Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

The only thing the three of them needed to get used to at first was 'seeing blood'!

Moreover, there was a lot of bloodshed involved. Ninjas must remain calm and composed in the face of any situation and always maintain the most rational attitude in dealing with everything!

This applies to even the ferret.

In any case, the oldest of them is only 8 years old, and the youngest, Heitu, is just over six years old. At such an age, it would be too much to ask them to be completely calm about seeing blood for the first time!

Even if this is a special world.

But the essence of humanity will not change.

If someone can kill someone with ease and familiarity from the very beginning, then it can only mean that this person probably has psychological problems!

This isn't a question of being pretentious or not.

Rather, it is a psychological phenomenon that arises naturally as a human being.

276. Itachi's Thoughts, Shoji's Answer

This is indeed a world where 'people eat people'.

However, 99% of people are still "forced" to kill, rather than killing voluntarily. They make this choice to protect themselves and those they cherish, without any grand reasons such as justice or peace. They simply want to live well in this world, nothing more!

At the very least, Shoji has always held this realistic attitude. When guiding Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi, he has been conveying this idea to some extent. How the three of them view this and how they will grow in the future will naturally depend on their own choices.

However, at this stage, it will undoubtedly be affected by the General.

As the three of them adapted step by step, they gradually shed their naivety and immaturity. In their first C-level mission, they hesitated, felt nauseous, and even trembled. But with the accumulation of experience, they became more and more mature.

This isn't a question of right or wrong, but rather a question of whether they have to do it this way!

Kurotsuchi and Deidara may still be in a state of confusion, or even numbness, but Itachi is already more mature enough to think about these issues independently. This world is contradictory, chaotic, and extremely wrong. Since his clan left Konoha, Itachi has been thinking about this question: Why are there endless disputes and killings between people?

He had asked his father about this issue before.

Fugaku did not give a direct answer, but let Itachi think for himself. Now that he has joined the squad led by Shoji, Itachi has undoubtedly found another person who can guide him. After completing the mission of protecting the caravan and killing the bandits who came to rob them once again.

On the way back to the village, during a rest stop.

While Kurotsuchi and Deidara were both fast asleep,

Itachi approached the side of the night watchman, Shoji.

He asked Jiang Si about the doubts that were deep in his heart.

"Why do people hate each other so much? Why is there so much conflict? Why has no one ever considered sitting down and having a proper talk? This is true for nations, villages, and even our Uchiha clan and Konoha in the past. Why is this? Shoji-san!"

Seeing Itachi approach, Shoji could roughly guess that his genius boy must have some questions he wanted to ask him.

In the original work, Shisui was Itachi's mentor. To exaggerate a bit, Shisui was not entirely without responsibility for Itachi's crazy choices later on. If he had guided Itachi in a more correct way, he himself might not have died.

Itachi probably wouldn't make that choice.

The tragic end of the clan's annihilation not only represents Itachi's madness but also his despair. It was because he saw no possibility that Itachi raised that sharp and bloody knife for his younger brother. This was a twisted kind of love.

The primary responsibility certainly lies with Itachi, but do the environment, Shisui, the Third Hokage, Danzo, and even Itachi's own parents—Fugaku and Mikoto—bear no responsibility at all?

Do not!

In Shoji's view, these people are all more or less related, the only difference being the degree of responsibility. Itachi is undoubtedly a genius. When he was young, he was a blank slate, and the older generation needs to take on the responsibility of guiding him!

As mentioned before, Jiang Si never claims to be righteous, nor does he shamelessly say that his actions are correct.

All his actions are based on what is in his own interest!

Shoji has no intention of discussing or interfering with other people's choices, but since Itachi is a member of the Uchiha clan, Shoji certainly hopes that Itachi can walk the path of protecting the interests of the clan, rather than becoming a traitor.

Therefore, at this moment, at such a delicate juncture, upon hearing Itachi's question, Shoji's expression became very serious.

