Why Fight

Uchiha Kei leaped onto the outer wall of the Uchiha compound; it was the closest point to his base and where his own people were most concentrated.

Uchiha Kei was about to start a verbal assault, so he naturally needed to choose a safe location.

Even in the heat of his fury, Kei's first priority remained his own safety.

"You base, ignorant fools! You actually want to drive the Uchiha Clan out of Konoha? Have you forgotten how Konoha came to be?"

Uchiha Kei thought he had posed a critical question, but the villagers of Konoha clearly did not see it that way.

"Konoha was established by Lord Senju Hashirama himself! You filthy Uchiha!"

"Everyone knows this; it is the consensus of Konoha!"

"You who are sheltered by Konoha refuse to contribute to it, so you should leave!"

When it came to the lower classes rising up against their superiors, the villagers of Konoha displayed a genetic eruption of bloodline instinct.

They had never systematically studied the history of Konoha, so they naturally believed whatever they were told.

"Ignorant. Konoha Village is named for the trees, its shadow is the fire, and the whirlpool is its emblem—representing the Senju Clan, the Uchiha Clan, and the Uzumaki Clan, respectively. We Uchiha are the true masters of Konoha, while you are merely sheltered squatters. Does a house become yours just because you have lived in it for a long time? Is this your version of justice?"

When it came to reasoning, the educated could always articulate points that sounded more convincing than the screeching of illiterate shrews.

"Impossible! Isn't it called the Hokage because this is the Land of Fire?"

"Bullshit. Do you really think we, who possess family histories, know less about history than you peasants who don't even know how you were born? If you don't believe me, ask those ninja clan friends of yours who have lowered themselves to associate with you. Then you will understand how ninja villages were truly founded."

Those who had been shouting the loudest, such as Murakami and Inoshita, immediately fell silent. Faced with ninja clans that possessed a true heritage, they felt an innate sense of inferiority.

The inferiority carved into their bones forced them to lower their heads.

However, the ninjas from the smaller clans—who were not mere commoners—naturally knew that Uchiha Kei was right. Yet, this was not a valid reason for Uchiha Kei to refuse to go to the front lines for the Land of Fire.

"Lord Kei, since you consider yourself the master of Konoha, why don't you lead your clansmen to the front lines? Look, the other members of your clan, and we descendants of those who once followed Lord Hashirama and Lord Madara, are all shedding blood on the front lines for your village. Are you just going to sit by and watch? They are bleeding!"

As expected, the ninja clans still sided with one another. Although this statement was still questioning why Kei was unwilling to go to war, it affirmed his argument: Konoha was the Uchiha Clan's Konoha.

History cannot be erased.

This also shattered the worldview of those ninjas who had graduated after only two or three years at the Ninja Academy. The books didn't teach it this way.

This was likely why it was so difficult for them to get along with the ninja clans.

Because everyone had learned different things.

Kei straightened up, putting away the anger in his heart.

"I have never feared war, but protecting the Land of Fire has never been the Uchiha's reason for going to war!"

"Why!" The commoners stopped their clamoring. Kei's few words had unearthed the inferiority in their hearts, and now, their desire for knowledge far outweighed everything else.

This scene reminded Kei of the old storyteller from his past life who used to hang around the village entrance. Though despised for his promiscuity, he was still treated with a strange sense of respect.

This was the natural victory of culture.

Even a useless culture of storytelling could still fascinate commoners who knew nothing of the world.

"Because, if the Uchiha could go to war to protect the Land of Fire, then one day, we would have just as much reason to go to war to protect the Land of Water!"

"Huh? What kind of logic is that!"

See? The interest of the illiterate had been piqued.

"The Uchiha Clan originates from the ancient Otsutsuki Clan. The Senju, Hyuga, Kaguya, Uzumaki, and others all stem from this same family. If we can fight for the Land of Fire today, then tomorrow, as fellow members of the Otsutsuki, could we not fight for the Land of Water where the Kaguya live?"

This statement was both right and wrong—it was mere sophistry—but who told the Konoha villagers to be so uneducated?

As long as they refused to learn, there would always be unsolved mysteries.

Kei was simply bullying them for their lack of education.

"Are you saying you will just watch as ninjas from other countries invade our Land of Fire?"

The villagers were not yet ready to give up.

"What does the invasion of the Land of Fire by other countries have to do with our Konoha?"

See, the logic had come full circle. Konoha was the Uchiha's Konoha, the Land of Fire had nothing to do with the Uchiha, and their vast clan's population was scattered all over the world. Therefore, fighting for the Land of Fire was equivalent to making the Uchiha kill their own kin.

This was clearly inhumane.

However, the villagers were still unsatisfied. Although they couldn't articulate a counter-argument, they felt something was wrong. The crowd fell silent, yet they were unwilling to disperse.

Because if this matter wasn't explained clearly today, the ceremony welcoming the heroes back would become a farce.

They needed to know what they were fighting for.

If the Uchiha were unwilling to fight for the Land of Fire, then what was their reason for waging war? For Konoha?

But if the masters of Konoha wouldn't go to the front lines, what about them!

They needed an explanation, and Kei, who had stirred up the entire situation, had a responsibility to provide one.

The power of silence was more terrifying than shouting.

To put it crudely, the dog that bites doesn't bark.

To put it gently, if someone has any other way, they wouldn't bother arguing with you. But if you push them into a corner, they'll be ready to stop wasting their breath.

Looking at the villagers who had suddenly fallen silent, Qi panicked.

They were supposed to be reasoning things out, so why did they all go silent instead?

Although no one was speaking, everyone present knew exactly what the others were thinking.

Damn, young people really are unreliable, the thought surfaced in Uchiha Fugaku's mind once again.

Orochimaru, who never bothered with reasoning, watched Qi with a look of intellectual curiosity, hoping this young man would give him another surprise.

However, he felt that if things couldn't be resolved peacefully today, this kid might easily end up like him—abandoning reason in favor of brute force.

Minato remained as sunny as ever, while simultaneously preparing to step in if Qi couldn't wrap things up. Although the current situation had left the villagers confused, if he could help them find their way out of this bewilderment, they would only become more united.

He had already prepared a speech about fighting for their survival.

Itachi, however, was lost in confusion. Me, Otsutsuki, me, and many relatives... so am I called Uchiha Itachi or Otsutsuki Itachi?

Only Qi felt his head buzzing.

I'm so hungry. Does this mean you won't let me go eat unless I give you a Lecture Room session?

Damn this brainwashing education; it has such obvious logical loopholes.

The battle for the moral high ground was utterly devoid of fun!