"What's the meaning of your life?" Gen's voice was calm but expectant, his eyes fixed on Itachi with a trace of pride.
"To make the Uchiha great again... greater than ever!" Itachi's reply was firm, his young face lit with determination.
Gen's lips curved. "That's good. But… add one more line when you tell people your dream."
"What should I add, Brother Gen?"
"Make Konoha great again... greater than ever," Gen said without hesitation. "Because we Uchiha are one of Konoha's masters. If we rise, the village rises. If we become greater, Konoha becomes greater."
Itachi thought for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. I'll add it."
Privately, Gen's mind flicked to Itachi's father.
Fugaku, what were you thinking? Taking a child to the battlefield? Acting the strict father but never explaining the why or the how… no wonder the kid nearly grew in the wrong direction. Unqualified doesn't even begin to cover it.
Aloud, Gen said, "Shisui, Itachi... want to hear my view on the meaning of life?"
"I do!" Shisui's eyes were bright.
"Me too," Itachi said eagerly.
"Choose a dream," Gen began, "and give it everything you have. Live so that when you're old, you don't regret wasting your youth or feel ashamed for doing nothing."
The words settled over them. Shisui chewed on them in silence. Itachi's gaze turned solemn, almost reverent—he looked ready to carve those words into his soul.
"And remember," Gen continued, "time is money, but money can't buy time. Youth fades fast. Every moment is precious. Pick the flowers when they bloom, don't wait until they're gone."
Even Shisui's eyes shone with admiration. Itachi looked like stars might spill out of his.
"Still," Gen added, "it doesn't mean you should work yourself to death. Balance work and rest. Be smart about it—efficiency matters."
The two nodded in unison. "Understood."
Gen clapped his hands suddenly. "Right... Itachi's question. Let's get back to it. The one country, one village system's been running for decades. And what's happened? Three shinobi world wars. The scale keeps growing. Casualties keep rising. Kids, like Kakashi at five years old, on the battlefield. That's the opposite of what Konoha was founded for."
Itachi's voice was steady. "The First Hokage's path was wrong."
Shisui sighed. "Too idealistic."
"So," Gen said, eyes sharp, "the only way to peace is unifying the ninja world."
Shisui leaned forward. "Will that bring eternal peace?"
"I'd like to say yes," Gen admitted, "but no one's walked that road. If it's done right, we might have peace for a century... or several. That's enough time for our descendants to find a way to make it last forever."
"That's worth it," Shisui said quietly.
Itachi's voice was firm. "It'll be my life's goal."
"Then we're comrades," Gen said.
"Comrades?" Shisui tilted his head.
"Same will, same joy, same hardship, and same happiness."
Shisui's eyes lit. "We are comrades."
"What's our first step?" Itachi asked.
"Step by step," Gen replied. "First, create a Hokage from the Uchiha clan."
Shisui and Itachi froze. Even Madara hadn't done that. But as Shisui thought back to how he and Gen had ended up as disciples of Minato and Orochimaru, the pieces clicked.
He looked at Gen with awe. Planned from the start… genius.
Itachi listened, wide-eyed, admiration burning brighter than ever. In his mind, anyone standing in the way of making Uchiha, Konoha, and the world great again… deserved to be eliminated.
Yes, Gen thought as he saw their faces. That's true filial piety.