You've Been Going at It Too Much-Take a Breather / Can You Even Handle It?

If he remembered correctly, this was the first time Uchiha Shingen had seriously wanted to discuss the Will of Fire with him?

Uchiha Itachi once believed that Shisui and he were the only two people in the Uchiha Clan who believed in and were willing to engage with the Will of Fire. However, he later discovered that his father had done so much earlier, as Uchiha Fugaku was also known as a genius when he was studying at the Ninja Academy and had already been instilled with the Will of Fire by the Third Hokage.

Although the father and son's Will of Fire don't seem to match perfectly.

Now, Uchiha Shingen, who serves as the Fifth Hokage, is seen by Uchiha Itachi as the authority on the Will of Fire.

No one could possibly understand the Will of Fire better than the Hokage.

Uchiha Itachi suddenly tensed up. He felt this was very sudden and he wasn't mentally prepared at all.

Chapter 86 Too Much Breast Momentum Requires a Slower Retreat

It was probably the term "Will of Fire" that initially attracted Uchiha Itachi's attention so much that, after he hurriedly assumed what he thought was the most appropriate sitting posture, he noticed something else.

"Sasuke? Shingen- kun, you want to designate Sasuke as the Sixth?"

Uchiha Itachi started to panic.

"That can't be! Brother Shingen! You haven't even been Hokage for a year at most!"

"Who says the Hokage has to be in office for decades?" Uchiha Shingen glared at him. "Is that all you care about? Is that all? Is this all your Will of Fire is?"

Uchiha Itachi's face turned bright red.

"Besides, I didn't say it was now, just a future plan." Uchiha Shingen waved his hand. "Sasuke is indeed too young. How about you take over?"

To be fair, it's not entirely impossible.

Although Uchiha Itachi's reputation among the Jonin was indeed generally poor, this was largely due to his rather eccentric social style.

So serious it borders on obsessive.

The main problem is that the Ninja Academy version of the Will of Fire simply doesn't resonate with others.

But if it's the true Will of Fire, you can't just bring it up to chat with people.

"Ah, I can't." Uchiha Itachi was startled and quickly waved his hands. "I don't even have many friends."

"So, it can only be Sasuke." Uchiha Shingen smiled. "Besides, the reason you have so few friends is also related to your usual way of dealing with people. To put it bluntly, you don't understand the Will of Fire."

Uchiha Itachi had heard this phrase from Uchiha Madara, but he never expected to hear it again from Uchiha Shingen.

He felt somewhat hurt.

Why does everyone think he doesn't understand the Will of Fire?

"Speak your mind," Uchiha Shingen, looking at him. "After all these years, you still can't break this habit? Are you holding back your wild thoughts again?"

"No...it's just..." Uchiha Itachi said softly, "Everyone's understanding is different, perhaps..."

"These are two different things. Interpretation is interpretation, and organization is organization." Uchiha Shingen's expression was somewhat cold. "As the organizational charter of Leaf Village, future generations can modify it based on new circumstances encountered by the village, but its content is clear. I'm telling you what the tools for maintaining this organization's survival look like, not discussing how to play house. If you can't change this mindset, you'll only be able to be a sword in the ANBU for the rest of your life, and don't expect to be able to help Sasuke."

That last sentence seemed to have a certain impact on Uchiha Itachi, and his expression changed accordingly.

But Uchiha Shingen was quite satisfied.

That's more like it. The Will of Fire is such a serious and proper thing, but this guy treats it like a cult member's enlightenment, which is just ridiculous.

Even if you manage to study half of the Will of Fire to the heavens, you'll still end up with a crooked and ineffective weapon.

"Your expression is spot on," Uchiha Shingen said. "You don't even have this much awareness. Forget about protecting Sasuke, you can't even help him. He's lucky he didn't get killed."

"But we still have you, Shingen- nii," Uchiha Itachi immediately said obediently.

When it comes to his younger brother, this brother-obsessed person always reacts exceptionally quickly.

"Flattery is one thing, but I'll protect my own brother. I won't always win, and neither will anyone else." Uchiha Shingen raised his hand and made a downward pressing motion. "Then let me explain to you the basic framework of the Will of Fire."

Uchiha Itachi immediately straightened his posture after relaxing.

If he hadn't been pressed for time, he would have taken out his notebook to take notes.

"Let me make this clear to you first. Leaf Village is different from other villages. Leaf Village's governance strategy, the Will of Fire, is a very clear set of principles. No matter how you interpret it, the direction is fixed." Uchiha Shingen held up two fingers. "There are two main categories: internal affairs and human affairs. Internal affairs include the ninja alliance, hierarchical management, and the Hokage's centralized power. Human affairs are relatively simple: first, the concept of a homeland, and second, the recognition of Leaf Village as the legitimate dynasty. You've done alright in human affairs, but you know absolutely nothing about internal affairs. You haven't even scratched the surface, since you haven't studied it."

Uchiha Itachi's expression perfectly embodies what a question mark face looks like.

It's been more than ten years since he became Uchiha Shingen's nominal student, and Uchiha Shingen has been observing him all along.

