The Third Hokage had always liked playing these little tricks that toyed with people's hearts!
As his age increased and his strength declined, he relied on nonsense like the Will of Fire to rope people in everywhere—wagging his tongue, stirring emotions, and making others give up their own interests to serve him.
What kind of bullshit Will of Fire was that?
Wasn't it just empty-handedly trying to fleece people?
Shisui fell silent upon hearing this.
He had thought the Third Hokage's meeting with him was extremely secret, yet he hadn't expected Yusuke's mind to be this perceptive.
Of course, when it came to acting as an undercover agent, even if Uchiha Yusuke exposed it directly, Shisui would never admit it outright.
After all, the basic professionalism of a shinobi was there.
Uchiha Yusuke looked at Shisui and asked with a light smile:
"The Third Hokage told you this war was caused by me, right?"
Shisui fell silent again.
Sometimes, silence itself was an answer.
Uchiha Yusuke continued smiling as he asked:
"Do you also think Konoha should hand over Hyuga Hizashi?"
"Or if one day this happened to the Uchiha, would you want me to hand someone over as well?"
Shisui pondered for a long time before finally replying in a hoarse voice:
"Self-sacrifice… that is what a shinobi truly is."
"Sometimes, nameless heroes are needed to protect peace from the shadows."
"Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire shall burn forever—"
Before he could finish, Uchiha Yusuke interrupted him directly.
"Don't talk to me about the Will of Fire."
"It's all bullshit."
"Can the Will of Fire stop Kumogakure's ambitions?"
"Why don't we send the Hokage himself to the front lines to talk it out with the Fourth Raikage?"
There was deep disdain in Yusuke's words toward the Will of Fire.
A simple brainwashing pyramid scheme—why did so many people keep falling for it?
Uchiha Yusuke said coldly:
"The Will of Fire spoken of by the Third Hokage has long since deviated from the First Hokage's original intent."
"The version he weaves is nothing more than a tool to rule Konoha."
"Back then, Sakumo Hatake wore the Hokage's half-sleeve, yet he ultimately committed suicide."
"He carried out a classified mission—so why did the news spread throughout all of Konoha?"
"Why didn't the Third Hokage stop that information from spreading?"
"The Senju clan, once equal to the Uchiha—why has it now vanished?"
"The First Hokage's grandson, Nawaki, died on the battlefield—his internal organs even torn out!"
"Are you certain that was done by enemy nations?"
"Would enemy shinobi know he was Hashirama Senju's grandson?"
"Who has always coveted Wood Release?"
"And who silently permitted that to happen?"
"Uchiha clan members often disappear without reason—are you really unaware?"
"Your ancestor, Uchiha Kagami, died young as well—do you think his death was clean?"
"The Third Hokage is ruthless toward the Uchiha, yet submissive toward Kumogakure. Tell me—what is that?"
"Plenty of energy for internal strife, but no courage to resist foreign enemies?"
Yusuke's questioning was thunderous, leaving Uchiha Shisui completely speechless.
Before Shisui could respond, Yusuke followed up with another barrage:
"'Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire shall burn forever.'"
"'The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and let new leaves sprout.'"
"That's the Will of Fire, right?"
"If so, then three years ago, why did the Fourth Hokage die, while the Third Hokage didn't go down with the Nine-Tails?"
"Wasn't he supposed to willingly become a leaf?"
Shisui's body trembled slightly. His lips quivered, but in the end, he said nothing.
The two fell into silence.
After a long time, Uchiha Yusuke finally shook his head and sighed.
"Konoha was founded jointly by the Uchiha and the Senju."
"As the head of the Uchiha clan, what is wrong with me aiming to become Hokage? What crime is it?"
"Is it the Uchiha who threaten Konoha…"
"Or is it Konoha that cannot tolerate the Uchiha?"
"Shisui—think about it carefully."
With that, Uchiha Yusuke turned and left.
Shisui continued forward, absent-minded.
Several days later.
Konoha's three-thousand-strong allied shinobi force arrived in the Land of Frost, bordering the Land of Lightning.
Uchiha Yusuke ordered them to camp in place and wait for Kumogakure's advance.
Land of Earth.
Iwagakure – Council Chamber.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, sat in the main seat while the elders below argued endlessly.
Kumogakure had declared war on Konoha—naturally, Iwagakure wanted to take advantage of the situation.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure had投入 enormous military power, only to ultimately fail!
Now that an opportunity had finally appeared, how could they possibly let it slip?
The key issue was this:
Should they declare war on Konoha—or on Kumogakure?
This was a question that required extreme caution.
Although Iwagakure and Konoha had signed a peace treaty three years ago, frankly speaking, it was nothing more than a scrap of paper.
As long as利益 were sufficient, written agreements meant nothing.
Moreover, Iwagakure's nightmare—the "Yellow Flash"—had already passed away.
Thus, most of the Iwa elders believed they should declare war on Konoha.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique had slaughtered countless Iwagakure shinobi.
Calling it a deep blood feud between Iwa and Konoha would not be an exaggeration.
Of course, Iwagakure's relationship with Kumogakure was also terrible.
The death of the Third Raikage was Iwagakure's handiwork.
That was patricidal-level hatred.
The Fourth Raikage wanting to attack Iwagakure wasn't a new thought at all.
If Iwagakure fought Konoha and the Fourth Raikage suddenly turned around and struck them instead, that would be disastrous.
The two sides argued endlessly, unable to reach a conclusion.
"Tsuchikage-sama, what is your view?"
When opinions couldn't be unified, it was time for Ōnoki to take the stage.
"Cough, cough…"
Ōnoki cleared his throat, and the room immediately fell silent.
Having ruled Iwagakure for decades, his authority was unquestionable.
"Now is not the time."
"Wait until Konoha and Kumogakure are seeing red—then we'll talk."
"All of you go back and prepare for war. Make sure we can strike at any moment!"
Ōnoki gave the final word. No one dared object.
"Tsuchikage-sama is wise!"
"Tsuchikage-sama has deep foresight and great vision!"
A satisfied smile crept onto Ōnoki's face.
Once Konoha and Kumogakure both suffered heavy losses, he would be the one reaping the benefits—watching the show and picking up the spoils.
Where else could one find such a good deal?
Land of Wind.
Sunagakure – Council Chamber.
The Fourth Kazekage had also convened the village's core leadership.
"Fourth Kazekage, why do you refuse to declare war on Konoha?"
"Has the hatred of the White Fang killing my son and daughter-in-law been forgotten?!"
Granny Chiyo questioned him angrily.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, wore a bitter smile.
"Elder Chiyo, Shukaku recently went berserk. Sunagakure has just endured internal chaos."
"We truly cannot support a war right now."
The Land of Wind was desert—its resources already the most scarce among the Five Great Nations.
Shukaku's frequent rampages only made things worse.
With the Fourth Kazekage unwilling to intervene, Elder Chiyo could only complain resentfully.
"If you're going to be this timid, then this old woman will retire!"
"There was an opportunity, yet you refuse to advance."
"At this rate, Sunagakure will sooner or later perish in your hands!"
The Fourth Kazekage tried to persuade her further, but Granny Chiyo—leaning on her seniority—refused to listen.
After all, she was a living fossil of Sunagakure.
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