Why do humans emphasize the procreation and continuation of offspring? One crucial reason is to ensure that after death, someone will still remember them, seeing it as an extension of their own life.
A person's true death isn't when their heart stops beating or their breath fades, nor is it when their body is buried and people attend the funeral in black. It's when the last person in this world who remembers you forgets you, and the entire world no longer has any connection to you.
That's why Konoha's decision to erect the Memorial Stone was truly a wise one.
The memorial service quickly concluded. Usually, at this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi would step up to deliver the closing remarks. However, this time, it took everyone by surprise.
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked to the base of the Memorial Stone, faced the Konoha villagers below, and then suddenly stepped aside, yielding the central position. Under everyone's gaze, Hyuga Kawa slowly walked up onto the Memorial Stone's base.
The twilight's red glow pierced through the clouds, illuminating his seemingly frail figure. His heavily bandaged right arm was fixed in front of him, giving him a somewhat sickly appearance. Yet, a katana still hung at his waist. His gaze slowly swept across the faces below, each one either weary, sorrowful, or serene.
An invisible, heavy pressure gradually emanated from him, causing the previously whispering Konoha villagers to instinctively quiet their words and actions. Finally, with only the sound of the wind and breathing remaining, Hyuga Kawa spoke.
"Ladies and gentlemen, some of you know me, and some do not."
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. He said softly, "You don't need to know my name. Like you, I am a shinobi of Konoha."
"Like you, I walked through long nights with courage, stepped over the remains of comrades, climbed through thorns and warfire, and now stand here, lighting the flame of continued life for them."
"But after the Third Hokage found me, and before standing here, I tried to find words, to heap up rhetoric, to use language to depict war and death."
"Yet I found that no words can measure the weight of war and life, no rhetoric can interpret the efforts and sacrifices we've made for survival."
"War has taken too much from us..."
Hyuga Kawa's voice wasn't impassioned, but it carried a deep resonance, imbued with the smoke and dust of the battlefield. Although he said, "You don't need to know my name," how could anyone present not know his name? As a hero who had killed hundreds, even thousands, of enemies on the battlefield, yet was forced to retreat due to severe injuries, he undoubtedly had the right to stand there. No one had the right to object, not even Hiashi Hyuga, who stood below with a darkened face, not daring to jump out and argue.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is war..."
Hyuga Kawa's hand rested on the katana at his waist, subtly awakening everyone's battlefield memories. Countless gruesome scenes from the battlefield made everyone's breathing grow heavy.
But just as he attempted to use the "Greed" ability to further stir their emotions...
"Third Hokage-sama! Urgent report!"
A masked Anbu shinobi suddenly appeared, his chest heaving as he instantly shunshined beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, kneeling on one knee and pulling a scroll from his ninja tool pouch. His appearance was like a drop of water into seemingly calm hot oil; an ominous premonition instantly gripped everyone's hearts.
Hyuga Kawa's eyes flickered slightly, while Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. He chose not to take the scroll, but instead said, "Read it."
Whether it was good news or bad news, it could not be concealed in plain sight. He could only choose to trust Hyuga Kawa now.
"Yes."
The Anbu shinobi nervously unrolled the scroll, and every word he spoke next was like a red-hot branding iron searing into everyone's hearts.
"Sunagakure has deployed the One-Tails Jinchuriki, luring it to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain. The One-Tails broke free from its seal, resulting in the border guards... completely, completely annihilated!"
"Large numbers of Sunagakure shinobi have begun invading our Land of Fire border via the Land of Rain..."
"At this moment, the defensive line is in distress... requesting, urgent reinforcement..."
The Anbu shinobi's voice grew increasingly shaky, and his volume diminished, but everyone present fell into a deathly silence, hearing every word clearly.
Immediately, after a brief silence, an indescribable horror and panic exploded within the crowd!
"A Tailed Beast? How dare Sunagakure!?"
"Border guards... all dead?"
"Through the Land of Rain, wouldn't that be behind the Moon Country's forces?!"
"What do we do? War, Tailed Beasts, it's back!"
Angry roars, panicked inquiries, and incredulous exclamations intertwined into a chaotic wave. The solemn grief that Hyuga Kawa had just managed to gather was instantly torn to shreds by this devastating bad news. Fear, like an invisible giant hand, clutched at every heart present!
But just as the chaos reached its peak, and panic was about to spread out of control...
"Silence!"
A voice suddenly ceased all noise. It wasn't loud, yet it instantly brought everyone's panic to a halt. All eyes instinctively turned to the figure on the Memorial Stone's base.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is war! This is reality! The hungry wolves coveting us will not give us time to breathe! They will not give us time to mourn!"
Hyuga Kawa's voice suddenly rose, sharp enough to pierce eardrums. He said sternly, "Decades, generation after generation, time and time again!"
"In the First Great Ninja War, our Second Hokage, Tobirama-sama, went to negotiate with sincerity, holding hope for peace! Then what did Kumogakure do?"
"No sooner had they set foot on their land than they bared their poisoned fangs and ambition, using despicable means to assassinate our Second Hokage!"
"The wounds of the First Great Ninja War had not yet healed, when the beacon fires of the Second Great Ninja War were ignited! And who was it?!"
Hyuga Kawa's left hand suddenly pointed towards the direction of the Land of Wind, and he sneered, "Sunagakure! They said the Land of Fire was too fertile, and Sunagakure couldn't survive!"
"So they used the utterly absurd reason of 'unreasonable resource distribution' to launch the Second Great Ninja War against us!"
"In the Third Great Ninja War, the Third Kazekage disappeared, and they actually laid that debt at our feet, using a robber's shameless excuse to commit acts of aggression again!"
