Introducing a teacher for you, want one?

"My name is Shiraishi."

Shiraishi held two cans of juice he had just bought from a nearby vending machine, walked back to the wooden chair, and handed one to Itachi.

Itachi hurriedly reached out to take it and said gratefully, "Thank you."

Shiraishi smiled as he sat down next to Itachi, popped the tab, took a small sip, and looked at Itachi.

Itachi looked at the juice in his hands with a sense of worry that didn't match his age. After a few seconds of silence, he looked up at Shiraishi.

"Shiraishi-senpai, what do you think is the true meaning of life? Why must we kill each other and take the lives of others so casually?"

"Those are two separate questions." Shiraishi set down his can.

Itachi looked at Shiraishi with anticipation, hoping to receive an answer from his senior.

Shiraishi wore a faint smile as he asked a question that seemed completely unrelated.

"As a member of the Uchiha clan, have you ever raised a cat?"

"A cat?" Itachi looked at Shiraishi, confused. What did the meaning of life have to do with cats?

"Have you?"

Itachi shook his head. "No, but I have fed many cats in the clan grounds."

"Have you ever seen a cat in heat?" Shiraishi continued to ask.

"In heat?" The young Itachi was a bit bewildered.

"It's when, influenced by hormones secreted by their bodies, cats begin to desperately seek out the opposite sex, wanting to mate and breed the next generation," Shiraishi explained very bluntly.

Itachi was not yet four years old, and this knowledge was not something he was meant to grasp yet. Hearing it for the first time, he didn't feel shy; instead, he looked as if he had gained something.

"For a female cat, the process of mating is not a pleasant experience, and the physical toll of pregnancy is immense."

"After giving birth, nursing the kittens is also a heavy burden."

At this point, Shiraishi paused, looked at the attentive Itachi, and posed a question.

"Tell me, for these cats, since reproduction brings no pleasure and pregnancy only increases the cost of survival, why do they do it?"

Itachi froze. His small brows gradually furrowed, his face filled with contemplation.

"They raise the kittens until they are grown, then chase them away. They don't expect these children to return and provide for them when they are old and unable to hunt," Shiraishi continued.

Itachi shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"From the perspective of nature, their behavior is the most fundamental meaning of life," Shiraishi said.

After hearing this, Itachi felt even more confused. He looked at Shiraishi, his questions not decreasing, but rather multiplying.

"From a biological standpoint, the meaning of life is to struggle to survive, then continuously reproduce and nurture the next generation, ensuring the inheritance of one's genes as much as possible. This is the meaning of existence for the vast majority of life."

Shiraishi watched as Itachi remained in thought, waiting patiently for a while without continuing.

"But, as humans, we..." Itachi raised his head again to pose his question.

"You want to say that humans are different from other animals?" Shiraishi had already guessed what he was going to ask.

Itachi closed his mouth and nodded.

"Actually, most humans are no different from animals. Unlike you, a child born into a great clan, they have no time or energy to ponder this question. For them, simply being able to survive is the greatest meaning of all," Shiraishi said.

Itachi whispered to himself, "Survive..."

"Yes, survive! For most people, being able to eat their fill, have clothes to wear, live without illness, marry a wife, raise a few children, and successfully see one or two of them grow into adulthood—that is their life's greatest goal, and that is the meaning of their lives."

"Therefore, there has never been a fixed answer to the meaning of life. For different people and different lives, it is entirely different."

"If you want to understand the meaning of life, just thinking about it yourself is useless. You must use your eyes to see, use your footsteps to measure, walk through the entire village, the entire country, and the entire world. Go see different people and see what they live for. By then, perhaps you will have found the answer you are looking for."

After speaking, Shiraishi raised his right hand, extended his index and middle fingers, and tapped them lightly on Itachi's forehead.

"For a kid like you, it is still too early to be thinking about these things."

Itachi clutched his head, staring blankly at Shiraishi. He hadn't received an answer to his question, but he had been given a method to find it.

Shiraishi looked at the dazed Itachi with a gentle smile and continued, "As for your second question, why do people kill each other? What you are actually asking is why war exists, isn't it?"

Itachi snapped out of his trance and nodded quickly.

"That question is simple: because of desire, and because of the craving for a better life."

"Tell me, those who live in the deserts of the Land of Wind, where living conditions are harsh—if their hard work for an entire year doesn't yield as much as what the people of the Land of Fire, with their fertile land, can harvest in just a few months of labor, what do you think they would feel toward the Land of Fire?" Shiraishi asked, guiding him.

Itachi thought carefully, and the answer was already in his heart. "They would be envious, and then..."

Shiraishi continued, "And then they would think, why must we live in the desert and suffer, while the people of the Land of Fire possess the most fertile land and the best climate?"

"When more and more people share this thought, and when someone begins to lead them, they will choose to wage war against the Land of Fire in pursuit of a better life."

"This is the essence of war, and the essence of conflict between people. Beasts fight other beasts to occupy better territory, and humans are the same."

"As long as existing productivity cannot satisfy everyone's needs, and cannot be distributed fairly, conflict and war will be unavoidable."

This time, Itachi understood clearly, but a new question arose: if this is the essence of war, does that not mean that war will never cease?

Itachi asked his question, hoping to receive an answer from Shiraishi.

"Never say never; nothing in this world is eternal. We can only strive to maintain peace for as long as possible, rather than considering the permanent eradication of war. That is nothing more than a Kyōka Suigetsu—an unattainable illusion." Shiraishi concluded.

Itachi left the Wooden Chair and stood up. Facing Shiraishi, his small face taut, he bowed with a serious expression and thanked him: "Thank you, Senior Shiraishi! Thank you for your guidance."

Shiraishi smiled, reached out his right hand to pat Itachi on the head, and then stood up as well, stretching lazily.

"Alright, these are not questions you should be thinking about right now. It is true that one should keep their eyes on the distance, but one must also walk every step beneath their feet firmly."

Itachi lowered his head, taking the lesson to heart. "I will keep it in mind!"

"Hahaha! Don't be so serious." Shiraishi said with a laugh. "You are very precocious, and that is not necessarily a good thing. Everyone only has one childhood; once it passes, it is gone. Cherish the time you have now!"

Having said that, Shiraishi did not bid Itachi farewell, but walked straight down the path and headed into the distance.

Seeing this, Itachi hurriedly moved his small legs and chased after him.

"No need to follow me, go find your friends and play!" Shiraishi did not stop, merely raising a hand to wave in farewell.

Itachi stopped in his tracks, watching Shiraishi's retreating figure, wanting to say something but holding back.

"Oh, right." Shiraishi seemed to have thought of something; he stopped and looked back at Itachi.

Itachi's eyes lit up, and he looked at Shiraishi with anticipation.

"I'm going to introduce a teacher to you. Would you like that?" Shiraishi asked with a beaming smile.

Itachi was stunned, asking blankly: "What kind of teacher?"

"A very formidable teacher. You will like them." Shiraishi seemed to be thinking of something interesting, the smile on his face deepening.

"Senior Shiraishi, then how should I find you in the future?" Itachi asked hurriedly.

"In a few days, I will come to find you. Do not tell anyone else about the things between us." Shiraishi cautioned him at the end.

Itachi nodded earnestly, promising: "I won't tell anyone."