Chapter 153: Showdown, My Goal Is to Unify the Ninja World!
"That's right. Placing hope in prophecy, in finding that so-called 'Child of Destiny.' From Minato to Nagato, Jiraiya was like a gambler, placing all his chips on others. And himself? Just a guide, an observer. Isn't that also a form of escape? Jiraiya never thought of creating the peaceful world he dreamed of with his own hands. Because Jiraiya knew it was too difficult. It was an almost impossible task."
Uchiha Akira slowly turned around, his gaze calmly fixed on Jiraiya. "Jiraiya. This world is sick. Very sick. The root cause is those so-called 5 Great Nations, the 5 Great Ninja Villages. As long as this structure exists for one day, war will never cease. Because suspicion, hatred, and self-interest will grow wildly like weeds in everyone's hearts. The only way to cure this world is to use the sharpest blade to cut off all the tumors and then use the strongest power to establish a brand new, unified order."
Jiraiya's body trembled violently. "Unify… the Ninja World?" He looked at Uchiha Akira in disbelief.
"Exactly." Uchiha Akira made no attempt to hide his ambition. "I will accomplish the great feat that even the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, failed to achieve. I will end this chaotic era and bring eternal peace to the entire Ninja World under my will."
"You…" Jiraiya subconsciously took a step back. He looked at Uchiha Akira as if he were looking at a complete madman. "You're insane! This is not peace at all! What you're doing completely goes against the original intention of the First Hokage-sama when he established Konoha and the system of one nation, one village! Such a world is completely contrary to the peace that Shodaime-sama hoped for, where everyone could understand each other!"
"Original intention?" Uchiha Akira shook his head, mocking him without hesitation. "Jiraiya, are you talking about the original intention that plunged the Ninja World into 3 Great Wars?"
Jiraiya was stunned. "You…"
"The First Hokage's ideal was indeed great," Uchiha Akira's tone was calm. "But the First Hokage failed. He distributed the Tailed Beasts to the various Ninja Villages, hoping to achieve a balance of power and thus peace. In reality, he personally sowed the seeds for the subsequent 3 Ninja World Wars! The result is obvious. As soon as he died, the Ninja World War broke out! His approach was fundamentally flawed! Peace is not achieved through charity, not through compromise, and certainly not through that illusory mutual understanding!"
Uchiha Akira took a step forward, staring at Jiraiya. "Distributing the Tailed Beasts resulted in them becoming the ultimate weapons for nations to wage war, and balance became a terrifying deterrent of mutual destruction. So-called peace is merely a brief respite between wars. There is no such thing as mutual understanding! You want an Iwagakure orphan who lost his parents in war to understand a Konoha ninja who killed his parents? Don't be naive, Jiraiya. There is no true empathy in this world."
Jiraiya's body trembled slightly from agitation. "But… but war always ends! As long as everyone can sit down and talk…"
"Talk?" Uchiha Akira interrupted him with a disdainful sneer. "After talking, in 10 or 20 years, when new hatreds ferment and new ambitious individuals emerge, then we fight again?" Weren't the previous 3 Ninja World Wars exactly like that? "Is this the peace you want? To maintain a shaky, false illusion with the blood and lives of countless generations? What I want to establish is true peace. An absolute, unquestionable order. Under this order, there will no longer be national borders, no longer hatred between villages. All power will be centralized. All wills will be unified. By then, the word 'war' will be completely erased from this world."
Jiraiya was speechless, unable to refute Uchiha Akira's words. Because history had already proven Senju Hashirama's failure.
"You…" Jiraiya spoke with difficulty, asking his last question. "What makes you think you can achieve that kind of permanent peace?"
"What makes me think?" Uchiha Akira smiled. His face showed absolute confidence, even arrogance. "My strength." Uchiha Akira stared at Jiraiya. "Do you want to witness it? Jiraiya. Witness the power that will silence the entire Ninja World. Witness the… absolute power I will use to create a new world."
Jiraiya's heart pounded violently. He looked at the excessively young Fifth Hokage before him, and a storm raged in his heart. Reason told him to refuse immediately. But deep down, a voice was screaming wildly. Go see! Go witness it with your own eyes! Decades of searching, decades of disappointment, had left Jiraiya exhausted. Perhaps, this was truly the last chance.
"Alright! I'll go with you! But if you are just a warmonger whose head is filled with power… I, Jiraiya, will stop you even if it costs me my life!"
"Heh heh." Uchiha Akira let out a light chuckle, noncommittally. Then he reached out and gently placed his hand on Jiraiya's shoulder. "Hold on tight."
The moment his words fell, Jiraiya felt as if the entire world before his eyes began to distort, spin, and finally transform into a deep vortex. The world spun wildly!
The next second, the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet returned. Jiraiya suddenly opened his eyes. The fresh scent of grass and trees filled his nostrils. What met his gaze was an endless, vast plain. The sky was clear blue, and white clouds drifted lazily.
Where… was this? Jiraiya's mind was still a bit dazed. He remembered that just a second ago, they were still in the Hokage Office.
"Is this… the Flying Thunder God Technique?" This thought flashed through Jiraiya's mind instantly. "No, that's not right! I didn't sense the presence of any ninjutsu coordinates! Arriving instantly with a thought, has the Fifth Hokage's understanding of spatial ninjutsu reached this level?!"
Jiraiya looked at Uchiha Akira beside him in horror.
"This is an uninhabited plain on the border of the Land of Fire. It's about 300 kilometers from Konoha. Here, we can let loose without worrying about affecting innocent people. Now, are you ready?"
Uchiha Akira slowly turned around, facing Jiraiya. "Witness… the power of a god."
The moment his words fell, an indescribably vast and majestic ocular power erupted from Uchiha Akira!
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