The courtyard fell silent.
Tsunade sat back down and poured herself a cup of sake. She no longer expected to hear an answer she would be satisfied with.
Just then, Hyuga Kiyonari, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
"I believe the First's greatest achievement in his life was making ninjas into people."
Tsunade froze with her cup halfway to her lips.
She slowly turned to look at the three-year-old boy, her gaze filled with surprise and scrutiny.
"Go on."
Kiyonari took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Tsunade's "terrible luck at gambling" really was a character trait written into the setting. The Correction Points he'd spent over the past two days trying to make her clean up at the casino had far exceeded his expectations.
He didn't have enough Correction Points left to use a script to keep Tsunade in Konoha. He could only step in himself and give her a reason to stay.
He believed in himself, and in the education he had received.
"People don't come into this world to carry on hatred. But in that era, everyone was burdened with the mission of perpetuating it from the moment they were born."
"When they first opened their eyes, the elders who had been playing with them yesterday might never come home again tomorrow. As soon as they learned to walk, they were taught to pick up weapons and learn how to kill. Their only purpose in life was to avenge their dead clansmen, then be killed by the descendants of their enemies."
Kiyonari continued speaking, and Tsunade's gaze grew more and more intent.
"Those ninjas were less people than... tools."
"They came into this world so their parents could take revenge, so their clans could continue. From the moment they were born, they had no choice. They either became tools for killing, or targets to be killed. They couldn't say their surnames aloud, couldn't have true friends, and couldn't do what they wanted."
"But after Konoha was founded, the fighting stopped—at least within the Land of Fire. The ninjas finally got a chance to breathe. They finally had time to think about what else they could do besides kill."
Kiyonari spoke faster and more fluidly now. He had clearly gotten completely caught up in what he was saying.
"You said that today's ninjas have even picked up the nobles' ways, and there was a hint of mockery in your voice. But I think that proves they've begun to have choices. They've taken their first step."
"They began to feel lost, so they began to learn. But people don't learn from those beneath them, so the ninjas adopted the nobles' etiquette. Yet they couldn't tell right from wrong, so they also picked up that rigid hierarchy of status and rank."
Kiyonari's eyes shone, and it seemed as if his whole body was glowing.
Tsunade leaned forward without realizing it, like a student listening to a teacher—or like a seeker of the Way.
"Now Konoha has founded the Ninja Academy, built parks, and established shopping streets... Those without ninja talent, who can't pass the graduation exam, can choose not to become ninjas and live as ordinary people instead. But that would have been impossible during the Warring States era. Even without talent, you still had to take up a weapon and go to the battlefield... to die."
"People become truly human when they have the right to choose. You make your own decisions, and you take responsibility for them. That's life."
"War still exists," Kiyonari said, his voice lowering. "The First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars have still taken countless lives. But at least the times are moving forward."
"Lady Tsunade, I understand how you feel. Your younger brother died in the Second Shinobi World War, which shows that Konoha was sending children to the battlefield back then, too. The proposal that every three-man squad include at least one medical ninja still hasn't been implemented. That shows that even now, the village doesn't care enough about ninjas' rights as people."
"You can see all this because Senju Hashirama was your great-granduncle. The rest of them are too far removed from the God of Shinobi, too far removed from the First. They can only admire him, and admiration is the feeling farthest from understanding."
"All they can see is that after Konoha was founded, the fighting in the Land of Fire stopped, and children who would have been sent to the battlefield at three or four could grow up safely until they were eleven or twelve. They believe peace can exist only as long as Konoha exists. To protect Konoha, they'll pay any price and ignore any cost."
After speaking so much without a pause, Kiyonari's throat had grown hoarse. Just as he lowered his eyes toward the table, Tsunade, seated opposite him, held out the cup in her hand.
He said helplessly, "Lady Tsunade, I'm not old enough to drink yet."
Only then did Tsunade realize what she'd done. She took the cup back and hurriedly called out, "Shizune, water!"
Kiyonari took the tea Shizune handed him and drank deeply. He rubbed his throat to soothe it, then continued, "I believe Konoha with people is Konoha. Konoha without people is meaningless. I once read a military text 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 principle is the same. If Konoha's leaders keep placing Konoha above Konoha's ninjas, then how is it any different from a clan in the Warring States era? Ninjas today exist only as tools to keep Konoha going. I think... that's the real reason you left Konoha."
"Therefore, I believe the First's greatest achievement wasn't ending a period of chaos for a time. It was giving ninjas the chance to become people. Only when more and more ninjas become people can true peace come."
After saying all that, Kiyonari seemed to have used up all his strength. His body even trembled slightly.
The courtyard was utterly silent.
Shizune stared at Hyuga Kiyonari, dumbfounded. She couldn't believe such profound insight could come from a child.
Hinata, beside her, also stared wide-eyed at Kiyonari, looking at him with near-worshipful admiration.
And Tsunade—tears glimmered in her eyes.
The truth was... she had left Konoha because of hatred. She hated Konoha for taking her younger brother and her lover from her.
They had both charged recklessly toward their dream of becoming Hokage, and had so readily sacrificed their lives for the village.
She had seen so many more like Nawaki and Dan Katō, ninjas who dreamed of becoming Hokage, then rushed headlong to their deaths for the village.
They... were treating their own lives as worthless. And Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Konoha High Command had no objections.
She was a doctor, but her Medical Ninjutsu couldn't treat this illness.
But now, she had found someone who could.
The ninjas needed a teacher!
Tsunade slowly rose to her feet and walked over to Kiyonari. She knelt on one knee so that her eyes were level with his.
"What's your name?" she asked, though she'd asked him once before.
"Hyuga Kiyonari," the boy replied again.
"Would you... be my student?"
Before you continue