I, Bai Lin, Will Create a...

On the other side, Bai Lin had not traveled far from Tsunade's residence when he sensed a subtle chakra signature trailing him.

He narrowed his eyes, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Hiruzen Sarutobi really couldn't help himself after all.

Does he view me as a threat to his position as Hokage?

Or does he want to mold me into someone like Jiraiya?

A dark figure emerged from the shadows—a ninja wearing a fox mask. "Bai Lin, the Third Hokage requests your presence at the Hokage office immediately."

"Understood." Bai Lin nodded, his expression calm.

He was destined to abandon the Everything Shop; there was no need to invest any more effort into it.

Its establishment had merely been a means for Bai Lin to earn his first bit of money to redeem the Newcomer Value Pack.

Most members of the Everything Shop were ordinary people, and the commissions there were distinct from Konoha's official mission system; the profits were a drop in the bucket for him.

If he wanted to grow stronger, he needed to earn vast sums of money.

While he was helping Kushina Uzumaki, he had occasionally sensed someone spying on him from the dark.

However, he had no intention of hiding his strength, as he wanted to enter the field of vision of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"It is time to become a ninja. Only then can I acquire more wealth."

The more money, the greater the strength.

The greater the strength, the more money.

The more money, the less money.

Hokage office.

"Lord Hokage." Bai Lin bowed slightly, his attitude respectful.

"Bai Lin, there is no need for such formality." Hiruzen Sarutobi offered a warm smile, appearing every bit the kind-hearted elder.

Bai Lin looked at the gentle smile on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face and felt a deep sense of disgust.

Hiruzen Sarutobi (6 years before the founding of Konoha, 41 years old) was in his prime. One could still faintly see the shadow of the "God of Shinobi" who had turned the tide of the First Ninja World War single-handedly after Senju Tobirama entrusted the position of Hokage to him.

His strength was currently at its peak; Bai Lin admitted that, with his current self, he likely could not contend with him yet.

"Yes." Bai Lin nodded and relaxed his posture.

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Little one, I have been keeping an eye on you since you were very young. In you, I see the true Will of Fire."

Bai Lin feigned a look of surprise mixed with delight, though he chuckled inwardly.

The Will of Fire?

Tell me, have you actually lived up to it?

The current Hiruzen Sarutobi was still relatively young, and Bai Lin believed he still held onto his original intentions.

Although in his past life he had often read conspiracy theories online—such as Nawaki being blown up by explosive tags, Hatake Sakumo dying due to rumors, the Sannin leaving Konoha for various reasons, and their later attitudes toward Hiruzen Sarutobi—not to mention his indulgence of Danzo (human experimentation, the death of Yahiko, leaving behind a massive catastrophe for Konoha)—he would set those aside for now.

Take the protagonist Naruto Uzumaki alone; he did not like Hiruzen Sarutobi (a personal preference, though he admired Naruto's character).

From Naruto alone, one could see the baseness of Hiruzen Sarutobi in his later years. (Setting aside short or long-form arguments, judging by the completeness of the story.)

Despite being the orphan of the Fourth Hokage, he was treated as the incarnation of the Nine-Tails and grew up amidst the exclusion and isolation of the villagers. As the Hokage, he never truly reached out a helping hand.

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi had told him the truth—that his parents sacrificed themselves for the village—or given him the scarf Kushina Uzumaki had knitted for him, he wouldn't have been so detestable.

Bai Lin admired Naruto; if such things had happened to him, Konoha would have no reason to continue existing.

These thoughts flashed through Bai Lin's mind, but his face grew even more respectful: "Lord Hokage, you flatter me. I am truly unworthy of such praise."

"No need for modesty," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a solemn gaze.

"I heard from the Anbu today that your strength is quite impressive. Why have you never considered entering the Ninja Academy to graduate and become a ninja?"

Bai Lin naturally knew this was a lie; there were no Anbu members trailing Kushina Uzumaki. This old man had been peeping himself.

He already possessed the strength of an elite Jonin; unless the ninja was stronger than him or exceptionally skilled at concealment, they would not have been able to avoid his detection.

"Lord Hokage, why do you think there is strife in the Ninja World? Why do ninjas from different villages slaughter one another? Why has the Ninja World never known true peace?"

Bai Lin possessed the perspective of another world; unlike the natives of this world, he saw issues with greater clarity.

If he wanted to truly earn Hiruzen Sarutobi's trust and make him feel that the position of Hokage not being passed to Bai Lin was the greatest loss to Konoha, he didn't mind letting Hiruzen Sarutobi experience the power of a transmigrator's "Talk no Jutsu."

Faced with these three consecutive questions, Hiruzen Sarutobi froze, clearly not expecting him to suddenly pose such inquiries.

He fell into deep thought, pondering for a moment before speaking slowly: "The strife in the Ninja World stems from a scarcity of resources, from the conflicting interests of various nations, and from the accumulation of hatred over generations. A ninja's mission is to protect their village and comrades, even at the cost of their own lives."

"Wrong!" Bai Lin criticized sternly: "It is precisely because of this mindset of yours that there has never been a possibility of peace in the Ninja World from the very beginning."

"Whether it was the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, or the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, both were wrong."

"The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and one of the founders of Konoha, Uchiha Madara, could have suppressed the entire Ninja World together to establish true order. They could have unified all ninjas, ending the division of villages and the conflict of interests—yet they chose to establish Konoha and settle for a corner of the world!"

"I do not like the philosophy of the First Hokage. His thinking was far too naive, believing that as long as the military strength of each village was balanced, they would refrain from starting wars out of mutual caution, so he took it upon himself to distribute the nine Tailed Beasts equally among the other ninja villages. But what was the result?"

"With the passing of Senju Hashirama came the Ninja World wars, and the ultimate consequence was plunging the village's ninjas and civilians into endless flames of war and suffering!"

"I am different from the other villagers; I saw this clearly from a young age. I saw innocent villagers displaced by the fires of war, children losing their parents, and hatred taking root and sprouting in the hearts of generation after generation."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Bai Lin, a flash of shock crossing his eyes.

There was surprise, approval, and also a hint of worry.

He had not expected this young boy to possess such profound contemplation and a perspective far beyond his peers.

"What you say makes sense," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "The Ninja World is indeed filled with pain and helplessness. But this old man believes that as long as there are more people who hold the Will of Fire in their hearts, and as long as we persist in our protection, one day, the Ninja World will welcome true peace."

Tch, dragging it back to the Will of Fire again, damn it.

Bai Lin rolled his eyes hard in his mind.

In his eyes, the entire Ninja World was pathological; from top to bottom, there were hardly any people who were clear-headed.

The one-country-one-village system—as powerful ninjas, their economic finances still relied on the Daimyo and those nobles.

Yahiko was just an armchair strategist; despite having experienced pain, his ideas were still so naive, not even as clear-sighted as Nagato.

Not to mention the childishness of Senju Hashirama, who lacked the clarity of Madara.

Ninjas were best suited for civil engineering and reforestation, yet they did not engage in production.

They only knew how to kill and fight all day long; even a product without real strength like Black Zetsu could stir the Ninja World into total chaos.

I, Bai Lin, will create a...