Gasps first swept through the hall. Then, as though they had taken a blow to the head, many people abruptly snapped to their senses.
Yan Uchiha was right.
Looking back at the three Shinobi World Wars, when had Konoha ever secured peace by begging for it? Never. Countless shinobi had fallen, wave after wave, paying for that peace with their blood and lives.
So what right did they have to forgive their former enemies on behalf of the dead?
Once that thought surfaced, those who had still been wavering could not help leaning toward Yan Uchiha.
Peace was not something won by begging on your knees. It was won through battle.
Even if this generation had to be sacrificed, they had to fight for a hundred years of security for Konoha's children. Those words were simply too stirring.
Never mind everyone else—even Hiruzen Sarutobi felt heat surging through his chest. Of course he wanted to argue, but when the words reached his lips, he could find no suitable response.
Because what Yan Uchiha had said was all too true.
Who would dare deny that countless shinobi had paid for Konoha's current peace with their lives? If Hiruzen Sarutobi dared say otherwise at a moment like this, the reputation he had spent years building would probably collapse on the spot.
Even the way the Ino-Shika-Cho looked at Yan Uchiha quietly changed.
Those were the words of a true leader. Looking at Jin Uchiha instead, then at Hiruzen Sarutobi, the latter seemed more like a politician who did nothing but calculate gains and losses.
But agreeing in their hearts was one thing. Reality was another.
They each had a clan behind them, and often could not make decisions on passion alone. So even though they already approved of Yan Uchiha in their