Will of Fire

"Alright, since the self-introductions are over, let's open our textbooks to the first page and turn to the chapter on the Will of Fire."

Nokai Ikkaku clapped his hands on the podium and spoke to the students below.

As Yu looked at the "Will of Fire" written in the textbook, no matter how he viewed it, it felt like nothing more than a pyramid scheme manifesto—utter nonsense.

Listening to Nokai Ikkaku's impassioned tone, as if he were reciting scripture, Yu began to feel slightly drowsy.

Bored, Yu opened his system panel to continue his research.

He currently had a little over five thousand malice points. While he couldn't push his mastered skills to perfection, he could certainly upgrade his Water and Earth Release techniques, and perhaps raise a few auxiliary professions to the ordinary level.

Acting on the thought, Yu focused his will on the Water and Earth skill panels. "Upgrade!"

Instantly, a massive surge of profound and mysterious insights regarding water and earth flooded his mind. A dull headache followed, causing Yu to frown involuntarily.

As the knowledge slowly digested in his mind, Yu felt his mastery over these two elemental arts deepen significantly, granting him a sense of fluid, intuitive control.

Following this, Yu raised his Artifact Refining Technique and Alchemy Technique to the ordinary level. A deluge of information regarding various refining methods, pill concoction, and herb identification rushed in.

Even though Yu was prepared, the rapid influx of knowledge still left his head throbbing.

Fortunately, his mental fortitude was strong; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to upgrade several major skills all at once.

He remembered that not long after he first obtained his Golden Finger, he had been a mere child with no defenses. The sheer force of the incoming knowledge had knocked him unconscious, causing Mikoto to worry for ages.

The sight of Yu frowning from time to time was caught by Nokai Ikkaku, who was still lecturing on the Will of Fire.

It seems this is another Uchiha leaning toward the hardline faction, Nokai Ikkaku thought, casting a cold, indifferent glance at Yu, who was sitting in the back row.

Before the class, the Third Hokage had specifically instructed him to keep a close eye on the two sons of the Clan Head, Fugaku, who were attending the ninja academy this term.

He didn't know the situation with the other one yet, but this one before him was definitely not an Uchiha who felt close to the village.

At this thought, a wave of disgust rose in Nokai Ikkaku's heart. During the Night of the Nine-Tails, although most of the village's civilians blamed the Jinchuriki, he was a frontline combatant. He had clearly seen the Sharingan within the Nine-Tails' eyes.

Because of this, most civilian ninja harbored a deep-seated resentment toward the "sinful" Uchiha clan, and he was no exception. Even though he maintained a calm expression, he felt a profound dislike for this young Uchiha heir.

Not to mention, Uchiha Yu's current attitude of rejecting the Will of Fire only deepened that animosity.

The most direct result was that Yu received another 100 malice points.

Yu snapped out of his daze, his mind still swirling with wind, water, and earth techniques. Seeing his malice points increase by another hundred, he couldn't help but stare blankly at Nokai Ikkaku, who was still lecturing with a straight face.

Is this guy sick? Did I kill his father or his mother? Is there any need to harbor such intense malice toward me?

A mocking smirk curled the corner of Yu's mouth. Watching the Jonin teacher earnestly explaining the Will of Fire, he couldn't help but want to laugh.

He can't even treat the students in the village equally, yet he stands there preaching about the Will of Fire. Calling it nonsense is an understatement.

Izumi, sitting beside him, noticed Yu's expression and nudged him with her small arm. "Yu-kun, what's wrong?" she asked in a low voice.

Looking at Izumi, who resembled a little thief cat, Yu smiled slightly. "Izumi, I just think the teacher is lecturing very well. The Will of Fire, huh! The leaves of Konoha burn generation after generation, yet those who should die don't, and those who shouldn't die do! Truly, 'baseness is the passport of the base, and nobility is the epitaph of the noble.'"

Listening to Yu's somewhat profound words, Izumi nodded her little head as if she understood. "Yu-kun, you sound so deep! What should I do if I don't understand?" Izumi frowned with her pretty little brows, looking somewhat distressed.

On the podium, Nokai Ikkaku watched Yu and Izumi whispering to each other, completely disregarding him as their teacher.

A surge of irritation rose in his chest. Suppressing his anger, Nokai Ikkaku gently set down his textbook.

"I hope that when I am teaching, students can listen attentively. Uchiha Yu, stand up and explain what is meant by 'where the leaves of Konoha dance, fire burns.' This is a key point, and it is a theoretical topic that will be heavily tested upon graduation."

Yu had originally wanted to tell Izumi some interesting stories, determined not to let the girl be brainwashed by the propaganda above.

Seeing Nokai Ikkaku's scrutinizing gaze, he stood up leisurely and smoothed out his book.