Perhaps Uchiha Itachi himself didn't realize that after Uchiha Shingen became Hokage, he, as Uchiha Shingen's first official student, already possessed the qualifications to become the Sixth.

He's just missing the Hokage certification.

This is not a private exchange, but the genuine Will of Fire.

It is also the core of the hierarchical management system in the Will of Fire's internal affairs system - in theory, the upward path for all ninjas is not closed, but the upward path to the Hokage Building is mainly based on blood ties, marriage, or apprenticeship.

In Blue Star's terminology, this is called the Hokage version of the Nine-Rank System.

The Ninja Clan Alliance is quite simple. It forms the core strength of the ninja villages. While uniting the various ninja clans, those that are not united must be suppressed or even eliminated.

As for the Hokage's centralized power, it was achieved through the combined efforts of the ANBU, the Jonin Council, and the advisors and staff, ensuring the Hokage's military command authority. Essentially, it was a fascist-style management system on Blue Star, where ninjas were tools first and people second. From this perspective, the death of Konoha White Fang cannot be considered entirely unjust; at least there is room for discussion.

Clearly, this set of domestic policy guidelines is absolutely not suitable for dissemination.

Thus, a humanistic approach to human relationships emerged. Leaf Village's environment was more humane than any other ninja village, and it seemed to have a stronger moral bottom line. At least in this world, its social class relations and family ethics were more conducive to the survival of the organization. On this basis, the strategy of taking Leaf Village as the legitimate successor greatly improved the cohesion of the grassroots ninjas and established the largest double standard concentration camp in the entire Ninja World.

The people of Leaf Village don't even realize they're being hypocritical.

The most typical example in the original timeline is that Kakuzu had to die for killing Asuma, and Sasuke's attack on Cloud Village should not be investigated. Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi, and Uchiha Sasuke, the three Class A war criminals, were all acquitted based on their "merits" in the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Based on Naruto Uzumaki's actions in the original timeline, it would be a disservice to him not becoming Hokage, given his unparalleled mastery of the Will of Fire.

Meanwhile, in this timeline, Uchiha Itachi was stunned for a long time after hearing Uchiha Shingen's all-ages version of the Will of Fire.

He was the kind of person who only read the humanities version of The Will of Fire, representing 99 percent of the ordinary people in this village.

The domestic affairs version, for Uchiha Itachi, is at least a complete overhaul, or at least a complete moral collapse.

Even without Uchiha Shingen saying it, Uchiha Itachi knew that internal affairs were the core of the Will of Fire, while human affairs served to support internal affairs.

The Will of Fire described by Uchiha Shingen is more systematic and contains more content than that of Uchiha Madara, but the two are still related. Furthermore, by corroborating certain events in the village, it can be fully proven that what Uchiha Shingen said is indeed the true face of the Will of Fire.

Without more than a decade of continuous exploration and self-reflection, Uchiha Itachi certainly wouldn't have been able to accept it.

There are too many factors to consider; he needs to take it slow.

Chapter 87 Are you sure you can handle it?

Seeing Uchiha Itachi fall silent, Uchiha Shingen didn't interrupt his thoughts. Instead, he leisurely crossed his legs and slowly sipped his tea.

He could roughly guess that Uchiha Itachi was being targeted.

Is the Will of Fire really that advanced? Actually, from the perspective of a time traveler, it's not advanced at all, and there are too many things to criticize.

From the perspective of the Celestial Empire, Leaf Village was a corrupt, backward, and reactionary regime that had to be overthrown, and it was also a very deformed military government.

No wonder it was universally panned by readers on various Chinese forums.

But to be honest, while Leaf Village was reactionary, the other villages were truly a pile of shit.

The problem is that everything is relative. The Ninja World is such a mess that even a reactionary regime like Leaf Village is suddenly seen as an advanced civilization when it's placed there.

Look at the other villages; they don't look like places where people can live.

The Will of Fire actually went through a relatively long period of time from its initial creation to its perfection. To summarize, Hashirama created the idea, Tobirama researched the theory, Hiruzen stood on the shoulders of giants and combined it with reality to complete the revision.

This is already quite remarkable. In reality, Sarutobi Hiruzen accomplished this comprehensive task. Its applicability is extremely strong, and there is absolutely no need for further revision in the short term.

Further revisions would be like breaking the egg into several pieces and skipping it across the water.

Taking the Uchiha Clan massacre in the original timeline as an example, from Blue Star's perspective, since the world is much more advanced, the Will of Fire is simply a joke. The necessity of the massacre is logically unacceptable. Whitewashing the slaughter of the elderly, women, and children as politically correct is naturally absurd and disgusting.

After all, do the Uchiha Clan really have any psychological flaws?

If Uchiha Shingen didn't have the surname Uchiha Clan in this current timeline, then he would reluctantly accept the surname.

Otherwise, wouldn't Uchiha Obito of the Futatsudomoe because of Rin Nohara and Hatake Kakashi be considered a psychological disorder?

Neither Uchiha Izuna nor Kagami Uchiha showed any signs of mental distortion. Uchiha Shisui was simply a naive and innocent person, and Uchiha Sasuke was even more of a simpleton, being led by the nose by others all the way.

