Don't Be So Naive (Please Read On)

Uchiha Sou looked at Shisui strangely. He couldn't figure out what had gotten into the kid this time.

Explaining the causes of war wasn't simple—not in this world, at least.

He'd studied at the Ninja Academy, so he knew they wouldn't teach you anything that complicated. The main thing they taught was how to kill people.

So, what was the point of discussing why wars happened with these ignorant fools? Could they even have that conversation?

No, of course not. They weren't capable of it!

Still, after thinking it over, Uchiha Sou decided he could simplify things and let the kid figure it out for himself.

Ever since he'd awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, he'd felt that Shisui's attitude toward him was rather ordinary.

Or rather, ever since he'd saved Uchiha Shizuka, the kid's attitude toward him had become anything but ordinary. After he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, that attitude had gone a step further.

If I could make this kid completely one of my own, then we'd have two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan...

At the thought, Uchiha Sou's eyes gleamed faintly.

Two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan might not be enough to sweep across Konoha, but Konoha would at least have to think hard about whether it could afford to take on a Uchiha like that!

And there's that brat, Uchiha Itachi. He was a monster in the original story, but he should only be four or five now. If...

At the thought of Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sou shook his head slightly. He'd deal with that kid later.

After all, the boy's father wasn't just a complete lunatic—he was also the Uchiha Clan's leader!

With someone like that leading the clan, how could the Uchiha Clan possibly avoid being wiped out?

Uchiha Sou had thought it through. If he wanted to stay in Konoha, the Uchiha Clan had to be his. Otherwise, a lot of things would be difficult to handle.

That inevitably made him think of Orochimaru. He had to admit, that washed-up boss really knew how to divide up the spoils.

Shaking his head, Uchiha Sou stopped thinking about it and turned to look at Shisui beside him.

"Then why do you think so many wars break out?" Uchiha Sou asked. "And you, Genma—what do you think?"

"Me?"

Shiranui Genma had wanted to hear what Uchiha Sou would say, but he hadn't expected the question to be turned on him. He could only shrug helplessly.

"Honestly, I don't think about it or even consider it. I hate war, but as ninjas, there are things we have to do. That's all."

"As for me..." Shisui didn't answer as casually as Shiranui Genma. He thought it over, then said uncertainly, "Hatred? Maybe wars keep happening because of the hatred between people."

"I'm sorry, but hatred is just an excuse. It isn't the main reason."

Hearing that, Uchiha Sou couldn't help thinking of Jiraiya. He firmly believed hatred was the source of the world's troubles, and that if people understood one another, war could be eliminated.

But the problem was, he'd been wrong from the very start.

If this were just about individuals, that would be one thing. But the main players were villages wielding immense power. That made the situation completely different.

"Let me ask you something. What started the Third Shinobi World War?"

"The Third Shinobi World War?" Shisui and Genma exchanged a glance. Then Genma answered, "The Third Kazekage disappeared, and Sunagakure accused us of being responsible. Add that to the grudges from the Second Shinobi World War, and..."

"Then what about the Second Shinobi World War?" Uchiha Sou smiled. "We weren't born yet, but I think we all know what happened."

"Hanzo, the Demigod of Amegakure, attacked us." Shisui was a top student. He immediately recalled the answer and spoke up.

"Then why would a small village like Amegakure attack us?" Uchiha Sou grew more serious. "They weren't even close to our size, and we had no prior grudges or conflicts. So why would they do that?"

The two of them fell silent. The textbooks had never covered that question.

Uchiha Sou seemed to understand their situation. He glanced at Hyuga Tetsu, who was still scouting and leading the way ahead, then at Might Duy and his son behind them. Finally, he spoke.

"Actually, the reason is simple. The Land of Rain, where Amegakure is located, had no room left to develop. To break through that bottleneck, they had no choice but to expand.

"The same goes for the Land of Wind today. It's mostly desert, with too little water, too little arable land, and too few mineral resources.

"The impoverished Land of Wind can't provide for the growth of a large ninja village. Rasa can use Magnet Release to produce Gold Dust and trade it for strategic supplies, but do you think other places will be generous enough to sell them to him?"

Would they? Of course not!

Even if Shisui and Genma didn't pay much attention to these issues, they knew Sunagakure wasn't a friend. It could even become an enemy at any moment.

No village would sell such important resources to a potential enemy. Even if they did, they would probably limit the quantity and charge a premium!

"So they had to break through those limitations by moving into the Land of Rivers, which brought them into conflict with us, right?"

Genma had finally understood. He spoke slowly, and Shisui nodded silently before adding, "And the other villages joined the war and attacked us for all sorts of reasons too?"

"More or less. Hatred is never the real cause of war. It exists between us ninjas, but the villages are more concerned with their own interests."

Uchiha Sou nodded, his voice distant. He knew the story, and he'd learned plenty before coming to this world. That was why he saw things from a different perspective than the others.

To be blunt, he had more of a "Hokage's mindset" than Uchiha Itachi and the likes of him!

His words left Genma and Shisui stunned for a long time. After giving it some thought, they sincerely realized that this was probably the true root of the problem.

Compared with the interests of the village, hatred seemed insignificant. From the village's perspective, the right choice was obvious.

After thinking it through, both Shisui and Genma looked at Uchiha Sou with even greater respect.

Still, they were puzzled. Why could Uchiha Sou, who was about their age, think so far ahead and see so clearly?

"Stay alert!"

Hyuga Tetsu, who had been scouting and leading the way, suddenly stopped and made a tactical hand signal. Uchiha Sou saw it and immediately gave an order.

Everyone stopped at once. Hyuga Tetsu quickly ran back and spoke in a low voice.

"Captain, there are enemies. A search squad—two standard units."

Two standard units meant eight people, but that wasn't much of a threat to Uchiha Sou and the others.

"Prepare for battle."

Uchiha Sou nodded, then smiled.

"Everyone, this time we're going to reveal ourselves on purpose. I told you before we set out. I hope you're truly ready."

"We're ready, Captain!"

"Good. Then, move!"