Will of Fire

"Alright, now that everyone has finished introducing themselves, open your textbooks to the first page and turn to the section on the Will of Fire."

Nomi Ikkaku clapped his hands on the podium and addressed the students below.

As Hane looked at the words "Will of Fire" in the textbook, the more he looked, the more it seemed like some pyramid scheme manifesto—complete nonsense.

Listening to Nomi Ikkaku on the podium speak with passionate fervor, as though he were reading from a Bible, Hane began to feel a little sleepy.

Bored out of his mind, Hane opened his panel and continued studying it.

He now had a little over five thousand Malice Points. While that was not enough to raise a proficient skill to perfection, he could upgrade his Water and Earth Release techniques, as well as several auxiliary professions, to ordinary.

No sooner thought than done, Hane focused his mind on the Water and Earth skill panels. "Upgrade!"

In an instant, a massive amount of knowledge regarding the Grand Dao of water and earth flooded his mind. It was obscure and mysterious, and a faint headache made Hane unconsciously furrow his brow.

As the knowledge slowly settled into his mind, Hane felt that his command of these two Dao Arts had deepened considerably. Using them now felt as natural as moving his own limbs.

He then raised Artifact Refinement and Alchemy to ordinary as well, and all manner of knowledge about crafting artifacts, refining pills, and Herbal Identification came surging in again.

Even though Hane had been prepared, the rapidly flooding knowledge still made his head ache.

Fortunately, his mental strength was powerful now. Otherwise, he would never have dared to upgrade several major skills all at once.

He remembered that not long after obtaining the Golden Finger, when he had still been an ordinary child, he had been completely unprepared. The forcibly crammed knowledge had knocked him unconscious, leaving Mikoto worried for who knew how long.

Hane's occasional frowns happened to catch the eye of Nomi Ikkaku, who was explaining the Will of Fire from the podium.

"Looks like another Uchiha inclined toward the Hardline Faction," Nomi Ikkaku muttered, casting a cold glance at Hane in the back row.

Before coming to teach, the Third Hokage had specifically instructed him to carefully observe Fugaku's two sons who had enrolled in this year's Ninja Academy class.

He did not yet know what the other one was like, but this one before him was definitely not an Uchiha close to the village.

At that thought, disgust welled up in Nomi Ikkaku's heart. On the Night of the Nine-Tails, most of the village civilians had blamed the Jinchuriki.

But as someone who had fought on the front lines, he had clearly seen the Sharingan appear in Nine-Tails' eyes.

Therefore, most civilian shinobi harbored hostility toward the sinful Uchiha Clan, and he was no exception. From the moment he entered the classroom, although his expression had remained calm, he had felt considerable disgust toward this young heir of the Uchiha Clan.

And now, Uchiha Hane's dismissive attitude toward the Will of Fire only deepened that disgust.

The most obvious sign was that Hane received another hundred Malice Points.

Hane snapped out of the flood of Wind, Water, and Earth Dao Arts filling his mind. Seeing his already limited Malice Points increase by another hundred, he could not help but stare blankly at Nomi Ikkaku, who was solemnly lecturing about the Will of Fire on the podium.

"Does this guy have a screw loose? Did I kill his father or his mother? Does he really need to feel this much malice toward me?"

A mocking smile curled Hane's lips as he watched the Jonin teacher earnestly explain the Will of Fire. He almost wanted to laugh.

"He can't even treat the village's students equally, yet he stands up there preaching about the Will of Fire. Calling it complete nonsense wasn't wrong at all!"

Izumi, sitting beside him, noticed Hane's expression and nudged him with her small elbow. "Hane-kun, what's wrong?" Izumi asked in a lowered voice.

Watching Izumi act like a little thieving cat, Hane smiled faintly. "Izumi, I just think the teacher on the podium is explaining things very well. The Will of Fire! Konoha's leaves have burned generation after generation, yet those who should have died did not die, while those who should not have died did. Truly, baseness is the passport of the base, while nobility is the epitaph of the noble."

Hearing Hane's somewhat profound words, Izumi nodded her little head as if she understood. "Hane-kun speaks so profoundly! What should I do if I can't understand?" Izumi frowned her pretty little brows in melancholy.

On the podium, Nomi Ikkaku watched Hane and Izumi whispering constantly, not taking him as their teacher seriously at all.

Irritation rose in his heart. Suppressing his anger, Nomi Ikkaku gently set down the textbook.

"I hope that when I am teaching, students will listen attentively. Uchiha Hane, stand up and explain what it means by 'where Konoha's leaves dance, the fire lives on endlessly.' This is important theoretical knowledge that will be emphasized in the graduation exam."

Hane had originally wanted to tell Izumi some interesting stories and make absolutely sure the girl would not be brainwashed by the pyramid scheme propaganda above.

But when he saw Nomi Ikkaku's scrutinizing gaze, he leisurely stood up and straightened his book.

