Ōnoki was choked by Naruto's words, and his face turned red and white.
Of course he knew the history. Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure had all played the role of the attacker for the first time, the second time, and fierce conflicts broke out with Konoha.
But he quickly adjusted and tried to defend himself:
"That... that's all in the past! It's the grudges of the previous generation, or even the generation before that!"
Ōnoki's tone was a little urgent.
"The Shinobi World war has been over for more than ten years. All Capitals are recuperating and maintaining the peaceful status quo! If you are provoking a war and breaking the balance now, why are you doing it for peace?"
"What happened in the past?"
Upon hearing these four words, the remaining relaxation on Naruto's face completely disappeared, and his eyes became deep and cold.
An idiom flashed through his mind instantly.
Nine Generations of Vengeance.
This idiom comes from the Confucian classic "Gongyang Commentary".
"Is it possible to take revenge in nine lifetimes? It can be done in a hundred lifetimes."
It means: After nine generations of hatred, can we still take revenge? The answer is: Even after a hundred generations, it is possible!
Spring and Autumn Gongyang School, represented by "Gongyang Commentary", clearly puts forward the fierce proposition that "the hatred of a country can be avenged for generations", believing that the hatred between countries, even if it spans a generation, still has the legitimacy and necessity of revenge.
This, together with the milder "Family Revenge for Five Generations" advocated by another Confucian classic "Zuo Commentary", formed a famous controversy within Confucian classics on the ethics of revenge.
National hatred can be avenged in a hundred generations!
This is the concept that Naruto holds in his heart, or in other words, it is one of the historical and cultural basis he found for his "unification war".
Shinobi World Decades of endless war, hatred, betrayal, sacrifice...
Can these be dismissed as "things of the past" and then written off just because "more than ten years have passed"?
He has no mass base in other countries. In other words, in the eyes of the people of other countries, he Naruto Uzumaki is a devil who launches aggressive wars.
Therefore, Naruto would go to great lengths to get the other side to evacuate the people before the war started, and then let Konoha's Ninja do the post-war pacification after the war.
Strive to exchange for Shinobi World peace with minimal losses.
Ōnoki's light "That's all in the past" sounded to Naruto not only childish, but even ridiculously naive.
"Does this old man think that I am young, have little experience, and tend to be soft-hearted, so he will be persuaded by this argument of 'let it go?' Or does he think that by labeling me as 'breaking the peaceful status quo', it will make me feel guilty and give in?"
Use "past" to avoid problems, use "status quo" to protect the comfort of vested interests...
This kind of thinking is exactly what Naruto wants to break.
He looked at the crowd below who were still anxiously evacuating, and then at Ōnoki on the opposite side who was suppressing his anger and trying to speak "reason". He spoke slowly, his voice was not high, but with a decisive force:
" Mr. Ōnoki, 'the past'... never really passes."
"They will become words in history books, stories told by the elderly, names engraved on Memorial Stone, and fires that may be rekindled in the hearts of the next generation."
"When you invaded Land of Fire, you didn't think it was 'something that happened to other villages in the past'."
"And I am not standing here today just to settle 'past accounts'."
Naruto's gaze became extremely sharp, as if it could penetrate Ōnoki's forced composure:
"I want to prevent this kind of 'past thing' from happening again from now on."
"As for you saying that I broke the status quo of peace?"
Naruto The corners of his mouth curved into a smileless arc,
"When peace is built on hatred, suspicion and an arms race that can break out again at any time, it is nothing but a false truce, a prelude to the next bigger war."
"The peace I want is not the fragile 'status quo' that needs to be maintained by the balance of major powers and sacrifice Small Country.
What I want is true unification, without national boundaries and mutual conquest, and long-lasting peace."
"This process may seem like aggression to you.
But in my eyes, this is a necessary pain and the only way to end the endless reincarnation."
"So, put away your 'past things' and 'breaking the peace' rhetoric."
Naruto's final voice was filled with unquestionable determination:
"Three and a half hours, the clock will not stop. Fight, surrender, or watch Iwagakure turn into Ruins... The choice is in your hands, Tsuchikage."
The Young Naruto in front of me is so arrogant.
It brought back memories of Ōnoki.
He was thirteen years old that year and went to Konoha for diplomacy with his master Second Tsuchikage Mu.
But they encountered a powerful enemy that Ōnoki will never forget in this lifetime.
Madara Uchiha.
The opponent rejected Iwagakure's alliance invitation and severely injured Wu and Ōnoki.
The look in the eyes of Young Naruto at this time was exactly the same as that of Madara Uchiha at that time.
But then, an even more tingling discovery made his thoughts forcefully change.
His eyes involuntarily moved from Naruto to the girl who had been standing quietly beside Naruto, wearing the too-large white Golden Cloak, only revealing half of her face and a pair of orangutan Red Eye eyes.
Before, his attention was almost entirely on Naruto and Kurotsuchi. He was only wary of the silent Uchiha girl and did not take a closer look.
At this moment, perhaps due to the pull of memory or some kind of intuition, he carefully looked at Guang's appearance for the first time.
Black Long Hair, delicate but expressionless facial features, especially that hairstyle?
Masaka!
Although the way and details of the light Long Hair are different from the spots in my memory, the overall sense of outline and the unique temperament of the Uchiha Clan...
Especially when she raised her head slightly and revealed more of her face, her sharp jawline and straight bridge of nose...
How come... it looks so much like Madara Uchiha?
Ōnoki's heart skipped a beat! An absurd thought that seemed to explain part of his doubts emerged uncontrollably:
This girl, judging by her age... seems to be about the same age as Kurotsuchi, or ten Three or Four Years Old?
Calculate the age of Madara Uchiha...
Could it be that... she is Madara Uchiha's... great-granddaughter?
The look in his eyes as he looked at Naruto Heguang became more complicated, full of suspicion, apprehension, and fear.
Wasn't there information at that time that Madara Uchiha died at the hands of Hashirama Senju, and wasn't Uchiha exterminated a few years ago?
How could it be...
I see, Hiruzen Sarutobi, you are really vicious!
He even spread false news to hide Uchiha.
Oh, if I hadn't seen this Uchiha girl today, I would still have been kept in the dark.
The Young Naruto in front of us became Hokage at such a young age and started a war. There must be support from that old immortal guy Third Hokage behind him.
How could a child have the ambition to unify Shinobi World?
This ambition must have been instilled in him by someone. Fourth Hokage and his wife are both dead, and this child has no teachings from Parents at all.
In other words, huh, this war must have something to do with that thief Hiruzen Sarutobi!