Even Uchiha Itachi, in the original timeline, submitted his pledge of allegiance to the Hokage Building and handed over his household registration, mainly to protect Uchiha Sasuke. He practiced the Will of Fire to the death, and even after his death, he still cleaned up the mess left by the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.

In Uchiha Shingen's view, the Uchiha Clan in the original timeline had only one problem: they were not worthy of their positions, which directly led to the Uchiha Clan seeing no hope of producing Hokage.

In The Will of Fire, one point is very important: the Nine Ranks are indeed real, but so is the hope given to everyone—anyone can become Hokage if they are truly talented.

Upholding the important principles of the Will of Fire and possessing outstanding combat strength—this is Leaf Village's version of a person with both virtue and talent. Meeting this standard is enough to become a candidate for Hokage.

The Uchiha Clan was originally among the ninth-rank officials, but perhaps because Uchiha Madara took away the clan's fortune, the Uchiha Clan, like a drunkard driving, has been blindly stumbling around for decades, and has never produced a single person who meets the requirements.

Uchiha Fugaku had competed against Minato before, and to be honest, he had no chance. Uchiha Fugaku was already the person with the strongest Will of Fire and considerable strength after Kagami Uchiha.

With talent so scarce, how can we possibly move forward?

However, in the original timeline, Leaf Village's annihilation of the Uchiha Clan was also Will of Fire.

While the correct approach would be to investigate and arrest those who need to be arrested, rather than taking a blanket approach, given the state of Leaf Village in the original timeline, it was simply impossible. Leaf Village was already so weak that Cloud Village could easily bully them. In that environment, for the Uchiha Clan, who had collectively lost their minds and were no longer united with Leaf Village, spending a lot of effort to proceed slowly would be a high-risk endeavor. The simplest and most feasible method was a blanket approach, as time was of the essence.

There is no right or wrong, only whether it is worthwhile or not.

Ultimately, the Hokage represents the Will of Fire, and no one can oppose the Hokage.

Since you've gone against the Will of Hokage, then I can only talk to you about the Will of Fire.

Although the massacre of the clan did not occur in this timeline, given Uchiha Itachi's experiences, he could naturally simulate what would have happened to the clan without Uchiha Shingen. Combined with Uchiha Shingen's talk of the Will of Fire, it's understandable that he was affected.

Uchiha Shingen poured himself another cup of tea.

The Hokage's office was quiet. Uchiha Itachi was still sitting on the sofa, the tea in his cup had gone cold.

Uchiha Shingen stared at the rising steam from the cup, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

So, did he speed up the Hokage to become Hokage?

However, Uchiha Itachi's situation really couldn't be delayed any longer.

Although Uchiha Shingen said he hoped Uchiha Sasuke would become the Sixth, that wasn't entirely true.

At first, Uchiha Shingen did think that way, but one day he suddenly realized that if he did it that way, he would have to serve Hokage for at least ten years.

I can't do it, thank you.

Therefore, he would have to reasonably refer to the original timeline.

In the original timeline Sixth Hokage was Hatake Kakashi.

Uchiha Itachi, Hatake Kakashi are the most mature and latest generation.

Given Hatake Kakashi 'Hatake Kakashi connections and the situation in Leaf Village at the time, he had no competitors in the original timeline. But in this timeline, he does have competitors, namely Uchiha Itachi.

Seriously speaking, this version of Uchiha Itachi is a legitimate Hokage candidate. Today is the Hokage certification day, so let's see if he can pass the test.

The process of finding a successor for the Hokage is like the emperors on Blue Star building their tombs; they don't wait until they're about to die to start building them, they start long before they die.

Similarly, Hokage candidates don't just spring from the ground up; they require a long period of observation and training.

The person Uchiha Shingen wanted to train was Uchiha Itachi; he had no other choice.

If Uchiha Itachi isn't capable, then he won't worry about him anymore. He can directly train Hatake Kakashi, and have the Fourth and Fifth Hokage train one person to become Hokage. If that person doesn't succeed, then the Will of Fire should be revised.

As for Uchiha Sasuke and Naruto Uzumaki, let's leave that to the Sixth Hokage.

With their talent, they would inevitably become candidates for the Seventh in the Sixth era.

Uchiha Shingen dared to guarantee that the Sixth would be bald, regardless of whether he was bald when he took power, he would definitely be bald when he abdicated.

You can't understand how demanding Uchiha Sasuke and Naruto Uzumaki are unless you've experienced it yourself.

However, they are not the only two who can become candidates for the Seventh. As the era of the young heroes in the original timeline, this generation has seen an unprecedented explosion of talent.

Konohamaru Sarutobi, who possesses all five elements innately and is also the grandson of the Third Hokage, is no exception.

It's even possible that Uchiha Shingen's son, Uchiha Yosuke, could be involved.

Furthermore, if the Hyuga Clan can undergo some changes, there is hope for Hyuga Hanabi, who was developed by Kaguya.

The thought of the Sixth being in a terrible predicament gave Uchiha Shingen a strange sense of schadenfreude.

He glanced at Uchiha Itachi across from him; the kid seemed to have come to his senses.

Great, let him look forward to it!