Chapter 6: Still Too Young

"Teacher, I'm back. This is the lunch I prepared for you."

Shisui lifted the tent flap, holding grilled fish and grilled chicken in his hands, a smile spread across his face.

"Judging by your expression, things went very smoothly."

Sima Yi was lying on a mat feigning sleep; hearing this, he opened his eyes and looked over, a smile appearing on his face.

"Hehe, nothing gets past Teacher."

Setting the food down, Shisui stepped forward to help him up and recounted softly: "At today's meeting, I had Big Brother Hui take the lead and strike first following the method Teacher taught, and sure enough, he pushed the whole matter of the Mist ninja attack onto the Mizutomon clan."

Shisui was animated, recounting the entire content of this morning's meeting.

Sima Yi ate the barbecue and listened quietly, nodding from time to time as if pondering something.

"That commander-in-chief is quite a clever man — he doesn't take sides lightly, yet he acts decisively."

"The Suzaku jonin?"

Shisui fell into thought, carefully considering his teacher's assessment.

"The Suzaku jonin immediately stopped Hui before he could act, and afterwards even stripped Masago Mizutomon of his post and placed him under custody — that is indeed decisive. But as for him not taking sides lightly—"

Shisui frowned, thought it over several times, then added: "The Ino-Shika-Cho clans have always supported the Third-sama. Yesterday it was also he who asked me for the prisoners — isn't that supporting the Mizutomon and their lot?"

Sima Yi looked at Shisui with some surprise; he hadn't expected that after just one morning apart, the boy had actually started using his brain.

"You're beginning to learn how to think — that's a good thing. But you still don't see far enough. The Third is the Third, Mizutomon is Mizutomon."

"Exchanging prisoners after the war ends is only proper. He merely reminded you and didn't force the issue last night, and when Hui and Mizutomon were verbally sparring he didn't intervene either. That alone shows he doesn't want to get involved in this matter."

"Then why did he still protect Masago jonin at the end?"

"Your thinking is starting to become harsh."

Sima Yi did not explain, but instead looked at Shisui with a solemn expression.

"Eh?"

Shisui was stunned; the sudden rebuke caught him off guard.

"Do not demand that everyone meet your standards. If you want to see the truth of a matter, you must learn to think from the other person's perspective — only then can you see through to the interests at stake."

"From the other person's perspective—"

Shisui pondered. If he were Nara Suzaku, what should he have done at the time?

"He was the Eastern Front commander. If he had allowed Big Brother Hui to incite the other jonin into acting, it would inevitably have caused chaos, and that would have been Suzaku jonin's dereliction of duty."

Shisui murmured his analysis, his gaze gradually clearing.

"Masago jonin is a man of the Mizutomon clan. Nara didn't want to rouse public anger, but equally didn't want to offend the Mizutomon clan, so he handed him over to the Third!"

"Not bad." Sima Yi lightly stroked his long beard and nodded in satisfaction. "But you missed one more thing."

"Please teach me, Teacher!"

"His position has always been with the Hokage, and the Hokage's goal remains to suppress the Uchiha. So he would not allow the Uchiha to build prestige before the other ninja, which is why he stopped Hui at the last moment."

"Not only that — do you still remember his deployment concerning the Uchiha today?"

Shisui nodded and replied: "I was to lead the Uchiha clansmen to stay behind and keep watch on the remaining Mist ninja, to prevent them from doing anything dangerous.

But what's the problem with that? The Uchiha have always been the last to leave the battlefield — that's a sign of trust in our strength!"

Sima Yi fell silent, gave Shisui a deep look, and sighed softly: "A heavy task and a long road ahead~"

"Eh?"

At these words, Shisui hurriedly scratched his head, shrinking his neck slightly, quite embarrassed.

Sima Yi shook his head, rose and walked away with a solemn expression. "As the ancients said: only fame and authority cannot be lent to others." "You lead the troops to cover the rear, yet they return to Konoha in full formation to receive the people's adulation. When you return to Konoha, will anyone be there to welcome you home?"

"No." Shisui shook his head, his expression somewhat dejected — this was not his first time on the battlefield.

Yet every time they returned, those waiting for them were only their own kin, only their clansmen — never the Village.

"Acting like this, who will ever know of the Uchiha's achievements, who will feel grateful for the Uchiha's kindness? If this goes on long, there will only be grudges, no gratitude — how can the Uchiha endure?"

"No — we are ninja. Ninja are the nameless ones who uphold peace in the darkness!"

Shisui's gaze burned like a torch; this was his ninja way, the conviction he had always held.

And Sima Yi? He watched Shisui gradually settle on his thoughts, and rather than directly refuting this so-called notion of ninja, he calmly asked: "Were those two Mist ninja from yesterday ninja?"

Shisui didn't understand why his teacher's train of thought always jumped around so much, but after a moment's consideration he honestly replied: "Yes."

They could refine chakra, they could use ninjutsu, and they even had official ninja designations in Kirigakure — who could say they weren't ninja?

"Is the Daimyo of the Land of Fire a ninja?"

"No."

"What difference is there between them?"

"The difference is, Mist ninja are—"

Shisui's pupils contracted. What was the difference between ninja and non-ninja? His first thought was actually that Mist ninja could use chakra and ninjutsu, not that they practiced his ninja way.

"Because Mist ninja can refine chakra and use ninjutsu while the Daimyo cannot, right?"

Sima Yi came to stand before Shisui, his expression somewhere between a smile and a smirk. "Setting aside chakra and ninjutsu, there is no difference whatsoever between Mist ninja and the Daimyo.

Now tell me, what are chakra and ninjutsu?"

"Tools for killing."

Shisui lowered his head, his hands trembling slightly. Not just chakra — even these eyes, to him, were merely tools. Tools for killing, and for repairing the relationship between the Village and the clan.

"So then — just because of a blade, a hoe, must they put a shackle and a definition upon themselves?"

Sima Yi's expression was impassive. To him, these things had always been tools. Reputation, credibility, prestige — they were consumables to begin with; binding oneself because of them was the act of a fool.

Shisui was left speechless; he knew the person his teacher spoke of was himself.

Just because of chakra, ninjutsu, and that one exam, he had become a ninja — had become a nameless one who must sacrifice in the dark.

Such ninja — in the end, who defines them?

Shisui could not even recall when he had first begun to think this way.

But all along, clearly everyone had—his pupils trembled slightly. He wanted to defend Konoha, to defend the Third, to defend himself, to defend the profession of ninja, yet no matter how he thought it through, he could find no reason.

Yes, his teacher was right.

The reason ninja are ninja is simply because they can refine chakra and use ninjutsu.

Shisui sighed and closed his eyes in pain. His ninja way, the path he had always upheld and practiced, had been shaken—not by his teacher, but by himself.

Still too young.

Sima Yi shook his head. His words were actually sophistry—this ninja is not that ninja—but Shisui had been led along step by step and ended up denying himself. Once the other man calmed down, he might notice something was off.

However, he would not give the other party that chance.

"Now, tell this old man: setting aside the identity of ninja, the Uchiha and they are all common folk of Konoha, with no difference between them—why then are the Uchiha repeatedly subjected to harsh treatment?"

"Because… because the Third wants to suppress the Uchiha!"

"Heh heh heh, that's right."

(End of chapter)