Uchiha Tonan raised his eyebrows. He realized that Yahiko didn’t remotely understand what he meant. He decided to make his explanation even simpler. He said, “You don’t seem to understand what I mean. Resources include wealth. The current Land of Wind is lacking everything. There is no food and they also have no money to buy it.”
Yahiko was silent for a while trying to understand the point. He scratched his head in annoyance and thought about it for a long time. Then he weakly said, “If the Land of Fire wants to avoid war, can’t it just distribute the surplus food to the Land of Wind?”
Only at this moment did Tonan realize that the kid in front of him was a bit too naïve. He wondered that when Yahiko was already old enough, how could he still be this ignorant?
“Why? Take the grain I grow in my field as an example. I’ve worked hard, enduring fierce wind and scorching sun every day to grow it. I used my labor in exchange for the grain and sold the surplus to buy some decent clothes for my family. If you make me give away the grain for nothing just like that, without any reason, then why would I work hard next year?”
“I’ll just grow enough food for my family. In any case, growing more is a waste of time and effort. Once this becomes the practice, in the next year, the Land of Wind will still be poor, and the Land of Fire will also just be self-sufficient. At that time, what will you do?”
“I…” Yahiko didn’t know how to answer Tonan’s question. A villain, especially one that met the standard requirements of being one, must have the ability to suppress others in the aspect of brass tacks. Why? Because villains are ambitious and idealists. They could talk endlessly when they had ideals in their hearts.
Those who roar about wanting to destroy the world and just know how to kill were not worthy of being called villains. They could only be called sad creatures who had gone insane under the torture of life and pain. And there were too many such miserable creatures in this world.
Tonan glanced at Nagato and Konan, who also looked confused, and thought of sending them away after a few words. He heaved a deep sigh and patted Yahiko on his shoulder. “Do you understand? Resources such as these absolutely cannot be regarded simply as food to eat.”
Yahiko lowered his head and pinched the corners of his clothes with both hands. He continued, “But don’t you think that the war is too cruel? In the war, so many people die, especially the civilians who have no way to avoid it.”
The atmosphere became heavy. Nagato and Konan lowered their heads with sad expressions. But how could Tonan be influenced by children such as these? He emphatically countered, “That’s wrong! They can avoid it if they want to. It’s just that they are not willing to. I know you are all from the Land of Rain. The Land of Rain had been in the midst of war since the Warring States Period. If people are afraid of war, why aren’t they moving away? Haven’t you ever thought about it?”
The trio looked at each other and Yahiko looked at Tonan with a somber face. “Because this is our home.”
Tonan sneered and raised his finger, pointing at the ground. “Because you can eat enough here, and you can get ahead with a fight here. Have you read any books? Do you know that the population of the Land of Rain always increases exponentially at the last stage of the war? Do you know that many civilians migrate to the Land of Rain every year?”
Hearing this, the trio had a look of disbelief.
“Aren’t they afraid of death?” Tonan grabbed Yahiko’s collar and pulled him closer. He said, “This place has ample rain and the weather is warm. You can grow grain three times a year and there are also numerous fishes and shrimps in the river. In a household, even a single working person can ensure that the whole family will not starve to death.”
“Such conditions are excellent for anyone. For civilians, this place is simply paradise. Dying in a war is just a probability. But without food, one will die without a doubt. Risks and opportunities coexist and this is the process of mutual interest. Obviously, for the majority of people, the opportunities here far outweigh the risks.”
This was the first time Yahiko had heard such a truth of life. He felt that his view of the world was about to collapse and his pupils trembled nonstop. “How can this be… it can’t be true…”
Tonan slammed Yahiko onto the bridge. Nagato and Konan got off the railing and supported him, one on the left, the other on the right. Tonan also jumped off and looked down at the three of them. “Let me tell you, there are many places without war in this world. Do you know that the western region of the Land of Wind has never experienced war since the Warring States Period?
“But there is almost no one there. Do you know why? It’s because there is drought all year round. The yellow sand fills the sky and it’s hard to survive. Also, do you know how many people die every year in the Land of Wind? Many eat sand until they die with their fingers still in their mouths. Because the sand is too dry to swallow, it has to be continuously poked with fingers. When you can’t even find soil with a little moisture to eat, that’s called miserable.”
“So… the point of war… is it just to plunder resources…” Yahiko’s voice gradually weakened and he seemed to have lost his soul.
