radicalducati Chapter 155 For a Piece of Paper for Peace
Chapter 155 For a Piece of Paper for Peace
Chapter 155 For a Piece of Paper for Peace
Do you believe in Konoha's future? Upon hearing Minato Namikaze's question, the elderly Hideki Hyuga couldn't help but reminisce.
In my memory, I must have believed it from the bottom of my heart.
Yes, I did believe it!
He also personally participated in the war for the sake of Konoha, despite his family's advice!
When Hyuga Hideki joined the Fourth Shinobi World War, this young commander in front of him probably wasn't even born yet.
But what was the result?
His closest friend, another member of the main family, sacrificed his life for the village's war!
My best friend's Byakugan is still being used openly by a Kirigakure Jonin named Ao, as a trophy of Kirigakure.
However, everything he and his best friend fought for was ultimately returned to other villages by Hiruzen Sarutobi at the end of the last Shinobi World War!
Just for... that piece of paper that promises peace.
Perhaps it was from that time that Hideki Hinata changed.
He became a "standard" clan elder.
He will never again impulsively take risks himself, nor will he ever personally participate in brutal wars.
Wherever he goes now, he is accompanied by a large number of branch family guards.
He began to cherish his life, became numb, and started talking about family, powerful clans, bloodlines, and heritage all the time.
His ability to roll his eyes improved day by day, but the light in his eyes disappeared.
In fact, if the war had followed the original trajectory, Hideki Hyuga would still have supported Minato Namikaze, even if he was disappointed with the village.
For no other reason than to leave a good impression on the next Hokage, who is destined for greatness, and to secure a better future for the Hyuga clan.
If things continue to go smoothly and victory arrives as expected, then even if the light in his eyes is gone, Hyuga Hideki will always appear on the surface as a loyal Konoha retainer who sings the praises of the Will of Fire.
But the mistake was that victory did not come!
So when Minato Namikaze asked him, "Why are you unwilling to believe in the future of Konoha?", Hideki Hyuga just chuckled lightly, a chuckle that was both playful and sarcastic.
"I believe it, Lord Minato. I have always believed in the future of Konoha. I believe the war will eventually end, and Konoha will always stand strong."
"Then why did you still—" Minato Namikaze blurted out the question.
But he stopped halfway through his sentence.
Because Minato Namikaze was very clever, he understood the other party's meaning after only a slight pause.
Hideki Hyuga doesn't doubt the future of Konoha, so what he worries about is the future of his own clan, the future of the Hyuga clan...
At that moment, Minato Namikaze clenched his fist.
"Elder Ying Shu, your thinking is wrong! If every ninja clan only thinks about protecting themselves like you do, then the village will inevitably decline and split up sooner or later. When that happens, the trunk of the great tree will fall, and not a single leaf will be spared!"
Hideki Hyuga still smiled sarcastically, "Then may I ask, Lord Minato, did you say this to the Sarutobi clan? As far as I know, it wasn't just our Hyuga clan that made an exception and returned to the village this time, was it?"
"..."
At that moment, Minato Namikaze felt his throat go dry again, and he was stunned and speechless.
Only now did he realize just how huge a mess his respected master had left him!
In the past, Minato Namikaze's attitude towards Hiruzen Sarutobi was mostly one of gratitude and admiration.
Although he was aware of some of the old man's mistakes and disliked some of Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions, he had never truly felt the impact of those mistakes because his previous experiences had been so smooth.
Until today, when his winning streak on the battlefield was finally broken and he encountered setbacks and defeats for the first time, all the contradictions that had been covered up by his victories in the past erupted at once. Only then did Minato realize how terrible the problems that had accumulated in the village over the years were!
In the end, he could only use his status as a frontline commander to force the Hyuga clan to send out more squads.
Hideki Hinata nodded in agreement.
However, Minato Namikaze found no solace in this.
Because he knew very well that the matter had not been resolved, but had simply been suppressed once again.
If another battle were to break out, and he were to fall into a disadvantageous position, his ninja squads would never be able to fight alongside him with the same selfless devotion as the Akatsuki organization did that day!
He returned to the command post in a daze and finally met two confidants in the evening—his teammates: Akimichi Choza and Aburame Shio.
In the battle a few days ago, the two battlefields that Akimichi Choza and Aburame Shio were in charge of were among the few areas in Konoha that did not completely collapse after being swept away by Pain.
At this moment, Minato Namikaze saw his old teammate who had just recovered from his injury, and a rare sense of comfort welled up in his heart.
Feeling depressed, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Senior Choza, you participated in the last Shinobi World War, right?"
Choza Akimichi was taken aback when he heard this, and then finally put down the potato chips in his hand for the time being, which made Shio Aburame, who was standing next to him, turn her head.
This shows how damaging this topic is to Choza Akimichi.
Akimichi Choza was slightly older than Namikaze Minato, and because of his ninja clan background, he rose to prominence and became famous earlier than Minato, thus having more memories of the last Shinobi World War.
After recalling for a moment, Dingza finally spoke up: "Yes, I was teammates with Shikaku and Inoichi back then, and we went through several important battles."
Minato then asked, "So, are you able to accept the final outcome of the last war?"
This time, Akimichi Choza spent an even longer period of silent reminiscence.
After a long while, he said somewhat dejectedly, "It would be a lie to say that I can accept it. We clearly gave so much back then, but in the end, it feels like nothing has changed and we haven't gained anything."
Did you know that in the end, we couldn't even bring back the remains of the Second Hokage because the Hidden Cloud Village wouldn't give a clear answer?
As for the Third Hokage... in order to promote peace, he ultimately chose to compromise, and because of this, Tobirama still rests in the Land of Lightning.
Because of this, our Uncle Qufeng still refuses to fight anymore.
Akimichi Torifu of the Akimichi family was of the same generation as Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and others, and was a disciple of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
However, nowadays, there has been no news of Akimichi taking wind for a long time.
In the past, Minato Namikaze only knew that his senior had retired early, but only today did he realize that there were such reasons and twists and turns in the story.
In that instant, confusion and doubt surged up like a tide once again.
Many images flashed through Minato Namikaze's mind at once.
There was that mocking look in Hideki's eyes when they met during the day;
Hideki Hinata asked, "Even if we win, the Land of Grass will eventually be returned to the enemy, won't it?"
There are many scenes of Konoha ninjas being ravaged by war to the point of numbness, emptiness, and becoming like walking corpses.
The final image is frozen on that day, with Shiba Kiyokawa loudly questioning him—
Do you really know the meaning of your fight?
He had never been confused about this question in the past; all battles were definitely fought to protect Konoha!
Even now, though his resolve to protect Konoha remains unwavering, what perplexes him is how to convince others to follow him in sacrificing themselves for a cause in a war that is destined to change nothing.
"Konoha, was we really wrong?" Minato couldn't help but murmur to himself.
(End of this chapter)