Itachi Uchiha stood beside Shisui in the shadowed alleyway, his own mind reeling. He looked at the endless stream of foreign ninja hauling carts of supplies and pitching temporary tents inside the Uchiha compound.
Itachi's Internal Monologue: This makes no sense. The village administration represents peace. The Uchiha represents rebellion. Why are so many noble clans choosing the rebellion?
Unable to reconcile his logic, Itachi's eyes suddenly locked onto a familiar, heavy-set figure carrying a large crate of rations.
"Keita?" Itachi called out, stepping out of the shadows.
Keita Akimichi paused, hoisting the crate onto his broad shoulder. He blinked in surprise at the sight of his former ninja academy classmate. Since Itachi had graduated early as a prodigy, Keita had been assigned to internal logistics for his clan because his graduating class lacked the necessary Ino and Nara members to form a traditional Ino-Shika-Cho combat squad.
"Itachi? What are you doing skulking in the alleys of your own compound?" Keita asked, walking over.
"I could ask you the same question," Itachi replied quietly. "Keita... why did your clan join the Uchiha? I genuinely do not understand."
Keita stared at Itachi. While Itachi was famous for being aloof and incredibly lethal, Keita knew he possessed a sharp mind. Furthermore, as an Akimichi, Keita was privy to the basic political realities discussed by Shikaku Nara during their joint clan meetings.
Assuming Itachi was playing dumb, Keita lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Come on, Itachi. You know why. The rumors your clan has been spreading throughout the village."
"Those are just baseless rumors designed to destabilize the village, aren't they?" Itachi asked, his tone innocent.
Keita froze. The crate on his shoulder slipped an inch. He stared at Itachi as if looking at a rare, endangered species.
"Are you serious right now?" Keita asked, his voice cracking with disbelief. "You actually think those are just rumors?"
"Are they not?" Itachi countered, his brow furrowing.
Keita's mouth twitched. He let out a long, heavy sigh. "Itachi, you are a terrifyingly strong ninja, but politically, you are frighteningly naive. Those 'rumors' are open secrets. Even without the Uchiha spreading them, every major clan head in this village already knew the truth about the White Fang and the suppression of the other clans. We just never talked about it out of self-preservation."
Keita shifted his weight, deciding to lay out the brutal truth. Now that they were under Jin Uchiha's protection, there was no need to hide it.
"The village administration fundamentally targets the Uchiha," Keita explained bluntly. "This isn't just prejudice inherited from the Second Hokage. It is simple math. The Uchiha are too powerful and too independent. Historically, an exceptionally strong clan has only two fates in Konoha: they either hold the seat of the Hokage, or they are entirely eradicated. There is no third option."
Keita gestured to the empty spaces where other clans used to live. "Look at the Senju. They founded the village, and now they are extinct. Unless the Uchiha willingly crippled yourselves, or splintered into a dozen warring factions, the administration was always going to crush you. The Third Hokage wanted to slowly divide and weaken you over decades. Danzo Shimura simply wanted to slaughter you immediately. If Jin Uchiha hadn't taken power and armed your clan to the teeth, you would all be dead by next year."
Itachi remained entirely silent. The logic was airtight, perfectly mirroring the cold, calculative reality of the shinobi world he tried to ignore.
"As for why the Ino-Shika-Cho joined?" Keita scoffed. "Danzo forced our hand. Yesterday, he ordered our three clans to hand over seventeen elite ninja to his Root division. Root strips its operatives of their emotions and uses them as disposable suicide pawns. He was going to hollow out our military strength. What else were we supposed to do? Wait to die? We chose to survive."
Beside Itachi, Shisui could no longer bear the weight of Keita's cynical worldview.
"But what about the Will of Fire?" Shisui interjected, his voice trembling with desperation. "Root's methods are harsh, but it is for the sake of the village! True shinobi must be willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Are you really so terrified of making a sacrifice for Konoha?"
System Explanation: The 'Will of Fire' is the core ideology of Konoha, teaching that love is the key to peace, and that the older generation must willingly sacrifice themselves (burn) to protect the village and nurture the next generation.
Keita turned his gaze to Shisui. For a long moment, the chubby Akimichi simply stared. There was no anger in his eyes, only profound, pitying bewilderment.
"The Will of Fire?" Keita repeated softly. "You mean the propaganda slogan the administration uses to manipulate civilians?"
Keita let out a humorless laugh. "Don't tell me... you two actually bought into it? You actually believe that garbage?"
Shisui and Itachi stiffened. Keita's look of absolute disbelief felt like a physical blow. If a radical Uchiha had insulted the Will of Fire, they could dismiss it as clan bias. But this was an Akimichi—a member of the most steadfast, loyal alliance in Konoha's history—treating their sacred ideology like a children's fairy tale.
"Is the Will of Fire wrong?" Itachi asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Keita rolled his eyes. "Let me ask you a very simple question, Itachi. Have you ever seen the Third Hokage fighting on the front lines?"
"The Hokage is the commander," Shisui argued immediately, clutching at his collapsing beliefs. "He must remain in the village to manage the broader strategy!"
"Oh, really?" Keita fired back instantly. "Do the Raikage or the Tsuchikage not need to manage strategy? Because they lead their armies from the front. Our leadership hides behind desks."
Shisui opened his mouth to defend Hiruzen, but no words came out.
"Wake up, both of you," Keita said, his voice dropping into a somber, bitter tone. "The Will of Fire explicitly states that the old leaves must burn to provide nutrients for the new, green leaves. It promises that the elders will sacrifice themselves to protect the children."
Keita stepped closer, forcing Shisui to meet his gaze. "We lived through the Third Great Ninja War, Shisui. Think back. Who was actually sent to the meat grinder? They handed kunai to freshly graduated children and sent them to die in the mud. Meanwhile, the Third Hokage, Danzo, Koharu, and Homura—the people who started the wars—sat safely in Konoha."
Keita adjusted the heavy crate on his shoulder, his eyes cold. "They didn't burn to protect the children. They burned the children to protect their own power."