Firing the First Shot

Konoha Memorial Park.

It had been ordered built by Senju Tobirama when he returned from the front lines.

With the aid of Earth Release Ninjutsu, construction on the Memorial Park had progressed quickly. It was completed in just a few days.

On the day it was completed, a large number of Konoha villagers and ninja, all dressed in black with solemn expressions, stood neatly in the Memorial Park holding flowers.

Uzumaki Mito presided over this grand memorial service. In terms of both prestige and status, she was the most suitable candidate aside from Senju Tobirama.

Moreover, the night before the memorial, Chishima Chiba had sought out Uzumaki Mito and given her a speech draft.

At first, Uzumaki Mito felt there was no need for it. She thought such matters should wait until Senju Tobirama returned. But Chishima Chiba repeatedly insisted, and in the end, she could only agree.

Standing at the front, Uzumaki Mito turned and looked around, her brows knitting slightly. She did not see Chishima Chiba or Tsunade.

After waiting for a while without seeing the two arrive, Uzumaki Mito prepared to begin her memorial address.

"Grandmother, please wait."

As if they had timed it precisely, Chishima Chiba and Tsunade approached from afar. Between them were Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and several other inconsequential figures.

Though their steps were slow, they were resolute. Every face bore both pride and grief, an oddly contradictory sight.

"Chiba, they are...?"

"They are the descendants of the ninja who died for the village in this war. Yet after their sacrifice, they were not qualified to enter the Memorial Park. I believe that is unfair and goes against the Will of Fire."

Chishima Chiba spoke with utmost seriousness. This was the first shot he had fired!

As his words fell, Orochimaru and Jiraiya, who led the group, shot grateful looks at Chishima Chiba beside them. Their gazes instantly became firm as they raised their heads toward Uzumaki Mito at the front.

At the same time, Uzumaki Mito immediately guessed what Chishima Chiba intended and recognized the problem exposed by this memorial. She questioned sharply, "Who organized this memorial service?"

"Lady Mito, I did."

Following the voice, Uzumaki Mito immediately recognized the man as Shimura Kouichi, the current head of the Shimura Clan.

"And I did as well, Lady Mito."

She swept her gaze over again. Uzumaki Mito knew this man too: Sarutobi Chuuichirou, the current head of the Sarutobi Clan.

"Kouichi, Chuuichirou, explain yourselves."

Uzumaki Mito openly called them out, and the Konoha villagers and ninja attending the memorial all turned their attention toward the two men.

"Lady Mito, space in the Memorial Park is limited, while the number of fallen ninja is simply too great. So we intended to judge by merit and restricted..."

"Why was I not informed?" Uzumaki Mito suddenly lashed out, while Chishima Chiba, standing behind her, felt utterly reassured.

As long as Uzumaki Mito carried the banner, Ninja Clans like the Sarutobi and Shimura would never be able to steal the gains from this war!

"Lady Mito, such a trivial matter..."

"Trivial? You dare tell me this is trivial?!" Uzumaki Mito demanded sternly. "Kouichi, Chuuichirou, have you forgotten the Will of Fire?!"

"Leaves are but insignificant parts of a great tree, yet it is precisely because of this that the more leaves there are, the stronger the tree grows and the more it thrives!"

"To remember only the branches while forgetting the leaves is to forget one's roots. It is to go against the Will of Fire!"

Taking a step forward, Uzumaki Mito recalled the speech Chishima Chiba had given her the day before. Some of its lines rolled naturally off her tongue.

"We must remember our heroes, but we must remember even more the green leaves that supported those heroes. Though they may be insignificant, they too burned themselves to light the village and contributed to the peaceful lives of those who came after!"

"Their blood must not be shed in vain. They are qualified to rest in the Memorial Park. No matter how many there are, we should remember their names!"

"Konoha was built by branches and leaves together, not by the word of a single clan. It represents all of us, not merely a small portion!"

"And being ordinary does not mean being mediocre. Through our remembrance, their ordinary lives become great and worthwhile."

"What is the Will of Fire? It has never meant selfless sacrifice without compensation. It is sacrifice that is repaid!"

