"Since you're Senior Brother Minato's friend, I'll call you Brother Ren, then!"
After learning about the connection through Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze, the three of them relaxed their guard toward Uchiha Ren somewhat.
Ren smiled.
"Of course."
Yahiko then said,
"Brother Ren, let's set aside the matter between Lord Hanzo and Shimura Danzō for now. Could you tell me about your idea for resolving conflicts?"
Although Hanzo being controlled by Ren's genjutsu was shocking, Yahiko hadn't forgotten that Ren claimed to have a way to resolve wars.
After beginning to understand the nature of war, Yahiko was eager to hear how such conflicts might actually be solved.
Nagato and Konan also looked at Ren with curiosity.
Ren didn't keep them waiting.
"The method is actually very simple—change the standpoint."
"Change the standpoint?" Yahiko frowned. "What do you mean?"
The three of them were puzzled.
Ren smiled slightly and began explaining.
"The world's situation is extremely complicated, so instead of tackling it all at once, let's simplify things and build up step by step."
"Imagine we ignore all other factors and place two people inside a cage, giving them only one steamed bun per day."
"What do you think will most likely happen inside that cage?"
"They'll fight over it," Yahiko answered without hesitation.
"One bun isn't enough for two people. If they want to survive, they'll have no choice but to fight for it."
Ren nodded.
"It's true that humanity has many admirable qualities."
"But when survival instinct comes into play, most people will fight for the one chance to stay alive."
"In that scenario, the cage represents the world, the two people represent competitors, and the bun represents limited resources."
"Now let me introduce a new variable."
"What if the two people inside the cage are close friends, brothers, or even father and son?"
"What would happen then?"
The three of them froze and exchanged glances.
Nagato spoke first, his voice firm.
"If the two people in the cage were Yahiko and me… I would give the bun to Yahiko."
"Nagato… you…"
Yahiko turned toward him, deeply moved.
Ren chuckled and looked at Yahiko.
"And if it were you, you'd probably give the bun to Nagato as well, wouldn't you?"
"Of course!" Yahiko answered immediately.
Ren continued,
"Now think about it—what changed inside the cage compared to before?"
Yahiko hesitated.
"Is it because Nagato and I are friends?"
"So… we should use love to influence the other person?"
Ren: "…"
Yahiko scratched his head.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Ren coughed awkwardly.
"On the surface, that sounds correct. But the real essence is the change in standpoint."
"In the beginning, the two people in the cage stood on separate standpoints. Each acted for themselves, which naturally created conflict."
"But when the people inside the cage become you and Nagato, your standpoint changes."
"You now share the same position."
"So instead of fighting over the bun, you'd offer it to each other—and you'd work together to find a solution to the shortage."
Yahiko suddenly understood and slammed the table.
"So the best way to resolve conflict is to put everyone on the same standpoint!"
"Exactly." Ren nodded approvingly.
"You're quite talented—you grasp the point quickly."
"It's because you explained it so clearly, Brother Ren," Yahiko said modestly.
"But while changing standpoints sounds simple, it must be extremely difficult in practice."
"That," Ren replied seriously, "is exactly what I'm about to explain."
He paused before asking,
"What do you think a village is?"
"A village…?"
Yahiko frowned.
Although he came from the Land of Rain, he wasn't actually a shinobi of Amegakure.
So when Ren suddenly asked him what a "village" was, he found himself unable to answer.
Seeing this, Ren continued without waiting.
"Before the One Country, One Village System was established, the world was in the chaotic Warring States Period."
"Ninja clans and organizations constantly fought each other over resources."
"That situation is like placing the cage holding you and Nagato among dozens of other cages."
"At that point, you and Nagato share the same standpoint—you form one clan."
"The other cages represent other clans or factions."
"And your standpoint toward them becomes different again."
"Then several decades ago, the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan stepped forward."
"They united other clans and created the first Hidden Village."
"In other words, dozens of cages suddenly had their standpoints merged into one."
"Once that happened, conflicts between those cages diminished."
"They developed systems of restraint and governance. Disputes could be resolved through internal mechanisms—or redirected outward toward a common enemy."
"Just like the beginning of the Third Great Ninja War."
"The beginning of the war?" Yahiko said, surprised.
"Brother Ren, wasn't the Third Great Ninja War triggered by the disappearance of the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure?"
Ren shook his head.
"The disappearance of the Third Kazekage was merely the spark, not the true beginning."
"In reality, Sunagakure suffered heavy losses in the previous war. Combined with conflicts with the Wind Daimyō, their finances collapsed."
"They were running deficits and couldn't sustain their military."
"This created severe internal conflicts within the village."
"And when those conflicts couldn't be resolved…"
"The easiest solution was to eliminate the source of the conflict."
"So they used the disappearance of the Third Kazekage as an excuse."
"It unified the entire village."
"A larger external conflict was created to cover up the smaller internal conflicts."
"In other words—they exported their problems outward by starting a war."
"And when the war ends, the village will be devastated and require reconstruction everywhere."
"Suddenly there will be countless new positions and opportunities."
"The previous internal disputes will quietly disappear."
"In fact, the situations in Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and the other villages are largely similar."
"That's why they gradually joined the war as well."
"In the end, every war is essentially a massive reshuffling of internal interests."
"That's also why Sunagakure, the weakest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, dared to declare war on Konohagakure, the strongest."
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan all looked extremely serious.
Yahiko murmured softly,
"So there were such complicated problems hidden behind war… I really did view things too simply before."
Nagato looked at Ren and said,
"Brother Ren, if that's the case, even people who share the same standpoint will still have conflicts."
Ren nodded.
"That's because even within a larger shared standpoint, every individual still has their own smaller personal standpoint."
Nagato frowned.
"So true peace is still impossible?"
"Of course not," Ren replied with a smile.
"Once a greater shared standpoint exists, smaller conflicts can be resolved through peaceful means."
"And creating a unified standpoint is only the first step."
"The second step…"
"…is to liberate productive forces."
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