Heretics

Uchiha Fugaku seemed to have been waiting a long time to hear those words. His voice even grew a little choked with emotion.

"The Uchiha Clan is willing to go through fire and water for this. If need be, I'll go to the front lines myself!"

Qi didn't understand what had gotten into Fugaku.

But then Orochimaru quickly doused Fugaku's excitement.

"Heh, Minato just got back, didn't he? You haven't congratulated Lord Fugaku yet. He recently found several dozen more of his clan members!"

Qi didn't understand, but Orochimaru did. Although the Uchiha Clan had joined the war, its members had been scattered across the various fronts.

But if Fugaku, as the clan head, went to the front lines, he would undoubtedly be appointed commander of a force.

That was exactly what the Hokage faction didn't want to see.

"Sorry, that was rude of me. Congratulations, Lord Fugaku, on finding your lost clan members. With them joining the front lines, Konoha's war effort should surely sweep through the enemy like a hot knife through butter."

Whether Minato understood the implications or not, he still made a request to Fugaku for reinforcements at the front.

After Orochimaru's interruption, Fugaku seemed to finally remember something, and his disappointment showed.

When Minato made the request, Fugaku hadn't had time to think it through. He'd only seen an opportunity for the Uchiha to return to the upper ranks. If they could make a name for themselves on the battlefield and earn military honors, the Uchiha would regain a voice in Konoha.

But the moment Orochimaru spoke, Fugaku remembered that Minato, standing before him, was only a potential future Hokage. He didn't have the final say.

Still, after being suppressed for so long, Fugaku yearned for this too much. What if? What if Minato had come on behalf of the Hokage with a sincere offer?

Perhaps the situation at the front really was dire—so dire that Konoha needed to band together with the Uchiha for warmth.

After all, this wasn't the era of the First Hokage anymore!

So Fugaku decided not to reject Minato's request after all.

"If Konoha needs us, the Uchiha will spare no effort."

Minato was pleased with Fugaku's firm answer. Ignoring the fact that today's gathering was only a casual social occasion, he actually pulled out a map and said frankly,

"Lord Fugaku, I hope the Uchiha can send another hundred to two hundred shinobi to reinforce the Land of Water front. Shisui of the Uchiha Clan is there, and the situation is growing increasingly tense."

Fugaku cooperated, studying the map seriously. His every movement showed how seriously he took the campaign.

Minato's request was genuine, but Fugaku's cooperation concealed his own calculations.

He was wondering whether he had any chance of leading his people to the front lines, and how he could bring up the Uchiha's sacrifices on the right occasion.

Only Orochimaru and Qi exchanged amused glances nearby.

Orochimaru knew Minato's words didn't carry any weight, while Uchiha Kei knew Fugaku couldn't gather a hundred or two hundred shinobi capable of fighting for Konoha even if he tried.

Watching these two men seriously discuss the future of the war in public, despite having no say in its course, left Qi and Orochimaru reluctant to interrupt.

Neither Orochimaru nor Qi could even be bothered to listen to what Minato and Fugaku were discussing.

Only a few minutes passed, but neither Orochimaru nor Qi felt comfortable taking their leave. They could only turn their attention to watching Oboro and Anko compete to see who could eat more dango.

Meanwhile, little Uchiha Itachi watched them eat with envy, while also longing to join his father's discussion. He looked torn.

At last, the awkward exchange came to an end.

"Lord Fugaku, I'll leave the front lines in the hands of your clan members."

"Don't worry, Minato."

The two of them seemed to have finally reached an agreement.

Then Fugaku's expression turned stern.

"Qi, send your clan members to the Land of Water front. Tell them to follow Shisui's orders. Shisui needs your help."

Qi nearly laughed out loud.

What the hell? How had this ended with me being the one responsible?

"How much are you paying?"

If he had a couple of orange cards in his hand, Qi would have turned against Fugaku on the spot. But since he didn't, he decided to remind Fugaku more tactfully.

Sir, times have changed. I have no reason to obey you.

Qi thought that was only natural. But many of those present didn't see it that way.

That included the shinobi who had returned from the battlefield.

How could he bring up money when it came to defending the village? If he earned military honors, he'd receive the appropriate mission completion rating. Then he could advance through the ranks and become a higher-level shinobi, earning more money.

The village had already given him a path to advancement. How could he start asking for money before even going to the battlefield?

"Qi, what kind of thing is that to say? Have you forgotten Konoha's system?"

The atmosphere turned awkward.

