Chapter 26: Make Konoha Great Again!

The dinner the children prepared was relatively crude, but enjoying the fruits of their own labor added a great deal of flavor.

Yamanaka Chujiu also told a few short stories to further set the mood, coordinating with the Mind Severing Realm to stir everyone's emotions.

As the atmosphere grew increasingly high-spirited, Yamanaka Chujiu clearly felt the limit he had vaguely sensed before.

He knew that for him, the most critical turning point had arrived.

Glancing at Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha, he hesitated for a moment before making up his mind.

He tapped his bowl to attract everyone's attention, then spoke: "Today, we created a miracle in Konohagakure."

"Some said it would take three years to successfully reclaim the land, but we did it in one day!"

"Some said it was impossible to harvest in winter, but we successfully harvested it and even got to eat it!"

The children laughed out loud; Itachi's face flushed slightly, but surprisingly, he didn't feel embarrassed. Instead, he felt his heart open up, filled with the joy of resonating with others.

Yamanaka Chujiu waved his hand and continued: "The Konohagakure we live in was originally the product of a miracle."

"Fifty years ago, everyone thought there could be no peace between ninja clans, but the First Hokage didn't believe it, and Madara Uchiha... didn't believe it either!"

"Two great ninjas cast aside narrow-minded hatred and joined hands to sow the seeds of peace on this land; from then on, Konohagakure existed, and the era of ninja villages began."

"Some say the era of ninja villages is worse than the Warring States Era. In the 36 years since the First Hokage passed away, a full 20 years have been spent at war, and the scale of ninjas participating in these wars has expanded crazily, from hundreds or thousands to thousands or tens of thousands."

"They are right, but they are also wrong!"

"The scale of war has grown, and the number of deaths in a single battle has increased, but they haven't seen that there are places in the Ninja World that haven't experienced the flames of war for many years, and many people are no longer forced to be displaced by war."

"At least within the Five Great Nations, such places exist, and besides Kirigakure, the other five major ninja villages are relatively peaceful."

"Therefore, Konohagakure is a place where miracles are born!"

Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha stood up excitedly, clapping desperately.

Finally, someone acknowledged the achievements of the Uchiha, and this person was none other than their trusted senior, Yamanaka Chujiu.

Both of them were so moved they were on the verge of tears.

The other children looked at the two Uchiha in surprise, thinking to themselves that the Uchiha were the clan that founded Konohagakure; no wonder they were so proud.

Under the twenty years of daily efforts by Shimura Danzo and the intentional or unintentional suppression by the Third Hokage, the reputation of the Uchiha was truly poor.

The children had only reluctantly accepted Itachi and Shisui for the sake of Yamanaka Chujiu.

Hearing Yamanaka Chujiu speak the true history now, their feelings naturally changed.

Thinking of the hard work the two had put in today and their enthusiastic attitude toward everyone, a sense of closeness welled up, and they felt like "we are all on the same side."

Yamanaka Chujiu waited for the emotions to brew; although he didn't speak, the Mind Severing Realm was operating at full capacity, maintaining the children's high spirits and preparing for the next sprint.

"However..."

"Is today's Konohagakure still a land of miracles?"

"Would a true land of miracles let the Senju Clan, who founded the village, disappear without a trace?"

Kazamatsuri Harume silently clenched her fists, and her teeth bit together tightly.

"Would a true land of miracles treat the Uchiha Clan, who also founded the village, as enemies to be guarded against and despised?"

Shisui Uchiha's pupils constricted, recalling the encirclement by Root on the Nine-Tails Night and the increasingly intense conflicts over the past few days; his eyes unconsciously activated the Sharingan.

"Would a true land of miracles let the ninja clans that joined at the beginning decline one by one until they perished?"

"Would a true land of miracles treat ten-year-old children as ninjas and throw them onto the battlefield to fight to the death with vicious enemies?"

Every time Yamanaka Chujiu asked a question, the children would shout "No!", their voices growing louder and louder until, by the third time, it was like a roar.

"No!"

"No!!"

"Absolutely not!!!"

Yamanaka Chujiu suddenly stopped; he locked eyes with all fifty-five children simultaneously, and a mysterious connection gradually formed between them.

It was not psychic threads, but the even more miraculous Faith Line.

But the closest connection, of course, was with his first believer, Itachi Uchiha; the Faith Line had not only completely solidified into shape, but a steady stream of Faith Power was being poured over.

It was not mental energy, nor was it emotional energy; it was Faith Power truly condensed from faith.

Just a little bit of Faith Power from this child, Itachi Uchiha, poured into Yamanaka Chujiu's soul, evolving into a sun within his mind.

Or, according to the terminology of Eastern Immortal Dao, it condensed into a Virtual Elixir, the embryonic form of a Golden Core.

This Golden Core was not the Golden Core that breaks to form a Nascent Soul, but the Great Dao Golden Core of "swallowing a single Golden Core into the belly, my fate is determined by me, not by Heaven."

Yamanaka Chujiu understood in his heart that his critical turning point had arrived!

Just as the emotional buildup was in place, Yamanaka Chujiu stood up so that everyone could see him.

He said loudly: "Konohagakure should not be like this!"

"The Konohagakure of the First Hokage was bathed in the radiance of ideals; the Konohagakure of the Second Hokage continued to prosper under rational planning; the Konohagakure of the Fourth Hokage was as brief as lightning but full of hope."

"And the Konohagakure ruled by the Third Hokage is shrouded in the shadow of failure, and faces a terrifying threat known as the 'Execution Line'."

"Even if they encounter just one accident, a ninja and their family will be silently executed, with no chance of self-rescue at all."

"Civilian ninjas are in constant danger, and powerful ninja clans are not safe either."

"The Senju are finished, the Uzumaki are finished, and the Hatake, Kurama, Shiranui, Gekko, and Kato are either extinct or have only a single seedling left."

"Admit it! You cannot endure the hypocrisy of Sarutobi Hiruzen!"

"Admit it! You cannot endure the evil deeds of Shimura Danzo even more!"

"It cannot go on like this; we must stand up and oppose the evil rule of Sarutobi Hiruzen!"

"We must make Konohagakure shine once again with the ideal radiance of the First Hokage and the rationality of the Second Hokage!"

"We must make Konoha great again!"

Itachi Uchiha jumped up: "Make Konohagakure great again!"

Shisui Uchiha raised his arms and shouted: "Make Konohagakure great again!"

Just a little bit more, just a little bit more!

Yamanaka Chujiu took a deep breath and shouted to all the children: "We are the hope of Konohagakure, we are the future, and we are the successors to the great cause of the First Hokage!"

"We will surely succeed!!"

The infusion of a sense of ownership completely ignited the children's enthusiasm; everyone jumped up, hugging each other and cheering.

Lines of faith condensed one by one, and wisps of Faith Power flowed in.

Yamanaka Chujiu gasped for air, he had crossed the threshold of his limit.