Firm Goal

Looking at Konoha before them, Naruto suddenly asked, "Sasuke, although I know you won't let me down, I'm still curious why you made this decision."

Sasuke also gazed at Konoha and said, "When you told me everything yesterday, I truly couldn't accept it. I wondered if it was worth it for my brother to make such a huge sacrifice for the village, even at the cost of so many of our clansmen's lives. But although I still don't fully understand what the village means, I believe in you, and I believe in my brother. I trust that you both had your reasons for making such a choice."

"Later, I thought about how you want to eliminate the sorrow and darkness of this world. I thought, if this world were free of sorrow and darkness, perhaps my brother could return to the person I loved. So, I decided to join you in realizing your dream, because it has become my dream as well."

Naruto was slightly stunned by Sasuke's answer. He hadn't expected Sasuke's reasoning to be so simple, yet it was precisely because of that simplicity that he had grasped the root of the problem: as long as the world was at peace and free from sorrow and darkness, Itachi could return.

Naruto laughed, "Sasuke, I have to admit you're a genius. Even though your idea is simple, it's a thought that many people would never even consider."

Sasuke cast a disdainful glance at Naruto and said, "Do you think I'm a big idiot like you? Could such a simple problem stump me, Sasuke? What a joke. And don't think I feel honored to be praised by an idiot like you."

Hearing Sasuke's words, Naruto immediately flew into a rage, jumping up and down. He really wanted to go over and teach this tsundere brat a lesson, but considering what Sasuke had been through, he decided against it.

Well, he thought to himself, considering you've just suffered such a massive change, I won't bicker with a little brat like you. A grown-up doesn't hold grudges against a child; I'll let you off for now and deal with you next time.

In truth, Naruto was afraid that if he started a fight with Sasuke here, he might be punished by Iruka. Every time he thought of Iruka's nagging, Naruto decided it wasn't worth it.

After calming his emotions, Naruto said, "Sasuke, if you want to know why Itachi made such a huge sacrifice for the village, and what the village actually is, I can tell you."

Sasuke turned his head sharply to stare at Naruto. "You can tell me? You know?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, I know. I know what the village is and why Itachi sacrificed himself for it, because my father also sacrificed himself for the village."

Only then did Sasuke remember that the father of the idiot in front of him was the Fourth Hokage.

After composing himself, Sasuke asked, "Then will you tell me?"

Naruto nodded. "I can. Sasuke, you know that Konoha was founded by the First Hokage and your Uchiha clan together, right?"

Sasuke replied, "Yes, I know that. I heard from my father that Konoha was established by the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha. But what does that have to do with what I want to know?"

Naruto answered, "Of course it has everything to do with it. This is also the reason why Itachi—and so many others—sacrificed themselves for the village."

Sasuke asked in surprise, "Is there some other reason behind it?"

Naruto said, "There is. In the era of the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, the average human lifespan was only fifteen years. Just think about how terrifying it is for a person's lifespan to be only fifteen years."

Sasuke asked in shock, "Why was the lifespan so low?"

Naruto replied sadly, "Because of war. In that era filled with war, children like us, seven or eight years old, had to go to the battlefield to fight for the survival of their clans. Think about it, in such an environment, how long could people possibly live?"

Sasuke replied, "So that's why the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha built the village, right?"

Naruto replied, "Exactly. In that era, people wanting to grow up in a relatively peaceful environment was nothing more than a fantasy. But there are always some dreamers who will strive for the impossible. And the ones who realized this fantasy were Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."

Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes and said earnestly, "And Itachi is someone who inherited the will of the First Hokage. He bore so much for the village for the sake of his dream. And your dream, Sasuke, is the same."

"You're right, but I want to understand the origins of the village. Tell me everything you know," Sasuke said to Naruto seriously.

Naruto thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "The origin of the village starts with the meeting between the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha. According to records, they were friends who had known each other since childhood, but their clans were rivals." Sasuke asked in surprise, "The Uchiha and the Senju were rivals?"

Naruto replied, "Yes, they were rivals. When they first met, they didn't know who the other was. They only knew that the other was a boy with the same dream as himself—both wanted to protect their younger brothers. It wasn't until later that they found out, and due to clan relations, the two went from friends to enemies."

Sasuke interjected, "Going from friends to enemies, I imagine that must have been very painful for them."

Naruto nodded and continued, "The most tragic part was that Madara Uchiha's brother, Izuna Uchiha, died in battle at the hands of Hashirama Senju's brother, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju."

Sasuke asked in surprise, "The Second Hokage killed Madara Uchiha's brother? Then wasn't the hatred between them impossible to resolve? How did they end up building Konoha together?"

