"The Will of Fire…"
Jin shook his head and let out a quiet sigh.
"At the beginning, perhaps the Third truly believed he was upholding it."
"But people change."
"The first time you cross a line in the name of righteousness, it becomes easier to cross it again."
"And again."
"Eventually, 'for the sake of Konoha' becomes a justification for anything."
"And the Will of Fire itself… becomes corrupted."
He paused, then spoke more solemnly.
"'Wherever the leaves dance, fire shall burn. The fire's light will illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout.'"
"That was the Will of Fire as passed down by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."
"Hashirama built the village to protect children."
"And now?"
"Children are used as test subjects."
"Academy students graduate early to die on the battlefield."
"This is the exact opposite of the village's founding purpose."
"The leadership under Hiruzen Sarutobi—aided by the Hokage advisors—has already strayed into darkness."
Minato's mind drifted to the two students he had lost in this very war.
The fire in his eyes shifted—from anger—
To resolve.
"We have to set things right," he said quietly.
"We have to cleanse the rot."
Whatever respect he had once held for Hiruzen was gone.
Jin nodded firmly.
"That's what we're doing."
At first, Jin's goal had been simple.
Change his own fate.
Change the Uchiha's fate.
But after living in this world for years—
His vision had expanded without him even realizing it.
Some of it was inevitable—pull one thread and the entire tapestry shifts.
But some of it was deliberate.
When he had first watched this world's story from afar, he had thought most of its so-called villains were emotional, obsessive madmen.
Living here changed that perspective.
They weren't born insane.
They were shaped.
Take Momochi Zabuza.
Raised in Kirigakure's brutal policies, he eventually tried to assassinate the very Mizukage who embodied that bloodstained system.
The cruelty hadn't destroyed his emotions.
It had simply forced him to bury them beneath cold steel.
Or Orochimaru.
Often labeled monstrous—
Yet in many ways, one of the few who saw the world clearly.
After surviving two great wars and witnessing human nature firsthand, he chose to pursue truth.
Immortality was merely a means to continue searching.
Because truth, in his eyes, was the only thing that didn't betray you.
Others were similar.
Sasori sought eternity but longed for parental warmth.
Kakuzu turned to money after seeing too much hypocrisy.
Nagato inherited an ideal and distorted it without fully understanding it.
Kabuto searched for identity until he lost himself.
Madara spoke of peace yet was deceived by his own despair.
They were antagonists—
But not irredeemable monsters.
They were people twisted by the environment.
And Jin…
Had been affected too.
Somewhere along the way, the thought of merely surviving had transformed into something far more radical.
He wanted to sever the chains of fate binding this world.
To create something new.
But parasites that thrived on decay?
They would not be allowed into that future.
His gaze hardened.
"As I said before," Jin continued, "there is no wall without cracks."
"If even the Uchiha noticed disappearances—"
"Do you think the Senju, who suffered the most, remained blind?"
"In the end, tensions exploded."
"The Senju and the Third's faction parted bitterly."
"And because the Fire Daimyō's lineage had long-standing marital ties with the Senju…"
"A rift formed there as well."
He exhaled slowly.
"The details? Likely known only to those directly involved."
Minato absorbed the revelation.
"So that's why…"
"The marginalized Uchiha have a chance to enter the Twelve Guardian Ninja."
Jin nodded.
"Yes."
"The Uchiha and Senju once fought bitterly in the Warring States Era."
"But that history ended the day the Uchiha chose not to follow Madara Uchiha out of the village."
"That decision marked the true transformation of the Uchiha—from a war clan…"
"To Konoha's Uchiha."
"The old grudges died with that era."
"In many ways, under the Third's rule, the Uchiha and the Daimyō's faction now share overlapping interests."
"If the Daimyō is not foolish—he will not reject our overture."
Of course, reality was rarely so clean.
Which was precisely why Jin had sent Uchiha Shisui.
The wielder of the most formidable genjutsu—
Kotoamatsukami.
If the Daimyō failed to recognize reason—
He would be helped to.
Minato noticed the quiet confidence in Jin's eyes.
He understood there were contingencies in place.
But he did not ask.
Some matters were better left unspoken.
Minato nodded.
"With control of funding and the Daimyō's support, many of Konoha's external instabilities vanish."
"When I become Hokage, we can begin reform without fear of foreign interference."
Jin inclined his head.
"And the Daimyō connection will remain hidden."
"For now."
He allowed himself a faint smile.
"A blade concealed in shadow is often the sharpest."
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