The Uchiha Clan's Sun

Hanzo the Salamander smiled upon hearing this and said, "To get this answer, you must first understand the essence of war!"

What is the nature of war?

Yahiko and the other two perked up, their eyes fixed intently on Hanzo the Salamander!

In their view, this issue is very complicated. After all, there are many reasons that trigger wars, some of which are inexplicable and hard to understand, leaving them puzzled!

They wanted to hear Hanzo the Salamander's opinion!

Hanzo the Salamander didn't keep anyone in suspense and said directly, "No matter what the reasons for starting a war are, or what caused the war, in the end it's all just a struggle for interests!"

"A conflict of interests?!"

“Yes, it’s a struggle for interests!” Hanzo the Salamander nodded, then asked, “Have you ever watched Animal World?”

Yahiko looked puzzled and asked, "Animal World? What's that?"

Sanshoyu paused for a moment, caught up in his excitement, and said something wrong.

But just a moment later, Hanzo the Salamander explained, "A book that studies the living habits of animals!"

Yahiko shook his head and said, "We've never heard of this book!"

Hanzo the Salamander chuckled and said, "This book is rather niche. After all, few people are interested in the lives of animals, so it's normal that you haven't read it!"

"But humans are actually just complex animals, so the living habits of those animals can reflect many problems in human society quite directly!"

"It's like war!"

After a pause, Hanzo the Salamander continued, "On a vast grassland, many predators such as lions, cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas coexist, and they all feed on herbivores such as cattle and sheep!"

"They compete and fight each other, and when they encounter each other's offspring, they will not hesitate to kill those offspring!"

"Not only between races, but even within the same race, they will attack descendants who are not of their own blood!"

"It has been like this for thousands of years!"

"Do you know why this is?"

Yahiko frowned, vaguely sensing something, but a layer of mist prevented him from seeing it clearly!

Nagato hesitated before asking, "Because of profit?"

“That’s right!” Hanzo the Salamander nodded with a smile and explained, “Because the amount of grass on that grassland is fixed, the number of cattle and sheep he can raise is also fixed!”

"And since cattle and sheep are a fixed population, the number of predators they can support is also a fixed population!"

"Without conflict, the ever-increasing number of predators will eventually devour all the cattle and sheep, leading to their extinction!"

"They fight each other and kill each other's offspring simply to reduce competition so that they and their offspring can survive better, thus achieving an ecological balance!"

"Similarly, if we consider the world as a vast grassland, the cattle and sheep as various resources, and the countries as predators, then the wars between countries become much easier to understand!"

"Just like the Second Shinobi World War that started because of me, in the end it was just me fighting for the interests of the Land of Rain!"

The three of them, including Yahiko, were pale-faced and looked somewhat bewildered.

Hanzo the Salamander's words were easy to understand; all three of them had a fairly direct view of the essence of war!

But it is precisely because of this that their beliefs began to waver!

When it comes to fundamental issues like survival, conflict is simply unavoidable!

Everyone is struggling to survive, so what good would it do if we truly understood each other?

Are we all supposed to hug each other and die together?

No! Absolutely not!

Even wild beasts fight for survival, so how could humans, who are even more greedy and driven by desires than wild beasts, possibly stop fighting!

Since conflict is unavoidable, where can true peace come from?

All their previous efforts seem to have been in vain!

The so-called mutual understanding leading to peace is nothing but empty rhetoric!

Hanzo the Salamander took in the reactions of Yahiko and the others, smiled, and said, "What's wrong? Are you feeling discouraged by the harsh reality?"

Upon hearing this, Yahiko gave a wry smile and said, "I'm sorry, this result is indeed a bit hard to accept!"

Hanzo the Salamander said, "Actually, once you find the problem, finding a solution becomes much simpler!"

Yahiko and the other two's eyes lit up upon hearing this!

Yahiko asked, "Lord Hanzo, do you mean you've found a way to resolve the conflict?"

Hanzo the Salamander nodded and said, "Given time, you might be able to find your own path! But before that, would you like to hear my thoughts?"

"Of course!"

Yahiko and the other two answered without hesitation.

"Hmm..." Hanzo the Salamander pondered for a moment, then said, "Before that, let me formally introduce myself!"

As Hanzo the Salamander spoke, his eyes turned bloodshot and his expression became blank!

A figure emerged from the shadows behind Hanzo the Salamander and spoke to the astonished Yahiko and the others.

"I am Uchiha Jin. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Chapter 27 Fellow Disciples!

"you you you......"

Yahiko was so surprised that he couldn't speak. He instinctively tried to get up but found himself bound by an invisible force and unable to move!

Nagato and Konan were in a much better situation; although they were surprised, they were able to remain calm!

Konan is naturally indifferent, while Nagato seems to have expected it all along!

"Don't get agitated, I mean you no harm!" Uchiha Jin revealed a gentle smile, then looked at Nagato and said, "You should have noticed the anomaly by now, right?"

"Nagato?"

Yahiko and Konan were both startled by what they heard and looked at Nagato in surprise!

Nagato hesitated for a moment, then raised his head, revealing the rings of Rinnegan in his eye sockets, and said, "I saw an unusual chakra in Lord Hanzo's brain, but I couldn't be sure what it was, so I didn't act rashly!"

Nagato spoke tactfully, but in reality, he was wary of Uchiha Jin's strength and worried that exposing Uchiha Jin would lead to unpredictable dangers, which is why he remained silent!

Nagato revealed his Rinnegan only because he knew that Uchiha Jin had noticed his eyes long ago, so he took the initiative to reveal it to show his sincerity!

