The Ninja World Needs a Sun

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Tsunade sat back down and poured herself a drink; she no longer expected to hear an answer that would satisfy her.

Just then, Hyuga Kiyonari, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.

"I believe the greatest achievement of the First Hokage in his lifetime was turning shinobi into human beings."

Tsunade's hand froze mid-pour.

She turned her head slowly, looking at this three-year-old child with a gaze that was both astonished and scrutinizing.

"Go on."

Hyuga Kiyonari took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He couldn't help but think that Tsunade's "always lose at gambling" trait was truly written into her character settings; the amount of correction points required to keep her winning at the tables over the past two days had far exceeded his expectations.

He didn't have enough correction points left to force Tsunade to stay in Konoha through a scripted event, so he had to take action himself and give her a reason to stay.

He believed in himself, and he believed in the education he had once received.

"People are not born into this world to perpetuate hatred, but in that era, everyone carried the mission of continuing that hatred from the moment they were born."

"When they first opened their eyes, the elders who had been playing with them yesterday might never return tomorrow; by the time they could walk, they were taught to pick up weapons and learn how to kill. The only purpose of their existence was to avenge their fallen kin, only to be killed by the descendants of their enemies."

Kiyonari's voice continued, and Tsunade's gaze became increasingly focused.

"Such shinobi were less like people and more like... tools."

"They were brought into this world by their parents for revenge, by their clans for survival. From the moment they arrived, they had no right to choose; they either became tools for killing or targets to be killed. They could not speak their own names, they could not have true friends, and they could not do what they wanted to do."

"But after Konoha was established, the wars stopped—at least within the Land of Fire. Shinobi finally had a chance to catch their breath; they finally had time to think about what they could do besides killing."

Hyuga Kiyonari's pace grew faster and more fluid; clearly, he had fully entered his flow.

"You mentioned earlier that modern shinobi have even picked up the ways of the nobility, and there was a hint of sarcasm in your tone. But I think this actually shows that shinobi have begun to have choices, and have begun to take their first steps."

"They started to feel lost, so they started to learn. But people naturally don't learn downward, so the shinobi adopted the etiquette of the nobles. Yet, they couldn't distinguish between good and bad, so they ended up adopting that rigid order of hierarchy as well."

Hyuga Kiyonari's eyes burned bright, his entire being seemingly radiating light.

Tsunade's body leaned forward unconsciously, like a student listening to a teacher's instruction, or perhaps like a... seeker of truth.

"Now that Konoha has established the Ninja Academy, built parks, and created commercial districts... those who lack the talent to be shinobi and cannot pass the graduation exams can choose not to be shinobi, but to live as ordinary people. In the Warring States period, this was impossible; even if you had no talent, you still had to take up a weapon and go to the battlefield... to die."

"Only when people have the right to choose are they truly human. Making your own decisions and taking responsibility for everything—that is what it means to live."

"Although war still exists," Kiyonari's voice lowered, "even though the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars have claimed countless lives, at least the era is progressing."

"Lady Tsunade, I understand how you feel. The fact that your brother sacrificed his life in the Second Shinobi World War shows that Konoha was still sending children to the battlefield back then. The proposal to have at least one medical ninja in every three-man squad still hasn't been implemented, which shows that even today, the village does not place enough importance on the rights of shinobi as human beings."

"You can see these things because Senju Hashirama was your grandfather. But they are too far removed from the God of Shinobi, from the First Hokage; they can only admire him, and admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding."

"They can only see that after Konoha was established, the wars in the Land of Fire stopped, and children who used to be sent to the battlefield at three or four years old can now grow up safely until they are eleven or twelve. They believe that peace only exists because Konoha exists. To protect Konoha, they will spare no cost and disregard all losses."

Having said so much in one breath, Hyuga Kiyonari's throat felt a bit raspy. Just as he cast his gaze toward the table, Tsunade, sitting opposite him, handed him her wine cup.

He said helplessly, "Lady Tsunade, I'm not yet at the age to drink."

Tsunade finally realized what she was doing, pulled the cup back, and hurriedly shouted, "Shizune, water!"

After taking the tea Shizune handed him and drinking it down in one gulp, Hyuga Kiyonari cleared his throat before continuing: "I believe that Konoha is only Konoha because of its people; a Konoha without people is meaningless. I once read a military treatise that said: 'If you keep the land but lose the people, you lose both; if you keep the people but lose the land, you keep both.'"

"The logic is the same. If Konoha's leaders always place the village above the shinobi who live in it, then how is it any different from the clans of the Warring States period? The shinobi of today exist merely as tools to ensure Konoha's survival, and I think... that is the true reason you left Konoha."

"Therefore, I believe the First Hokage's greatest achievement was not ending a chaotic era, but giving shinobi the possibility of becoming human. Only when more and more shinobi become human can true peace arrive."

After finishing these words, Kiyonari seemed to have exhausted all his strength, his body trembling slightly.

The courtyard was silent.

Shizune stared at Hyuga Kiyonari, dumbfounded, unable to believe that such profound insight could come from a child.

Beside her, Hinata also widened her eyes, looking at Kiyonari with an expression bordering on worship.

And Tsunade—tears shimmered in Tsunade's eyes.

In truth... she had left Konoha only because of her hatred. She hated Konoha for killing her brother and her lover.

Because they had both moved forward recklessly for the dream of becoming Hokage, for the sake of the village, and had sacrificed their lives easily for the village.

She had seen more—seen more shinobi like Nawaki and Dan Katō, who held the dream of becoming Hokage in their hearts, only to throw themselves into the village's cause like moths to a flame.

They... were cheapening their own lives. And Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Konoha elders had no objections to this.

She was a doctor, but her medical ninjutsu could not cure this kind of sickness.

But now, she had found it—she had found someone who could cure this sickness.

Shinobi needed a teacher!

Tsunade stood up slowly, walked over to Kiyonari, and knelt on one knee so that her eyes were level with the child's.

"What is your name?" she asked, though she had asked once before.

"Hyuga Kiyonari," the boy replied again.

"Would you... be willing to be my disciple?"