"Because a peaceful ninja world gives ninjas more time to contemplate the nature of this world. When ninjas realize they can use their own power to overthrow the rule of the daimyo and nobles, it will be the end for them."
"So, over these hundreds of years, they have implanted the concept of 'the mission is paramount' into the minds of ninjas."
"Once the ninjas accepted the idea that 'the mission is above all else,' the daimyo and nobles deliberately issued conflicting missions, causing the clans to fight and kill each other in order to complete them, thus reducing their numbers."
"Later, a hundred years of slaughter had bred hatred between the clans that had been enemies. Even without missions from the ruling class, they would fight each other on sight."
"This is the main reason why the ninjas of the Warring States period were in such chaos."
Nawaki's mouth hung open.
Before today, the farthest he had ever traveled from the village was to the border of the Land of Fire a short while ago to kill three groups of bandits.
And, worried about the mission deadline, he had been rushing the entire time.
Even on the way back, because he had to follow behind his teacher, he hadn't had a chance to see much of the world outside the village.
However, just because Nawaki was inexperienced didn't mean he was a fool.
What Li Anshi had said was logical and well-structured.
Although there were many deeper aspects that he couldn't fully comprehend, his intuition told him that everything his teacher had said was true.
The constant warfare between the ninja clans during the Warring States period, the hatred accumulated over hundreds of years, were all tricks orchestrated by the daimyo and the nobles.
Some things, if no one points them out, others could go their whole lives without figuring them out.
Take Nawaki, for example. Before hearing Li Anshi's analysis, he had never once questioned the way ninjas existed in this world.
It seemed he just thought that was how ninjas were supposed to live.
But after hearing his teacher's words, Nawaki felt that he could no longer look at the daimyo, the nobles, or even the great ninja villages in the same way.
Before, if Nawaki had met a daimyo or a noble, he might have shown them a certain degree of respect because they were the ones who provided for the ninjas.
But now...
Well, Nawaki was beginning to consider whether he would kill or control them to seize their resources if they appeared before him.
But...
Soon, Nawaki shook his head, casting such thoughts from his mind.
For a ninja, killing the daimyo and nobles was not a difficult task.
The difficulty lay in the series of upheavals that would follow.
If he could think of killing them, then surely there were ninjas who would want to protect them.
And some of the higher-ups in the ninja villages, as vested beneficiaries, might also want to maintain the status quo, unwilling to break it and change the state of the ninja world.
To them, anyone who intended to subvert the current situation would be their enemy.
In recent years, Konoha's transcendent status had already made the daimyo and nobles of the five great nations wary.
Therefore, the current situation in the ninja world was also being secretly pushed by them.
For example, the recent increase in missions for Konoha and the gradual decrease in the share of missions for the other great villages was a trick of the five great nations' ruling class.
They wanted to create a sense in the other villages that "if we don't cripple Konoha and seize their share of the missions, our own villages will only decline, eventually being either destroyed by Konoha or cast aside by the daimyo and nobles."
So, whether it was to maintain the stability of the ninja world or to ensure the continuation of their own families and villages, they had to act against Konoha.
Of course, even in such a perilous situation, if the news that Li Anshi had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique and would participate in the war were to spread, then apart from the Rain Village, none of the other four great villages would likely point their spears at Konoha during the Second Great Ninja War.
After all, the ninjas of the great villages were not fools.
By not targeting Konoha and weakening its power, they could still survive for a while longer, leaving everything to the future.
After all, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, and the Asura of the Ninja World, Madara Uchiha, who had been invincible over twenty years ago, had both now exited the stage of history, hadn't they?
Li Anshi, having learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, did indeed have the ability to wipe out all the existing ninja villages.
But what if?
What if Li Anshi of the Little Li's Flying Dagger was a "pacifist" like the First Hokage and wouldn't attack their villages, but would instead maintain the status quo?
What if he, like those two, also died young?
If they held back, their villages still had a chance for a future.
But to start a war against Konoha was certain annihilation.
Of course, Li Anshi did not intend to tell Nawaki these things, lest he raise his expectations of him.
"Nawaki, you must understand, the current situation in the ninja world is like an inflating balloon."
"The state of the world is like the air being pumped into it. Every faction hopes to pop this balloon soon, so they can keep the situation within their control."
"It's true that if I were to release the news now, I could quell the coming war. However, the situation in the ninja world will not stop evolving just because of my words."
"The conflicts between the various factions will continue to inflate the balloon, bigger and bigger..."
"When this conflict reaches the limit of what the world can bear, it will, like a balloon that has reached its limit, burst with a 'pop'..."
"At that time, the entire world will be completely out of control. Even I would not be able to stabilize the situation."
On this point, Li Anshi was not deceiving him.
Perhaps, in terms of power, he had the ability to sweep through the entire current ninja world.
But did the other villages not have any countermeasures against his abilities?
What a joke.
A ninja's battle was a battle of information.
For a threat of his magnitude, the other great villages would naturally not let go of any intelligence related to him.
Every village, including Konoha, had dedicated intelligence personnel to compile information on him, in order to deduce his disposition, personality, and methods.