After pondering for a short while...

"Because of profit!"

Shoji looked at Itachi with an extremely serious and stern expression and replied.

He wouldn't be perfunctory with Itachi just because he was young. Even without the memories of the original story, Shoji always felt that the more you deal with a child, the more serious you should be, because your words and actions will greatly affect the child's growth and his future choices!

"Benefit?"

Itachi frowned slightly, looking at Shoji with an expression that seemed to be both understanding and confused, and asked in a low voice.

"Yes, it's all about interests. To put it bluntly, humans are just a slightly more advanced species. The only difference between us and the rest of the creatures in this world is that we have intelligence, but otherwise we are no different!"

Shoji looked at Itachi and said in a slightly low voice.

"Many people believe that the reason why there are constant conflicts between countries and between ninja villages is because of deep-seated hatred. This is not a wrong perception, but it must be said that this is only the superficial reason!"

"The core reason still lies in the struggle for interests!"

"Otherwise, where did the first conflict come from? After all, there was no such thing as hatred back then, was there? Itachi!"

Si crossed his hands in front of him, his eyes becoming extremely deep at that moment.

These words, which struck straight to the depths of one's heart, were easily understood by Itachi, who was only eight years old, even though Tsukasa spoke them so clearly and thoroughly. It was precisely because of this that Itachi showed an incredulous expression and said, "Is that all?"

"Isn't that enough? Itachi, the human heart is very greedy, and interests don't necessarily always point to a certain thing. Rather, they refer to the most instinctive pursuit and greed of the human heart. Just like you, isn't there something that cannot be taken away? Isn't there something that, once touched, would be protected at all costs, or even something that, after being destroyed, would be transformed into a demon to seek revenge?"

Shoji looked at Itachi and then spoke.

This made Itachi shudder once again.

Put yourself in others' shoes and try to see things from their perspective.

The words that General Jiang said later.

It was this that truly made Itachi realize that he too had a hidden sore spot deep within his heart, a sore spot that no one could touch—his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, who was not even three years old at the time.

Itachi simply imagined someone harming his younger brother, even causing his brother's death, and he felt an urge to destroy the entire world. It was at this moment that such a thought surfaced deep within his heart.

Even Itachi himself felt a chill run down his spine.

He has always considered himself a pacifist!

We want to seek every possible way to eliminate hatred in the world and usher in true peace.

277. Therefore, they must move forward.

However, it was at this very moment that...

He himself was equally clear about his own heart. He was not a true pacifist, but an ordinary person with his own selfish desires. Just imagining that he would definitely go berserk if his younger brother were hurt, Itachi had no choice but to admit the 'truth' in his older brother's words!

"So, will this world never see peace? Just like our clan and Konoha, are we destined to fight forever? To let hatred be passed down from generation to generation, and to carry out endless killing?"

A look of confusion appeared deep in Itachi's eyes as he murmured softly.

"Yes, from this perspective, as long as humanity exists, the world will never truly be at peace. Conflict, killing, and hatred are realities that humanity can never avoid. However, while they cannot be completely eliminated, they can be suppressed, reduced, or even controlled to a certain extent!"

Jiang Si paused for a moment, and then said something that first made Itachi look very disappointed, but then he changed his tone and said something that made Itachi look surprised and then happy.

"Can hatred be suppressed, reduced, or even controlled? By Sisang?"

Itachi stared wide-eyed at Shoji with a hopeful look in his eyes, and asked in a slightly hurried tone.

"Yes, it can be controlled. As long as everything is unified, it can be achieved!"

Jiang Si extended one palm, then slowly retracted four of his five fingers, leaving only the last finger, and said emphatically.

"Returning to oneness?"

Itachi blinked, seemingly not quite understanding, and asked in return.

"Yes, let's eliminate all the countries and villages in this world. If there is only one country and one ninja village left, and we no longer have terms like 'outsider' or 'foreigner,' then the struggle for interests will be greatly reduced. The hatred of the past will also disappear after one or two generations, or forty or fifty years. At that time, the world will usher in true peace!"

