Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 56 Ideological Indoctrination

Back home, Uchiha Gen changed out of his armor and tight-fitting combat suit, took a shower, and put on a loose black robe with cloud patterns.

He took out a can of juice from the refrigerator, sat on the sofa and gulped it down, then lay down for a while before putting on his Kusanagi sword and going out.

"Xuan is back! He looks really handsome in that outfit today."

"Thank you for the compliment, ma'am."

"Xuan, where are we going?"

"Let's go to the training ground."

"You're really hardworking. No wonder you're one of the twin stars of the Uchiha clan."

"Sir, you flatter me."

"Xuan, I heard you did a great job on the battlefield! You were truly outstanding!"

"I'm satisfied as long as I haven't disgraced the Uchiha clan."

"Not at all, you are one of the pride of the Uchiha clan."

"..."

Uchiha Gen is quite famous in the Uchiha clan now. When he entered the clan's territory before, the four of them were together, and ordinary clan members did not dare to greet him.

Seeing Uchiha Gen traveling alone, they all greeted him warmly, and Uchiha Gen, without any prestige, responded humbly and respectfully.

This attitude made the ordinary members of the clan feel very favorable towards Uchiha Gen.

Uchiha clan ninjas generally treat ordinary clan members well, but there are always some ninjas who have awakened their Sharingan who are arrogant and aloof, and not easy to approach.

They chatted casually as they arrived at the Uchiha clan's third-best training ground. Soon after, they found Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi practicing throwing kunai and shuriken in the forest of the training ground.

"Xuan Ni is finally here. We'll be finished training in a little while."

Uchiha Shisui looked at the lazy figure walking over and said speechlessly.

"I went home, took a shower, rested for a while, and then when I came out, my tribesmen kept talking to me. I had no choice."

After saying that, Uchiha Gen moved swiftly, jumped onto a tree, and sat down against the trunk.

"Don't you cultivate?" Zhishui asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Do I look like I'm here to cultivate?"

"I just came over to chat with you."

"Chat?" Shisui's eyes lit up. "Sure, what do you want to chat about?"

He always gains something from chatting with Xuan, and he really enjoys talking to Xuan.

After saying that, Shisui stopped cultivating, moved swiftly and jumped onto the treetop, sitting down next to Uchiha Gen.

"I can't think of a topic right now. What would you like to talk about?" Uchiha Gen said lazily.

Upon hearing this, Shisui pondered for a moment, then suddenly recalled that a few days ago when he was training with Itachi, Itachi asked him why there was a war, and he replied that it was because of hatred.

He wanted to hear what his peers, whose thoughts were far more profound and mature than his own, would think about this issue.

"Let's talk about war. Why do wars happen?"

Uchiha Gen smiled upon hearing this. He knew that Shisui would definitely bring up a more profound topic and would never just pick a random one to talk about.

Uchiha Itachi, who was diligently training, perked up his ears upon hearing this, wanting to hear what Shisui's sworn brother would think of the person he admired...

"Shisui, what's your opinion?"

"I think it's because of hatred, but I feel like it's not that simple. However, I can't think of any other reason," Shisui said, scratching his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"In my opinion, hatred is indeed one of the reasons, but it is only a superficial one; the essence lies elsewhere."

"So what is its essence?"

"I think it's essentially a competition for resources."

"A struggle for resources?" Shisui murmured to himself thoughtfully.

"Yes, the Land of Fire is the wealthiest place in the entire ninja world."

"The Land of Fire possesses abundant resources such as forests, soil, minerals, and climate."

Is climate considered a resource?

"Of course, who wouldn't like to live in a place with clean air, a stable, mild, and orderly climate?"

"Too."

"The unique geographical environment of the Land of Fire has resulted in a large population, developed agriculture, thriving commerce, and a thriving economy."

"Other large and small countries may have some advantages in certain aspects, but they are far behind the Land of Fire in terms of overall strength."

"For survival, for development, for glory, how could other countries not covet the Land of Fire?"

"Looking back at the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars, was there any one of them initiated by Konoha or the Land of Fire?"

Since their first conversation, Shisui has also started to look through family documents and study history. Although he has only read a portion of them, he has gained some understanding of some major events.

Recalling the history he had learned, Shisui suddenly realized that it was true. Every time, the ninja world was not instigated by Konoha, and Konoha was always the one being besieged, only the number of villages besieged was different each time.

The recently concluded Third Shinobi World War involved the most villages besieged, with more than four villages being besieged, including smaller ones.

In this Fourth Shinobi World War, Konoha suffered its most devastating losses.

"Indeed, Konoha has never initiated a war."

You're absolutely right.

Zhi Shui's eyes were very bright, and he nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

At this moment, Itachi Uchiha had stopped training and stood quietly in place, listening intently.

"Hatred is merely a pretext for politicians to incite conflict, boost morale, maintain morale, and thus openly wage war to seize benefits."

"This interest includes the interests of politicians, the interests of the village, and the interests of the country."

"Besides the fundamental reason of resources, I believe that the causes of war also include ideological conflicts, territorial disputes, political objectives, and historical legacies."

"Could you tell me more about it?" Shisui asked expectantly.

Uchiha Itachi carefully took a few steps and came to the tree.

Uchiha Gen glanced at Uchiha Itachi as if by chance, and then said, "Actually, I don't fully understand it either. This is just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt."

"Ideological conflict refers to differences in culture, beliefs, and values."

"Just like the various strange sects in the ninja world, their doctrines are different, even completely opposite, and no one can convince anyone else with words."

"In order to uphold their faith, expand their sect, and reap the benefits of such expansion, they had no choice but to resort to physical elimination, and war broke out."

"Territorial disputes are easy to understand. There are no territorial disputes among the five major powers, but there are quite a few wars fought between smaller countries over this issue."

"Territorial disputes are essentially disputes over resources."

"As for political motives, that's a complicated matter."

"Because there are many political objectives, such as the top leadership launching a war to divert internal conflicts or to gain certain benefits."

"Historical legacy issues refer to historical events and conflicts that still affect families, villages, and countries, leading to mutual hostility."

"This tense situation could ignite a war with just a spark, such as framing or false accusations."

"The causes of war are varied and very complex, but ultimately I believe they stem from conflicts of resources and interests!"

Whether my point of view is right or wrong, you can verify it later; I'm verifying it myself right now...

After listening, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi fell into deep thought, digesting Uchiha Gen's words.

As Shisui recalled her experiences from the time she could remember, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense...

As for Itachi Uchiha, he has too little experience to judge whether it is right or wrong, but the seed has already been planted in his heart.

The saying goes, "First impressions matter," and later, through experience, one's judgment will inevitably be influenced. If the viewpoint is correct, the influence will undoubtedly be magnified many times over.

"Does Brother Xuan have a way to avoid war?"

Recalling the madness and carnage he witnessed on the battlefield, Itachi Uchiha couldn't help but ask the question.

(End of this chapter)