Facing the Hokage, Uchiha Shisui did not wish to lie.
"I… have indeed felt some confusion."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened for a brief moment, but it quickly smoothed over.
"Oh? And what exactly did Chiba say to you?"
Shisui shook his head.
"Nothing more than a discussion."
"But… his views are not entirely without reason."
Hiruzen slowly exhaled a stream of smoke. The haze drifted lazily through the stale air of the Hokage's office.
"For example?"
"For example—what is war? What is justice? What is good and evil?"
"Hokage-sama, Uchiha Chiba seems to believe that Konoha has not always stood on the side of justice."
"That in the past… we may also have committed acts of aggression against other nations."
Hiruzen frowned slightly.
"When?"
"Amegakure."
A faint trace of cold amusement stirred in Hiruzen's heart, though none of it appeared on his face. Instead, his expression softened further, his voice growing patient and solemn.
"Shisui… I understand your confusion."
"This shinobi world is like an endless spiral of hatred. Shinobi are merely tools struggling to survive within it."
"But even so… there are things that stand above all else."
"You mean…?"
"The Will of Fire."
Shisui hesitated.
He had once believed in it without question.
But Chiba's words had detonated like a bomb in his previously calm heart.
Hiruzen noticed the uncertainty in his eyes.
"Shisui… are you unable to believe in the Will of Fire now?"
"No, Hokage-sama!"
"I would never betray Konoha. For the village's peace, I would sacrifice myself without hesitation."
"It's just that…"
"It's just that you are no longer as certain."
Hiruzen sighed softly.
"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns eternal."
"I have said these words many times. Many believe they are merely a slogan—empty words."
"But from the First Hokage, to the Second, to myself… this belief has always been real."
"On the surface, it means protecting the next generation—nurturing new leaves even at the cost of one's own life."
"But in a broader sense… it means far more."
Shisui lifted his head, his eyes earnest.
"The Will of Fire, in essence… is acting for the greater good."
"The older generation sacrificing for the younger. Shinobi sacrificing for the village. These are all manifestations of the Will of Fire."
"The First Hokage founded the village to dissolve the barriers between clans—to allow individuals and clans to gradually merge into something greater."
"In the Warring States era, I was Senju, you were Uchiha. We slaughtered each other endlessly. Children rarely lived to adulthood."
"After Konoha's founding, the First Hokage even proposed letting the Senju name fade away, allowing the clan to fully integrate into the village."
"And his vision was realized."
"Of course… not every clan possesses the First Hokage's breadth of spirit."
"So the village still contains dangers. Hidden risks."
Shisui's heart trembled.
He understood.
Konoha had been founded by the Senju and Uchiha together.
Now the Senju name had almost vanished into history.
Yet the Uchiha remained separate—
And increasingly viewed as a threat.
The Will of Fire.
The greater good.
His thoughts churned once more.
Hiruzen continued gently.
"If every clan could detach from its own standpoint… if everyone could look at matters from the village's perspective…"
"Konoha would not be as it is today."
"I am no saint. Not even the First Hokage could force others to share his ideals."
"But I hope that one day…"
"I truly hope…"
Something inside Shisui finally settled.
He spoke steadily.
"Hokage-sama… I understand."
"A person first loves himself. Then his clan. Above that, the village."
"But if one's capacity is large enough, one can transcend the clan and see from a higher vantage point."
"I, Uchiha Shisui, am first a shinobi of Konoha."
"Only then an Uchiha."
Hiruzen smiled warmly.
"Good. Very good."
"The Uchiha clan has long-standing issues. The tensions in this generation are particularly severe."
"But I have never believed reconciliation is impossible."
"The key does not lie with me."
"It lies within the Uchiha themselves."
"Especially in the existence of two people."
"One is you, Shisui."
"The other is… Uchiha Itachi."
Shisui smiled faintly.
"Itachi…"
"He truly is special."
"Even I cannot fully see through him."
Hiruzen nodded.
"He is young, yet already thinks like a Hokage."
"He can break free from clan constraints and consider the village as a whole."
"With the two of you, I believe any issue within the Uchiha—no matter how severe—can be resolved peacefully."
Hope rose within Shisui's heart.
"I believe so too."
Hiruzen smiled again.
"As for Chiba's talk of nations, war, and justice…"
"They are grand questions. So grand that they become abstract."
"If someday everyone could transcend the village and view matters from the perspective of the entire shinobi world, perhaps true peace could come."
"But that day is unimaginably distant."
"The First Hokage once spoke at the first Five Kage Summit of a future where even the Five Great Nations might dissolve their barriers."
"He knew it was a dream far beyond his lifetime."
"We can only move step by step."
"You, I, and Itachi—being able to transcend the clan and think from the village's perspective—already sets us apart from most."
"We must not take steps too large for our era."
"Each generation has its limits—and its duties."
"Chiba's words sound righteous… but they are castles in the air."
"Listen, and let them pass."
Shisui finally relaxed.
A bright smile returned to his face.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I understand."
"Good. That is enough."
Shisui paused, then spoke carefully.
"However, Hokage-sama… Chiba's extreme methods in pursuing what he calls justice have begun to gain recognition from some villagers."
"How do you view that?"
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