"The Will of Fire…"
Uchiha Ren shook his head and let out a soft sigh.
"At the beginning, the Third Hokage and the others may truly have been practicing what they called the Will of Fire."
"But people change."
"Once someone crosses the line even once under the banner of the Will of Fire…"
"They will cross that line again and again."
"And then they can justify countless wrong decisions under the slogan of 'Everything for Konoha.'"
"By the end, that so-called Will of Fire becomes completely distorted."
After a brief pause, Ren continued in a low voice:
"'Where the leaves dance, the fire burns eternally. The fire's light will continue to illuminate the village and cause new leaves to sprout.'"
"That was the Will of Fire passed down by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."
"When Hashirama founded the village, his purpose was simple—to protect children."
"But look at what the village has become now."
"Using comrades and children as human test subjects."
"Forcing students from the Ninja Academy to graduate early and be sent to the battlefield."
"All of this stands in direct opposition to the original purpose of founding the village."
"Led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, with the Hokage's advisory council assisting him, the Konoha leadership has already fallen down a dark path."
Minato Namikaze recalled the two students he had lost during this war.
The emotions in his eyes shifted—from anger and agitation to firm determination.
"We must set things right," Minato said.
"We must purge all the corruption and chaos within the village."
Before this moment, Minato had disagreed with several of Hiruzen's decisions, but he still retained some respect for his former leader.
Now, even that last trace of respect had vanished.
Ren nodded firmly.
"That's exactly what we're trying to do."
At first, Ren's goal had been simple—to change his own fate and the fate of the Uchiha Clan.
But after living in this real world for several years, he had gradually expanded his ambitions.
Some of it had been forced upon him by circumstance—because pulling one thread inevitably affected the whole web.
But some of it had also been his own choice.
Back when Ren watched the Naruto story as an outsider, he had always felt that although the world was fascinating, many of its characters were overly emotional and dangerously obsessive.
But after truly living in this world for a while, he realized something different.
Those so-called madmen were often just people who couldn't change reality, and so chose to escape from it.
Take Momochi Zabuza, for example.
Having grown up in the brutal bloodshed of Kirigakure's "Bloody Mist" era, he eventually chose to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, the one responsible for enforcing those policies.
The cruelty of the Mist Village hadn't destroyed Zabuza's emotions.
Instead, unable to change the world around him, he wrapped his feelings in a cold shell and wandered as a rogue ninja.
Only at the moment of his death did those emotions finally surface again.
Then there was Orochimaru.
Moody, unpredictable, and obsessed with immortality—yet in many ways he was one of the most rational people in the world.
Having personally experienced two great wars and seen the darker side of human nature, Orochimaru realized he was powerless to change the system.
So he chose to pursue truth instead.
To him, eternal life was merely a tool to uncover more truths.
Because in his eyes, only truth could never change.
Only truth could never lie.
There were many others like them.
Sasori, who claimed to pursue eternal art but in truth only longed for the love of his parents.
Kakuzu, who had witnessed the cruelty of the world and eventually chose to believe only in money.
Nagato, who inherited and twisted the dream of his best friend because he had no direction of his own.
Kabuto Yakushi, who sacrificed everything simply to understand his own identity.
And Madara Uchiha, who pursued peace yet was ultimately manipulated until he was left with nothing.
Though these people were labeled villains, their experiences made them difficult to truly hate.
They were simply shaped—and warped—by the harsh environment of this world.
And after living here for several years…
Ren himself had begun to change as well.
At some point, without even realizing it, he had developed a mad ambition.
He wanted to change the entire world.
He wanted to break the chains of fate that bound this world and open the path toward a new future.
Of course…
Some parasites did not deserve to live in that future.
Those people would have to be removed one by one.
Ren's gaze grew increasingly resolute.
After letting out a long breath, he continued:
"As I said before, there are no secrets that remain hidden forever."
"If even the Uchiha Clan realized something was wrong after some of our members disappeared…"
"Then how could the Senju Clan, which suffered the most, remain completely unaware?"
"In the end, the Senju Clan and the Third Hokage's faction had a major falling-out."
"And because the Fire Daimyō's family had long-standing marital ties with the Senju Clan, relations between them and the Hokage faction also deteriorated."
"But the exact details…"
"Probably only the people involved truly know."
Ren had spent considerable time explaining the origins of the conflict between the Fire Daimyō's lineage and the Third Hokage's faction.
"I see," Minato said thoughtfully.
"So that's why the Uchiha Clan, which has been marginalized within Konoha, might have a chance to join the Guardian Shinobi Twelve?"
"Exactly."
Ren nodded.
"The conflict between the Uchiha and the Senju dates back to the Warring States Period."
"But when the Uchiha Clan chose not to follow Madara Uchiha when he left Konoha, that marked a turning point."
"From that moment on, the Uchiha Clan truly became Konoha's Uchiha Clan, not the war-driven clan of the Warring States era."
"In other words, the hatred between the Uchiha and Senju has already faded into history."
"So under the rule of the Third Hokage—where the Uchiha Clan is heavily marginalized—we effectively stand on the same side as the Daimyō's faction."
"As long as the Daimyō isn't foolish, he shouldn't reject the goodwill of the Uchiha Clan."
Of course…
This was still Ren's optimistic assumption.
Reality might not proceed as smoothly as he hoped.
That was precisely why the person he had sent to the Daimyō's court was Uchiha Shisui, the wielder of the legendary genjutsu known as Kotoamatsukami.
If the Fire Daimyō refused to cooperate…
Shisui would simply make him cooperate.
Seeing the confidence in Ren's eyes, Minato could tell that Ren had other contingency plans prepared.
But Minato didn't ask further questions.
Sometimes, saying things too plainly only created more problems.
Minato nodded.
"With a secure financial source and the support of the Daimyō, many external threats to Konoha will be eliminated."
"Once I become Hokage, I'll be able to move forward with real reforms within the village."
Ren nodded and added,
"And there's more."
"The Daimyō's connection can remain hidden in the shadows for now."
"It may become a decisive trump card in the future."