Looking at Konoha before them, Naruto suddenly asked, "Sasuke, even though I knew you wouldn't let me down, I was still curious why you made this decision."
Sasuke also looked at Konoha. "When you told me all this yesterday, I really couldn't accept it. My brother had made such a huge sacrifice for the village and so many members of our clan had lost their lives. Was it really worth it? But I still don't understand what the village means. Even so, I believe you, and I believe my brother. I believe you must have had your reasons for making this choice.
"Then I thought about how you want to get rid of the sorrow and darkness in this world. I thought that if the world were free of sorrow and darkness, maybe my brother would return to the way he used to be—the brother I loved. So I've made up my mind to help you achieve your dream, because it's my dream too."
Naruto was slightly stunned by Sasuke's answer. He hadn't expected Sasuke's reasoning to be so simple, but that was exactly why he'd grasped the heart of the matter: as long as the world was at peace, with no more sorrow or darkness, Itachi could come back.
Naruto smiled. "Sasuke, I have to admit you're a genius. Your idea is simple, but it's the kind of simple idea that a lot of people would never think of."
Sasuke glanced at Naruto disdainfully. "You think I'm a big idiot like you? How could a simple question like this stump me, Sasuke? What a joke. And I'm not going to feel honored just because a dope like you praised me."
Naruto was so infuriated by Sasuke's words that he nearly jumped out of his skin. He really wanted to teach the arrogant little kid a lesson, but thinking about what Sasuke had been through, he let it go.
Well, you've just been through a huge upheaval, so I'll let you off this time, brat. I'm an adult; I won't hold it against a kid. I'll deal with you next time.
The truth was, Naruto was afraid that if he fought Sasuke here, Iruka-sensei might punish him. Whenever he thought of Iruka's nagging, Naruto decided it wasn't worth it.
After calming down, Naruto said, "Sasuke, you want to know why Itachi made such a huge sacrifice for the village, and what the village means. I can tell you."
Sasuke abruptly turned and stared at Naruto. "You can tell me? You know?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I know. I know what the village means and why Itachi sacrificed himself for it, because my dad also died for the village."
Only then did Sasuke remember that this dope's father was the Fourth Hokage.
After composing himself, Sasuke asked, "Will you tell me?"
Naruto nodded. "Sure. Sasuke, you know that Konoha Village was founded by the First Hokage and your Uchiha Clan, right?"
"Yeah, I know that. My dad told me Konoha Village was founded by the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha. But what does that have to do with what I want to know?"
"Of course it's related. It's also why Itachi—and so many others—were willing to sacrifice themselves for the village."
Sasuke asked in surprise, "Was there some other reason?"
"There was. In the era when the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha lived, people's average life expectancy was only fifteen. Think about it—how terrifying would it be to live for only fifteen years?"
Sasuke asked in astonishment, "Why was people's life expectancy so low?"
"Because of war," Naruto replied sadly. "In that era of constant warfare, kids like us had to go to battle at seven or eight, fighting for our clans' survival. Think about it: how long could people live in that kind of environment?"
"So that's why the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha founded the village?"
"Exactly. Back then, growing up in relative peace was nothing more than a fantasy. But there were always people who dared to dream, and who would strive for the impossible. Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, were the ones who made that dream a reality."
Naruto looked Sasuke in the eye and spoke earnestly. "Itachi is someone who inherited the First Hokage's will. He carried so much for the village because he had a dream of his own. And your dream is the same."
"You're right, but I want to learn how the village came to be. Tell me everything you know," Sasuke said seriously.
Naruto thought for a moment, then nodded. "The story of the village begins with the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha meeting. According to the records, they'd been friends since childhood, but their clans were enemies."
Sasuke was surprised. "The Uchiha and the Senju were enemies?"
"That's right. When they first met, they didn't know who the other was. They only knew that they were boys with the same dream: protecting their little brothers. It wasn't until later that they discovered their clans were enemies, and they went from friends to enemies."
Sasuke cut in. "They must have been heartbroken to go from friends to enemies."
Naruto nodded and continued. "The most heartbreaking part was when Madara Uchiha's younger brother, Izuna Uchiha, died in battle at the hands of Hashirama Senju's younger brother, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju."
Sasuke was shocked. "The Second Hokage killed Madara Uchiha's brother? Then how could their hatred ever be resolved? How did they end up founding Konoha together?"