At the same time, they also bore the heavy responsibility of finding a way to counter him.
Up to now, the great villages had only two strategies for dealing with him.
First, the human wave tactic!
This strategy had no fancy tricks; it was simply about throwing lives at the problem.
According to the intelligence left from his battle in the Land of Whirlpools a few years ago, it would take at least five thousand ninjas to surround and intercept him, giving him no chance to take out the daggers from his sealing scroll. It would take the lives of over three thousand ninjas to have a chance of killing him.
Whether his strength had changed over the years, no one knew for sure, as he had rarely acted.
But if the other villages wanted to besiege and kill him, this was the minimum price they would have to pay.
Second was the avoidance tactic.
The so-called avoidance tactic was to avoid direct confrontation with him.
The countless ninjas who had died by his dagger had already proven its terror to the world with their lives.
Therefore, the great villages had all given up on fighting him head-on, instead adopting scattered small teams or solo modes to carry out missions related to him.
No matter how strong his dagger was, if he couldn't find the enemy, it was useless.
Perhaps during this period, quite a few ninjas would be found and killed by him.
But many more, under the cover of their sacrificed comrades, would successfully complete their missions.
For him, he was a person who disliked trouble.
As long as the ninjas from other villages did not disturb his life, he would not waste his time hunting them down and exterminating them.
After all, his "ninja way" was "freedom," not "slaughter."
Forcing himself to do something he disliked went against his principles.
"Rather than that, it's better to let the situation erupt within a scope that everyone can control."
"Just like the First Great Ninja War. After enduring a few years of major conflict and resolving most of the conflicts between the factions, the ninja world will once again return to peace."
"..."
Nawaki clenched his fists tightly.
He also knew that what his teacher said made a lot of sense.
Having understood the essence of war, he was now filled with disgust at the prospect of the coming conflict.
However, he also knew that with his current self, he could do nothing to change the situation in the ninja world.
Even in a great war, he wouldn't be able to make a single ripple.
In fact, he might even die on some battlefield due to his own lack of strength.
"Sensei, have you told my sister these things?"
After a long pause, Nawaki took a deep breath and asked.
"No. I have only told you these things. But, do you think that with your sister's wisdom, she can't see the true nature behind the war?"
"Uh..."
Nawaki paused, not knowing what to say.
In his memory, his sister was indeed a strong and reliable ninja.
But as for her wisdom...
What he had seen more of was his sister using the Transformation Technique to sneak into casinos to gamble.
He simply couldn't imagine that the sister who almost never won at the gambling table could possess such wisdom.
But could he dare to say that out loud?
He had some suspicions about the relationship between his teacher and his sister.
He didn't think that if he were to speak ill of his sister here, he would have an easy time when she returned.
"Sigh..."
"Alright, stop sighing."
Li Anshi patted his shoulder and teased, "Nawaki, no matter what, you're just a ninja who graduated from the Academy less than half a year ago."
"If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up."
"What are you worrying about here? The current Konoha is not yet in a position for you to carry."
"With the time and energy you have to think about these things, you'd be better off practicing more, strengthening yourself, so that you have the power to survive on the battlefield, and the power to save others!"
"Also..."
"The Third Hokage is also aware of all this."
"To cope with the future changes in the ninja world, he has already come up with his own countermeasures."
"Although what he has done so far is not enough for Konoha to completely break free from the shackles of the 'ninja' identity, it has laid the foundation for future reformers."
"In the future, perhaps it will be Tsunade, or perhaps you, who will make Konoha even greater..."
"Yes, I understand, Sensei!"
After a shot of adrenaline from Li Anshi, Nawaki was suddenly full of fighting spirit.
"By the way, Sensei, I have some questions about my training in the Flying Thunder God Technique..."
"Come, I'll let you personally experience the spatial fluctuations during a spatial jump, and see if you can sense them..."
As they spoke, Li Anshi sensed the spatial mark he had left in the Forest of Death and instantly disappeared from the shop.
…
Three hours later, Li Anshi looked up at the sky.
"Alright, Nawaki, that's enough for today."
"Ugh..."
"Th- urgh, thanks, Sensei..."
"Blech..."
Li Anshi let go of his hand. Instantly, Nawaki, whose eyes were swirling like mosquito coils, thanked him while stumbling to the side, leaning on a tree trunk with both hands, and retching.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique for high-speed spatial transfer required a very strong neural response.
Normally, with his proficiency, when he took someone with him, he could wrap them in his chakra to protect them from the spatial pressure and the disorienting visual shifts, so they wouldn't feel any discomfort.
However, the purpose of taking Nawaki on these jumps was specifically to let him experience the spatial fluctuations more.
Under these circumstances, the chakra covering him was naturally not as thick.
So, his current condition was dozens, or even hundreds of times worse than someone on a pendulum ride.
It was only because of his own strong physique and ample chakra that he wasn't in an even more pathetic state.
"I've placed a barrier around here. You should recover here for a while before you leave. Otherwise, in your current state, even some of the wild beasts in the Forest of Death could probably kill you."
"Mm- urgh, I kn- urgh, I know, Sensei."
"But, for the next training session, can we try a different method?"