Chapter 21 : About Peace!!
[First of all, I want to clarify that achieving absolute peace is impossible.]
[As long as there are people, conflicts will arise. It's not realistic to persuade people through virtue as Hashirama Senju did, to win over major country leaders with sincerity, and to teach villagers by setting a virtuous example.]
"What are you saying? Why do you think Hashirama's peace vision isn't achievable?"
In the Hokage's office, Tobirama Senju and his six disciples listened as Hayashi Sora criticized Hashirama Senju. Tobirama, being the younger brother, remained silent, but Utatane Koharu responded passionately.
"Koharu, they can't hear you if you speak here."
"Stay calm, Koharu."
"Didn't Hayashi Sora say it's just his opinion? Don't get upset."
Everyone knew Utatane Koharu idolized the First Hokage, so they understood her emotions at the moment.
After everyone's reassurances, Utatane Koharu finally calmed down.
Yet, the way she looked at the light screen, specifically at Hayashi Sora in the image, was quite hostile.
[Secondly, the peace I'm discussing here doesn't account for foreign invaders like the Otsutsuki clan. If we include them, the ninja world might never know peace.]
"Hmm? What's an Ōtsutsuki clan? And who are these foreign enemies?"
Tobirama had many thoughts, but he kept them to himself, maintaining a serious expression as he continued to watch the projection.
"Okay, under these two conditions, if the Ninja World aims for peace, we might look to China's history."
[As we know, China is one of the four ancient civilizations, and it's the only ancient nation without a cultural gap.]
[More than two thousand years ago, Qin Shi Huang already told us that unification is the only way to achieve peace.]
"Ridiculous. It's easy to say, but does he know how many people will have to die if he unifies the ninja world?"
When everyone heard this, they nodded, agreeing with Koharu's reasoning.
After all, you can't expect others to surrender just because you call for unification.
It requires war to compel the other party to surrender.
As long as there's war, there will be casualties.
Senju Tobirama hailed from the Warring States Period. He didn't know the exact number of ninja clans in the Land of Fire who perished before Konoha emerged, but it must have been tens of thousands, if not more.
And that's just the death toll within the Land of Fire. If we consider the entire ninja world during the Warring States period, the number would likely exceed two hundred thousand.
Two hundred thousand—what an astonishing figure.
Everyone in the room shook their heads, finding Hayashi Sora's approach unreliable.
However, they couldn't just leave and go to sleep with the light screen here, right?
They had to make do and endure it.
But what Hayashi Sora said next startled them.
[Historical records indicate that during Qin Shi Huang's unification of the world, over a million soldiers were executed, and his own army also suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties—resulting in more than two million deaths before achieving unification.]
"What? So many people died?"
"That's outrageous, surely it's exaggerated."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! This person must be deceiving us."
Witnessing their disciples' uproar, Tobirama immediately reprimanded them, "Calm down. What are you all babbling about?"
Tobirama's rebuke quieted them momentarily.
"Sensei, so many lives lost for unification. Was it really worth it?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's question mirrored the thoughts of others. Tobirama didn't answer, for he too wondered if it was worth it.
[Did Qin Shi Huang achieve lasting peace after unifying the world?]
[Actually, not really.]
[Because this marks the true great unification in history, something no one has ever experienced.]
[Fortunately, Qin Shihuang was a man of great talent and strategy, unifying the writing system and the standard gauge to achieve cultural unification.]
[It is precisely because of this initial great unification that in subsequent dynasties, no matter how many states the country was divided into, a strong leader would emerge and unify the nation once more.]
On the screen, Hayashi Sora took a sip of water and continued.
[Having said all this, my meaning is very clear.]
[Consider this: if Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had unified the entire ninja world, there would only be one nation in the ninja world thereafter, and everyone would belong to the same country.]
[Of course, hatred cannot be erased so easily.]
[However, as long as Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha govern the ninja world steadily for a few decades, and when the second and third generations, free from hatred, are born, even if these two individuals suddenly pass away, the ninja world should not descend into chaos.]
[Because the second and third generations born in an era of peace will not understand the grievances of the previous generation. As long as the successors of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara are reliable, peace will endure.]
"Teacher, do you think he is right?"
Upon hearing this, for some reason, everyone felt that Hayashi Sora's words made sense.
Indeed, war claims far too many lives.
Yet, if long-term peace can be maintained, the sacrifice of some individuals may not be in vain.
"Perhaps."
Tobirama still did not directly answer Sarutobi Hiruzen's question.
Because he had not yet resolved his doubts: could unification truly bring peace to the ninja world?
He still recalled that before Konoha's founding, his elder brother always told him: Fight violence with violence, and you will only breed more violence.
He had always believed his elder brother was right.
"I killed you, and then your relatives and friends came after me. Those who killed me had to face my own friends and relatives hunting them down. It became a cycle, like nesting dolls.
But here, Hayashi Sora had a different perspective.
Responding to violence with violence doesn't always lead to more violence; it can also bring unity.
If we wait for the second and third generations to come, even if the first generation holds grudges and causes trouble, it won't be easy because they'll be old by then.
The more Senju Tobirama thought about it, the more he believed in the idea of unity.
He wanted to wage war against Kumogakure immediately and bring the village under the Land of Fire's rule.
Wait, the Land of Fire?
Oh, he suddenly remembered that the Daimyo, not him as Hokage, rules the Land of Fire.
So, before starting a war for unification, should the Daimyo be removed? Or in other words, killed?
Tobirama wiped sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath to calm himself.
Assassinate the Daimyo?
That's out of the question.
Without the Daimyo, who will fund Konoha Village and govern the civilians?
Should we rely on ninja?
Ninja don't know about governing; they only know how to kill.
That's why my elder brother entrusted the country's governance to others.
The more he thought about it, the more Tobirama's mood darkened.
Coincidentally, Hayashi Sora in the picture also discussed the limitations of ninja.
With just one word, he rekindled Tobirama's determination.
That word is: learn!
********
This chapter was incredibly difficult to write, and I deleted over 2,000 words.
I don't think I'll write similar plots in the future.
It was hard for me to write, and I imagine it was hard for the readers too.
Why bother?"
****
Support me on my ko-fi account and read upto 15 early chapters,
https://ko-fi.com/aayume