The Will of Fire? Just a Slogan!

Uchiha Jin remained silent.

Some things might not seem apparent in the Ninja World, as strength is the core of a ninja's power. But if you were to transplant him to any other world, Shisui would undoubtedly be considered a nouveau riche!

Born into a prestigious clan like the Uchiha, and being the grandson of Kagami Uchiha, a confidant of the Hokage, these foundations meant he could obtain things others strived for their entire lives without any effort.

Naturally, this also meant he could never truly understand the struggles of the common people!

Much like Emperor Hui of Jin, who famously asked, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?", Shisui, despite wanting to connect with others, was unable to truly lower himself to their level due to the Uchiha's arrogance.

This caused others to respect him, but never to consider him a friend.

On the contrary!

It was a blessing if people didn't curse him behind his back. After all, you nouveau riches didn't need money, but we commoners did.

"Why?"

"How could it be like this? This is nothing like what I imagined!"

"Then... what about the Will of Fire?"

Shisui was on the verge of collapse, unable to help but ask.

He couldn't accept it!

Although his rational mind understood that Uchiha Jin was telling the truth, his heart still refused to accept it.

The village had taught him about the "Will of Fire" since he was young, but everything Uchiha Jin was saying was utterly contrary to the "Will of Fire."

And in response to this.

Uchiha Jin rolled his eyes. "That's just a slogan. You shout it a couple of times when needed, but if you take it seriously, you've already lost."

"What do you mean? Just a slogan?" Shisui was stunned, his face filled with confusion.

Uchiha Jin sighed. "The Will of Fire speaks of burning leaves to illuminate new sprouts, but why is it that during every Ninja World War, the Konoha higher-ups stay in the rear, while it's always the young people who die on the front lines?"

"This, of course, is..." Shisui tried to retort.

But before he could, Uchiha Jin interrupted him. "Don't talk about the 'bigger picture.' There's a saying among commoners: if anyone talks to you about the 'bigger picture,' it means you are definitely not part of it!"

"The villagers and other ninja clans aren't stupid. While they also chant the 'Will of Fire,' no one truly believes it."

"It's just a slogan. Remember how your squad came to the front lines to support us this time?"

Shisui's face flushed and paled, his entire being on the verge of collapse.

His scalp tingled.

If he hadn't seen Uchiha Jin interacting so naturally with the common ninja and clans, his personality would have compelled him to strike Uchiha Jin down with a single blow.

However, the problem was.

Although Shisui hadn't experienced the things Uchiha Jin was talking about, his mind was sharp enough to consider them and realize they made sense.

This was a disaster!

Because it was completely contrary to his beliefs.

So.

He endured as much as he could, finally speaking with a helpless tone, "I remember. Is there a problem with that too?"

"Of course, a big one!" Uchiha Jin said dismissively. "Our squad received the notification long ago."

"The Nara clan sent us a messenger hawk. The Nara clan leader informed us the day your squad received the mission."

"But contrary to your imagination, we didn't intend to meet you. Instead, we tried our best to avoid you."

"Do you think we took on the mission without rest, genuinely for that damned 'Will of Fire'?"

"No, you're mistaken!"

"We sensed something was wrong with the Sunagakure attack on us. After all, the supplies we were transporting weren't important enough for Sunagakure to specifically ambush us."

"At that time, we suspected that some higher-ups in the rear were targeting us, which is why our movements were leaked to Sunagakure."

"So we were worried that if we stayed longer, we would receive 'suicidal' orders from certain higher-ups in the rear!"

"Do you know what mission we accepted?"

"To infiltrate the Land of Rain and investigate Pakura's objective!"

"But in reality, when we received this mission, they directly gave us the intelligence about Sunagakure. All we had to do was hide in the Land of Rain for a while and then return with the 'intelligence' to report."

"Our purpose in entering the Land of Rain was twofold: to train in secret and to evade the higher-ups behind us."

"You might ask why others would help us. The reason is that the person in charge of issuing missions at the Kikyo Mountain camp was a former trusted subordinate of Hatake Sakumo."

"Hatake Kakashi is in our squad!"

"So we weren't going to let your squad find us, because the Uchiha are all stubborn fools."

"Forget about others in the village, I even hate the Uchiha myself!"

Shisui was instantly cornered after hearing this.

Damn it!

This was completely different from what he had imagined!

His worldview was about to shatter. He felt like the village he knew and the village Uchiha Jin saw were two completely different versions.

His mind started racing. After thinking for a long time, he couldn't help but ask, "You know I trust the village completely, right? Why are you telling me this? Aren't you afraid I'll report you to Lord Hokage?"

He couldn't understand!

He could understand the initial statements, more or less.

Because they weren't important!

But what Uchiha Jin was revealing now could easily drag him down if he wasn't careful.

Why?

He couldn't quite figure it out!

As for this.

Uchiha Jin was very relaxed, even showing a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"One reason I'm doing this is that I'm genuinely grateful to you. You've been too good to me, and my principle in life is simple: repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring."

"Since you've been sincere with me, I naturally have to report back to you, no matter the reason."

"Secondly, you can't do it!"

"Just like your backing is the Uchiha clan, I, Uchiha Jin, also have backing now."

"Hatake Sakumo is the Anbu captain, head of intelligence, and the leader of the Jonin squad. Do you know how many supporters and confidants he has?"

"The Nara clan are confidants of the Hokage, and Takada Fujiwara also represents the commoner class. These people are truly my own."

"These are all the Hokage's fundamental support base. Shisui, if you choose to expose this matter, do you think the Hokage would dare to investigate it thoroughly?"

Yes.

Uchiha Jin truly wasn't afraid!

Let alone the fact that the Uchiha were not favored by the mainstream village, Uchiha Jin had, through his own team members, directly extended his influence into commoner ninjas, Hatake Sakumo's supporters, and the Nara clan in three directions.

This matter couldn't be exposed!

These three forces, including the Hokage himself, would not allow this matter to be exposed!

Shisui: "..."

He was completely bewildered.

Not being a fool, he quickly understood.

There was no other way!

He realized that what Uchiha Jin said was perfectly reasonable. This was no longer an internal Uchiha matter; it involved all aspects of the village.

So, alas!

With a sigh of helplessness, he didn't know what else to say.