The ground was covered with ankle-deep water.
The countless raindrops and ripples created a sound like mysterious murmurs rising from the water's surface.
Five minutes passed, and neither did Tatsumi move nor speak. He sat on the tree trunk, gazing at the blurred scenery obscured by the heavy cumulonimbus clouds.
Beside him, Minato sat quietly, waiting. He could feel his heart pounding. What would his friend think after hearing his thoughts?
Minato's desire to become Hokage and protect all his comrades had not changed.
However, after experiencing the cruelty of death, he was filled with doubts about this war. Now, Minato was more concerned with achieving peace throughout the ninja world.
After conveying this idea, Minato's heavy mood began to lighten. He had voiced all his doubts. In his view, Tatsumi was definitely his mentor and friend. The other party could always come up with a solution.
"Tatsumi?" After a while, Minato broke the silence.
Tatsumi slowly returned to reality from his thoughts. He turned to look at Minato.
"Minato," he said in a very serious tone, "your doubts are normal, and even most ninjas have doubts about this war. We fight thousands of miles away, invading the Land of Rain, but what is it all for?"
"Of course, the village is not fighting for peace; that's just a euphemism for interests," Tatsumi sighed.
"In recent years, the economic development between countries has been unbalanced, and militarist forces in various ninja villages have risen. Therefore, they must fight with other major powers to protect their own national interests. Otherwise, the country, the village, and the villagers will suffer."
Tatsumi stared into Minato's eyes.
"But after the war, the people will be impoverished, and starving prisoners will be everywhere... After countless wars, all that remains is endless pain, which is why the ninja world has become like this. In this process, none of us are innocent."
"Then you mean, peace... is impossible to achieve?" Minato asked, frowning.
"No, no, no. To achieve this goal, we must face a barrage of problems. So for us, the first question will still be: what is peace?"
Tatsumi continued, "I can imagine that if you ask a thousand ninjas, you'll get a thousand different answers."
He looked at Minato. "So I want to hear your opinion."
My opinion? Minato couldn't help but glance at him.
Then he thought for a moment and said, "I believe that one day, an era will come when people truly understand each other, and then we can achieve peace."
Tatsumi shook his head. This was a typical Jiraiya-style answer, placing hope on the self-awakening of humanity. He could understand the mentality of this kind of dreamer, but he would not agree with this approach.
"Minato, I can tell you, the ninja world is sick," Tatsumi strengthened his tone. "Since it is sick, you don't think about treating it, but instead, you expect it to heal itself. Do you think that's possible?"
Minato was speechless, feeling that Tatsumi was right. Even he felt that Jiraiya-sensei's idea was too naive.
Tatsumi continued, "In fact, the First Hokage also saw this. In order to treat the ninja world's illness, he established the one country, one village system, thereby ending the chaotic world.
But the end of the chaotic world did not cure the ninja world's illness; instead, the scale of the war became unprecedentedly large, and more people died at once. So I think the First Hokage failed."
Tatsumi's words stunned Minato. "What did you say?"
"Minato, think about it carefully. The original clan wars have since become wars between countries, and the scope of the war has only expanded... We have simply returned to the starting point."
"From a certain point of view, don't you think the First Hokage actually failed?"
At this time, a huge wave was set off in Minato's heart. From childhood to adulthood, all the propaganda he had been exposed to praised the man who ended the chaotic world.
He had never thought that the First Hokage-sama might have failed.
But having experienced this war, he could not refute what Tatsumi said. The First Hokage hoped for peace, but peace did not truly come.
Tatsumi, Nawaki, Mikoto, Kushina—these friends around him, including himself, were all war orphans!
The tragedy that once happened is still continuing. Maybe, his children will be orphans in the future.
For a time, the air was silent.
Tatsumi smiled at Minato and said, "You didn't expect me to say such a thing, did you?"
Minato shook his head. "Actually, what you said makes a lot of sense."
"Yes, because these are all real. We live in such a vortex, understand the past, and can predict the future. The First and Second Ninja World Wars have already happened, and the same Third, Fourth, or even more wars will not stop.
If the ninja world's condition is allowed to continue like this, it will only get worse and worse. As long as the villages are still there, people will fall into conflict again. Then... the war will never end," Tatsumi raised his head and stared at Minato.
Minato did not speak but fell into deep thought. "Then do you think we should destroy the other villages?"
"Not destroy," Tatsumi replied, "but unite."
"The First Hokage united other clans and established the one country, one village system, thereby pacifying the war in the Land of Fire.
And we only need to unite other villages, establish a new alliance, and re-establish the order of the ninja world. Then we can achieve true peace. What do you think, Minato?"
His words seemed to linger in the air for a long time.
Throughout the entire conversation, Tatsumi closely watched the changes in Minato's expression. Minato was still a ten-year-old child, and his various emotional changes were fully revealed.
First, shock, his expression filled with horror beyond words. Finally... he slowly began to think.
Minato also realized that if things continued like this, the next war was only a matter of time. The fact that the First Hokage united other clans to end the chaotic world clearly touched his heart.
"But... you have to know... this is very difficult," Minato swallowed. "This is much more difficult than the situation faced by the First Hokage-sama."
"That's right. The relationship between villages is very delicate... like a house built with cards. The more adjustments we make, the greater the possibility that we will accidentally mess up a card and cause the entire structure to collapse," Tatsumi nodded.
"Yes, and there are various rogue ninjas and small countries," Minato added. "These forces are lurking in the dark, staring at the five great powers."
"So we need the strength to break everything. Strength is the most important thing! On this basis, we will break the state between the villages and start all over again," Tatsumi said.
Tatsumi raised his head and stared at Minato. "Minato, to achieve this wish, I need your help."
"Me?" Minato was a little unsure. "My strength is too weak, and the help I can provide may not be much."
"There's no such thing. With your talent, your future is limitless," Tatsumi replied.
"Believe me, we will succeed," Tatsumi reached out and shook Minato's hand.
"Also, welcome to join Team One."
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