Minato's words caused Nawaki, who had been quietly smiling beside him, to suddenly change expression.
This reaction naturally didn't escape Minato's notice.
It was a perfectly natural reaction, one that fit right within Minato's expectations. Though young, Nawaki was a ninja through and through.
The information regarding the Senju clan was so heavily guarded within the village that even if Nawaki chose to withhold some details from him, Minato wouldn't have found it surprising.
He had only asked as a test. Right now, Minato had plenty of time. Even if he couldn't obtain useful information from the village elders or Nawaki, he would investigate on his own.
The Senju clan, known as the "Senju of the Forest," once enjoyed widespread fame throughout the Ninja World. They were certainly not an obscure family. Even if they had vanished, their traces could never be completely wiped out.
"I guess I said something wrong. Sorry," Minato then smiled at Nawaki, letting the matter slide with a casual shrug.
Upon hearing this, Nawaki didn't immediately respond. Minato noticed that he kept biting his lower lip, clearly caught between duty and trust.
Though Minato appeared to trust him, this matter was confidential, and Nawaki naturally hesitated at the moment.
Minato remained silent, waiting for Nawaki's own judgment. At this point, anything he said might raise suspicion instead.
Finally, after several minutes of contemplation, Nawaki raised his eyes to look at Minato, speaking with an unprecedented seriousness, "About this matter, I can tell you, but you must promise not to tell anyone else—not even Kushina."
"In that case, you don't need to tell me. This should be classified information, right?" Minato replied with a slight smile. Though he had been gently probing, he didn't want to make Nawaki feel cornered.
"It is indeed confidential, but since it's you, Minato, there shouldn't be a problem. You're a hero of the village, and you've saved my life," Nawaki gave a light chuckle before continuing, "Most importantly, I have this strange feeling about the whole thing. Actually, you can help me make sense of it."
"An indescribable feeling?" Minato echoed questioningly.
"Yeah. You're smarter than me; maybe you can explain my confusion," Nawaki said.
Upon hearing this, Minato slightly furrowed his brow. Judging from Nawaki's reaction, this matter seemed even more complicated.
"Go ahead," Minato looked at Nawaki steadily.
Nawaki then said, "My sister told me that the ancestors of the Senju clan moved out of Konoha Ninja Village with the entire clan."
"But wasn't the village originally established by the First Hokage along with the Senju clan and other clans? Why would they leave Konoha?" Minato asked.
"Yes, the village was indeed built by Grandfather Hashirama together with everyone. This village is Grandfather's precious legacy, and for the Senju clan, Grandfather was also their pillar," Nawaki explained.
"If that's the case, how could the Senju clan..."
"With the death of Grandfather Hashirama, the great nations became restless, leading to the outbreak of the First Great Ninja War..."
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was revered by countless ninja as the God of Ninja. He brought peace to a war-torn world and divided the Tailed Beasts among the great nations.
These leaders of major nations, out of fear of the First's might, naturally dared not stir up trouble. However, after his passing, due to imbalances in interests among various countries, wars were bound to erupt.
From this, one can see just how powerful the First Hokage truly was.
It could be said that through his mere name alone, he kept the entire ninja world in check. No major nation dared initiate war.
"But although Grandpa First is gone, the Senju clan and Konoha still had the Second Hokage. Though he wasn't as powerful as Grandpa First, during that time he was definitely among the top strongest in the ninja world. So during the First Great Ninja War, Konoha did not suffer losses," Nawaki continued.
Minato nodded. Although he personally had never witnessed the Second's might, judging merely from the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Flying Thunder God Technique, and Impure World Reincarnation he developed, he could already get a glimpse of it.
[Shadow Clone Jutsu], [Flying Thunder God Technique], [Impure World Reincarnation]—he himself relied on just one of these techniques to command the battlefield. His reputation as Konoha's Yellow Flash shook all nations.
"However, near the end of the war, Grandpa Second fell victim to a trap set by a Cloud Village rogue ninja, which enraged most of the Senju clan. They swore revenge against Kumogakure but met strong opposition from Konoha's high-ranking members, because they no longer wished to continue the war."
"In the end, the Senju clan had to accept this reality. But at that time, some of them began disagreeing with certain village officials regarding political views, and they remained resentful over Grandpa Second's death. Eventually, they lost hope for the village. They believed this village, built with the lifelong efforts of Grandpa Hashirama and the First Hokage, had become too cold-hearted..."
"Therefore, their entire branch left the village. Since Grandma Mito chose to stay behind, Mito and I also remained here." When Nawaki got to this part about himself, he couldn't help letting out a sigh.
...
Minato, having received so much information from him, fell silent in contemplation.
...
"It makes sense now," Minato finally spoke after a long while. He looked at Nawaki and asked, "So Nawaki Sempai, what do you really think of the village?"
Nawaki hesitated slightly before replying, "This village is the treasure left behind by Grandpa, the place where I grew up. It is my home. No matter what it takes, I will always protect it—just like the two grandpas did."
"Before, I hadn't experienced war firsthand, so I didn't fully understand the village elders' decision back then. But now I realize, their choice was actually the wisest... Since Grandpa Second was already gone, the village itself had suffered a huge loss. If we insisted on waging war against Kumogakure at that point, it would only have led to even greater damage."
His words actually made Minato raise an eyebrow.
In Minato's impression, if this were months ago, Nawaki definitely wouldn't have been able to express such thoughts.
"So then, what's still bugging you?" Minato asked with a faint smile.
"I just can't put it into words, so I came to ask you," Nawaki replied.
"Actually, your problem is pretty simple."
Minato smiled. "From the village's perspective, ending the war at that time was definitely the right decision. But for the Senju clan, the passing of the First and The Second themselves caused a huge impact. Given their prestige, it's natural they would refuse to accept it, and their feelings aren't wrong either."
"In this world, there's no absolute virtue or vice, no clear right or wrong."
Minato's words surprised Nawaki slightly. He asked, "Your explanation sounds really deep."
"Hehe, if I explain it a little more, it'll make sense," Minato chuckled.
"Take the Second Great Ninja War as an example. The Suna ninja tried to harm our comrades. As Konoha ninja, we naturally want justice, so we have to attack the Land of Wind."
"But from the Suna ninja's perspective, they're simply eliminating enemies and following orders. For the Land of Wind and Sunagakure, the Konoha forces invading their country—which is us—are intruders violating their homeland."
"From our viewpoint, we believe ourselves to be righteous. But from Sunagakure's perspective, we are the enemy. When you switch perspectives, the answer stays the same."
After listening to Minato's explanation, Nawaki's eyes sparkled.
"Why didn't I ever think of it that way before..."
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