Of course, the most important thing is that he did not sense any malice from Uchiha Jin!

"Very good eyes, but you shouldn't rely on them too much!"

Uchiha Jin withdrew his gaze and gave a pointed reminder.

"Who exactly are you?" Yahiko had calmed down by now, looking at Uchiha Jin with a serious expression, then at the stunned Hanzo of the Salamander, and asked, "What did you do to Lord Hanzo?"

"I only trapped him in a genjutsu!" Uchiha Jin explained, adding, "Besides, I actually saved your lives!"

Yahiko asked in confusion, "Save us? What do you mean?"

"You must have noticed the recent unusual events on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, right?" Uchiha Jin pointed to the bandages on Yahiko and Konan and said, "And it seems you've also encountered some trouble!"

Yahiko's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "You mean the increasingly fierce battle between Konoha and Iwagakure?"

Uchiha Jin nodded and explained, "A new force has intervened in this war. The person's name is Shimura Danzo. Because he wants to gain more benefits, he wants to intensify the conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure and prolong the war!"

"And I came to the Land of Rain to stop him!"

"I spoke with Hanzo the Salamander before this, but he has already decided to join forces with Danzo Shimura!"

"I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure!"

Upon hearing this, Yahiko asked in confusion, "Why would this be? How could Lord Hanzo possibly cooperate with that Shimura Danzo? Only by stopping the war can the Land of Rain develop better, right?"

"You're still too naive!" Uchiha Jin shook his head and asked in return, "There was a period of peace between the end of the Second Shinobi World War and the start of this Third Shinobi World War. Have you seen any development in the Land of Rain?"

Yahiko paused, thinking carefully that during that time the Land of Rain seemed to have remained unchanged, still the barren Land of Rain!

Uchiha Jin explained, "In peacetime, the three great nations bordering the Land of Rain—Fire, Earth, and Wind—would never sit idly by and watch the Land of Rain grow! They would tacitly suppress the Land of Rain's development to prevent it from growing out of their control!"

"During wartime, the attention of the three great nations of Fire, Earth, and Wind will be tied to each other, and the Land of Rain can only gain more benefits during this gap!"

"Although the people of the Rain Country will suffer even more as a result!"

"But in the eyes of someone in power like Hanzo the Salamander, sacrificing some civilians to bring about the emergence of some elites is undoubtedly very worthwhile!"

"Just like wild animals, when faced with their offspring, they will abandon some of their weaker offspring to ensure that the other healthy ones can grow up better!"

"This is a choice we had to make for the benefit of the entire community!"

Uchiha Jin's words left Yahiko completely stunned!

He never expected reality to be so cruel!

"Then what do you mean by saying you saved our lives?"

Konan's obsession with peace wasn't as deep as Yahiko's and Nagato's, so she turned to ask about another issue that concerned their own interests!

Uchiha Jin pointed at Nagato and said, "It all started with him!"

"I?"

Nagato pointed to himself, looking utterly bewildered.

“Your eyes have been exposed!” Uchiha Jin nodded and said, “Shimura Danzo coveted your eyes and wanted to use them as a condition for forming an alliance with Hanzo of the Salamander!”

"If nothing unexpected happens, your Akatsuki organization will become a casualty of their alliance!"

Upon hearing this, Yahiko and the other two thought of the Iwagakure ninja who attacked them yesterday, and felt a chill in their hearts, as if they had fallen into an ice cave!

"how so......"

Yahiko gritted his teeth, somewhat unwilling to believe this reality!

Uchiha Jin pondered for a moment, then said, "It's okay if you don't believe me. Anyway, Shimura Danzo will be here soon to discuss the details with Hanzo of the Salamander. You can stay here and see for yourselves whether what I said is true or false!"

Yahiko and the other two exchanged glances, and then all nodded!

Some things, they won't be convinced until they've confirmed them themselves!

Konan then spoke up, asking, "Uchiha Jin... Lord, may I ask why you...?"

"Help you?"

Konan was unsure how to describe it, so Uchiha Jin voiced her doubts.

Xiao Nan nodded and said, "Yes!"

Uchiha Jin smiled and said, "There are many reasons. Besides someone asking me to take care of you, I also genuinely admire you!"

"As I said before, you not only have ideas, but you can also put them into practice, which is truly commendable!"

"I'm doing this on someone's behalf..." Yahiko's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he asked, "Is it Jiraiya-sensei?"

Uchiha Jin was a ninja from Konoha, which reminded Yahiko and the others of Jiraiya, who was also a ninja from Konoha!

Furthermore, the only connection they have with Konoha is Jiraiya!

Uchiha Jin shook his head and said, "It's not Jiraiya, but another disciple of Jiraiya, Namikaze Minato, who can be considered your senior brother!"

"He learned about you from Jiraiya, and after learning that I was coming to the Land of Rain, he asked me to take care of you!"

Yahiko and the other two were somewhat at a loss for words upon hearing this.

They all knew of Minato Namikaze's existence, but they never expected that this senior brother they had never met would care about them so much!

This camaraderie among fellow students warmed their hearts!

He truly lives up to his reputation as Jiraiya's disciple! His character is absolutely beyond question!

Chapter 28 The Cage Theory!

"Since you are Senior Brother Minato's friend, then I will call you Brother Jin!"

Knowing about the connection between Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze, Yahiko and the others lowered their guard against King Uchiha.

Uchiha Jin smiled and said, "Of course!"

Yahiko spoke up again: "Brother Jin, let's put aside the matter of Lord Hanzo and Danzo Shimura for now. Could you tell me your idea for resolving the conflict?"