Chapter 457: Ninja Way Origins Research Society’s Founding Ceremony (Part 2)

The moment Nagato’s Shadow Clone was released, a middle-aged monk with a plain face, dressed in a gray robe and seated at the edge of the guest section, suddenly frowned. Turning his head, his gaze pierced through the sea of people and landed directly on the three members of the Akatsuki.

"What is it, senior brother Nitai?" Genjo asked with a smile beside him.

The spectators around them occasionally glanced in their direction, their eyes almost invariably falling upon the handsome young monk in white robes whose beauty seemed almost beyond that of an ordinary human.

"It’s nothing." Madara withdrew his gaze, his expression unchanged.

At this moment, the focal point of everyone’s attention was the president’s platform standing silently beneath the morning light. No one had yet stepped onto it, and everyone was waiting for that young man.

A short while later, Shinichi slowly walked from the side of the platform to the lectern at its center. The instant his figure appeared, more than ten thousand pairs of eyes converged upon him simultaneously, and the once noisy square grew noticeably quieter as if by unspoken agreement.

Among the crowd, Madara watched the young man on the stage with unfathomable eyes that revealed neither joy nor sorrow.

Today was truly the first time he had seen this youngster whose name and deeds he had heard mentioned countless times by White Zetsu.

He had to admit that the boy was indeed remarkably handsome.

Not only his appearance, but the young man also seemed to possess an invisible aura, as though he had been born to be the center of attention.

No wonder that fellow White Zetsu had always paid such special attention to him, always making his affairs the very first thing to report whenever he returned from gathering intelligence.

"This benefactor Higashino is certainly blessed with an impressive appearance."

Genjo remarked beside him.

"Heh." Madara let out a cold laugh and said calmly, "Still not one ten-thousandth of you, junior brother Genjo."

"You flatter me, senior brother." Genjo smiled faintly and said nothing more.

Madara likewise remained silent, merely shifting his gaze back to the chairman’s platform. He wanted to see exactly what this youngster, who claimed to have comprehended the Sage of Six Paths’ original intention and dared to rally the Shinobi World in the ancestor’s name, would have to say once he stood upon that stage.

Shinichi came to a stop, swept his gaze across the more than ten thousand faces below him, cleared his throat, and got straight to the point.

"Everyone, welcome to witness the founding of the Ninja Way Origins Research Society."

From that moment onward, his voice was the only one that echoed throughout the entire square. He began by speaking of the Sage of Six Paths’ original aspiration, the purpose behind founding Ninja Creed, and chakra’s original mission.

He then spoke of how things had gone astray.

Over the centuries, chakra had degenerated from a bond that connected hearts into a tool of war, while the students of Ninja Creed had transformed from those who united people’s hearts into instruments of killing.

Then he shifted the subject to the first Hokage and Madara Uchiha, recounting how the two boys who had once each embraced their own ideals beside the Naka River had gone from sworn enemies to close friends, how they had set aside the centuries-long blood feud between the Senju and the Uchiha, joined hands to bring the Warring States Period to an end, and established upon this land the first village in the Shinobi World to unite every ninja clan beneath a single banner. That had been the brightest resurgence of the Sage of Six Paths’ original aspiration.

He also spoke of Madara Uchiha’s later betrayal, of how he broke with the first Hokage, left Konoha, and finally fought his former closest friend to the death at the valley of the end, abandoning that original aspiration and ultimately falling into the abyss.

As these words came from Shinichi’s mouth, several Uchiha elders seated in the front row simultaneously raised their heads, while Fugaku Uchiha’s hand resting upon his knee tightened slightly before gradually relaxing again.

Among the crowd, however, Madara remained perfectly still, merely narrowing his eyes slightly.

After that, Shinichi spoke of the present, of the ongoing Third Shinobi World War, in which all Five Great Ninja Villages had become involved, countless ninja had stained the battlefields with their blood, and civilians had been driven from their homes.

Shinichi concluded that after all the fighting, there had been no true victor in this war.

At that moment, in the special guest section, Mei Terumī and the other Kirigakure prisoners also showed subtle changes in their expressions, though no one knew what they were thinking.

Finally, Shinichi spoke of the association’s purpose: To trace the origins of the ninja way and return to the Sage of Six Paths’ original aspiration.

To explore the diverse applications of chakra beyond killing, from medicine and public welfare to agriculture and industrial forging, from infrastructure development to the spread of culture.

He then called upon every nation and every hidden village to set aside prejudice and old grudges, to explore this new path together, replacing endless mutual attrition with cooperation and mutual benefit, seeking opportunities for shared prosperity beyond the battlefield, and joining hands to return to the mission the ancestor had originally entrusted to ninja.

His clear and steady voice echoed throughout the venue, and when the final word fell, a brief silence settled over the square.

In the front row, the third Hokage set down his pipe and began to applaud softly.

Chief butler Sosho followed, then Tsunade, then more and more people, the front rows, the back rows, those in the trees, and those standing at the edge of the square, until the applause merged into a tide-like roar that echoed endlessly beneath the morning light.

As the applause gradually subsided and Shinichi was about to continue speaking, a hand rose from the guest section reserved for representatives of foreign countries and villages.

Everyone turned to look; it was a young man with orange hair dressed in a black robe, standing among representatives from the smaller villages of various nations.

It was Yahiko.

"My friend, do you have a question?" Shinichi gestured for him to stand.

Yahiko rose to his feet. Facing the countless eyes gathered upon him, he took a deep breath before speaking.

"Shinichi-sama, I am Yahiko from the Village Hidden in the Rain. Just now you spoke of mutually beneficial cooperation, mutual prosperity, and understanding between nations. Your words deeply moved me. I would like to ask whether the common development you speak of includes small countries like ours."

"If it does, then for a small country like the Village Hidden in the Rain, where rain falls year-round, floods occur constantly, we cannot even produce enough food to feed ourselves, and our people struggle to meet even the most basic survival needs, how are we supposed to solve our most fundamental difficulties? Under such circumstances, how can we achieve the mutual benefit and cooperation you described with great nations and other villages? Or to put it another way, would Konoha be willing to lend us a helping hand in the future?"

The entire venue fell silent for a moment.

Sitting in the front row, Jiraiya watched the student he had taken in years ago stand before a crowd of more than ten thousand people and question another young man, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

"Naturally it does."

Shinichi nodded without hesitation.