"Exactly. Connecting hearts, that is the original meaning he bestowed upon chakra and the purpose behind his creation of Ninja Creed. When the first Hokage and Madara Uchiha cast aside centuries of hatred between their clans to build Konoha together, and when the first Kage of every nation gathered warring ninja clans beneath a single banner to establish ninja villages, these were the most powerful proofs of connecting hearts."
Shinichi spoke these words without changing expression, but inwardly, he knew he was shamelessly making things up.
The primary reason the ninja villages were established was that everyone saw Konoha becoming too powerful, forcing them to band together for survival.
Naturally, such truths could not be spoken publicly, nor would ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist or the other villages be foolish enough to admit it openly.
In a sense, this had already become an unspoken form of political correctness shared among all the ninja villages.
Below the stage, the Kirigakure prisoners appeared thoughtful.
And Mei Terumi's eyes grew even brighter. After taking a deep breath, she spoke solemnly: "So, Shinichi-sama, the reason you are promoting this Rinkai City Convention is that you wish to try and help us ninjas, to help the Sage of Six Paths... Um, the Sage of Six Paths's students of Ninja Creed, return to the way we were originally meant to be when he first founded Ninja Creed, is that right?"
"That's right. You're very smart." Shinichi nodded.
'He actually praised me.'
A small trace of joy surfaced once more in Mei Terumi's heart, but it was quickly followed by a hint of bitterness as she softly said: "But this won't be easy, Shinichi-sama."
"Yes, it certainly won't be easy."
Shinichi admitted frankly. "But I'll say the same thing as before: someone has to do it. Even if the road ahead is difficult, even if progress is slow, even if the final result may not be entirely satisfactory, restoring the glory of the ninja creed is a responsibility that we ninjas are duty-bound to shoulder."
For a moment, Mei Terumi did not know how to respond. She only felt that the young man before her was especially sincere when he said those words, as though he were radiating light.
She nodded unconsciously, and at that moment the young man's voice sounded again.
"Do you have anything else you want to ask?"
Mei Terumi quickly collected herself, took a deep breath, and shook her head.
"No, Shinichi-sama. Thank you for answering my questions!"
After saying that, she sat down.
Shinichi once again swept his gaze across the Kirigakure prisoners below.
"And the rest of you? Do you have anything you want to ask me?"
Silence filled the scene, and no one stood up or spoke.
To be fair, Shinichi Higashino's words were far too idealistic and completely unrealistic, but ideals were ideals.
Just as even bad people hope to be surrounded by good people, realists also wish there were more idealists in the world.
If everything he said was true, then at the very least it meant that their lives had been completely spared.
Although they all prided themselves on not fearing death, not fearing death was one thing, and if they could live, no one wanted to die.
Moreover, everyone secretly felt that although Shinichi Higashino's words were somewhat idealized, they seemed to make a little sense.
After all, the person saying them was Shinichi Higashino.
"It seems none of you have any questions, or perhaps you simply haven't thought of what to ask yet."
Seeing this, Shinichi nodded before continuing, "Since all of you from the Village Hidden in the Mist have asked me so many questions, then I'd like to ask all of you a question as well."
"Why do you think your village, Village Hidden in the Mist, started a war against our Konoha?"
Shinichi slowly looked across the crowd as he calmly posed the question.
Hearing this, the Kirigakure prisoners opened their mouths, only to find themselves unable to say anything, and instinctively turned to look at their companions and discovered that everyone wore the same expression.
After waiting for a moment, Shinichi continued, "Was it because you couldn't survive anymore? But the Land of Water possesses endless seas, with year-round fish catches and inexhaustible marine resources."
"Was it because you were poor? But the Land of Water prospers through port trade, with fleets constantly traveling to and from the mainland of the Shinobi World, and trade taxes alone are enough to support the people."
"Was it because there wasn't enough land and resources, forcing expansion outward? But the Land of Water's territory is not much smaller than the Land of Fire's, while its population is far less dense."
"Was it because your living space was being squeezed? But the Land of Water lies far overseas and does not even border the Land of Fire, so there are no territorial disputes between us."
"Your country and your village do not lack food, money, or land. You don't even have much hatred toward Konoha."
"So I truly cannot understand why your Village Hidden in the Mist launched a war against our Konoha."
The hall fell into dead silence, and no one had ever asked them this question before; they had simply obeyed orders.
The village declared war on Konoha, and they picked up their weapons and crossed the sea.
As for why, that was not something they were supposed to ask, nor something they were allowed to ask.
So now that this young man had asked it directly to their faces, they realized that they genuinely had no answer.
"I can state very clearly why I fight, and why Konoha's ninjas fight." Shinichi continued, "We fight to protect our homeland and our country, to keep our lives from being destroyed by war, and so that every civilian behind us in the Land of Fire can continue living peacefully. What about you? You don't even understand why you're fighting, do you?"
The crowd remained in complete silence.
After a long period of silence, Mei Terumi stood up once more and spoke in a deep voice. "Shinichi-sama, as a world-renowned strategist, can you tell us the answer?"
"That answer is something you must find yourselves. Only you can truly figure out your own answer."
Shinichi shook his head before changing the subject. "However, I've previously spent some time thinking about why wars break out. If you're interested afterward, I can send those thoughts to you."
"If you think my views make some sense, then read them. Perhaps they'll provide a little inspiration and help you find your own answer. If you think I'm talking complete nonsense, then you can use it as toilet paper if you like."
After saying that, Shinichi spoke a few more words. Finally, after extending a formal invitation for them to attend as witnesses, he left Konoha's prison.
What remained behind were the silent Kirigakure prisoners, each lost in their own thoughts.
Especially Mei Terumi, whose mind was a complete mess, and she did not even know when or how she had returned to her cell.
Although Shinichi had described it to Konoha as holding classes and carrying out ideological reform, he had not chosen to stand above the Kirigakure prisoners and lecture them. Instead, he adopted a conversational format of questions and answers.
After all, the two sides had been trying to kill each other on the battlefield not long ago.
If he had immediately stepped onto a podium and begun preaching, lecturing them on lofty principles, these Kirigakure prisoners would have developed intense resistance from the very beginning.