Chapter 75 Brotherly Difference (Part 1)
"Sasuke...why do you think that?" Itachi Uchiha asked after a brief silence.
"The cause and effect of this matter are already quite clear," Sasuke said, puzzled by his brother's question. "It was these villagers who first spread rumors in the village, slandering our village hero, Kakashi. The police were simply acting according to the law."
"Spreading rumors?" Itachi asked, puzzled. He only knew that the clan and the police had used violence, but he didn't know the specifics.
"Yes, recently there were rumors everywhere in the village that Kakashi was a murderous maniac, that he killed dozens of his comrades during the Third Shinobi World War," Sasuke said.
"But even so, the clan shouldn't have used force against the village's civilians. We are ninjas; we can't use force against civilians," Itachi said.
"That's not right, brother. Our teacher taught me that punishing someone without teaching them is cruelty, but punishing someone who still doesn't learn is the way of the king. If the police force does nothing and just takes action, that's definitely wrong. When the rumors first started spreading, the police force already issued laws clearly telling the villagers that what they were doing was wrong, but those villagers still did what they wanted. So it's the right thing for the police force to take action and educate them."
"Is that what he taught you?" Itachi Uchiha gritted his teeth. He didn't expect that his younger brother, who used to be so obedient to him, would say such things now. Was this still his adorable younger brother? "What's wrong, brother? Is what the teacher said wrong?" Sasuke Uchiha didn't understand why Itachi Uchiha was reacting so strongly. This was something that even a seven-year-old child like him could understand.
"Of course not!" Itachi Uchiha, eager to steer Sasuke back on his feet, retorted immediately, "The villagers are certainly at fault, but we can't just resort to violence. The police could have used gentler methods. Violence will only exacerbate the rift between the clan and the village."
"No, brother, it's no use." Sasuke shook his head earnestly. "My teacher taught me that petty people fear power but don't appreciate virtue. Only by making them understand the consequences of breaking the rules will they know the seriousness of the law."
"Sasuke!" Itachi's expression turned very serious. "How can you call the villagers petty people?"
"Brother, that's not what I meant." Seeing Itachi's anger, Sasuke quickly explained, "Of course, not all the villagers are petty people, but those arrested by the police definitely qualify."
"Why?" Itachi asked, frowning.
"My teacher taught me that believing and spreading rumors is a sign of moral decay. Those who readily believe and spread rumors are immoral. And those who lack morality, can't they be called villains?" Sasuke explained.
"Enough!" Itachi Uchiha angrily interrupted Sasuke. He was utterly fed up with Sasuke's constant refrain of "my teacher taught me." "Didn't he teach you what the Will of Fire is?"
Itachi's sudden outburst startled Sasuke. Sasuke looked at Itachi, puzzled, not understanding why his brother was suddenly so angry.
Itachi quickly realized he might have frightened Sasuke and hurriedly tried to comfort him, "I'm sorry, Sasuke, I lost my temper. Didn't your teacher teach you the Will of Fire?"
Sasuke shook his head and said, "My teacher would occasionally mention it in class, but he always said that it's taught in the Ninja Academy every day, so he didn't go into detail."
[Uchiha Touhuan was indeed malicious; while teaching these things, he didn't even teach Sasuke the great Will of Fire.] Itachi Uchiha thought to himself, then took a deep breath before saying, "Sasuke, do you think the Security Department's actions align with the Will of Fire?"
Sasuke Uchiha nodded, "Of course they do! Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire will never die. The flames will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout. Kakashi is a hero who burned himself for the village, and while we are illuminated by the hero's glory, we must also protect the heroes who burned themselves for the village. If even heroes who burned themselves for the village can be wantonly slandered, then in the future, who will be willing to burn themselves for the village?"
"Is that how you understand the Will of Fire?" Itachi Uchiha asked.
"Is there anything wrong with it?" Sasuke asked, somewhat puzzled. "Then how do you understand the Will of Fire, brother?"
Itachi opened his mouth, wanting to refute Sasuke's words, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a flaw in Sasuke's statement.
"Brother, if you were a hero who sacrificed yourself for the village, but after giving everything for it, you were slandered and your family was implicated, what would you do?" Sasuke suddenly asked. After being taught by Uchiha Touhuan, Sasuke had developed his own sense of right and wrong. He also realized that his brother didn't seem to agree with these things, so he wanted to persuade him.
"I..." Itachi was speechless for a moment when he thought of that scenario. After a while, he said with some difficulty, "I would silently endure all of this, because we are ninjas. A ninja is someone who can endure everything."
"Brother, is that really what you think?" Sasuke asked. "You hesitated just now, didn't you?"
Itachi fell silent. He really couldn't accept the scenario Sasuke described.
"Brother, you can't accept this situation either, right?" Sasuke looked at Itachi. "Our teacher once taught me, 'Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.'"
Itachi was silent for a long time before finally sighing and saying to Sasuke, "I understand, Sasuke. You should go to sleep. I have something to do."
The brothers' first conversation after so long ended without a conclusion. After leaving Sasuke's room, Itachi sighed, changed his clothes, opened the door, and disappeared into the night.
At that moment, at Shisui's house, although he had already finished work, Shisui was still in his study repeatedly reviewing the testimonies given by the Anbu members who had come to investigate with him that day regarding the three clans members who had colluded with Orochimaru.
A knock came at the door. Shisui looked up, a puzzled expression on his face. Who would come looking for him so late? Shisui put away the documents and arrived at his front door. Opening the door, a smile appeared on his face upon seeing who it was: "Itachi? You're back?"
"Shisui." Seeing his mentor and friend, Uchiha Itachi also smiled briefly.
"Come in and sit down." Shisui led Uchiha Itachi into the house, where he pulled out a short tatami mat, and the two sat on the floor.
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(End of Chapter)