Chapter 22: What Is the Will of Fire?
"Sigh..."
Asuka let out a nearly inaudible sigh as he strolled through the streets of the Uchiha compound, rubbing his overstuffed stomach. Most of the energy he'd had that morning was already gone.
Despite his well-defined eight-pack and complete lack of body fat, he still felt greasy.
The breakfast had simply been too oily.
At the moment, it felt as though his stomach had turned into a frying pan, with stomach acid bubbling away while the leftover oil continued frying everything inside.
"Good morning, Lord Asuka!"
"Morning."
"Oh, Asuka, would you like some cucumbers? Judging by how greasy your face looks, you've been eating too much oily food lately. My cucumbers are especially big today—I'll even give you a discount."
"This is sweat."
"I worked up a sweat during my morning exercise."
"And those cucumbers of yours don't look naturally grown. They look like they've been soaked in water until they swelled up."
"Later, I'll suggest to the Clan Head that we organize a matchmaking event."
"Auntie..."
"You really shouldn't be spending every morning fooling around with cucumbers."
"It looks exhausting."
"Asuka-nii, do you want some candy?"
"Your saliva's still on it."
"Go lick it clean."
"I already did."
"There's still saliva."
"Put it back in your mouth and lick it again."
"I already licked it!"
"You definitely didn't."
Watching Asuka tease the little boy with complete seriousness, Yūgao, who was following behind him, couldn't help rolling her eyes.
This wasn't the cold, aloof, unapproachable Uchiha she'd imagined at all.
Not only was her instructor one of the most handsome men in Konoha...
His personality was surprisingly gentle.
In fact...
He seemed even more ordinary than most ordinary people.
At around 180 centimeters tall, he was considered quite tall even by Konoha's standards.
She herself was about 165 centimeters.
Rounded up...
That was basically 170.
If she stood on tiptoe...
She could probably count it as 175.
And what difference was there between 175 and 180?
After completing that flawless calculation, Yūgao quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The final bit of pressure Asuka's height had put on her completely vanished under the power of generous rounding.
Looking at his casual clothes...
His genuine smile...
And the blood-stained baby tooth he was holding in one hand...
He really didn't seem much like an Uchiha.
Whoever gave Sensei the nickname Blackened...
Was definitely slandering him.
"...Tsk."
"I've told you children not to eat so much candy."
"See?"
"You lost a tooth."
Seeing the little boy's eyes begin to water, Asuka hurriedly summoned a family bucket of fried chicken and stuffed it into his arms before sighing.
"I haven't even done anything today..."
"And I'm already down one family bucket."
Yūgao couldn't hold back a smile.
Her eyes curved into crescents as she laughed.
"Sensei..."
"You're really different from the others."
Asuka stood up and stretched lazily before glancing back at her.
"Actually..."
"There's no difference."
"Uchiha are just ordinary people."
"We cry."
"We laugh."
"We throw tantrums."
"But every time we lose something..."
"The smiles gradually disappear from our faces."
"For most people..."
"The day they awaken the Sharingan and become genin..."
"The smiles on their faces are cut in half."
"They're halved again after becoming chūnin."
"And by the time they become jōnin..."
"They've almost forgotten how to smile altogether."
"...What about you, Sensei?"
Yūgao looked at him curiously.
Thinking back, what he'd said was true.
The stronger an Uchiha became...
The less they smiled.
But Asuka was already a jōnin.
So why was he so different?
"...Me?"
Asuka glanced around at the passing clan members before quietly lowering his voice.
"I mostly just became numb."
"The first time I stepped onto a battlefield..."
"It numbed me completely."
"Bodies covered the plains."
"Everywhere you looked..."
"There were corpses."
"Flies buzzed all around them."
"And I..."
"Was assigned to the corpse retrieval unit."
"Later..."
"I watched familiar comrades die one after another."
"My strength didn't improve very much..."
"But my state of mind did."
"You could say..."
"I finally understood life."
Yūgao stared blankly at him.
She opened her mouth, only to realize she had no idea what to say.
So Sensei had been terrified the first time he saw a battlefield?
Then... after seeing too much death... he became numb?
And once he'd gotten past that numbness... he'd developed into... this?
Recalling Konoha's long-standing rumor that powerful Uchiha were all mentally unstable, she couldn't help falling into deep thought.
Should she believe decades of village folklore...
Or her extremely "mentally healthy" instructor?
"Stop spacing out."
