"I have no interest in what a ninja is."
"Huh?"
The three of them froze. What did he just say? No interest? Then why bring it up at all?
"Because," Uchiha Gen said flatly, "I hate the word 'ninja'."
"Ninja, my ass! Why should I have to endure pain just because I'm one?!"
"The very foundation of the ninja profession is rotten!"
He looked at them with calm disdain. "Think about it. We're hired by others, taking their money to fight their battles. Sounds normal, right? But that's exactly the problem."
"As people who possess great power, why should we be content to serve? Why can't we be the ones who control the wealth and power of this world?"
He turned, his voice steady, yet filled with conviction. "If shinobi didn't have to live in constant struggle just to survive, if we became the ruling class like nobles, would the tragedies that plague our world still exist?"
"If things were like that, Tsunade-senpai's brother and her lover might still be alive."
Tsunade's expression stiffened, but Gen continued unflinchingly. "And since we're being honest, do you know why Orochimaru-sensei and I never worry about money?"
He smirked. "Because every corrupt merchant and noble across the world is our personal wallet. When we need money, we take it. They can't even trace it back to us. Hehe…"
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune were left staring at him, their entire worldview cracking at the seams.
Uchiha Gen smiled faintly, turning his back to them. He let the silence stretch, letting them process every blow his words had dealt.
Only after a long pause did they manage to speak again.
Jiraiya's lips trembled. "Gen, your… your way of thinking… it's terrifying."
"How can you trample on social morals and the rules of the shinobi world so recklessly, just because you have power?"
Gen scoffed. "Social morals? Ninja rules? Tell me, Jiraiya-senpai, who made those rules in the first place?"
"They were created by nobles and by the upper echelon of shinobi who serve them."
He looked over his shoulder, his eyes cold. "The nobles fear ninja power. So they use those so-called morals and laws to shackle us, to restrict our thoughts, our actions."
"That's how they maintain their rule. They sit on their thrones, generation after generation, enjoying wealth and luxury, feasting every night while we risk our lives for pocket change."
"And the high-ranking ninja? They've been brainwashed too, upholding these same rules to keep everything running smoothly."
He glanced at Tsunade and Jiraiya. "You two have traveled the world. Don't tell me you're still blind to what kind of filth most nobles really are."
"There are a few good ones, sure, but very, very few."
"If you dragged every noble in the shinobi world into a square and executed them all, it would be excessive. But if you killed every other one, half the corrupt bastards would still get away."
The three fell silent again. None of them could find a rebuttal.
Finally, Tsunade spoke. "Gen, if ninja replaced nobles and officials, have you ever thought about how to actually govern a country?"
"Ninety-nine percent of ninja don't know anything about politics. We're trained to fight, assassinate, heal, investigate, not to rule."
Her sharp eyes locked onto his back.
"Of course I've thought about that." Gen's tone remained calm. "At first, we'd still need to rely on capable civilians for administration. But with military might on our side, they wouldn't dare to hold back. If anyone tried to play games, we'd make an example of them—'kill one to warn a hundred.'"
"Meanwhile, ninja would serve as assistants, learning how to govern from these officials. Over time, they'd replace them entirely."
He clasped his hands behind his back, his voice steady and persuasive. "It's difficult at first, yes. But once we have the first generation of trained ninja administrators, we'll establish academies to educate more, schools dedicated to economics, law, and governance."
"In two generations at most, ninja will be capable of ruling the entire world, both militarily and administratively."
He paused, then added, "But that doesn't mean ordinary people should be discarded."
"Even though we can crush rebellions with ease, stability and progress require balance. The world can't advance without ordinary people. We must still give them chances to rise."
"For instance, we could reserve a portion of positions in government and education for civilians. Power isn't everything. Wisdom isn't exclusive to shinobi."
"The world's development depends on both."
His words carried weight, visionary yet dangerous.
Tsunade's eyes flickered with a rare mix of awe and hesitation. She stared at Gen deeply. "Your method… it might actually work."
Jiraiya looked at her, stunned. "Tsunade, don't tell me you're agreeing with him?"
"I'm not saying Gen's path is right or wrong," Tsunade replied, waving her hand. "But it is a new approach to peace."
Jiraiya frowned. "I still believe that true peace can only come from mutual understanding, by letting go of hatred."
"Maybe the world isn't ready for it yet, but there's still hope."
"The Great Toad Sage prophesied the birth of a Child of Prophecy, someone who will one day bring peace to this world. I've been searching for him ever since."
Gen didn't interrupt. He listened quietly, his eyes thoughtful.
A ninja's strength is built on conviction. Chakra is the fusion of physical and spiritual energy and the firmer the conviction, the stronger the shinobi.