"Teacher, fire is scorching. When the leaves of Konoha meet fire, they instantly turn into fuel and ash, burned clean until nothing remains. Actually, Teacher, I have always had a question I couldn't understand. I would like to ask you—can you answer it for me?"

Yu looked at Nokai Ikkaku on the podium with a playful glint in his eyes. Nokai Ikkaku frowned slightly. "It is a teacher's duty to clear up a student's confusion. Ask."

"Thank you, Teacher!" Yu bowed slightly. "Teacher, my question is: in Konoha, who is the fire, and who is the leaves? Who used themselves to ignite the flames to illuminate the village? And for those who burned themselves to light the way, did they achieve what they truly desired?"

"Have the new buds truly grown strong in a peaceful and fair society? I often wonder, is emphasizing sacrifice alone enough to make the village truly prosperous?"

Yu's questions were incredibly sharp—sharp enough to nearly tear away the facade of peace in Konoha. To say nothing of the distant past, the one who survived the Nine-Tails' chaos was not the young Fourth Hokage. When the White Fang of Konoha was attacked by the village's public opinion, Konoha did not stand up to save their hero. During the Third Great Ninja War, the ones who died the most were the students of the ninja academy.

If this was the Will of Fire, then the Will of Fire was truly a joke.

Nokai Ikkaku's face turned ghastly, and he gritted his teeth, speaking word by word. "Uchiha Yu, are you questioning the Will of Fire of the First Hokage?"

"Teacher, you misunderstand. This is merely a student's confusion; there is no questioning involved." Yu bowed slightly, looking at Nokai Ikkaku with a calm expression. "I ask that the teacher enlighten me."

"Hmph! Uchiha Yu, is this your understanding of the Will of Fire?" Nokai Ikkaku looked at Yu with a gloomy face.

"My understanding, Teacher! Those who carry the firewood should not be allowed to freeze to death in the wind and snow. Ever since you entered this classroom, Teacher, your gaze has never left me. If you have any dissatisfaction with me, you can just say it. If you have a problem with my identity as an Uchiha, there is no need to preach the Will of Fire."

"My Uchiha clan is ranked as the top noble family in Konoha because we have bled for Konoha and made indelible contributions to its founding. You have benefited greatly from my Uchiha clan; what right do you have to harbor prejudice against us? In the First, Second, and Third Great Ninja Wars, have there been few Uchiha who sacrificed themselves?"

His strong, vigorous words echoed throughout the classroom. The surrounding students were silent, staring blankly at Yu, who stood up and refused to back down in the slightest.

Nokai Ikkaku's expression grew increasingly dark. At this moment, he made no effort to hide his disgust for Yu. "Do you think only your Uchiha clan has lost people? The arrogance of the Uchiha clan is known to everyone in Konoha. Instead of wondering why others dislike you, you should look for the reasons within yourselves."

"Heh, if strict law enforcement is arrogance, then I would like to ask you, Teacher, what should be done about those who let criminals run wild?" Yu retorted without hesitation. Over the years, he had often wandered around the Uchiha compound.

If one were to talk about how arrogant the Uchiha clan was, it was nothing more than having a colder attitude and not leaving room for face when the Military Police Force enforced the law. It was rarely seen that the Uchiha had wronged a good person; the Uchiha didn't even bother to bully civilians.

It was nothing more than the result of some local thugs being caught, refusing to accept it, and running their mouths, while the village higher-ups simply turned a blind eye.

At this moment, Nokai Ikkaku felt as if his lungs were about to explode with rage. However, constrained by Uchiha Yu's status, he dared not do anything too extreme. He glared fiercely at Yu, slammed his hands heavily onto the desk, and barked, "Refuting your teacher during class and showing no respect for your elders! Get out! Stand outside and reflect on your behavior!"

Watching the furious Nokai Ikkaku, a victorious smile curled at the corners of Yu's mouth. Coming to this class wasn't a waste. Not only could I talk some trash and vent the resentment in my heart, but I could also increase my strength.

Looking at his Malice Points, which had just dropped to one thousand but were now already climbing back toward five thousand, Yu felt wonderful.

He hadn't expected that sending Nokai Ikkaku into a frenzy would net him one thousand Malice Points at once. It seemed he would have plenty of fun in the future. Thinking of this, Yu glanced at the worried Izumi, gave her a reassuring look, and walked out of the classroom with a light, brisk step.

[Note: From Beginner to Ordinary costs 1,000 Malice Points; Ordinary to Proficient costs 10,000; Proficient to Perfect costs 100,000. It increases tenfold. Furthermore, the more powerful the person, the more Malice Points they provide.

There is also the progression of emotions: mild disgust from an ordinary person is 1, Genin is 10, Chunin is 100, Jonin is 1,000, and Kage-level is 10,000. This value changes as the intensity of the emotion progresses. Gratitude Points work the same way. As for the specifics of these changes, I won't go into detail; the right of final interpretation belongs to the author. Thank you all for your support.]

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