public.
"If you're a shinobi brimming with bloodlust, scowling and full of resentment, employers won't hire you unless they have to.
"That's the inevitable result of employers voting with their feet.
"So what can your village do to reclaim its share of the missions? The most direct answer is war. Demonstrate that you're even stronger. Show that you can fight whenever you want and make peace whenever you want.
"Ultimately, the core of the shinobi-for-hire system is whether you can do jobs like escorting, assassination, and protection well."
Yan Liu felt as if a sudden revelation had struck her. "So the root of this war is the loss of mission shares?"
Before you continue