Fugaku assumed it was just the naive remark of an immature child. It really was a mistake to place someone so immature in a position of power. He would have to get in touch with that Uchiha Danjo. Someone mature and steady like him was the backbone of the Uchiha Clan.

That was what Uchiha Fugaku thought.

But Qi didn't agree.

"Konoha's system? I'm afraid all of you have forgotten what shinobi really are."

That was the art of conversation: don't get hung up on what the other person says. Bring them into a frame of reference you understand. If they talk about rules, talk to them about traditions.

For a moment, no one quite understood what Qi meant.

When no one responded, Qi began speaking on his own.

"Shinobi are nothing more than powerful tools. Tools of war, at that."

Words needed to be supported by expression and gesture. As Qi spoke, he stepped forward and lifted his head slightly. It looked as if he were explaining himself to Fugaku, but he was speaking for everyone to hear.

"When shinobi first emerged, they disrupted many things. One of them was that shinobi were powerful and didn't produce anything, yet naturally took up a great deal of society's resources. Their seizure of those resources wasn't like a noble receiving land from a Daimyo. It clearly took power away from the Daimyo, so shinobi became a destabilizing force in the eyes of the Daimyo."

He clasped his hands behind his back and gazed up at the sky, his eyes filled with memories of the past. Uchiha Kei seemed to be telling a story that had nothing to do with him, yet a group of shinobi who had trained in martial arts instead of studying found it fascinating.

No one had ever told them how shinobi came to be.

"In those days, the Daimyo tried every possible means to limit the growth of shinobi. They bound them with emotions so they wouldn't act recklessly, then dangled little rewards in front of them to keep them locked in constant bloodshed, leaving them no time to stop and think about why they existed at all."

"That was the chaotic age—the so-called Warring States period."

A gentle breeze swept by, carrying everyone into the story. At that moment, each person seemed to feel their own Warring States period stirring within them.

No one interrupted Qi's explanation. He continued slowly.

"So much time has passed, yet no one has ever stopped to ask why conflicts between shinobi clans are limited to shinobi. They affect ordinary people, but they've never directly targeted them."

"Everyone takes it for granted that shinobi mustn't harm ordinary people. Who instilled that belief in us? Could someone please tell me?"

At first, this had only been one of Fugaku's orders. He'd wanted to give Qi, a newly recognized member of the clan, the chance to lead the Uchiha on the battlefield, earn military honors, and create more opportunities for the clan members to advance.

But now it had become Uchiha Kei challenging everyone in the room.

"Ridiculous. Noble shinobi naturally disdain bullying the weak. It's contemptible."

"Exactly!"

"Right! The weak draw their swords against the weak, while the strong draw theirs against the stronger. That's the shinobi way!"

As Qi's questions continued, grand and lofty answers rose one after another.

It made Qi seem like the only petty person there.

But Qi only smiled as he answered.

"Yet that long Warring States period began with the struggle to survive. If survival was at stake, shouldn't people have done whatever it took?"

Qi posed another question.

"Impossible! We're the guardians of the Land of Fire. Noble shinobi can't do something so despicable!"

The objections continued, but now many people had fallen silent.

The older they were, the quieter they became.

Qi understood that standing on the moral high ground gave people the right to speak, while those acting immorally didn't dare defend their selfishness.

But he didn't care. He only wanted to understand what shinobi lived for.

"But who set these moral restrictions? When the survival of a people is at stake, shouldn't anything be allowed? People have to survive."

"What you're saying is despicable."

"Yeah, and we aren't living in those days anymore."

Qi shook his head slightly. "We've never lived in a peaceful age. The shinobi have only banded together to secure a brief respite for everyone. The rogue and wandering shinobi of the Shinobi World still do the things you find contemptible. They're only trying to survive, too."

"So those rogue and wandering shinobi all deserve to die."

Qi smiled.

He hadn't come here to make shinobi get along. He was here to spread rebellious ideas. Let anyone who wanted to argue do so. All he wanted was to make more people fall silent.

"I'm not discussing morality with you. I'm only asking what shinobi are fighting each other for."

What had begun as a chance meeting among powerful figures had turned into a conversation between Qi and the shinobi who'd returned from the battlefield without knowing why they fought.

"Of course it's to protect Konoha! To protect the Land of Fire!"

"But why do we have to protect the Land of Fire?"

"Because it's our homeland!"

Once again, grand, empty ideals wafted over Konoha. The shinobi of Konoha seemed determined to convince Qi, the heretic.