The "Will of Fire" is about dedicating yourself to a belief.
But what that belief actually means changes a lot from person to person.
Back when Senju Hashirama was around, the Will of Fire meant building the village, protecting the kids, and keeping them safe from war.
Uchiha Madara believed in that dream too. He worked with Senju Hashirama, wanting to see children grow up in peace.
Later on, Senju Hashirama and Madara fell out because they let power get to their heads.
Even though Senju Tobirama pushed Senju Hashirama to become the First Hokage to keep the Uchiha from taking control, Senju Hashirama knew Madara was listening outside the window. He pretended not to notice and agreed with his younger brother.
Then, Madara said he was leaving Konoha.
Senju Hashirama, now the Hokage, told him that he needed Madara and that if Madara worked hard, he could become the Second Hokage.
But Uchiha Madara already knew what the Senju brothers were really thinking.
That's why we split up.
Later, Senju Tobirama became the Second Hokage and kept calling the Uchiha an evil clan.
He used all sorts of ways to control the Uchiha, stopping them from having any real power in Konoha.
After all this, the Uchiha went from being one of the village's founding families to just low-level officials.
Utatane Koharu and others followed Senju Tobirama's ideas and kept doing the same thing.
Old Father Sarutobi Hiruzen took the good parts of Senju Tobirama's teachings.
The bad parts were taken up by Danzo and the others.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to change things, but he couldn't just openly disagree.
Every time he tried, Utatane Koharu and the others would bring up Senju Tobirama, the previous Hokage.
If you didn't listen, they'd say you didn't have the Will of Fire, that you were disobeying the previous Hokage, and so on.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to make changes, but he couldn't. He was limited by the times, by who he was, and by these old ideas. He didn't really know how to make things better.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen had gone to school for nine years and studied politics...
Oh, Sarutobi Ryo realized people in this world didn't study politics. There were no politics classes.
Politics was only for the powerful.
It was taught secretly, from one person to another.
So, when most people in this world faced problems, they just got sad or angry. They couldn't figure out how to solve them.
Nagato was one of the smarter ones.
At least he came up with a peace plan that was similar to using nuclear weapons to scare people into not fighting.
But Uchiha Madara, Obito's brainwashing, the Matrix... what was all that about?
This world needed to change, and fast.
It needed someone to truly embody the Will of Fire.
Hatake Sakumo becoming more powerful was the first step.
Next, Sarutobi Ryo would become the next Hokage.
Then, he'd pass the torch to Itachi, letting him become the Sixth Hokage.
With three Hokage working together over many years, they could change this world completely.
Sarutobi Ryo knew that each generation had its own job to do.
You couldn't rush things.
It had to be done step by step, with each generation building on the last, letting time prove what worked.
How could Utatane Koharu and the others, stuck in their old ways, understand Sarutobi Ryo's grand plans?
The reason Utatane Koharu and the others were making things difficult now wasn't just because of Itachi's talent. It was because the Uchiha were a sensitive political issue.
In Konoha, if they say you're good, you're good, even if you're not.
Who gets chosen has nothing to do with talent.
That's how you know things are corrupt.
Of course, politics always had some corruption because people always have a dark side.
But people also have a good side.
They always show good qualities too.
Sarutobi Ryo had both Senju Nawaki's light and a darkness that no one else in this world could match.
With these two sides, Sarutobi Ryo knew how to manage and change the world.
"I really admire Itachi's talent..."
Sarutobi Ryo changed the subject and started to talk indirectly.
He reached out and touched Itachi's head, then looked at the advisors.
"If Lord Koharu... if you can find a kid who is more talented than Itachi, then I'll gladly take him as my Adopted Son..."
"This isn't about talent at all!"
Utatane Koharu immediately spoke, but then stopped.
If it wasn't about talent, then what was it about?
Sarutobi Ryo stared at Utatane Koharu.
Please, Elder Koharu, tell me.
Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Danzo now realized that Sarutobi Ryo... because his Father was Sarutobi Hiruzen... didn't really understand why the Uchiha clan was considered evil.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had always been friendly with the Uchiha, seeing them as allies, so he wouldn't have told Sarutobi Ryo the things they all knew.
And he couldn't pass down Senju Tobirama's teachings.
Oh no... Too late...
"In short, I don't agree with this." Utatane Koharu said firmly.
"Elder Koharu, you're not my mother or my teacher, so you don't get to tell me what to do."
Sarutobi Ryo looked straight at Utatane Koharu and spoke calmly.
Elder Koharu, I am Itachi's Adoptive Father.
Sarutobi Ryo, you will regret this! Of course, Utatane Koharu wouldn't say that out loud.
She still thought Sarutobi Ryo was on their side.
But taking Itachi as his Adopted Son was a really foolish thing to do.
"Come over here with me..."
Utatane Koharu had to ask Sarutobi Ryo to walk to the side so they could talk privately.
Sarutobi Ryo immediately moved to the corner.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was showing Itachi how much he cared.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was overjoyed to suddenly have an adopted grandson.
He was a grandpa now.
And what Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know was...
He wasn't just Itachi's grandpa, but also Neji's, and even Sasuke's...
The Sarutobi Clan was growing and producing many new branches, very good... very good...
"Sarutobi Ryo!"
Utatane Koharu's face became serious.
"This starts back in the Warring States Period..."
Then, Utatane Koharu began to tell their version of the story.
In this version, the Uchiha clan was very evil, each member as frightening as a monster.
It took a long time.
Utatane Koharu used every trick she knew to explain what the higher-ups believed.
"So... Lord Mito also believed that I had darkness in my heart, but I still became a Ninja with the Will of Fire."
Sarutobi Ryo immediately argued back, and Utatane Koharu was speechless for a moment.
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[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 237 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
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]