Chapter 27 The Will of Fire
The meeting concluded thereafter, with Orochimaru merely providing a topic of discussion; he no longer needed to handle the specific details himself.
Even if merchants wanted to inquire, his subordinates would discuss the matter with them.
Being a ninja is a profession that excels at disguise, and some ninjas' disguises are even genuine performances.
As the number one ninja village, Konoha naturally has access to ninjas with business acumen.
These carefully selected ninjas then began discussing the specifics with the businessmen.
How exactly would Konoha cooperate with these major businessmen regarding the Joint Security Company?
What investments would the businessmen need to make? And to what extent would Konoha utilize these investments?
Orochimaru actually consulted the Third Hokage about this matter.
The Third Hokage's response was: "Any policy decision must be firmly in line with the Will of Fire."
Orochimaru understood.
Starting with the 'Will of Fire' allows Konoha to stand on the moral high ground, while also giving it more room to maneuver.
Moreover, the Will of Fire is the political foundation upon which Konoha operates, so it is only natural to proceed from this perspective.
For powerful forces, it is essential to uphold 'morality'.
This is the core logic of political execution; without it, the cost of execution would increase dramatically.
"Are you really going to do this?" Tsunade still felt like she was in a dream.
Although it seems like a simple matter, Konoha Village is going to join forces with a big merchant to take charge of restoring order in the Land of Fire.
However, this matter is fundamentally contrary to the execution logic of the traditional ninja system.
What is a ninja?
A killing machine. This is the core logic of this industry. Almost all ninjas assume this and take it for granted.
Konoha's current approach undoubtedly abandons this execution logic.
Is this still a ninja?
Tsunade didn't object to this; she simply felt a strong sense of incongruity, as if common sense had been violated.
It's like, no one ever thought that someone would do this, but someone is planning to do it anyway, doing something that no one else ever thought of.
After all, ninjas, who are tools of killing, are meant to protect and ensure safety.
That's completely counterintuitive.
"We've already started, so of course we're going to continue," the Third Generation said, puffing on his cigarette.
"Old man, you actually don't object?" Tsunade questioned the Third Hokage.
In her eyes, the third generation was just a stubborn old man. How could such an old fellow accept this change? Had he taken the wrong medicine?
"Call me teacher." A pipe smashed into Tsunade's head.
Tsunade groaned, rubbed her head, and glared at the old man in front of her with displeasure.
"Have you taken the wrong medicine?" she said, voicing her inner slander.
The third generation also knew that they had to give her an explanation.
Of course, Jiraiya looked at him with confusion.
He took another drag of his cigarette.
"Because I've lost too much."
This concise sentence immediately reminded everyone present of the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage.
I thought of the deceased Fourth Hokage, and also of the deceased Third Hokage's wife.
"The village has lost too much."
The third generation said. He looked calm, seemingly not sad, but sometimes this calmness makes one feel even sadder.
"I feel I can't lose it again, and I thought of the First Lord..."
"Grandpa," Tsunade murmured.
"Yes, the First Hokage sacrificed a lot for peace and did indeed bring about a brief period of peace.
I vaguely remember that the world developed very rapidly during that time.
Many of today's technologies were developed during that period.
However, with the passing of the First Hokage, the world lost its stability, until the outbreak of the Shinobi World War, when humanity became sorrowful again...
Even during the lull between the end of the Shinobi World War, the ninja villages were preparing for the next great war.
They placed even greater emphasis on mission quotas, as they needed to obtain more funding and also to train their ninjas for the next Shinobi World War."
Upon hearing this, the three legendary Sannin of Konoha—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—all fell silent.
The pharmacist, Nonou, who was accompanying them, also remained silent.
They had all experienced the series of tragedies of the Fourth Shinobi World War and had a deep understanding of them.
Having experienced these tragedies, Tsunade believed that she had also become 'weak'.
Having experienced these tragedies, Orochimaru gained a deeper understanding of the fragility of life.
Having experienced these tragedies, Jiraiya hoped to end them and continued to search for hope.
Yakushi Nonou, amidst this tragedy, does her best to mitigate the consequences of the tragedy, those orphans she cannot bear to see surviving or even abandoned and dying.
"I've witnessed too many of these tragic chains.
It seems like they never stop, but I remember the beauty of the time when the First Hokage was alive.
Why was it so beautiful? I've thought about that. I wonder what's different about that time compared to now?
What's the difference between the peace of that time and the brief so-called 'peace' during the current Shinobi World War?"
"...You mean...?" Tsunade seemed to realize something.
"In the time of the First Hokage, the ninja system and the ninja village system were still very immature."
The Third Hokage took a puff of his cigarette and said, "The First Hokage laid the foundation for peace. Everyone had had enough of the chaos of the Warring States period, and people longed for stability.
There weren't as many ninjas to cause trouble anymore, and everyone consciously worked to maintain order.
And Konoha, led by the First Hokage, was indeed working hard to maintain order. At that time, they were truly thoroughly eradicating bandits and villains.
Even in places where they couldn't afford to pay, the First Hokage was willing to lead ninjas to eradicate them for free, all for the sake of peace."
"But peace is over," Orochimaru said.
"Yes, peace is over. The Fourth Shinobi World War has arrived, and the systems of the ninja villages have rapidly 'matured,' no longer naively pursuing peace.
The current system of ninjas has even become an obstacle to peace. All of this is because the Fourth Shinobi World War has allowed the systems of the ninja villages to mature rapidly, bringing everything back to the original execution logic of ninjas."
The three generations spoke.
He looked at everyone present.
"The chain of ninja logic, interrupted by the First Hokage, has begun to operate once again. The reason for all of this is the nature of ninjas. If we want to change all of this..."
This time, it was Jiraiya who spoke.
"It requires going against the nature of ninjas, making their nature different from what it used to be."
"And this is the responsibility that Konoha was born with.
Because we, Konoha, are the inheritors of the First Hokage's aspirations, the inheritors of the Will of Fire. We are the most likely to change this attribute, and we bear the hope of the ninja world."
After the third generation finished speaking,
Tsunade was deep in thought.
Orochimaru was deep in thought.
Jiraiya's eyes seemed to burn with intense flames.
That is.
The Will of Fire.
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End of this chapter....