Every powerful ninja holds to their beliefs, right or wrong. Take Deidara, for example. "Art is an explosion!" That lunatic blew up half the continent, but he was undeniably strong.
Changing someone's conviction is like trying to bend steel. It's difficult even among family, let alone between powerful strangers.
Gen knew this. So when Jiraiya finished, he wasn't angry. But calm acceptance didn't mean agreement.
Because to him, Jiraiya's ideal was built on delusion.
…
Naruto, for instance, was the perfect example.
He believed that since he could let go of hatred, everyone else should too. That all the blood, the deaths, the pain should just be treated like passing wind. Forgotten.
People should look forward, not back.
Why dwell on the past, right? Why hold grudges? Revenge never ends. It only breeds more pain.
A nice idea, if the world were fair.
But Naruto's confidence didn't come from wisdom. It came from Nagato.
Nagato, Jiraiya's disciple, saved by him, raised under his ideals, twisted by pain but still rooted in his teachings. Even when he turned to destruction, he doubted Obito's methods.
And most importantly, Nagato possessed the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu.
Because of that one jutsu, all the people who died in Konoha were brought back. Only property was lost. What should've been an unforgivable tragedy became a miracle ending.
Nagato's repentance allowed the village to forgive him. But if he hadn't resurrected everyone… would Konoha have forgiven him so easily?
Wouldn't someone have had to pay for all that blood?
Letting go of hatred sounds noble, until you're the one who lost everything.
Would Naruto dare tell Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji to forget Asuma's death?
Would he tell Tsunade to let go of Shizune's murder?
Would he tell Choji to forgive his father's killer? Kakashi's death?
Yet Naruto forgave Pain on everyone's behalf. He didn't even fight Nagato, just talked and forgave.
If not for that one miraculous resurrection, the entire narrative of peace would've collapsed.
And later, he had the nerve to tell the Raikage to forgive Sasuke.
Did he ever stop to consider how Neji's father died? How Neji felt?
Tsunade only helped Raikage because she lost a bet. Without that, she would've never agreed.
Naruto never knew, never cared.
The same day Neji died protecting him, he looked Obito in the eye and said, "You're the coolest."
Coolest, my ass.
Obito caused everything, Neji's death, the war, countless orphans, and Naruto just forgave him.
Naruto spent half his life shouting about saving Sasuke, yet never tried to understand what Sasuke had gone through. He assumed his version of "saving" was the right one.
But when your best friend is consumed by vengeance, shouldn't you at least respect the reason behind it?
Kakashi understood that. He'd lost everyone close to him and almost lost himself to darkness. That's why he never told Sasuke to "let go" of his hatred.
He only said, don't let hatred consume you.
There's a difference.
You can only let go of your own hatred. You can't forgive on behalf of others.
Even a saint striving for world peace should at least share his ideals, let others choose whether to follow them.
Naruto never did that. He decided for everyone, arrogantly, and self-righteously.
In contrast, Gaara walked a different path.
He atoned with his actions. Went to apologize to those he'd wronged, knowing they'd spit on him, and they did.
But he didn't argue or make excuses. He simply kept protecting the village that once feared him, ready to die for it.
He sought recognition not through words, but through deeds. Even if that day never came, he continued anyway.
Yashamaru once said, "A heart that's been hurt is the same, no matter whose it is."
And that's why Gaara understood everyone, Rasa, Yashamaru, Sasuke, even Ōnoki and the Raikage.
Naruto, though…
He could empathize with rejection when it was directed at him. But when it came to others with similar scars, he couldn't truly understand them.
He didn't approve of Haku's devotion to Zabuza. Didn't accept Neji's struggle against fate. Didn't get why Shikamaru stopped fighting when it was time to retreat.
He couldn't comprehend Sasuke's obsession with revenge, or Tsunade's grief-drowned self-destruction.
He even looked down on Kimimaro for finding faith in Orochimaru.
Naruto was kind, yes, but naïve. A child lecturing the wounded on how to heal.
…
Gen turned back toward Tsunade and smiled faintly. "Tsunade-senpai, let me ask you something."
"If I were the one who killed your brother and Kato Dan… and Jiraiya-senpai told you to forgive me, to let go of your hatred, would you?"
"Be honest."
The air went still.
Jiraiya's heart tightened. He looked at Tsunade, hoping, praying she'd at least side with his ideals.
Tsunade hesitated for a long moment, then gritted her teeth. "No. I'm not as enlightened as Jiraiya."
"I'd kill you… and then let Jiraiya forgive me."
Jiraiya's expression darkened.
Her answer was the same as Raikage's to Naruto: Kill Sasuke first. Then you can talk about forgiveness.
Uchiha Gen's smirk deepened as he met Jiraiya's gaze.
He didn't have to say anything. His eyes said it all—This is reality.