Hibari and Kakuzu were walking to the Mitsumine Group headquarters, with Hibari observing his surroundings.
The news of the Third Raikage's arrival in Konohagakure was impossible to hide. The war hadn't officially ended, and they had been killing each other not long ago, so when the news spread, many people's faces were filled with hatred.
"It seems that it wasn't just Kinkaku and Ginkaku who wanted war. I think even in our Konoha, there are many who wanted war, but they were just 'conquered' by my grandfather," Hibari said with a laugh, pulling back his gaze.
"People develop emotions, and emotions lead to many complicated and difficult things to let go of. The most important of them is hatred. Hibari, let me ask you, what if one day, your most beloved sister Tsunade dies in a war? Will you choose to end the war to prevent more tragedies like yours from happening, or... will you seek an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth?" Kakuzu suddenly asked Hibari a deep wquestion.
Hibari stopped walking and looked at Kakuzu with an oppressive gaze. Then he said in a deep voice, "First, I will absolutely not let Tsunade die. Second, if something like that were to happen, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth? That's not happening..."
When Kakuzu heard this, he said with some surprise, "I didn't expect you to be such a pure person..."
But before he could finish speaking, the corner of Hibari's mouth curled up into a sinister smile, and he said, "If that happens, I'll destroy this world with my own hands."
He said it so casually that it seemed unbelievable, and he didn't swear on anything. But for some reason, when Kakuzu heard it, he felt a chill from the bottom of his heart.
Then Kakuzu smiled and said, "Just as I thought, you're not as 'kind' as you appear to be..."
Hibari just laughed, as if the topic they were discussing didn't bother him at all. He said casually, "What's this about kind or not? Is that the standard for measuring a person? If it is, then in my opinion, there should be at least three standards: kind, evil, and chaotic..."
As Hibari said this, he stopped and held up three fingers. He said, "The vast majority of people in the world think that they belong to the 'kind' camp because everyone seems to be doing the right thing. The Third Raikage thinks so, and the Hokage Hiruzen thinks so too. But if they're all kind people, then why are they on opposite sides?"
Kakuzu also seemed to be very interested in this question. He wasn't in a hurry to go to the Mitsumine Group anymore. To be honest, before he understood the Mitsumine Group, he was more curious about what kind of person Senju Hibari was. So when Hibari started talking about this topic, he was very eager to hear his thoughts.
"Why?" Kakuzu asked, wanting to know the answer.
The corner of Hibari's mouth curled into a smile, and then he said, "That's because no one has seen their true nature, or rather, it's very difficult for humans to see themselves. On the contrary, they often think they can see others... Hahaha, how ironic. In my opinion, the people who are truly 'kind' and 'evil' are a very small minority. The vast majority of people who think they are kind just haven't realized that they are truly 'chaotic'..."
After hearing these words, Kakuzu looked at Hibari and said, "That sounds a little reasonable. It doesn't sound like something a person your age would say..."
"Hahaha, does something like this need to be measured by age?" Hibari said with a loud laugh.
He paused for a moment, then started walking again. He said as he walked, "Before people determine whether they are kind or evil, they mostly belong to chaos, but they think they are kind. I'm the same. That's because everyone has yet to encounter the event that can truly influence their choice of 'camp.' But that's a good thing. Isn't it a happy thing for most people to live their lives thinking they are kind?"
"If you were to encounter something that would influence your choice, what would you choose?" Kakuzu suddenly asked.
"Didn't I just tell you the answer?" Hibari said without turning his head.
Kakuzu smiled when he heard this and then said, "Just as I expected..."
Hibari said with some impatience, "Why are you discussing these things with me? You were the one who was in a hurry to go before, and now you're just wandering around. Why are you so hard to please?"
Kakuzu sped up, caught up to Hibari, and then said, "I'm about to officially start working for you, aren't I? Before that, isn't it normal to find out what kind of person my 'employer' is?"
"Do you understand now? I just said a few things," Hibari said casually.
"That's enough," Kakuzu said without saying anything more.
Kakuzu already understood Hibari's thoughts. He might seem like a kind person now, but as he said himself, Hibari just hadn't encountered the events that were enough to influence his choice of camp.