"Teacher, fire is scorching. When Konoha's leaves encounter fire, they instantly become fuel, turning to residue and burning away completely until nothing remains. Actually, Teacher, there is something I have never understood. I would like to ask you about it. Can you answer my question?"

Hane looked at Nomi Ikkaku on the podium with a hint of amusement. Nomi Ikkaku frowned slightly. "It is a teacher's duty to answer a student's questions. Ask."

"Thank you, Teacher." Hane bowed slightly. "Teacher, my question is this: In Konoha, who is the fire, and who are the leaves? Who burned themselves to ignite the flame and illuminate the village? And did the people who burned themselves to light up the village get what they wished for?

"Did new tender shoots truly grow strong in a peaceful and just society? I often wonder, can the village truly prosper merely by emphasizing sacrifice?"

Hane's questions were exceptionally sharp—sharp enough to nearly tear apart the outer garment concealing Konoha's peace. Not to mention distant matters: the one who survived the Nine-Tails Rebellion had not been the young Fourth Hokage; when White Fang had been attacked by the village's public opinion, Konoha had not stepped forward to save its hero; and during the Third Shinobi World War, Ninja Academy students had died in the greatest numbers.

If this was the Will of Fire, then the Will of Fire was truly laughable.

Nomi Ikkaku's face looked extremely unpleasant. He gritted out each word, "Uchiha Hane, you are questioning the First Hokage's Will of Fire."

"Teacher, you misunderstand. This is merely a student's confusion; there is no questioning involved." Hane bowed slightly, looking calmly at Nomi Ikkaku. "Please enlighten me, Teacher."

"Hmph! Uchiha Hane, is this your understanding of the Will of Fire?" Nomi Ikkaku stared at Hane with a dark expression.

"My understanding, Teacher? Those who gather firewood for others must not be left to freeze to death in the wind and snow. Ever since you entered this classroom, your gaze has never left me. If you have any dissatisfaction with me, you can say it openly. If you are dissatisfied with my Uchiha identity, then there is no need for you to lecture about the Will of Fire.

"My Uchiha Clan can stand as Konoha's foremost noble clan because we have bled for Konoha and rendered indelible service to its founding. You have benefited greatly from my Uchiha Clan, so what right do you have to hold prejudice against us? In the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars, did my Uchiha Clan sacrifice few people?"

His forceful words echoed throughout the classroom. The surrounding students had fallen utterly silent, staring blankly at Hane, who stood without yielding an inch.

Nomi Ikkaku's expression darkened further. At this moment, he no longer concealed his disgust toward Hane. "Do you think only your Uchiha Clan has lost people? The arrogance of the Uchiha Clan is known to all of Konoha. Rather than wondering why others dislike you, why not look for the reasons within yourselves?"

"Hehe, if enforcing the law strictly is arrogance, then let me ask you, Teacher—what should be done about letting criminals run rampant?" Hane shot back without hesitation. Over the years, he had often wandered around the Uchiha compound.

If one asked how arrogant the Uchiha Clan truly was, it was nothing more than being somewhat cold in attitude and refusing to spare anyone's dignity while the Military Police Force enforced the law. It was rare to see the Uchiha wrong innocent people, and they disdained bullying civilians.

It was simply that some hooligans and scoundrels, after being arrested, refused to accept it and went back to gossip and spread rumors. The village higher-ups allowed it to continue unchecked, creating this result.

At this point, Nomi Ikkaku felt as though his lungs were about to explode from anger. But mindful of Uchiha Hane's status, he did not dare do anything too excessive. He glared fiercely at Hane and slammed both hands heavily onto the desk. "Contradicting your teacher during class and showing no respect for your elders! Get out there and reflect properly while standing!"

Hane looked at the furious Nomi Ikkaku, and a victorious smile tugged at his lips. Coming to this class wasn't a waste. Not only could I trade some verbal blows and vent the resentment in my heart, I could even improve my strength.

At that moment, Hane watched the Malice Points he had just spent, leaving only one thousand, begin climbing toward five thousand again. His mood was simply wonderful.

He had not expected the enraged Nomi Ikkaku to jump from providing one hundred Malice Points to one thousand in a single go. Looks like there would be plenty of fun in the future. With that thought, Hane looked at the worried Izumi, gave her a reassuring look, and walked out of the classroom with light steps.

"To clarify: it takes one thousand Malice Points to go from beginner to ordinary, ten thousand to go from ordinary to proficient, and one hundred thousand to go from proficient to perfect, increasing tenfold each time. Also, the stronger the person, the more Malice Points they provide.

"There is also progression in emotions. Slight dislike from an ordinary person gives 1, from a Genin gives 10, from a Chunin gives 100, from a Jonin gives 1,000, and from Kage Level gives 10,000. These values change as emotions intensify, and the same applies to Gratitude Points. As for exactly how they change, I will not elaborate. The author retains all rights of interpretation. Thank you all for your support."