Ideas

The two, bound and restrained, gave up after a few attempts. They realized that breaking free was impossible, and since that was the case, it was better to conserve their strength and wait for an opportunity.

Hashirama did not hide his curiosity—though it was also possible he simply felt no malice from Bai Sui. "What kind of ninjutsu is this? I didn't see you weave any hand signs. Is it a signless ninjutsu?..."

The journey was noisy. Wrapped in Bai Sui's qi and suspended in mid-air, the two followed behind him.

Bai Sui did not walk either; he hovered in the air, crossing rivers as he flew toward his previous resting spot.

"Is this Earth Release? I've heard of a Light-Weight Rock Technique that supposedly allows for flight once mastered to a high level. Is that what this is? Also, where are we going?..."

"Shut up, Hashirama! You're too noisy!" Before Bai Sui could say anything, Madara, who was floating alongside him, could no longer tolerate the chatter and forcibly stopped him from continuing.

They soon arrived before a small wooden cabin. Seeing the signs of habitation in the surrounding area, Hashirama and Madara knew this place had been occupied for more than a day or two. Furthermore, as Bai Sui released his control over them upon landing, the two recalled what he had mentioned earlier.

The wooden door in front of them opened automatically. Bai Sui gestured for them to enter before stepping inside himself; the two exchanged a glance and followed closely behind.

Once the three were seated, Bai Sui brewed a pot of tea and brought out some fruits and pastries. Although he did not eat them himself, his storage space was well-stocked.

The two were sharp-eyed and noticed these items appearing out of thin air. At first, they suspected a genjutsu, but after testing it repeatedly, Madara confirmed it was not—after all, he did not believe any genjutsu could deceive an Uchiha.

Out of caution, the two did not eat anything, but Bai Sui did not mind; that was not the point.

Bai Sui spoke to them of his travels, sharing stories that included many human tragedies. Ordinarily, one would not discuss such things with children, but both boys were sons of clan heads; they were precocious and had already witnessed much suffering firsthand.

It was precisely these experiences that drove them to reflect—to think about their own future, the future of ninjas, and the future of the Ninja World.

Hearing of the things Bai Sui had encountered, Hashirama's mood darkened, clearly troubled by his own thoughts, before his expression gradually turned resolute, as if he had made a decision.

"I've decided! I will establish a village where ninja clans can live together. In this village, children won't have to kill each other. We'll build a school to teach and train them so they can grow strong—a village where we don't have to send our children to the front lines to risk their lives!"

Madara, standing to the side, was clearly moved, though his tone remained stiff: "You're the only one who would say something so foolish, but... it's not bad."

After speaking, the two looked toward Bai Sui, clearly hoping to receive validation from an outsider.

Bai Sui nodded. "It is indeed a good idea, but I have a question. The reason ninja clans send children to the battlefield now is because there aren't enough adults, right?"

Hashirama nodded. "That's right. At the very beginning, children didn't have to go to the battlefield. Later, as the adults suffered too many casualties and couldn't withstand the pressure, they began to let the children share the burden."

Bai Sui took up the thread. "If that's the case, then even if you establish a village, wouldn't the children still end up on the battlefield if the adults suffer heavy casualties? It would just mean there are more adults, and it would take more adult casualties before the children are called upon, wouldn't it?"

Madara protested, "How could that be? A village formed by the union of several clans would be incredibly powerful. Who would be able to contend with it? Unless..."

Bai Sui nodded. "Exactly as you think. If other clans saw such a powerful village emerge, what would they do? Wait obediently for the village to wipe them out?"

"No! The village we build will not start wars!" Hashirama said excitedly. "We aren't building this village to destroy other clans; we are building it so that children don't have to go to the battlefield!"

"That is true, and your intentions are noble, but that is only from your perspective. What if you look at it from the perspective of other clans?

Suddenly, a powerful village appears that could easily wipe you out. Even if they don't attack you proactively, you know of their strength, and perhaps in years past, there were blood debts between you and some of the families within that village. Do you think that clan would feel at ease? What would they do?

Naturally, they would seek a sense of security. The ways to gain that security are limited: either join them if you can't beat them, becoming part of the village; move far away from the village; or strengthen yourself. And what is the simplest way to gain strength comparable to the village in a short time? Isn't it to form another village? Is there anything surprising about that?

As for why no one chose this path of rapid strengthening before, it was simply due to the lack of trust between clans and the mutual containment that forced everyone into loose alliances rather than true coexistence." Bai Sui continued, following Hashirama's train of thought.

Although Madara had been unhappy with Bai Sui pouring cold water on his friend's idea, he was highly intelligent and would not argue unreasonably, nor would he claim that there would be no conflict between villages.

"Then, do you have any profound insights?" During their earlier conversation, Bai Sui had mentioned his age. While the two were skeptical, the gap in their strength forced them to accept it.

Bai Sui said, "I wouldn't call them profound, but I do have a few immature thoughts.

Since you have the idea of forming a village from several clans, why not think bigger? What if all the ninja clans gathered together? Why not simply unify the entire Ninja World and make it a single country?

If everyone belongs to the same country, the state can suppress every individual family. While conflict is inevitable, its intensity can be controlled to a certain extent—at the very least, it would prevent the kind of world-wide ninja wars we see now.

And have you ever thought about why ninja clans fight each other? It is simply because resources are unevenly distributed, and they often find that others have what they need.

While establishing a unified country wouldn't eliminate these issues, the state could redistribute resources to some extent, transporting supplies from wealthy areas to the impoverished ones. Wouldn't that also alleviate the conflict to a degree?"