"I'm taking you somewhere."
"We're going to broaden your horizons."
Asuka waved for her to follow before walking toward the central plaza of the Uchiha compound.
"Coming!"
Yūgao quickly caught up, wondering what exactly he meant by broaden your horizons.
---
The moment they entered the enormous plaza...
She froze.
Three massive monuments stood proudly at its center.
She recognized the one in the middle immediately.
The Uchiha clan crest.
The monument on the right...
A giant war fan.
Then...
What was the enormous figure standing to the left?
Its appearance resembled a towering god of war.
Its eye sockets contained carved Sharingan.
Yūgao hurried after Asuka.
"Sensei..."
"What's that giant warrior statue?"
"...A giant warrior?"
Asuka blinked.
Following the direction she pointed, he immediately understood.
"Oh."
"That."
"It represents one of the Uchiha Clan's greatest weapons during the Warring States Era."
"When an exceptionally powerful Uchiha awakened enough power..."
"They could sacrifice their eyesight..."
"To materialize an enormous chakra warrior."
"It fought alongside them."
"...Can you use it, Sensei?"
"No."
Asuka answered without hesitation.
Even if he could...
He certainly wasn't eager to.
No brothers.
Eyes that went blind far too easily.
Honestly...
At least seventy percent of people who wanted to transmigrate into the Uchiha Clan only wanted the Susanoo.
"Come on."
Seeing Yūgao still staring at the monument, Asuka waved her over and led her to the northeast corner of the plaza.
Stopping before an old wooden building, he looked up.
"This is..."
Yūgao blinked.
The building looked older than her grandfather.
"This is the Uchiha Clan Academy."
"Before the Ninja Academy existed..."
"Uchiha children studied here."
"After the Second Hokage founded the Ninja Academy..."
"Children old enough attended the village academy."
"But those who were still too young..."
"Came here."
"They'd learn basic knowledge..."
"And develop a sense of belonging to the Uchiha Clan."
"Things like..."
"Our history."
"Our glory."
"...Do you teach here too, Sensei?"
"I'm only filling in temporarily."
"The old man who normally teaches the cultural classes..."
"Got out of bed too quickly two days ago."
"He became dizzy."
"Couldn't stay on his feet."
"Then the Great Elder mocked him."
"So they got into a fight."
"Now he's in the hospital."
With that, Asuka pushed open the classroom door.
The two of them entered and quietly waited for the children to arrive.
He pulled out a book titled Detailed Commentary on the Ninja Academy's Will of Fire Curriculum and placed it on the desk.
It had originally been a reward from the system.
Inside were notes and teaching methods collected from countless Ninja Academy instructors.
Anyone who memorized the entire book could teach the Will of Fire flawlessly enough to avoid Danzō's scrutiny.
In other words...
Mastering it would attract Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention...
And earn an excellent reputation.
But...
Who wanted to study this early in the morning?
After casually flipping through a few pages, Asuka tossed it aside.
He'd already spent years attending school in his previous life.
Morning reading.
Morning running.
Both were completely inhumane.
They were exhausting enough on their own.
Combining them with memorization?
That was torture.
---
Once all the children had checked in, Asuka glanced at the clock.
"It's not even seven."
"Everyone..."
"Come with me."
He led the class outside.
Soon, they were standing beneath the three stone monuments in the center of the plaza.
Taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air, Asuka glanced back toward the aging academy building.
"Did the Clan Head embezzle all the funding?"
"This classroom has been in use for over fifty years."
"It smells damp inside."
"Asuka-sensei..."
"...Is there..."
"...fried chicken today?"
"...Fried chicken?"
Seeing the eager expressions on every child's face, Yūgao turned toward Asuka in confusion.
"What fried chicken?"
Before she finished speaking, Asuka casually formed a series of hand seals before slamming both hands onto the ground.
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke erupted.
When it dispersed, more than twenty family buckets of fried chicken had appeared.
Asuka picked one up before looking toward Yūgao.
"Want one?"
"N-No!"
She frantically waved both hands.
Her face instantly turned pale.
The familiar red bucket.
The white lid.
The horrifying memories.
Ever since eating it last time, she hadn't touched fried food again.
Just looking at it made her nauseous.
And...
Made her want to find a bathroom.
---
Clap! Clap!
Asuka clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the three- and four-year-old children.
He smiled.
"Last lesson..."
"I finished telling you about Konoha's founding..."
