The once-chaotic village finally fell into silence.
The relentless bandits who had tormented the villagers were utterly annihilated. Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Obito, and Shiro Kakashi showed no mercy. The battle was swift and decisive.
As the last enemy fell, the village was left in eerie stillness, its people frozen between relief and fear. Yet, Hashirama did not stay to accept their gratitude. He turned away almost immediately, his expression heavy with regret.
"When I founded Konoha, I believed I was creating a better world," he murmured, his voice filled with self-doubt.
However, everything he had witnessed during his travels had shattered that belief.
Even in the Land of Fire—the wealthiest nation—chaos reigned.
Casinos thrived on every corner.
Bandits ran rampant.
People were either forced into slavery or met unexplained deaths.
"How can bandits be so bold?" Obito asked, his brows furrowed. "Aren't they afraid of being wiped out? Shouldn't the Daimyo or the ninja village be taking action?"
He could understand that some turned to banditry out of desperation. But mindless killing? It made no sense.
"Nobles and merchants often issue missions to exterminate bandits," Shiro Kakashi explained, his tone somber. "Many young ninjas gain their first experience in real combat through these assignments. But no matter how many we kill, bandits always return."
Obito frowned. "Why?"
Kakashi hesitated before answering. "There are many reasons," he admitted.
He sighed before continuing. "Some people simply have no other way to survive. The physically weak may sell themselves into slavery. Those skilled in combat often turn to banditry. It's a cycle."
Obito's eyes lit up in realization. "I get it!" he exclaimed. "As long as the conditions that create bandits don't change, banditry will never disappear!"
Hashirama and Kakashi remained silent.
Obito was right.
But then, Kakashi hesitated before revealing another truth.
"There's another reason," he said grimly. "Ninjas will never wipe out all the bandits at once."
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Even Obito, usually dense in some matters, understood what that meant.
This was a calculated move. Ninjas deliberately allowed some bandits to survive—because their existence ensured a steady stream of missions.
"Raising the enemy to sustain oneself," Hashirama murmured, eyes darkening. "I see."
Ninjas were warriors for hire. Their entire system revolved around completing missions. If all threats disappeared, so would their livelihood.
It wasn't that ninjas couldn't eliminate bandits entirely.
They just… wouldn't.
Obito clenched his fists. "So, His Majesty was right," he muttered. "The very existence of ninjas in the old era was a mistake."
A Flawed System
Bai Kakashi's expression was unreadable as he stared at Hashirama.
"First Hokage-sama," he said suddenly, "I've always had a question I wanted to ask you."
Hashirama turned to him, slightly surprised by the formality.
"I want to understand the true meaning of Konoha's Will of Fire," Kakashi said seriously. "If a ninja is forced to choose between completing a mission and saving a comrade… what should he do?"
The question hung in the air.
Kakashi then recounted his past—his strict adherence to completing missions, the trauma of his father's suicide, and the revelation he had on the Kannabi Bridge.
"A ninja who cannot complete a mission is a failure," he recited bitterly. "But those who abandon their comrades for a mission are worse than failures."
This was the belief he held now.
Hashirama scratched his head awkwardly. "The Will of Fire, huh? To be honest… I never defined it clearly."
He sighed.
"At the start, I simply wanted all ninjas in Konoha to unite like a family under that belief," he admitted. "It was Madara who named the village, inspired by my Wood Style. He also came up with the term Hokage and the Will of Fire, based on the Uchiha's affinity for Fire Style."
Hashirama laughed bitterly. "In the end, I don't think I have the right to speak about the Will of Fire. Not after what I did to my best friend."
Obito nodded. "According to His Majesty, the Will of Fire is just an empty slogan," he said bluntly. "It sounds nice, but there's no real structure behind it."
Kakashi felt a deep sense of unease.
The First Hokage himself saw the Will of Fire as little more than an ideal?
"Then what about my question?" Kakashi persisted. "Should a ninja prioritize the mission or his comrades?"
Hashirama took a deep breath. "That question can be answered," he said. "But not in the way you might expect."
He locked eyes with Kakashi.
"According to His Majesty, the problem isn't about missions or comrades. The real issue is that the very existence of ninjas is wrong."
Kakashi's heart pounded.
Hashirama continued, "In the old ninja world, ninjas were just tools. Tools exist to complete missions. That's why failing a mission was considered the ultimate failure."
"But tools don't need comrades."
It was a simple but chilling truth.
"Everything we just discussed—whether it's the bandit problem or the Will of Fire—stems from one core issue," Hashirama said. "Ninjas in the old world had no sustainable way to exist beyond being mercenaries."
"That's why the Empire's system works," he added. "Ninjas there don't rely on mission payments. They contribute to the economy through constructive means. That's why the Empire was able to eliminate bandits completely."
Kakashi felt his worldview shake.
But he still wasn't satisfied.
"Even in the Empire," he said, "surely there are times when a ninja has to choose between duty and his comrades?"
"If an Imperial ninja abandons a mission to save a friend… what happens?"
Obito blinked at him, confused.
"They follow the law," he said simply. "The Imperial Court and Military Tribunal handle cases like that."
Kakashi froze.
"Wait… what?"
What was a court?
He had never heard of such a thing.
Obito tilted his head. "Why do you sound so surprised? Isn't that how it works here?"
Kakashi felt his mind go blank.
The ninja world he had always known—the world where morality was dictated by personal beliefs, where justice was subjective, where choices were bound by vague ideologies—felt utterly primitive compared to what he was hearing.
A world where decisions weren't left to the whims of individuals…
Where laws, not personal judgment, determined right from wrong…
A world where ninjas didn't have to struggle between conflicting ideals.
Kakashi had always thought of himself as someone who understood the world. But at this moment…
He realized how little he truly knew.
End of Chapter
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