There was no doubt about it—war was an extreme, off-the-edge move. Once you started, you became a gambler sitting down at the table.
And gamblers never truly win.
"Sensei, I think war is always the worst option."
Even before Hyuga Kiyonari awakened his system, he had never longed for war.
And now, he couldn't possibly change his tune just because his status had changed—standing on some "higher-level perspective" and coolly discussing war's pros and cons, as if lives as small as his once was were nothing more than numbers on paper.
"Konoha and the Uchiha are the brothers in that story, and the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha is just an inheritance dispute. It's not the kind of contradiction that must be solved through force."
Contradictions generally fell into two types.
If a person wanted to study but also wanted to be lazy, that internal tug-of-war was an internal contradiction. If a person wanted to study but was disrupted by external conditions—like noise—then that clash between the person and the environment was an external contradiction.
Scaled up to groups, the way to distinguish internal vs. external contradictions was to ask whether the group's fundamental interests were aligned.
"Konoha and the Uchiha share the same fundamental interests. They both want Konoha to become better, and for themselves to live better lives."
"And yet—whether it's you, the Third Hokage, or even the Uchiha themselves—you all seem to have accepted, by default, that things will inevitably end in a bleak outcome: blades drawn against each other."
"So then—did you imagine the other side as an enemy first, and that is what brought the outcome down upon you? Or was the hostile ending inevitable, and that's what gave birth to these thoughts in the first place?"
Tsunade's hand holding the sake bottle froze in midair. The motion of pouring stopped dead—like someone had triggered a time-stop effect.
Shizune stared in shock at Kiyonari, then at Tsunade. This powerful ninja, wrapped in countless titles and honors, was wearing an expression that looked almost… lost.
"Sensei?"
Only when Kiyonari called again did Tsunade slowly set the bottle down.
She had left the village because she hated those "meaningless sacrifices." But after returning, she had unknowingly started becoming the very thing she once despised.
Because of the future described in that drifting bottle. For the sake of… the so-called bigger picture.
She didn't drink again. Instead, she walked to the window and looked out at the village lights.
She stared at them deeply, as if engraving every lamp into her heart—so she would always remember, always stay awake.
"Then tell me…" she turned back, asking Kiyonari like a student seeking instruction. "What should we do?"
And Hyuga Kiyonari, in his own way, was also asking his teacher:
How do you resolve a group's internal contradictions?
First, there had to be criticism. So who could deliver it?
Tsunade. Only she had the standing to criticize the Uchiha, to criticize Konoha's current leadership—to tell them plainly: "You were wrong."
Next, how do you make the Uchiha and Konoha's people engage in self-criticism?
"Hand the choice over to the Raikage," Kiyonari answered.
The moment he said it, both Tsunade and Shizune froze.
"What do you mean?" Tsunade didn't understand why the answer jumped there so suddenly.
Light sparked in Kiyonari's eyes, and his excitement started to rise. "We can't wait for Kumogakure's reaction. If we do, we're always passive. So instead, we give the Raikage the choice of whether to start a war—make him suffer the headache of what war would mean, make him agonize over how the other nations would respond."
"We proactively mobilize troops and mass them along the border, showing we're willing to fight if we have to. We spread the message: 'We don't want to fight—but that doesn't mean we dare not fight.' That solves Konoha's most pressing current problem."
"But we must never be the ones to ignite the conflict. Even if Kumogakure also mobilizes and stations troops at the border, unless they fire the first ninjutsu, we absolutely do not start the war."
Tsunade nodded—she agreed with the idea. "Then what does this have to do with the Uchiha?"
"Because our goal isn't war." Kiyonari took a sip of water to wet his throat.
"What we truly need is to use this chance to train troops. Break up the Uchiha and other Konoha ninja and re-form them into mixed squads. Force them to eat together, live together, run daily reconnaissance missions and drills. Force them to communicate and understand each other. And in front of Kumogakure—this greedy neighbor—whatever disputes the 'brothers' have become secondary."
Almost instantly, Tsunade's eyes lit up—but Kiyonari kept going.
"Then the next priority is to give them more missions that build bonds. For example, reduce material rations and make them run wilderness survival missions to learn to coordinate—this also reduces village expenses. Or hold regular sparring competitions between squads: for the sake of honor, squads will inevitably deepen their teamwork and build combat chemistry."
"And the most crucial part is this—"
Kiyonari paused, his intense gaze locking onto Tsunade.
"You must personally command this force and completely prevent interference from other village leaders—even the Third Hokage."
"As long as the unit hasn't achieved real integration, keep it stationed at the border. Even if Kumogakure comes to sue for peace, you should deliberately manufacture appropriate friction to drive them off. And if Kumogakure actively provokes conflict, we still control the situation and don't let it expand into total war."
"If war truly breaks out… then there's nothing I can do. Between Konoha and Kumogakure, this is a genuine enemy contradiction that can only be resolved by force—and that will be a historical responsibility the Raikage must bear."
"Good—this is excellent! Kiyonari! You're a genius!"
Tsunade shouted in delight, waving her hands like a little girl. But quickly, in her excitement, she realized a hidden problem.
"But… ninja live on commissions from missions. If we keep them at the border like this, how will their families survive?"
Kiyonari thought briefly, then answered, "A rotation system—and monthly pay distributed by the village. The pay range can be negotiated between you and the Hokage, depending on Konoha's current economy. And… we can use Kumogakure as an excuse to demand funds from the Daimyo."
"With stable income, plus positive public messaging inside the village, we can attract young talent from all clans to join this force proactively. To some extent, it could even replace the standard genin teams after Academy graduation."
"And within this force, you can cultivate someone who truly understands you—understands our ideas. In my view, Uchiha Shisui might be a suitable candidate."
Even if his idea wasn't fully mature yet, as long as they had the right direction and were willing to take the first step, they could refine it bit by bit based on reality.
Tsunade looked at him—at how happy he was, because he'd found a way to solve the village's problem.
And she suddenly remembered why Grandpa had founded Konoha in the first place—what the real Will of Fire was meant to be.
And Hyuga Kiyonari… was that newly born flame.
~~~
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