The Art of Struggle

The nights in Wochao Village are incredibly lively.

Amidst the bustling crowd, two large lights stood out, illuminating a street corner brightly.

Jiraiya swallowed hard and distributed the dumplings he had just bought after waiting in a long line to the others.

"Yang Xiang, why did you do that just now?" He finally couldn't help but ask.

Jiraiya asked, expressing his incomprehension of Yang Xiang's attack on the Iwa ninja.

Although he didn't have much contact with Yang Xiang, his strength had already been recognized by Jiraiya along the way.

As a powerful ninja, Jiraiya must have his own ninja way, which is why he wanted to know the answer.

Rope Tree also curiously approached.

Only Tsunade showed no interest in this; her gaze had already drifted to the brightest spot in the distance, secretly wondering if it was a casino.

"Why can't I do it?" Yang Xiang retorted.

Jiraiya was speechless for a moment.

Indeed, there is no rule that forbids attacking ninjas from other villages.

Even during so-called peacetime, assassinations and conflicts between ninja villages never ceased.

However, Yang Xiang's unwavering attitude in the face of the threat of war is what he cares about most.

Seeing Jiraiya caught in a dilemma, Yang Xiang felt somewhat helpless.

The strongmen of Konoha sometimes gave him a sense of constraint and unease.

An uncle once said: With great power comes great responsibility.

Jiraiya and his ilk, despite possessing the power to change the situation, always expect others to solve their problems.

However, Jiraiya had no intention of vying for the Hokage position, so he was someone who could be recruited.

Since Yang Xiang already had a good impression of him, he decided to say a few more words.

"Let's go find a place to talk this over."

Tsunade waved her hand and went off to wander off alone.

Rope Tree followed.

He wasn't really interested in the topic the two were discussing. Yang Xiang was fine; he just listened to him. He was simply bored.

---

Why do you think wars happen?

Yang Xiang went straight to the heart of the matter.

Jiraiya shook his head: "I don't know... Is it because people can never truly understand each other?"

Yang Xiang also shook his head.

Mutual understanding has never been the key.

Even if you understand it, what then?

When interests are violated and demands are ignored, struggle is inevitable.

"Contradictions exist in the process of the development of all things; they are absolute and universal. As long as people exist, struggles will not cease, and war will never disappear."

"So...you believe that peace doesn't exist at all?"

"No, peace exists. But it and war are two sides of the same coin, opposing yet unified. If you want peace, you must first be able to fight."

"Humble behavior won't earn respect; only struggle can win it. By hurting the other side, you can achieve peace."

Jiraiya left; he wasn't having a good time talking to Yang Xiang, though he could understand some of Yang Xiang's ideas.

Military deterrence to achieve peace.

He thought of when Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha first founded Konoha; their unparalleled fighting prowess truly brought peace to the village.

But this peace is false and short-lived.

After their deaths, the First Shinobi World War broke out soon afterward.

Today, there is no second Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha in the ninja world.

Even if it exists, how long can it last? Ten years? Or twenty years?

Seeing Jiraiya's preoccupied figure as he walked away, Yang Xiang did not try to stop him.

Don't speak too deeply with someone you don't know well.

That's enough for tonight.

The rest is up to him to figure out.

He turned to the rope tree beside him.

The latter gave him a thumbs-up and grinned:

Even though I don't understand it... Yang Xiang is awesome! You're amazing!

Yang Xiang sent him away as well.

My teammates have such low political awareness that I can't lead them.

Konoha is in a bad situation right now, as it is in a period of transition where there is a shortage of talent.

If we don't take the initiative to break the deadlock, we can only passively take a beating.

Once World War II broke out in full force, and the country became mired in resource depletion, it would be difficult to extricate itself.

Lacking strategic advantages and besieged from multiple sides, they could only resort to sacrificing human lives in the end.

How many people in Konoha can withstand such a drain?

Whose husband and whose son will fall on the battlefield?

Yang Xiang knew at least that his family's Thousand Hands lineage would never be treated kindly.

They will probably all turn into nutrients to nourish the big tree.

So he had to do one thing: make more friends.

The Uzumaki clan is the force we should be most trying to win over right now.

Regardless of their private dealings with the Iwa ninja, they would all be completely destroyed by his kick.

Because the vortex could never openly side with the Iwa ninja.

The fact that the Senju clan attacked Iwa ninja in public in Uzushio Village without being punished is the clearest signal of their actions.

Then some people might ask: What if the Uzumaki clan simply refuses to compromise?

What if they completely side with Iwagakure because of your actions?

Then kill them.

Konoha doesn't need wavering allies.

Eliminate it as soon as possible to prevent future troubles.

It can also serve as a warning to other small countries, making them realize the true situation.

Sealing techniques can be learned by Uzumaki, but Senju cannot?

In the ninja world, if you don't want to be bullied, you have to be more wicked than others.

Look, why doesn't anyone dare to easily provoke the Hidden Cloud Village?

Because they are arrogant and shameless enough.

Fortunately, Jiraiya didn't pursue the matter further. If he had overheard Yang Xiang's thoughts, their conversation would likely have fallen apart on the spot.

The moral bottom line of the Konoha ninjas was ultimately too high.

In contrast, Yang Xiang actually approves of Danzo's style more.

If he weren't so weak.

---

Jiraiya wandered aimlessly through Uzushio Village in a daze, unconsciously forming hand seals to cast a summoning jutsu.

As the smoke cleared, he found himself on Mount Myoboku.

"Little Jiraiya? What brings you here all of a sudden?" Fukasaku the toad jumped onto his shoulder.

"Old man Fukasaku... I want to see the Great Sage. There are some things I don't understand."

"The Great Sage hasn't woken up yet, Jiraiya." Seeing his confused expression, Fukasaku finally sighed, "Come with me."

Amidst the hazy white mist, the enormous toad immortal lay sprawled on the stone platform, breathing heavily, seemingly half-awake.

"The Great Toad Sage... I have been traveling the ninja world for many years, but I still cannot find that chosen one who can change the world."

"Your prophecy from back then told me: My disciple will bring about change to the ninja world, leading to peace... or destruction."

"So, he'll be the strongest ninja in the world, right? He'll use force... to change the world, won't he?"

A gust of wind swept by, slightly dispersing the fog.

The face of the giant toad immortal was faintly visible in the mist.

It heard Jiraiya's words.

To help Jiraiya, it slowly activated its ability to glimpse the future, once again sinking into a half-dreaming, half-awake prophecy.

"Your disciple... he is not the strongest person in the ninja world."

Jiraiya quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the Great Toad Sage's next words left him stunned—

"He cannot change the ninja world by force..."

The old toad's tone unusually revealed a hint of hesitation.

"A new power has appeared in the ninja world, what is it?"

The future has changed!

The Great Toad Sage suddenly found that his dreams had become bizarre and fantastical.

He became so engrossed that he remained silent no matter how much Jiraiya called out to him.