"After Tobirama Senju killed Izuna Uchiha, Madara Uchiha took Izuna's eyes to avenge him and awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. He went to fight Hashirama Senju, and they battled for a whole day and night. In the end, Madara Uchiha was still defeated by Hashirama Senju."
Sasuke was astonished. "The First Hokage defeated Madara Uchiha, even though he had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan? The First Hokage was terrifying!"
"Of course he was! Why else do you think people called Hashirama Senju the God of Shinobi?"
Sasuke gave Naruto's smug face a cool look. "It's not like you did it. What are you so proud of? Hurry up and tell me what happened next."
Naruto replied indignantly, "I'll reach their level one day, and I'll surpass them too. Just you wait."
"I know. Can you tell me what happened next now?"
Seeing Sasuke's indifferent expression, Naruto felt crushed.
He continued listlessly, "After Hashirama Senju defeated Madara Uchiha, he tried to persuade Madara to join forces with him and make their childhood dream come true. But Madara had lost Izuna, and then Hashirama defeated him. He'd lost both his will and his reason to pursue their dream, so Madara refused Hashirama's offer. But Hashirama refused to give up on his friend and kept trying to persuade him."
Naruto paused, then continued. "In the end, Madara Uchiha set a condition: if Hashirama Senju agreed to it, he'd join forces with the Senju to bring an end to the chaos in the world."
Sasuke asked, "What was the condition?"
"The condition was that Hashirama Senju had to kill Tobirama Senju or kill himself."
Sasuke was shocked. "What? Madara Uchiha wanted Hashirama Senju to kill his own brother?"
"That's right, but Hashirama refused to hurt his brother, so in the end he chose to kill himself. Maybe Hashirama's sincerity moved Madara, because he stopped Hashirama from killing himself. Then he went with Hashirama to the place they'd planned to build a village when they were kids, and together they founded what is now Konoha Village. By the way, Madara Uchiha came up with the name Konoha."
After hearing how the village was founded, Sasuke thought seriously for a while. Then he asked, "If Konoha was founded to bring peace, why has so much sorrow still happened?"
Naruto looked at Sasuke seriously. "That's what we have to do next. The First Hokage only laid the foundation for peace. After he and Madara Uchiha founded the village, villages sprang up all over the world. The strongest among them are the Five Great Ninja Villages that exist today. While Hashirama was alive, his strength brought the world a brief peace."
Naruto's expression suddenly turned serious. "But he underestimated the hatred in this world. After he died, the hatred that had been suppressed in the villages erupted. Even though the First Hokage distributed the Tailed Beasts among the villages to balance their strength, he still couldn't suppress people's desires and hatred. That's why the Shinobi World Wars happened."
Sasuke said, "So what we have to do now is eliminate these desires and this hatred, right?"
Naruto looked at Sasuke approvingly. "That's right. We have to eliminate these desires and this hatred and bring true peace to the world."
Sasuke said, "And to do that, we need enough strength and status. That's why you want to become Hokage, right?"
Naruto said firmly, "That's right. When I become Hokage, I'll make sure there's never another war in this world—only peace. Will you help me, Sasuke?"
Sasuke replied firmly, "Of course. This isn't just your dream anymore, dope. It's mine too. I'll make sure my brother can put down his burdens and become the gentle, strong, kind brother he used to be again, instead of a rogue ninja everyone wants dead."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. We'll work together to bring Itachi back and make peace in this world."
Sasuke replied, "But right now, we should focus on getting stronger."
Naruto agreed. "Right. We have to get stronger as soon as possible. Don't worry, Sasuke. I'll help you kill Danzo. Not for any other reason than that he'll do anything to satisfy his own desires."
But Sasuke said firmly, "No. I'll deal with Danzo myself. I know you're afraid I'll act rashly and go after him for revenge, but don't worry. I still have to help create peace in this world with you. I won't act until I'm absolutely certain I can win."
Naruto looked at Sasuke and suddenly smiled. "Heh. Sasuke, did you know that Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha once stood right where we are now? Hashirama said they'd turn the forest before them into a village. Now you and I are standing here too, saying we'll bring peace to the world. But I believe we'll succeed. Because I'm not Hashirama, and you're not Madara. So we'll definitely make it, right?"
Sasuke replied coolly, "Of course. We'll bring peace to this world."
Before you continue