Naruto replied, "It's true. After Tobirama Senju killed Izuna Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, in order to avenge his brother, took Izuna Uchiha's eyes and evolved the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. He went to seek revenge on Hashirama Senju. The two fought for a day and a night, and in the end, Madara Uchiha was defeated by Hashirama Senju."

Sasuke asked in surprise, "The First Hokage actually defeated Madara Uchiha, who possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan? The First Hokage is too terrifying."

Naruto said proudly, "That goes without saying. How else do you think the world came to call Hashirama Senju the God of Shinobi?"

Seeing Naruto's smugness, Sasuke replied flatly, "It's not like it was you, so what are you so proud of? Just hurry up and tell me what happened next."

Naruto replied unwillingly, "I will reach their level in the future, and I'll even surpass them just to show you."

Sasuke said helplessly, "I get it. Can you tell me what happened next now?"

Seeing Sasuke's indifferent expression, Naruto felt a ton of damage.

He continued listlessly, "After Hashirama Senju defeated Madara Uchiha, he tried to persuade Madara to join hands with him to create the dream they had as children. But because of the death of Izuna Uchiha and his defeat by Hashirama, Madara was dispirited and had lost the will and reason to pursue that dream. So, Madara Uchiha rejected Hashirama's proposal, but Hashirama refused to give up on his friend and kept trying to persuade him."

Naruto paused and continued, "Finally, Madara Uchiha proposed a condition. If Hashirama Senju agreed to it, he would be willing to join hands with the Senju to end this chaotic world."

Sasuke asked, "What was that condition?"

Naruto replied, "The condition was for Hashirama Senju to kill Tobirama Senju or commit suicide."

Sasuke asked in surprise, "What? Madara Uchiha actually wanted Hashirama Senju to kill his own brother?"

Naruto replied, "Yes, but Hashirama was unwilling to harm his brother, so he ultimately chose to commit suicide. Perhaps it was Hashirama's sincerity that moved Madara, because in the end, Madara stopped Hashirama's suicide, and they came together to the place they had planned in their childhood to build what is now Konoha. By the way, the name 'Konoha' was actually chosen by Madara Uchiha."

After hearing the origin of the village, Sasuke thought about it seriously and then said, "Since Konoha was built to achieve peace, why is there still so much sorrow?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke earnestly and said, "That is what we are going to do next. The First Hokage only established the starting point for peace. After he and Madara Uchiha built the village, villages were established all over the world, the strongest of which are the current Five Great Shinobi Villages. While he was still alive, the world enjoyed a brief period of peace because of his strength."

Naruto suddenly said seriously, "But he underestimated the hatred in this world. After he died, the hatred that had been suppressed in each village erupted. Even though the First Hokage had distributed the Tailed Beasts to each village to balance their power, it still couldn't suppress people's desires and hatred, which led to the subsequent Great Ninja Wars."

Sasuke then said, "So, what we need to do now is to eliminate these desires and hatred, right?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke with admiration and said, "Exactly. What we need to do is eliminate these desires and hatred, and bring true peace to this world."

Sasuke then said, "And to do that, one needs sufficient strength and status. So, that's why you want to become Hokage, right?"

Naruto said firmly, "That's right. Once I become Hokage, I will make sure this world never sees war again, only peace. Sasuke, will you help me?"

Sasuke replied resolutely, "Of course. Now, this isn't just the dream of a big idiot like you; it's my dream too. I will definitely make Itachi let go of his burdens and return to being the gentle, strong, and kind brother he was, rather than a rogue ninja hunted by everyone."

Naruto nodded as well. "Yeah, let's work together to bring Itachi back, and together, we'll achieve peace in this world."

Sasuke responded, "But for now, we should focus on improving our strength."

Naruto agreed, "Right, we need to get stronger as fast as possible. Don't worry, Sasuke, I will definitely help you kill Danzo. Not for any other reason than the fact that he uses any means necessary to satisfy his own desires."

At this, Sasuke said firmly, "No, I will finish Danzo off with my own hands. I know you're worried that I'll act impulsively to seek revenge, but rest assured, I still have to create peace in this world with you. I won't make a move until I have absolute certainty."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and suddenly laughed. "Heh, you know, Sasuke, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha once stood exactly where we are now. Hashirama said he would build a village in this forest, and now you and I stand here saying we will achieve world peace. But I believe we will succeed. Because I am not Hashirama, and you are not Madara. So we will definitely succeed, right?"

Sasuke replied coolly, "That goes without saying. We will achieve peace in this world."