"That repayment means they can be remembered after giving themselves. It means the elderly and young they leave behind can be protected by us. It means the will they leave behind can be carried on. It means their sacrifice can make the village better!"

Clap, clap, clap.

The moment Uzumaki Mito finished speaking, passionate applause erupted from the crowd. Shimura Kouichi and Sarutobi Chuuichirou stood frozen in place, drenched in sweat and at a loss.

They had never imagined that such a small maneuver would provoke such a huge reaction from Uzumaki Mito.

Their thinking had actually been simple. After the First Shinobi World War, although the Senju Clan had suffered grievous losses, its prestige had soared to its peak, severely squeezing the room other Ninja Clans had to gain popular support.

But after the Memorial Park was built, Konoha Ninja Clans such as the Shimura and Sarutobi had an opportunity to show themselves and gain a share of that public prestige.

They did not intend to compete with the Senju Clan for the lion's share. After all, after this war, nine out of every ten Senju households had been left empty. That was what they deserved.

But those nameless, insignificant civilian ninja were people the Shimura, Sarutobi, and other clans could suppress completely, absorbing their merit and prestige for themselves.

It was just that... Uzumaki Mito's reaction had been far too intense. Before so many people, she had redefined the Will of Fire and left them unable to save face.

"Lady Mito, we failed to consider this carefully." Shimura Kouichi immediately yielded. "I will expand the Memorial Park at once, so that every martyr from the First Shinobi World War may rest here and receive the offerings of the entire village."

"It is not too late to mend the fold after the sheep have been lost. Go make the arrangements properly. Today's memorial will also be put on hold. First, bury the martyrs you excluded. Once the expansion is complete, the others may follow."

"Of course, that would be somewhat unfair. So I have decided that the Senju Clan members who died in the war will be the last group buried in the Memorial Park."

Uzumaki Mito handled the matter appropriately. With a few words, she suppressed the displeased heads of Konoha's various Ninja Clans. In the end, they could only grit their teeth and make way for Chishima Chiba, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and the others to lead the vast procession forward.

The rest of the process was simple: digging graves, burial, speeches, and a memorial from everyone present.

"Chiba, thank you."

Afterward, Orochimaru and Jiraiya came to find Chishima Chiba together. They bowed deeply at ninety degrees to express their gratitude and remained bent over for a long time.

"We are classmates. Why thank me? Besides, I did not do this for just the two of you. I did it for the Will of Fire."

"But we are still deeply grateful. If it were not for you, my parents could only have been buried in the wilderness."

"Let's not talk about that for now. What are your plans for the future?" Chishima Chiba revealed his other purpose.

"We do not have any lofty plans. We just want to study properly at the Ninja Academy, inherit our parents' will, and strive to become people useful to the village."

Orochimaru spoke simply, but Chishima Chiba noticed that Orochimaru's fate had already reached a turning point.

Because of Chishima Chiba's intervention, Orochimaru had not begun his first round of pondering the meaning of life. Instead, he had become firm in the true Will of Fire refined by Chishima Chiba.

That was a good thing, and Chishima Chiba naturally would not let this opportunity slip away.

He then looked at Jiraiya. "And you, Jiraiya?"

"I have not figured it out either. Probably the same as Orochimaru." Jiraiya was much more composed now, though his own goals remained somewhat vague.

Chishima Chiba nodded and extended an invitation to them both.

"Orochimaru, Jiraiya, do you two want to join the team I created?" Chishima Chiba explained, "Living out the will of our fallen predecessors requires strength. You are still somewhat weak right now. Fortunately, I can help you."

"Can we?" Orochimaru's eyes lit up, his words hurried.

"Of course. You are the orphan of a martyr, so as long as your character is sound, you should receive preferential treatment." Chishima Chiba affirmed him. "And not only you. Every orphan of a martyr should receive the same treatment."

After speaking, Chishima Chiba patted Orochimaru on the shoulder and looked toward Jiraiya beside him.

"I'm joining too!"

"Good." Chishima Chiba extended his hand. "Welcome to my team!"

Then Jiraiya and Orochimaru exchanged eye contact, placed their hands atop Chishima Chiba's, and pumped them heavily up and down.

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