"And how the village got its name."
"Today..."
"I'm going to explain Konoha's spiritual core."
"The legendary..."
"Will of Fire."
"You can eat while you listen."
In an era with very little entertainment for children, stories were infinitely more appealing than textbooks.
Even adults found dry educational material boring.
Children, even more so.
Asuka picked up a piece of fried chicken, took a bite, then began.
"The Will of Fire..."
"If you trace it back to its roots..."
"...is simply the shared will of Hashirama Senju..."
"...and Madara Uchiha."
"Before Konoha was founded..."
"There was no such thing as the Will of Fire."
"When those two became friends..."
"Hashirama proposed building a village."
"A place where children could grow up far away from war."
"Madara believed such a village would better protect the Uchiha's children."
"So..."
"He agreed."
"At its core..."
"The Will of Fire has always meant one thing."
"Protecting future generations."
"Mhm."
"Mhm."
The children, their mouths greasy from fried chicken, listened with complete attention.
Although they couldn't grasp every deeper implication, the basic idea was easy enough to understand.
"Later..."
"The Will of Fire gradually changed."
"But it never departed from that original purpose."
"Protecting future generations."
As he spoke, he noticed a lone figure appear at the far end of the plaza.
Uchiha Itachi.
Standing quietly by himself.
Apparently waiting for someone.
Asuka had heard plenty about him.
At two, he'd already begun isolating himself.
By three, he'd stopped playing with children his own age.
At four, he was following Fugaku onto battlefields...
Pondering the meaning of life.
Ridiculously precocious.
When Asuka himself had been four...
He'd been leading neighborhood kids in pretend ninja wars.
"Youthful Clan Heir!"
Asuka waved.
When Itachi looked over, he raised his voice.
"Young Clan Heir."
"What is your Will of Fire?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Itachi's face.
After thinking briefly, he calmly recited what he'd read in a book.
"Where the leaves of Konoha dance..."
"The fire burns."
"The fire's light will illuminate the village..."
"And new leaves will sprout."
...Alright, go play somewhere else.
You're only four. Why are you already talking about burning yourself out?
At this rate you'll burn all of us with you.
Asuka waved dismissively before turning back toward the children.
Speaking in a low, serious voice, he said,
"He's wrong."
"Don't learn that."
"What he just quoted..."
"Is the Third Hokage's interpretation of the Will of Fire."
"It has nothing to do with us."
"Brother Asuka!"
A little girl sucking on her finger raised her hand.
"But my big brother says..."
"His Will of Fire is the same."
"No."
"No."
Asuka slowly shook his head.
His gaze unconsciously drifted toward the direction of Kannabi Bridge.
"The Third Hokage's Will of Fire..."
"Is his."
"It isn't yours."
"And it wasn't Madara Uchiha's either."
"Every person..."
"Must discover their own Will of Fire."
This time, not only were the children confused...
Even Yūgao couldn't understand.
The Will of Fire... was different for every person?
Then what exactly was the version taught at the Ninja Academy graduation ceremony?
"...Sigh."
Asuka clasped his hands behind his back.
Looking at everyone earnestly, he explained,
"You can think of Madara Uchiha's Will of Fire..."
"As the will to unite the entire shinobi world."
"He believed only complete unification through overwhelming strength..."
"Could create permanent peace for future generations."
"Hashirama Senju's Will of Fire..."
"Was balance."
"He distributed the tailed beasts among the great villages."
"Hoping equal military strength would keep everyone afraid to wage war."
"Tobirama Senju's Will of Fire..."
"Was making Konoha strong."
"He founded the Ninja Academy."
"Developed countless ninjutsu."
"Weakened the influence of individual clans."
"Everything he did..."
"Was to strengthen Konoha."
"So future generations would never again suffer through endless wars."
"As for the Third and Fourth Hokage..."
"They're both still alive."
"So we won't discuss them."
"Personally..."
"I agree with Madara more."
"Only unification can bring lasting peace."
"Brother Asuka..."
"Then what is our Will of Fire?"
Looking toward the little boy who'd asked, Asuka shrugged casually.
"We Uchiha..."
"Helped create the Will of Fire."
"So as long as your beliefs never stray from protecting future generations..."
"Your Will of Fire can take many forms."
"You might believe in eliminating every possible threat before it can harm anyone."
"A certain elder in Konoha thinks that way."
"But his ideals are mixed with selfish ambition."