His current kindness was just the surface of chaos. If something like that were to happen in the future, the question about Tsunade and the answer Kakuzu received had already made him understand what kind of demon the seemingly kind and warm-hearted Hibari would turn into at that time...
'Destroy the world... huh? It really is fitting for a guy who likes to study jutsu filled with evil and death. They say that jutsu is one thing and shinobis are another, but what a person likes to study can perfectly reflect some of the truth hidden in their heart...' Kakuzu thought to himself.
Looking at the back of Hibari, who was walking ahead, the corner of Kakuzu's mouth suddenly curled up into a slightly grim smile, and he said softly, "I'm really looking forward to the day when something that can influence your choice comes. So I can see what kind of person you'll become."
Hibari suddenly stopped again, then turned his head and glanced at Kakuzu, who was behind him. He said, "I don't hope that something like that will happen, because it will inevitably be accompanied by struggle, pain, and choice. So, Kakuzu, no matter how much you look forward to it and how curious you are, I want to advise you of one thing: don't do anything unnecessary, or else..."
Before Hibari could finish his sentence, Kakuzu said, "I don't want to become a zombie like Kinkaku and Ginkaku... Let's talk about business. What's this about the news? Public opinion?"
When Hibari saw that Kakuzu didn't intend to probe him anymore, he also didn't bring up the topic. Instead, he said with great excitement, "News and public opinion are actually very important. They can not only generate huge profits but also bring many unexpected benefits..."
After he rattled on for a while, Kakuzu listened with a half-understanding look on his face. He then rubbed his head and said, "I think I have a rough idea. It's about the advantages of having a say and getting information, right? Although I don't really understand these things..."
"You have to understand that ordinary people are very easy to fool. As long as you make up something that sounds plausible, you can make black sound like white and white sound like black. That's what having a say means, do you understand? For example, let's take you. If we had a newspaper, we could write an article specifically about you. We could say that you were persecuted in Takigakure and that the higher-ups were all bastards who were outwardly righteous but were secretly doing terrible things. Then we could fabricate some stories that everyone would love to hear to slander them. Finally, we could reveal your identity and clear your name, saying that you were framed by those people and that you only escaped from Takigakure to save yourself... See? Didn't that just turn black into white?" Hibari said with a raised eyebrow.
Kakuzu was stunned by this himself. He then said, "Would people actually believe that?"
"That's why you have to first establish your 'authority' before doing something like that. Publish some true stories first so that everyone subconsciously believes that what you say is true. After that, you can make things up as you go. If it doesn't work once, do it twice. If you say it enough, people won't be able to tell the difference between black and white anymore... That's what public opinion is, having a say!" Hibari said with a smile.
"So what do I do?" Kakuzu asked with great curiosity.
"It's simple. You have a lot of connections in the black market, right? That's where information flows. Find some people, give them some money to be informants, and have them provide you with more material. Then find some professionals to write it all down in a proper article, and then print it and publish it..." Hibari rattled on, once again filling Kakuzu's head with a bunch of things.
"I'll teach you all of this later. Let's first implement these things..." Hibari said as he stepped into the Mitsumine Group's headquarters.
....
At the same time, in the dense forest near Konohagakure, a member of the intelligence department was rushing towards Konoha at an extremely fast speed. It seemed that he had some important intelligence that needed to be reported to the Hokage as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, in the meeting room of the Hokage Residence, Hiruzen looked at some of the agreements submitted by Kumogakure and shook his head slightly. He said, "That's impossible, Third Raikage-sama. With all due respect, this treaty is exactly the same as the one we were both going to sign in the Land of Hot Water..."
"That's right, but wasn't that what we both agreed upon at the time?" the Third Raikage said in a deep voice.
"We did agree on it at the time, but it's not the same as it was then. The ambush that Kinkaku and Ginkaku started directly led to our Second Hokage-sama being severely injured and having to resign as Hokage. As the Third Hokage, if I were to act like that never happened, how could I have the face to see Second Hokage-sama? How could I have the face to face the people of Konoha? Therefore, Kumogakure must give a corresponding apology and show some sincerity for this ambush!" Hiruzen said without backing down.
"Our Second Raikage-sama died in that incident!!!" the Third Raikage said, bringing up the death of the Second Raikage.
But Hiruzen didn't buy into their act and said directly, "We also regret that, but what does that have to do with Konoha?"
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