The Will of Fire Couldn't Even Get Him to Eat Green Peppers

Shin Nohara walked into the Teaching Building with his schoolbag in his arms, swaying as he went. The hallway was empty and so quiet that the only sound was his footsteps.

"Huh? Why's nobody here?" Shin muttered as he made his way to the door of Class A.

He slid it open.

Swish.

A dozen pairs of eyes turned to look at him in unison.

Teacher Ibuki stood at the front of the classroom, chalk in hand, watching him with a complicated expression.

"Shin Nohara."

"Here." Shin raised his hand.

"Do you know what time it is?"

Shin thought for a moment, then answered seriously, "No. I don't have a watch."

"..."

"But judging by the sun, it should be almost time to eat Xin Dian, right?"

Teacher Ibuki's temple twitched.

"It's 8:10 in the morning. The bell rang ten minutes ago."

"Oh." Shin nodded, then started walking to his seat.

"Wait." Teacher Ibuki stopped him. "Is there anything you'd like to say?"

Shin stopped and tilted his head, thinking it over. Then he turned around and bowed to the teacher and the class. "Sorry I'm late. I'll come earlier tomorrow."

"..." Teacher Ibuki took a deep breath. "Sit down. If you're late again, you'll have to stand in the hallway."

Shin nodded and sat down in the seat next to Uchiha Toru.

"Morning, Xiao Che," he whispered.

"Morning," Uchiha Toru whispered back. "Why were you late?"

"Couldn't help it. Mom runs too slowly."

Uchiha Toru fell silent for two seconds and decided not to ask any follow-up questions.

Teacher Ibuki tapped the blackboard. "All right, quiet down. Today, we're going to discuss a very important topic."

Then he turned around and wrote four large characters on the board:

The Will of Fire.

Shin blinked and whispered to Uchiha Toru, "What's the Will of Fire? Can you eat it?"

Uchiha Toru's mouth twitched. "No."

"Then what's it good for?"

"Listen to the teacher."

Teacher Ibuki drew a simple tree on the blackboard, with branches and leaves. "The Will of Fire means protecting what's important to you and safeguarding the village. Konoha was founded so that children would no longer have to go to war and could live in peace."

When he finished, he looked at the children below.

"Wherever leaves dance, the fire burns on. That is the Will of Fire. It means living not selfishly for yourself, but for the sake of protecting others."

The classroom fell silent for a few seconds.

Obito's eyes shone. "That's amazing."

Might Guy's eyes were already starting to redden. "Youth! That's what youth is!"

Kakashi's face remained expressionless, but his gaze rested on the blackboard, as if he were thinking about something.

Then a hand went up.

Teacher Ibuki looked toward it. "Shin Nohara."

"Teacher, if the Will of Fire is about protecting the people who are important to you, does that mean I'm important too?"

"Of course."

"Then can I protect myself by not eating green peppers?"

Teacher Ibuki froze.

The classroom was silent for a second, then burst into laughter.

"Quiet." Teacher Ibuki tapped the blackboard. "That has nothing to do with the Will of Fire."

"But you said it yourself, teacher. I'm important too, so I have to protect myself. Green peppers hurt me, so I'm protecting myself by not eating them. Isn't that the Will of Fire?"

Teacher Ibuki's mouth twitched. "Green peppers don't hurt you."

"They do." Shin looked completely serious. "They make me feel awful, make me want to throw up, and make me lose my appetite. If that's not hurting me, what is?"

"That just means you don't like the taste."

"Isn't that still hurting me?" Shin tilted his head. "Taste can hurt you too."

Teacher Ibuki opened his mouth, then realized he couldn't come up with a rebuttal.

Beside him, Uchiha Toru whispered, "Shin, that's not how the Will of Fire works."

"Then how does it work?"

Uchiha Toru thought for a moment, then explained seriously, "The Will of Fire is the spirit of sacrificing yourself to protect others. It's not an excuse to avoid eating green peppers."

Shin blinked and fell silent for two seconds. "So even the Will of Fire can't get me out of eating green peppers?"

"No."

At the front of the classroom, Teacher Ibuki had heard their exchange. His expression was impossible to describe.

"Shin Nohara."

"Here."

"The Will of Fire isn't something you can twist to get your way."

"But, teacher..."

"No buts. Go home and write a reflection today about what you understand the Will of Fire to mean."

Shin's face fell. "Aw, I have to write?"

"Yes. Three hundred words."

"How many is three hundred words?"

"A lot."

Shin sighed and slumped over his desk. "The Will of Fire is so hard."

Uchiha Toru couldn't help laughing.

"You're laughing too?" Shin looked at him reproachfully. "You could've said something to help me."

"How could I help you? None of what you said was right."

"What part wasn't right?"

Uchiha Toru thought about it, then said seriously, "The Will of Fire is about making everyone happy, not just yourself."

Shin blinked and looked at him. "Then, Xiao Che, what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Uchiha Toru froze, not expecting the topic to change so quickly.

"I... I don't know."

"Don't you have a dream?"

Uchiha Toru lowered his head. "People in the Uchiha Clan usually become ninjas and serve the village."

Shin tilted his head. "What about your own dream?"

Uchiha Toru was silent for a while, then whispered, "Minister of Chocolate Sticks?"

"Oh, right." Shin seemed to remember something. "We still have to get rid of green peppers."

Uchiha Toru's mouth twitched. "Can't you forget about green peppers?"

"No." Shin looked completely serious. "Green peppers are my lifelong enemy."

Teacher Ibuki continued explaining the Will of Fire at the front of the classroom.

"So the core of the Will of Fire is protection: protecting the village, your comrades, and the future. Some of you may become Hokage one day."

"Me." Obito shot to his feet. "I'm going to become Hokage."

Teacher Ibuki jumped, then smiled helplessly. "Sit down, Obito."

"But, teacher, I really am going to become Hokage."

"I know, I know. Sit down first."

Obito sat down, but the excitement on his face didn't fade one bit.

"I'm going to become Hokage too," Might Guy raised his hand. "For the sake of youth!"

"Teacher," Rin raised her hand too. "Can girls become Hokage?"

"Of course." Teacher Ibuki nodded. "Being Hokage has nothing to do with gender."

Kakashi remained expressionless and said nothing.

Teacher Ibuki suddenly looked at him. "Kakashi, what about you? Do you have anything to say?"

Kakashi glanced at him coolly. "No."

"You don't want to become Hokage?"

"Sounds like a hassle."

Teacher Ibuki: "..."

Shin whispered beside him, "Kakashi's so cool."

Uchiha Toru nodded. "Yeah. He's always like that."

"But does he eat green peppers in the morning too?"

"I don't know."

"If he doesn't eat green peppers either, I'll admire him even more."

Uchiha Toru sighed, deciding not to respond.