Minato Namikaze's expression was grim, his mind completely blank.
He couldn't understand, and he couldn't accept it!
This was completely different from the education he had received since childhood, especially the words spoken by the First Hokage and the Second Hokage, which filled him with a sense of absurdity.
Are they joking?
Doesn't Konoha emphasize the Will of Fire?
The First Hokage and Second Hokage, radiating such killing intent, were completely unlike the figures he had learned about in textbooks.
"Why?"
"My mind is a bit confused right now. Can the seniors briefly explain it to me?"
Minato Namikaze's voice was hoarse.
If Uchiha Jin were the only one with such ideas, he would feign compliance while secretly contacting others to overthrow this tyrannical rule.
But now, it was different!
It seemed everyone agreed with Uchiha Jin's ideas, and he, conversely, had become the true minority?
This was utterly perverse!
Facing this situation, he instantly fell into complete bewilderment.
Regarding this.
The others exchanged glances, unsure how to respond immediately.
It was Senju Tobirama who pondered for a moment before speaking: "I didn't expect you, Fourth Hokage, to be an idealist. I generally understand your thinking now, and I must say you are indeed a decent Hokage."
"But that's all you are!"
"Perhaps stability can be maintained under your rule, but the Village will never achieve significant development."
"Fourth Hokage, have you considered this?"
"If the Village were truly governed according to your ideas, then the Ninja World would remain divided among the Five Great Ninja Villages, leading to a Ninja World War every decade or so."
"And the so-called peace period after every Ninja World War is more like accumulating strength for the next one."
"The so-called peace in your heart is merely a lull between wars."
"Round and round, endlessly..."
"Is that meaningful?"
"Why does my foolish disciple, Hiruzen Sarutobi, constantly clamor for peace and appear so weak externally?"
"Is he truly a person who loves peace?"
"If he truly advocated for peace, would he have destroyed the Senju and Uzumaki clans? Would he have forced Hatake Sakumo to kill himself? Would he have driven Orochimaru to defect, then propped you up as a puppet? Would he have found ways to indulge Danzo in destroying the Uchiha?"
"Hmph!"
"He was merely limited by his weak strength. The Sarutobi Clan has no Bloodline Limit, so his power ceiling was too low. To ensure the power of his Sarutobi Clan, he invented that damnable Will of Fire doctrine that you learned."
"But what I want to tell you is, that was not the intention of my older brother and me!"
"From the moment we established Konoha, our sole purpose was simply to keep children off the battlefield."
"But with the establishment of the Other Ninja Villages, we quickly realized that the Daimyo and Nobles were the source of huge problems; otherwise, the Other Ninja Villages could not have been established so quickly."
"Because establishing a Ninja Village is not as simple as you think."
"The coordination between the various Ninja Clanss, the internal power structure, responsibilities, and obligations..."
"Even with my older brother and Madara, two great powerhouses in Konoha, it still took several years to successfully organize it."
"However, the Ninja Villages in other countries sprung up like mushrooms after rain, taking less than a month to form."
"Fourth Hokage, do you think that's possible?"
"Whose credit is that? The Daimyo and Nobles!"
"Why? They were afraid!"
"They feared Konoha would seize the opportunity to swallow up the Ninja forces of other countries, because Konoha's next step would have been to move against the Daimyo and Nobles!"
"And the Other Ninja Villages, upon their creation, immediately rushed to establish contact with Konoha. Moreover, the Daimyo of various countries put immense pressure on Konoha; the so-called Five Kage Summit was something the Daimyo instigated."
"Of course."
"Newly established Konoha also lacked the ability to interfere with other countries!"
"Because after enduring the long Sengoku Era, everyone desired stability and recovery. This overall trend was something even my older brother and I couldn't change, which is why Konoha chose peace initially."
"Because—this was the prevailing trend!"
"However, after that incident, my older brother and I keenly sensed that those Daimyo and Nobles were a major problem."
"We then specifically investigated and found that the Daimyo and Nobles were utterly corrupt, and the common people in every country were suffering immensely."
"But, at the same time."
"They were extremely wary of the Ninja community, fearing that Ninja would usurp the positions of the Daimyo and Nobles."
"Therefore, they would never allow the Ninja to consolidate into a single power. That is why they each chose to support separate Ninja forces, preventing these forces from achieving genuine peace. Only in this way could the Daimyo and Nobles secure their status."
"And that is exactly what happened!"
"Konoha already had a plan targeting the Daimyo and Nobles, but unfortunately, that idiot Uchiha Madara was too self-centered. Although my older brother and I agreed with his plan to unify the Ninja World, the problem was that you couldn't go against the prevailing trend!"
"Konoha at that time leaned toward peace. As long as everyone remained stable for a while—no need for too long, just about ten years—we could launch a plan to wipe out the Other Ninja Villages and simultaneously eliminate the Daimyo and Nobles."
"But that idiot Uchiha Madara simply wouldn't listen, and he even fought a battle with my older brother over it."
"The final result was Uchiha Madara faking his death and going into hiding, while my older brother's life force was depleted due to that battle, leading to his premature death."
"The initial scheme was completely stillborn!"
"And with the death of my older brother, the First Ninja World War broke out, and Konoha completely lost the chance to act against the Daimyo and Nobles!"
"Did you notice? It was too much of a coincidence!"
"My older brother had just died, and the Ninja World War broke out."
"Even if the Other Ninja Villages were wary of Konoha, they didn't need to rush things that much, did they?"
"If the Daimyo and Nobles of various countries weren't involved in this, I, Senju Tobirama, will twist my own head off and let you kick it like a ball!"
"You should know what happened afterward, Fourth Hokage."
"With my death during the First Ninja World War, my older brother's and my schemes were completely aborted. And with the ascension of that fool Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha completely embarked on the path that my older brother and I least wanted to see."
"Do you understand now?"
"Eliminating the Daimyo and Nobles is not just Uchiha Jin's idea; it was a plan that my older brother and I had decided upon long ago, right when Konoha was founded. It was simply ruined by that idiot Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
Senju Tobirama recounted the history slowly.
He had revealed the complete, true circumstances surrounding the founding of Konoha directly to Minato Namikaze.
And, after listening.
Minato Namikaze was filled with horror, his mind once again going completely blank.