We Are All Students

Undoubtedly, war is a desperate, edge-of-the-blade strategy; once it begins, one is nothing more than a gambler at the table.

And gamblers never truly win.

"Teacher, I believe war is always the worst possible policy."

Before Hyuga Kiyonari had even awakened his system, he had never harbored a desire for war.

And now, he could not simply adopt a "higher perspective" to discuss the pros and cons of war just because his status had changed, as if the lives once as insignificant as his own were merely numbers on a page.

"Konoha and the Uchiha are brothers in this story, and the conflict between them is merely a dispute over family inheritance—it is not a contradiction that can only be resolved through force."

Contradictions are generally divided into two types.

If a person wants to study but also wants to slack off, this internal conflict is an internal contradiction. If a person wants to study but is hindered by the outside environment, such as noise, this conflict between the person and the environment is an external contradiction.

When scaled up to a group, the way to distinguish between internal and external contradictions is to see if the fundamental interests of the group are aligned.

"The interests of Konoha and the Uchiha are fundamentally the same; they both hope that the Konoha ninja village can become better and that they themselves can live better lives."

"However, whether it is you, the Third Hokage, or even within the Uchiha... you all seem to have defaulted to the pessimistic conclusion that both sides are destined to turn their blades against each other."

"So! Is it because we imagined the other as an enemy that this outcome arrived, or was the hostile ending inevitable, thus giving birth to these current thoughts?"

Tsunade's hand, holding the wine bottle, froze in mid-air. The motion of pouring wine halted completely, as if she had been caught in a time-stop spell, motionless.

Shizune looked at Kiyonari in surprise, then at Tsunade. This powerful ninja, who carried so many accolades, actually wore an expression of near-bewilderment.

"Teacher?"

It wasn't until Kiyonari called out that Tsunade slowly set the bottle down.

She had left the village precisely because she loathed those "meaningless sacrifices," yet upon returning, she had unknowingly become the very thing she once despised most.

It was because of the future described in that Drift Bottle—all for the sake of the so-called "greater good."

She stopped drinking and walked to the window, looking out at the lights of the village.

Tsunade stared at them deeply, as if trying to imprint every single light into her heart to constantly remind herself.

"Then tell me... what should we do?" She turned around, seeking guidance from Kiyonari like a student.

And Hyuga Kiyonari, in turn, was seeking guidance from his teacher.

How does one resolve the internal contradictions of a group?

First, it requires criticism. But who is to do the criticizing?

Tsunade. Only she has the qualifications to criticize the Uchiha and the current Konoha leadership, to tell them: "You are wrong."

Next, how do we get the Uchiha and the villagers of Konoha to engage in self-criticism?

"Hand the choice over to the Raikage," Hyuga Kiyonari replied.

As soon as the words left his lips, both Tsunade and Shizune were stunned.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade did not understand why he had suddenly jumped to this answer.

Light flickered in Hyuga Kiyonari's eyes, and he grew increasingly excited: "We shouldn't wait for Kumogakure's reaction; if we do, we remain in a passive state. Since that is the case, we might as well hand the choice of whether to go to war over to the Raikage. Let him worry about the impact of starting a war, and let him struggle with the attitudes of the other nations."

"We will take the initiative to mobilize our troops to the border, displaying a stance of being willing to fight at all costs, and put out the word: 'We just don't want to fight, that doesn't mean we are afraid to.' This can solve the issue currently causing Konoha the most headaches."

"However, we must never be the ones to provoke the conflict. Even if Kumogakure also moves troops to the border, unless they are the ones to cast the first jutsu, we must never initiate the war."

Tsunade nodded, signaling her approval of the proposal: "Then what does this have to do with the Uchiha?"

"Because our goal is not war." Hyuga Kiyonari took a sip of water to moisten his throat.

"What we should truly be doing is using this opportunity to train our troops. Break up the Uchiha and the other Konoha ninja, and mix them into various squads. Force them to eat and live together, and perform various reconnaissance and drill missions every day. Force them to communicate and understand one another. With a greedy neighbor like Kumogakure in front of them, whatever contradictions the two brothers have become secondary."

Almost instantly, Tsunade's eyes lit up, but Hyuga Kiyonari continued.

"Then the next priority is to provide them with more missions that allow them to build bonds. For example, reduce supply rations and force them to hone their skills through wilderness survival missions; this will also save the village expenses. Or, hold regular competitions between different squads. For the sake of greater glory, the squads will inevitably deepen their cooperation and build combat synergy."

"And the most critical part!"

Kiyonari paused, his burning gaze locked onto Tsunade: "You must personally command this force to completely prevent interference from other high-ranking officials in the village, even the Third Hokage."

"As long as this force hasn't achieved the desired integration, it can remain at the border. Even if Kumogakure comes to sue for peace, you must deliberately create some appropriate friction to drive them away. If Kumogakure takes the initiative to provoke a conflict, we must keep the situation under control and not let it develop into a full-scale war."

"If a fight truly breaks out, then there is nothing I can do. Between Konoha and Kumogakure, that would be a contradiction between enemy and self that can only be resolved through force, and that would be the historical responsibility the Raikage must bear."

"Good, this is truly excellent! Kiyonari! You are a genius!"

Tsunade shouted happily, waving her hands like a little girl, but soon, in her excitement, she realized another hidden problem.

"But... ninja need to earn commissions from completing missions to live. If they are kept at the border like this, how will their families survive?"

Kiyonari thought for a moment and provided an answer: "A rotation system, and a monthly salary issued by the village. The range of the salary can be discussed between you and the Hokage, determined by Konoha's current actual economic situation. Also... we can use Kumogakure as an excuse to ask the Daimyo for a sum of money."

"By using stable income and creating positive public opinion within the village, we can attract the new generation of various Konoha clans to join this force voluntarily. To a certain extent, it could even replace the genin squads after they graduate from the Ninja Academy."

"And you can also cultivate someone in this force who truly understands you and understands our philosophy. In my opinion, Shisui Uchiha might be a suitable candidate."

Although his ideas were still somewhat immature, as long as he found the right direction and was willing to take the first step, he could always refine them bit by bit based on the actual situation.

Tsunade looked at him, looking at the one who had solved the village's problems and was happy for it.

She suddenly remembered the original intention of her grandfather when he founded Konoha, and she remembered the true Will of Fire.

And Hyuga Kiyonari was that very flame, newly born.