Jiang Si nodded and said in a very affirmative tone.

"A nation? A ninja village? True peace?"

Itachi muttered to himself, and as he spoke, the light in his eyes grew even brighter.

But only for that moment.

Itachi seemed to have thought of something, and looked at Shoji with a hesitant expression, saying, "But Shoji-san, our clan was once a member of Konoha, and one of the founders of the village. Why did it change later?"

"This is where the issue of ideology comes in, Itachi. The biggest reason why our clan and Konoha have come to this point was sown at the very beginning of the village's founding. You should know very well that when our clan arrived in Konoha, apart from the First Hokage, almost everyone was either hostile to us or fearful of us. There was no one, no clan, who was truly on good terms with our Uchiha clan. When the conflict was sown from the very beginning, the peace we maintained was merely a superficial phenomenon!"

"Of course, since it's just the two of us here, I'll speak frankly. The high-ranking officials of Konoha bear responsibility for things reaching this point, but our clan bears responsibility as well. It's a very difficult issue to truly define; if we delve into it, it will never end. There's no direct connection between the two. And as I just said, a country or a village can only control disputes and conflicts to a minimum; it can't truly eliminate them. Leaving our clan aside, aren't the five great nations and five great ninja villages still maintaining relative harmony and stability internally? And what if the entire ninja world became one country or one ninja village?"

"Could we just broaden our perspective? This is undoubtedly the path to peace that we are pursuing! Although it may seem somewhat hypocritical, it is a very real path, isn't it?"

The issues between Konoha and Uchiha are indeed difficult to describe in a few words. If we really want to talk about it, each side has its own reasons. Not to mention that even Shoji himself can't explain it clearly, even if he could, it wouldn't be very meaningful. Ultimately, the real issue is how to view the entire ninja world!

"I understand what you mean, Jiang Sisang!"

Itachi, who truly understood Shoji's words, not just had a superficial understanding, nor was he pretending to know what he didn't. At that moment, he found his own answer, although he still had some doubts and confusion (mainly concerning his own clan and Konoha).

But Itachi had to admit that what his clansman said was the most truthful and effective at this stage. At least in the ninja world, the disputes and hatred within a country or village were indeed less than those abroad, and by a large margin!

Even if there really is some conflict.

There is still a possibility that internal personnel can resolve disputes through negotiation and dialogue.

Foreigners and people from other villages are often the most likely to clash with each other, and once blood is shed or even lives are lost, hatred is sown.

One generation after another, in an endless cycle.

"But this road is difficult, Jiang Sisang!"

Having grasped this point, Itachi could also clearly see how difficult it was to 'unify the ninja world'. The power struggle between the five great nations was generally in a state of equilibrium, and it was difficult to say that one side could truly and completely overwhelm the other. Over the years, only Konoha in the era when the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha were both alive possessed such strength. After their successive deaths, Konoha could at most exert pressure on the other four great ninja villages, but it never again had the ability to destroy the four great ninja villages and unify the ninja world.

"It is difficult, but it is not without opportunity. Although such a choice is destined to be full of thorns and bloodshed, it is the only feasible path to truly usher in a stable future!"

Jiang Si nodded and said.

Hearing Shoji's words, Itachi nodded silently.

It should be noted that when he was four years old, he was taken to the battlefield by Fugaku, and he already had a clear understanding of the cruelty and bloodshed of war!

The path to unifying the ninja world will be no more peaceful than the previous ninja wars, and will be countless times more bloody!

It seems contradictory to actively kill in order to seek peace.

But Itachi could understand the reasoning behind it.

"Moreover, the stronger we are, the more unnecessary sacrifices we can avoid. We don't necessarily have to reach the level of the First Hokage or Madara, but as long as we can get close, we can achieve this more easily!"