Naruto: Thousand Hands of Glory

What is the Will of Fire?

In the classroom, the students looked up at the topic of the lesson that Liu Xia wrote in a sonorous and powerful voice on the blackboard, with a hint of confusion on their faces.

"Everyone thinks it's simple, right? Why don't you all tell us about your understanding of the Will of Fire?" Liu Xia looked around with encouragement in his eyes, and smiled as he invited the students to share their views.

“Isn’t that the Will of Fire? Isn’t that the Will of Fire?” Some students seemed very familiar with this slogan that they had learned from novels, but when they wanted to explain it, they were speechless and didn’t know how to express themselves.

"The Will of Fire is to be loyal to the village, to protect the village, and to give everything for the village!" A student wearing the Yamanaka family crest stood up. His words were sonorous and powerful, but Yanagishita secretly thought in his heart that this guy's words sounded too official. Could it be that Danzo, the old coin, sent him to monitor Kushina? However, Yanagishita did not show any sign on the surface, but nodded to encourage, signaling other students to continue speaking.

But after a few people, no one seemed willing to speak anymore, and the atmosphere in the classroom was silent for a while. Seeing this, Liu Xia turned his attention to a special student.

"Mr. Namikaze Minato, please tell me what you think about the Will of Fire."

Although Minato Namikaze was a little surprised that he was suddenly called out, he was not stage-frightened. He stood up with wisdom shining in his eyes.

"The Will of Fire is the original intention of the first generation to establish Konoha," Minato said slowly, his voice clear and firm, "We learned in the textbook that the first generation established Konoha in order to eliminate the disputes between the warring clans and pursue peace. The Will of Fire advocates the spirit of selflessness. It hopes that there will be no barriers between clans in the village and that they will work together for the village. It requires every member of each of our clans to not only sacrifice for the interests of the clan members, but to put the overall situation first and contribute to the village. Protect the compatriots in the village. The people in the village are one family. There will be no hierarchy between people because of powerful clans and ordinary clans. The people who are protected will inherit the will of the previous generation and continue to protect Konoha!"

Minato's words echoed in the classroom. His explanation was profound and comprehensive, not only expounding on the traditional meaning of the Will of Fire, but also giving it new contemporary connotations. The students were deeply attracted by his words and began to rethink this concept that they thought they were familiar with.

...........

"Well said, this child named Namikaze Minato has a very thorough understanding of the Will of Fire. Just like what I said, where the leaves are dancing, the fire will also continue to burn. The flames will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout." As expected, the Third Hokage must have openly monitored Yanagi's teaching of the Will of Fire in the office.

"This is just reciting from a script, Hiruzen. But the child from the Yamanaka family is very aware. I think he is a good candidate for the Root!" Danzo's voice sounded immediately afterwards. His tone revealed his desire for power and his thirst for outstanding ninjas. It seemed that he was always looking for opportunities to expand his power.

The Third Hokage turned to look at his old friend Danzo, with a complex emotion in his heart. He felt that Danzo was becoming more and more unfamiliar, and power seemed to really change a person. This old friend seemed to be moving towards darkness. The Third Hokage thought to himself that when the dark clouds of war dissipated, he would need to pull Danzo back into the sunlight, but now, he still needed a shadow to maintain his own light.

"Let's talk about this later. Let's first see what Liuxia thinks about the Will of Fire. This is our real purpose here." The voice of the Third Hokage sounded again, and he turned his attention back to the surveillance screen, expecting Liuxia to give a more profound answer.

..........

"Mr. Namikaze Minato said very well," Yanagishita said calmly in class. He glanced at Kushina who was eager to speak, but chose to ignore it for the time being. He knew that this first class would definitely be monitored, and he thought that Kushina's opinion should be expressed at a more appropriate time. "But, it can only be said that the essence has not been truly understood yet, and it is only floating on the surface."

"Hmm?" This simple question word came out simultaneously from the Third Hokage's office and from Minato Namikaze's mouth, expressing their curiosity and expectation about Yanagishita's next words.

"The will of fire, in my opinion, is a spark and also a flame!" Liuxia turned around and wrote these two sentences firmly on the blackboard, his handwriting vigorous and powerful.

"A single spark can start a prairie fire, and the torch can be passed on from generation to generation! What does it mean?" The students were confused by these two sentences, which seemed to contain deep meaning yet were elusive.

"A spark is extinguished without any blowing. How can it possibly start a prairie fire?" A classmate was skeptical, thinking that a spark was insignificant and it was hard to imagine how it could lead to widespread change.

"What is the relationship between the firewood, sparks and the will of fire?" Another classmate frowned, thinking over it and still couldn't understand the connection between the three.

Liuxia smiled and expressed his understanding of the students' confusion. He knew that these concepts required a deeper explanation.

