Uchiha Itachi fell silent for a moment.
Only after taking a deep breath did he look toward Uchiha Kai.
This time, without the slightest hesitation, he poured out every insight he had gained on the battlefield, word for word.
Finally, he asked in conclusion:
"Teacher, why?"
"I just can't understand—why does everyone have to wage war?"
"Can't we just live together in peace?"
"Konoha and the other hidden villages are like this. Konoha and the Uchiha clan are the same."
"Why can't people sit down and resolve conflicts in a more peaceful way?"
"Is hatred really something that can't be stopped?"
Itachi's face was filled with anguish.
Looking at his small face, Uchiha Kai couldn't help but feel a pang of tenderness, even though he knew full well just how ruthless this boy would become in the original story.
He was only four years old!
Kai reached out and patted Itachi's head, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Don't look so miserable, Itachi!"
"Normally, I wouldn't discuss such serious matters with a child like you."
"But I can see it clearly."
"You're not an ordinary child. At such a young age, you're already contemplating questions with this kind of depth."
"If you don't have the right worldview instilled in you now, I can guarantee you'll walk down a twisted path in the future."
Uchiha Kai sighed inwardly.
Yes, indeed—what kind of four-year-old thinks about questions of philosophy?
In his previous life, he had seen plenty of young men in their twenties still wasting time gaming and chasing girls.
Even in the chaotic world of shinobi, most four- or five-year-old children only dreamed of becoming Hokage at most.
As for the kind of depth Itachi was showing—he was one of a kind across the entire shinobi world.
This wasn't something Kai could brush aside.
So after a pause for thought, he asked quietly:
"Itachi, let me ask you something."
"Why does the wolf eat the sheep?"
"Did the sheep provoke the wolf? The sheep is docile and innocent—so on what grounds does the wolf get to eat it?"
"Doesn't that mean the wolf is rotten to the core?"
"And why does the sheep eat grass?"
"The grass grows quietly without bothering anyone. So what gives the sheep the right to eat it?"
Itachi froze, his mind going blank as he stared at Uchiha Kai in bewilderment.
He had never considered such a question before.
But when put this way, his train of thought was immediately derailed.
Yes…
What had the grass done wrong?
Wait—something felt off!
He was quick to react and immediately shook his head.
"Teacher, that's not right!" Itachi protested. "The wolf eating the sheep is its instinct. That doesn't prove anything."
"This has nothing to do with the question I was asking!"
Kai's expression remained calm.
He hadn't expected to persuade Itachi so easily anyway. Hearing his rebuttal, he simply asked again:
"Don't worry about that for now."
"Just answer me this."
"On what grounds?"
"The sheep being eaten by the wolf, the grass being eaten by the sheep—don't you think they feel wronged?"
Itachi furrowed his brow tightly.
Something about it felt off, but since his teacher had framed it that way, he had no choice but to think it through.
After a long while, he still couldn't find an answer.
Finally, he said, "It's their nature. If wolves don't eat sheep, they'll starve. If sheep don't eat grass, they'll starve too."
"Mm, very clever," Uchiha Kai said with a smile. "That's actually the answer."
"You asked me why there's war, why people can't just coexist peacefully."
"You already gave the answer yourself."
"They'd starve to death."
Itachi blinked in confusion.
That was the answer?
Even after pondering for a long while, he couldn't grasp it.
To know what one knows and admit what one doesn't—Itachi was never the type to pretend to understand what he didn't.
"I'm sorry, teacher," he said, shaking his head. "I still don't understand."
Uchiha Kai nodded.
He hadn't expected Itachi to fully understand at such a young age anyway.
Everything so far was just an appetizer.
After gathering his thoughts, he spoke again:
"It's fine. Don't worry."
"Now that we've talked about animals, let's talk about humans."
"The first thing you must understand is that humans are nothing more than thinking animals."
"And humans get hungry too."
"You were born into the Uchiha clan, the son of the clan head, so I imagine you've never truly known hunger."
"But I have."
"And I can tell you with certainty—when a person reaches the extreme of hunger, they're no longer human."
"They become beasts, filth, worse than pigs and dogs."
"You could curse them a hundred times worse than that, and it still wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"When I was starving as a child, morality, humanity, dignity… all of it meant nothing."
"My brain, my body, every single cell in me screamed at me to find food."
"To use every ounce of strength I had to find food. In that moment, I truly believed I could trample every law in the world…"
"Just for a bite to eat!"
"Do you understand?"
Kai's tone turned grim.
To be honest, he was exaggerating a little. He had never truly starved in this life. His parents hadn't left him much, but it was enough to scrape by into adulthood.
But at the same time, he wasn't lying either.
In his previous life, his education had been broader, and after graduating from a second-rate college, he had gone jobless for months and had really known the sting of hunger.
On the other side, Itachi was silent.
He had never experienced hunger firsthand, but fortunately, he was smart enough.
After a while, he lifted his head and said, "Teacher, I can't empathize with it, but I can understand."
"When people are driven to the extreme by hunger, it's easy for them to commit wrongdoings just to survive. But… What does that have to do with my question?"
Yes.
He still didn't get it.
It felt like his teacher had said a whole lot that had nothing to do with the point.
Uchiha Kai chuckled.
"Don't rush. That was still just the appetizer."
"Only when you grasp these fundamentals will you be able to understand what comes next."
"Now, let's dig a little deeper."
"The Hidden Sand Village in the Land of Wind—how much do you know about their situation?"
Itachi's mind began racing.
After some thought, he replied evenly, "I only know the Land of Wind has a harsh climate. About eighty percent of the country is desert. Among the Five Great Nations, the Hidden Sand Village is relatively weak."
"Good summary," Kai said. "The Land of Wind and the Hidden Sand Village are poor!"
"Because of their harsh environment, the land can't grow much food. Even their military budget is meager, which is why the Sand Village is weak."
"Now think about the other countries."
"The Land of Water is surrounded by ocean, the Land of Lightning is filled with mountains, the Land of Earth is nothing but rocky terrain."
"So, do you see it now?"
"The other four nations each have their own problems. Only the Land of Fire has a mild climate, four seasons, and abundant resources."
"If you had been born in another village, wouldn't you look at the Land of Fire with envy?"
"Everyone else is scraping by, but only the Land of Fire is so wealthy it inspires jealousy."
"Everyone else goes hungry, while you feast until the grease drips down your chin."
"Peaceful coexistence? On what grounds?"
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