Danzo's Problem

"Rest assured, Third Hokage, I will certainly become an outstanding ninja to protect the village and my comrades. This is my ninja way!"

"Is that so? You are truly a descendant of the First Hokage; you have indeed inherited the Will of Fire!" Sarutobi smiled in affirmation, then turned to the people beside him and said, "Everyone, this is my newly accepted young disciple, Senju Nawaki. I believe you have all heard his name. Although for certain reasons we have not formally announced it to the world, the master-disciple relationship has already been established." To protect Nawaki from attracting the attention of other nations too early, the Third Hokage could not officially announce his apprenticeship, but establishing his status in the presence of the high-ranking officials was beneficial for both of them.

Nawaki bowed gracefully and said, "Senju Nawaki greets all my elders."

"What a polite child!"

"And a genius, too!"

The high-ranking officials of Konoha either nodded with smiles to greet him or offered direct praise, all expressing their goodwill.

"Nawaki, how do you think one should protect the village and one's comrades? By eliminating the enemy, or through passive defense?" Shimura Danzō stared at Nawaki and asked directly.

Upon hearing his question, everyone fell silent, eager to hear how Nawaki would respond.

Nawaki pondered for a moment, then said earnestly, "I believe that... when one is poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when one is successful, one should make the whole world virtuous! With great power comes great responsibility!"

"Oh? An interesting perspective. How would you implement it specifically?"

"For instance, since Konoha's current strength does not hold an absolute advantage in the ninja world, our primary task is to protect the village and the Land of Fire, gradually strengthening ourselves. This is 'cultivating one's own virtue when poor'."

"And if Konoha's strength were sufficient to be unrivaled in the ninja world, what then?"

"That would be 'making the whole world virtuous when successful.' Konoha should shoulder the responsibilities of the premier ninja village and, like the First Hokage, use its immense power to maintain world peace!"

"But how would you maintain it? You must know that after the First Hokage passed away, the ninja world fell back into war!" Danzō asked, frowning.

"If possible, we should assist the Daimyo of the Land of Fire in unifying the various nations. Although there would be sacrifices, it is more likely to achieve lasting peace. I believe that under the rule of absolute power, the outbreak of war can be avoided!"

Hearing Nawaki's answer, the Third Hokage couldn't help but ask, "Nawaki, do you think Konoha should incite war once it has sufficient power? You must know that war is no child's play; once it begins, it is difficult to stop. Even the First and Second Hokage could not defeat the combined armies of the great nations. This could very well drag the world into the abyss!"

Nawaki shook his head and said, "Sarutobi-sensei, you misunderstand. I never said we should rely on launching wars to unify the nations!"

"If not through war, what other means could unify the ninja world?" the Third Hokage and Danzō asked in unison—truly, they were each other's "soulmates."

Nawaki smiled with confidence. "Conflicts between nations are long-standing and cannot be resolved overnight. Beyond ninja armies, economics and diplomacy are crucial factors that cannot be ignored. At times, these two are even more important than the ninja forces!"

The high-ranking officials, all seasoned in governance, understood this logic and nodded in agreement.

In the world of Naruto, while there are many experts, and no shortage of those who can fight ten thousand or even destroy the world, since the Sage of Six Paths created the Ninshu, no one has been able to unify the ninja world through individual martial prowess alone. Even Kaguya Otsutsuki pinned her hopes on the Infinite Tsukuyomi to forcibly control the world, only to eventually meet the fate of being sealed.

This is because no matter how strong a ninja is, they have weaknesses, and there are other experts who can contend with them; they are merely warriors wielding nuclear-level power. Earth's nuclear weapons can also destroy the world, so why can the great nations maintain peace while the ninja world remains in constant turmoil? Because the actual rulers of the military power in each nation are the ninja villages, and the high-ranking officials of these villages possess a military mindset lacking political acumen, while the Daimyo, who possess political acumen, cannot control the power of the ninja armies! This leads to militarism in every nation; with the whole world being militaristic, it would be strange if war did not occur!

"For a long time, the great nations have implemented a 'one nation, one village' system. The ninja village is responsible for protecting the nation, while the Daimyo manages the national economy, providing resources and funding for the village. It can be said that the nation and the ninja village support each other while remaining relatively independent. The Daimyo even has the power to decide the candidate for Hokage, while ninja do not engage in production and must rely on completing missions to earn money! This leads to a situation where, despite holding the absolute power of the nation, ninja villages are at a disadvantage in political status and are nominally under the command of the Daimyo. This is because the Daimyo holds the economic lifeline of the village!"

The high-ranking officials of Konoha nodded repeatedly upon hearing Nawaki's analysis. They felt this deeply; no one in a high position wants to be held hostage by others, especially those weaker than themselves, which is like a bone stuck in their throats. Even the "good old man" Sarutobi was no exception; he was the Hokage, and his inherent status dictated his stance.

A sharp glint flashed in Danzō's eyes as he asked, "So, you want to control the Daimyo and gain power over the entire nation?"

Seeing his expression, Nawaki knew this guy was looking for trouble again and hurriedly shook his head to dispel the thought. "That is impossible! As a Daimyo, they have their own stature and dignity and cannot be threatened or controlled by others; otherwise, the Daimyo of all nations would have been controlled by ninja villages long ago! Even if you killed the current Daimyo, the nation would simply select another, and a ninja can never become a Daimyo! Because ordinary people make up the vast majority of the nation, they would never accept rule by ninja, who are in the absolute minority. In their eyes, although ninja possess power, they are not of the same kind."

"Some extremists even view ninja as aliens and monsters, which is why the samurai class has not completely disappeared to this day! To most civilians, samurai are like them, while ninja who use chakra and ninjutsu are a different group."

"Take Konoha for example: the entire Land of Fire has a population of over one hundred million, yet only a few hundred thousand are willing to live in the village to accept the protection and rule of ninja, and the number of ninja is only eighty thousand, not even one hundred thousand!"

The Third Hokage nodded in agreement. "Nawaki is right. Ordinary civilians cannot fully accept the rule of ninja. Forcing it would only bring disaster to the nation and provide an opportunity for other nations to invade! Danzō, do not be impulsive!" As his "soulmate," he understood the other's personality very well.

Nawaki's words were easy to understand, much like how mutants in the Marvel world could not rule the Earth. Fortunately, in the Naruto world, the civilian weapon technology is not advanced and is no match for ninja; otherwise, ninja might have met the same fate as mutants.

Hearing this, Danzō knew there was nothing to be done and could only say coldly, "Hmph! These ignorant civilians, actually refusing the rule of ninja—how utterly foolish!"