"First, let's understand what passing on the torch means," Yanagi's voice echoed in the classroom, his eyes sparkling with wisdom, "A piece of wood, no matter how long it is or how durable it is, will eventually burn out. But as long as the fire is passed to the next piece of wood, the fire will not go out. Just like the Second Hokage, when facing the rebellion of the Hidden Cloud Village, he did not choose to sacrifice the young guards including the Third Hokage, but burned himself out and turned into firewood, and brought the fire back to Konoha."

The students in the audience had different expressions. Some seemed thoughtful, some looked confused, and some were shocked and curious after hearing a story they had never heard before: "So the Third Hokage had encountered something like this before."

"teacher."

The Third Hokage and other ninjas who were monitoring the situation also recalled the day when Senju Tobirama faced the rebellion of Kumogakure Kinkaku and Ginkaku. They remembered that Tobirama had led them into a desperate situation, but in order to protect the young guards, he chose to stay behind to cover their retreat.

Yanagishita continued, "The sacrifice of the Second Hokage is the embodiment of the will of fire. Although he died, his spirit and his beliefs are like an inextinguishable fire, and will always be passed on in every corner of Konoha. Although his figure is gone, his fire will continue to illuminate our path."

"Well said, this child is also burning with the will of fire."

A satisfied smile appeared on the face of the Third Hokage, and his voice was full of recognition of Yanagishita's words and confidence in his student's future.

However, Danzo's face became more and more gloomy. He originally wanted to consolidate his power through suppression, but he did not expect to lose more than he gained. Instead, he thought of the scars of the past. He thought to himself: "Teacher, you are so confused. Why did you pass the throne to Hiruzen, who is indecisive? However, there is some truth in what he said. The teacher's will has indeed been passed down, but only I understand the teacher the most, and only I am the extension of the teacher's will. The position of Hokage must be mine!"

"Let's dig deeper into the essence of the passing on of the fire, how it went from a spark to a raging fire." Liu Xia saw that the students were almost beginning to come out of their own little worlds, and continued to introduce his own views, "The Will of Fire is the ideal of the first Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the embodiment of his pursuit of peace. But no matter how powerful this person is, it is insignificant to the entire world. So Hashirama chose to pass on the spark, let the Will of Fire burn in Konoha, and eventually become a raging fire in the Land of Fire. This is the end of human life, but the end of descendants!"

"This is the essence of the will of fire. It is passed down from generation to generation, and eventually it will spread from a spark to a prairie fire!"

"So this is what the First Generation thinks! The First Generation is so smart. I also want to inherit the Will of Fire!"

The students were deeply moved by Liu Xia's words, and their eyes flashed with determination and resolve, as if they were ready to take over the torch from their predecessors and move forward. They began to realize that the will of fire is not just a slogan, but also a spirit, a belief that will never be extinguished even in the darkest moments.

However, at this moment, no one noticed the hidden meaning behind Yanagishita's words. He only showed the part of his views that was consistent with the will of fire recognized by the Third Hokage and others. This was not only a clever response to the Third Hokage's examination of his understanding of the will of fire, but also a way to sow the seeds of his own thoughts in the hearts of this class of students, and even more students in the future. He waited for the right time, and these seeds would break through the ground and bear fruit.

Liu Xia thought to himself, "You are too naive to play tricks with me. In the thousands of years of history of our great China, what kind of tricks have not appeared? Today, I will use the ancient times to reform the system, subtly changing your cognition and making you accept my philosophy unconsciously. With this set of strategies, even if I invite the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, to come out, he will only think that his philosophy is like this."

"So that's how it is. The essence of the Will of Fire is inheritance. Well, what Xiaoxia said is right. We are the ones who inherited the Will of Fire from the First Hokage." The Third Hokage smiled with satisfaction. He felt that Liuxia's explanation was very consistent with his own thoughts. He thought to himself, this child may become a Hokage in the future!

"Huruzen, I suggest adding this passage to the textbook of the Will of Fire. The spark of the first generation was passed on by Tobirama sensei, and finally became a prairie fire in our generation!" When Mito Kado En saw that the Third Generation was very satisfied with these words, he immediately began to flatter him, trying to show his loyalty and foresight in front of the Third Generation Hokage.

"I agree. We must continue to spread the Will of Fire!" Utane Koharu also felt that this would not harm her, but would be beneficial to her. She immediately expressed her support. Her attitude was firm, and she hoped to take this opportunity to consolidate her position in the village.

"Hmph, I have no objection, but I still think there is something wrong with Liuxia!" Although Danzo agreed on the surface, he would never lose the argument. He would never give up any opportunity to whisper in the Third Hokage's ear and try to influence the decision.

"That's enough, Danzo, I am the Hokage, this is how it's done. En, Koharu, I leave it to you. Danzo, the Root must also learn the Will of Fire, that's it, adjourn the meeting!" The Third Hokage ended the meeting with a firm tone, his words revealing unquestionable authority. He knew that although Danzo had his own concerns, the inheritance and development of the Will of Fire was the top priority of the village, and this was unquestionable.