"The Will of Fire..." Jin shook his head with a sigh. "Perhaps, in the beginning, the Third and his generation truly did uphold that so-called Will of Fire. But people change."
"Once they've crossed the line under the banner of the Will of Fire, it becomes easier to cross it again and again."
"And eventually, they justify every mistake they make with the slogan, 'All for the sake of the village.'"
"Until finally, the so-called Will of Fire becomes twisted and corrupted."
He paused briefly before continuing in a low, serious tone. "Where the leaves dance, the fire shall burn.
The shadow of the fire will illuminate the village, and the leaves will sprout anew. That was the Will of Fire passed down from the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama."
"Hashirama's goal in founding the village was to protect the children."
"But look at what the village has become."
"Conducting experiments on comrades and children, forcing academy students to graduate early and head to the battlefield."
"All of it goes against the original intent of founding this village."
"Under the leadership of the Third Hokage and with the advisory council aiding him, the upper echelons of Konoha have already fallen into darkness."
Minato recalled the two disciples he had lost during the war. The fiery emotions in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a firm and resolute gaze.
He spoke up, "We must set things right. Sweep away the chaos festering within the village."
If before, Minato still held some respect for Hiruzen despite disagreeing with certain decisions, that respect had now completely vanished.
Jin nodded resolutely. "That's exactly what we're doing."
Initially, Jin's only goal had been to change his fate and that of the Uchiha clan.
But after spending years living in this real world, Jin unknowingly found himself laying a much broader foundation.
Some of it was out of necessity—one move affecting the whole. But some were steps Jin had taken of his own accord.
Back when he used to watch the anime, Jin thought this world was filled with emotionally driven lunatics—intense, passionate, and obsessively single-minded.
But after actually living here for some time, he realized those so-called lunatics were just people who couldn't change reality and chose to run from it.
Zabuza, who clawed his way out of the Mist Village's bloody policies, eventually tried to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, the one who created those policies.
Those cruel, emotionless rules didn't destroy Zabuza's heart. He simply wrapped his emotions in a layer of cold armor and chose a wandering path, only revealing his true self at the very end of his life.
Orochimaru, erratic and obsessed with immortality, might actually be one of the few rational people in this world. He saw further than most.
After experiencing two great wars and seeing the true nature of those around him, Orochimaru, knowing he could do nothing, chose to pursue truth.
Immortality, to him, was merely a means to chase more of that truth.
After all, in his eyes, only the truth doesn't change and doesn't lie.
Those who once dreamed of becoming the wind now merely stand watching as the wind spins the windmill.
There were many others like that.
Sasori, who claimed to seek eternity, only longed for parental love. Kakuzu, disillusioned by human hypocrisy, chased wealth.
Nagato, without his own conviction, forcibly inherited and twisted his friend's will. Kabuto poured everything into understanding himself.
Uchiha Madara, who sought peace, was deceived so thoroughly he ended up with nothing.
Though labeled as villains, it's hard to truly hate these people once you understand their past. They were all shaped by this world—a world that twisted them, made them obsessive.
And after a few years in this world, Uchiha Jin realized he too was being influenced by it.
He didn't know exactly when, but a mad idea had taken root within him: he wanted to change the entire world.
He wanted to break the chains of fate that bound it and give it a future it had never seen. But some parasites had no place in that future.
Naturally, Jin would have to remove them one by one.
His gaze grew increasingly firm.
Letting out a long breath, Jin continued, "As I said before, there are no walls in this world that don't leak air."
"Our Uchiha clan noticed something was wrong after some of our people began to disappear. How could the Senju, who suffered even greater losses, not notice anything?"
"In the end, the Senju fell out with the Third and his circle, and even their generations-long marriage ties with the Fire Daimyo's family became strained."
"But the full truth is probably only known to those directly involved."
It took some time, but Jin finally finished explaining the grudge between the Fire Daimyo's line and Hiruzen's faction.
"I see," Minato said, deeply moved. "So, it's because of this estrangement that the Uchiha, once shunned in Konoha, were offered a chance to become part of the Twelve Guardian Ninja?"
"Exactly," Jin nodded. "Though the Uchiha and Senju have a long-standing grudge, that belongs to the Warring States era."
"In truth, the moment our clan chose not to follow Madara and stayed in Konoha, we ceased to be that old Uchiha clan. We became Konoha's Uchiha."
"All those grudges between our clan and the Senju have long since faded with the wind."
"That's why, under the Third's oppressive leadership, we Uchiha—ironically—stand aligned with the Daimyo's household."
"If the Daimyo isn't a fool, he won't reject the Uchiha's goodwill."
Of course, that was just Jin's hopeful assumption. Reality might not play out so smoothly.
That was why the man he sent to the Daimyo's court was Shisui, wielder of the most powerful genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami.
If the Fire Daimyo refused to cooperate, then Shisui would make sure he did.
Seeing the confidence in Jin's eyes, Minato realized Jin had likely prepared other contingencies as well.
But Minato didn't ask.
Some things were better left unsaid.
Minato said, "With a financial base secured and the Daimyo's support obtained, we've eliminated many of Konoha's external uncertainties."
"Once I become Hokage, I'll be free to launch a true reform within the village."
Jin nodded, then added, "More than that—the Daimyo's faction can remain hidden in the shadows. It might even become a trump card."
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