"They charged across the border, tearing our comrades apart with puppets, burying our wheat fields with sandstorms, and corrupting the lives of our people with poison!"
"Using the blood, sweat, and lives of our Land of Fire to fill the parched cracks in their barren land—that's what they call 'reasonable resource distribution'!"
"This is Sunagakure! Kumogakure!"
His gaze was cold as he swept over the crowd below: "And not long ago, they sent envoys, but held a blade to a child's neck!"
"After their conspiracy failed, those beasts, with clumsy excuses, pressured Konoha to hand over the 'murderer' who acted to protect his family!"
"They said they wanted an 'explanation'!"
"Explanation?" Hyuga Kawa's voice became a sarcastic whisper. "They still dare to demand an 'explanation'!"
"Then who will give Konoha an explanation? Who will give an explanation to the families who lost their pillars in the war? Who will give an explanation to the villages that were trampled? Who will give all of us an explanation?!"
Among the crowd, panic gradually receded, replaced by brewing rage, like magma beneath the earth, desperately needing an outlet.
"Assassination! Robbery! Kidnapping! Slander! Extortion!"
"This is Kumogakure! This is Sunagakure!"
Hyuga Kawa's gaze swept over the crowd. He gripped the katana at his waist and said coldly, "Their greedy eyes have never left Konoha's land, never ceased their covetousness towards us!"
"And now, they are here again!"
"They can't even wait for us to wipe away the tears we shed for the departed! They're impatiently baring their fangs! To tear us, to tear the entire Land of Fire, clean!"
"They are saying: 'Konoha? Without a strong leader like the First Hokage, what's left are just sick cats with broken spines! We can kick them as much as we want, rip off as much flesh as we want!'"
"So, now, what is your answer?"
He strode fiercely forward, his body almost leaning over the edge of the platform. His injured right arm stained his clothes red, but he paid no heed, demanding, "Tell me, have you endured enough?"
"Enough!" A suppressed roar suddenly erupted from the entire crowd!
"Do you still believe that those 'peace treaties' written on worthless scrolls, too rough even to wipe your ass with, can protect our families?!"
"No!" Countless voices below roared in response, their shouts piercing the sky!
"Are you still going to let them, like leeches, suck the last drop of blood from us?!"
"Never!!" The crowd was like a volcano suppressed to its limit; all their fear, sorrow, and anger were completely ignited at this moment, converging into a torrent of furious response, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami roaring!
"Good! Very good!"
Hyuga Kawa's face broke into a cruel and fanatical smile: "Those bastards don't understand human words! They only understand one thing!"
As his words fell, he raised his bandaged arm and exerted force. His knuckles popped from the strain, and the bandages instantly snapped and disintegrated! The wound, torn open by the immense movement, bled like tiny snakes, dripping onto the cold stone base of the platform, spreading a striking dark crimson.
"Blood!"
Hyuga Kawa's voice was like rolling thunder, carrying the will of iron and blood, each word striking the souls of everyone present.
"Kill! Kill them until they tremble with fear at the sight of blood!!"
Hyuga Kawa stood high, the setting sun painting him crimson. His continuously dripping right arm was striking and menacing, conveying a silent command far more impactful than any roar. This single sentence was no longer a declaration, but the most primitive, violent, and undeniable command.
The Konoha shinobi below completely erupted.
"Kill!!"
"Kill!!"
"Kill!!"
Countless eyes were bloodshot, their chests filled with all the accumulated humiliation, anger, and sorrow, all transformed into boundless killing intent! The uniform roar, carrying the will of mutual destruction, seemed to tear through the twilight clouds of the sky, surging towards the heavens. The very earth seemed to tremble with their cries.
The fear that had just permeated the air was utterly crushed by this life-burning, frenzied battle intent. In everyone's eyes, there was only blood and fiery vengeance!
Among the crowd, Hiashi Hyuga and others, experiencing the fanatical aura up close, were left with only an indescribable shock and dread. Their lips felt dry, and they were speechless.
Further to the front, Hinata's throat swallowed slightly. Gazing up at that figure, her last trace of pride shattered completely, replaced by another emotion. That emotion was called aspiration.
"Form ranks immediately! Objective: Land of Rain!"
"Logistics department! Calculate sufficient supplies!"
"Sealing Corps! Prepare for Tailed Beast sealing techniques!"
The silent Hiruzen Sarutobi finally stepped forward, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart and that long-lost, fervent battle intent, issuing commands like a sudden downpour while the atmosphere was charged.
Danzō Shimura watched Hyuga Kawa with a flushed face, his body trembling violently. How could a person be so bold?! Why was such a person that Hiruzen's?!
And Hyuga Kawa stood on the base, his arm mostly soaked in blood. But he paid no mind. Because he was listening to the pleasant notification sound.
[Ding! Your lies have been deemed [Playing a Part to Fool Others], [Driving the Tiger to Devour the Wolf], [Deceiving the Masses with Heresy], [Gaining Fame by Deception]. Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hiashi Hyuga, Danzō Shimura, and others have experienced severe emotional fluctuations, reaching the level of [Absolute Conviction]. You have gained 11,000 Truth Points...]
[Remaining Truth Points: 32,500]
Almost simultaneously, memories flooded his mind. The clone near Nagato had dispelled. This also meant that the Box of Ultimate Bliss was finally in his hands.
Hyuga Kawa looked at the fanatical crowd again, as if looking at one ghost after another, a genuine smile appearing on his face.
Go, go, fight for Konoha. I'll wait for you to return to the embrace of death, to fight for me.