"So his Will of Fire isn't pure."
"He'll probably die young."
"Or..."
"Your Will of Fire can be much more relaxed."
"Work hard while you're on duty."
"Go home and enjoy life afterward."
"Do your job properly."
"Then rest."
"People like that often live the happiest lives."
"But they're still protecting future generations."
"Or..."
"Your Will of Fire might resemble the White Fang's."
"When forced to choose between comrades..."
"And a mission..."
"He chose his comrades."
"So..."
"Never force someone else's Will of Fire onto yourself."
"If the one you currently follow only brings you pain..."
"Look at someone else's ideals."
"Learn from them."
"The reason we study the Will of Fire..."
"Is to protect future generations."
"Not to send every future generation..."
"Straight to the Pure Land..."
"Because of someone else's choices."
He slowly swept his gaze across the children.
"Look around."
"The friends beside you..."
"Those are the people your Will of Fire exists to protect."
"Sacrificing your family for the greater good..."
"That makes you a saint."
"Destroying your entire family for the greater good..."
"That makes you a great saint."
"But slaughtering your entire clan..."
"Digging up your ancestors' graves..."
"All for the so-called greater good..."
"That just makes you an idiot."
Asuka glanced toward Itachi.
By then, Itachi had already left alongside Shisui.
Inside, Asuka sneered.
From today onward, he intended to start planting certain ideas in the clan's younger generation.
He refused to let another traitor emerge from among these children.
He also intended to teach them how to resist moral blackmail.
And...
Blind appeals to "love."
People in the ninja world were always talking about love.
Soon enough...
He'd even teach them whether the Clan Head ought to get divorced.
Education...
Had to begin early.
Looking at the innocent children before him, the corners of Asuka's mouth slowly curled upward.
Then he suddenly raised both hands and shouted,
"Idiots don't get family buckets!"
The previously bewildered children immediately lit up.
Waving their chicken wings excitedly, they shouted back,
"Family bucket!"
"Family bucket!"
"Idiots don't get family buckets!"
"Family bucket!"
"Family bucket!"
"The Clan Head gets divorced and earns a family bucket!"
"Family bucket!"
"Family bucket!"
---
Even sunlight...
Could never reach everywhere.
For example...
Deep underground.
Inside a cavern somewhere in the Land of Grass, several candles embedded in the stone walls cast faint, flickering light through the darkness.
"Lord Madara."
"Why have you awakened me again?"
Madara's ancient, gravelly voice echoed through the cave.
"Lord Madara..."
"There's more news about you."
Madara slowly inhaled before gradually opening his eyes.
His periods of wakefulness had been growing longer lately.
Only four months left...
Lowering his head, he began reading the report White Zetsu handed him.
"...Hm?"
Madara blinked.
Then blinked again.
His Sharingan spun once before he reread the page.
It says...
I wanted to unify the shinobi world...
To create eternal peace?
"...Hahaha..."
"Hahaha..."
"Unfortunately..."
"Hashirama never agreed."
"He insisted..."
"On creating villages..."
"Instead..."
"Kh... cough... cough..."
His laughter gradually dissolved into violent coughing.
Clutching the report tightly, Madara stared toward the distant direction of Konoha.
Hashirama...
If you could see the shinobi world today...
If you could see Konoha as it is now...
Would you finally agree with me?
Carefully folding the report, he looked toward Spiral White Zetsu.
"Gather intelligence..."
"On Uchiha Asuka."
"...Huh?"
Spiral White Zetsu scratched his head, completely baffled.
"Didn't we already investigate him?"
"When we were searching for someone to replace you after your death..."
"You said he disgraced the Uchiha."
"And burned the report."
Madara slowly turned his head.
For perhaps the first time in ages...
Confusion appeared on his expressionless face.
I...
Actually rejected an Uchiha who suits my tastes this perfectly?
...Have Hashirama's cells made me as foolish as Hashirama himself?
Just as Madara began doubting the cells, another White Zetsu emerged from the ground.
"Lord Madara."
"Ignore that idiot."
"When we investigated Asuka..."
"He happened to be studying Medical Ninjutsu."
"...Ah."
Madara immediately remembered.
That Uchiha.
The only combat jōnin in the clan who was also a medical jōnin.
With that much spare time...
He should've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan long ago.
Staring toward Konoha once again, Madara's expression darkened.
"I knew it..."
"I couldn't possibly have been influenced..."
"By that idiot Hashirama."