Comrade In Arms

Slouching back in his red cushioned chair, Kisuke's eyes were dead set on the other Uchiha sitting across from him while he answered the questions posed to him. The first was one whether Minato believed Kiri to be Konoha's enemy. At first, he went on filibustering about knowing peace and the options they were faced with however he answered Kisuke's question when he mentioned that he was thankful that they were the enemy. Although he had a response, for the moment Kisuke would remain silent as he would for the other questions as well. He wanted to hear everyone's answer's before commenting on what they had to say.

Minato's answer to Kisuke's next question was exactly what he had expected from his former clansmen. A view that Kisuke was held himself but one he was coming to find was more archaic than ever. All this talk about the Uchiha being on top of the world, their rightful spot, getting what they deserved. Quite honestly it was starting to annoy Kisuke. Time's had changed, the world had changed and the Uchiha were no longer the clan they once were. However, maybe that was for the best. Perhaps it was time the Uchiha clan took a back seat in the affairs of the village and the world and stopped trying to sit atop it's hierarchy. 

But for now, he kept his mouth shut and his ears open as Minato went on to answer the question he had posed Higuto. Minato's answer was not too far off from what Kisuke believed himself. Before anyone could change the world they first had to work on themselves and only then could they seek the change they desired out in the real world. That was a reality that Kisuke had come to know about a year ago and it was the driving factor in why he still decided to be a shinobi. Only by working on himself could he then hope to influence and change the world the way he wanted it to be. It was a stark contrast to Higuto's view for apparently the whole world was his home and thus he wanted to affect and influence everything in its domain. A grand task, without a doubt. In order to achieve such a grandiose feat he wanted to become Hokage, the final rank he desired. An admiral goal, one Kisuke could appreciate but not one he shared for he did not want to be tied down by diplomacy and governmental matters. Already he hated the elder hierarchy of the Uchiha clan, there was no way he would subjugate himself to that on a much larger scale. 

Finally, he too answered Kisuke's question about whether Kiri was an enemy or not and with the two of them being done, Kisuke could finally chime in. Slowly nodding his head, the Uchiha would methodically run his right hand through his red dyed hair before starting. "I agree with you, Kiri's invasion was necessary. It showed us just how weak we fucking are and how comfortable we got with our lives. But I'd suggest that you dont view them as the enemy, at least not right now. See them more as a necessary evil, one that opened our eyes. An awakening of some sort and in our failure, let us use that awakening to our benefit. Cause if you see them as an enemy you'd technically have to attack them the next time you see them." Leaning forward to pick up his tea cup, the team leader would continue "Now that would probably start another war, something we are definitely not fucking prepared for. So let us remain in the shadows for now, until the time is right." He would finish, taking a sip of tea as he looked to Higuto, having played off him mentioning staying in the shadows. Konoha's time would come, just not now. "Oh and also, dont expect Kiri to protect us. This 'peace' they've given us is simply an illusion. They're our rulers, not our protectors. Best not forget that." Kisuke said, looking at Minato as he did for that was a comment towards his answer to the question. 

Putting his tea cup back down however remaining hunched forward, Kisuke would start again "Now for some follow ups. Minato. You want to put the clan 'back on top'. How would you do that? Do you want to return to the clan's old way which inevitably lead to its history of failure and downfall or implement a new order? Do you have any idea's of your own of how you'd achieve this?" Kisuke was curious to see what Minato really thought of the Uchiha clan. Throughout its history they may have been on top but they always fell back to the bottom. Whether it was almost being extinct or the brother leaders vanishing off the face of the earth, the Uchiha were also being defeated one way or another. Would Minato try his own hand at the old methods or perhaps try a new one?

"Similar to you." Kisuke said, turning his attention to Higuto. "If I understand correctly you want to make the whole world a better place, not just this village and you think you can do that by being the Hokage. But the Hokage is only the ruler of this village, the other villages have their own kages who have their own rules and views of how the world should be. So how do you plan on making the whole world a better place? Through conquest and domination, enforce your vision on everyone or through diplomacy and treaties, try to convince people that your view of the world is for the best? Or do you have other methods that could achieve your dream goal?"

Patiently waiting for Minato and Higuto to finish their explanation to his questions, Kisuke was carefully listening to what they were about to answer. Minato had said what he wanted to say, hoping his message would make sense to the others. Leaning back he would now listen to what Higuto had to say.

His fellow Genin began with going back to the day he was taking his Genin Exam. Even at that time he had already started thinking about his future. How he wants to protect and provide his village. But this “village” he spoke of was not limited to the people of Konohagakure no Sato. He was talking about the whole world in its entirety. Basically he wanted to see change happening to all of the villages together. And for that dream to become reality he was aiming for the highest position of them all. The Kage, the leader of the village. A dream Minato could respect and admire, but not one he would share as he saw himself more in a supporting role, rather than a leading one. And diplomacy and politics weren’t really his cup of tea.

Speaking of tea, now that both of them had finished talking about their respective views, it was time for Kisuke to take a sip of his tea before he would put it down again as he was getting ready to continue. The part both Minato and Higuto had agreed on was the fact that they both saw Kiri as their enemy, a necessary one they would need to open their eyes, pushing them to become better versions of themselves. It seemed like their sensei was also of the impression that the invasion was necessary as it showed us how weak we had become. An awakening of some sort.

Looking at Minato, the red haired Uchiha was curious how he would put the Uchiha back to where he thought they belonged. The history of the Uchiha clan was one filled with anger, fighting, failure that would eventually lead to their downfall. 
It was no secret that the Uchiha possessed great power, but as quick as they would grow and rise in power, the faster it had led to their downfall with almost being on the verge of extinction. 

“Due to our so called Curse of Hatred it is almost as if we are destined to fail just as we’re about to achieve great things. Although there is no denying that our clan has experienced things like hatred towards others, I don’t believe that we are cursed. 
I mentioned before that I believe that we can’t change things on our own and that we will need to work together to achieve change. I also feel the same about our clan. We’re not just anyone, we’re the Uchiha, a clan like no other. I want us to play a prominent role in the revival of our village. Not necessarily at the front, but maybe support everyone from the back. In moments that the village or the people are about to fall, we are there to push them back up. But I’m well aware that for something like that to be able to happen, everyone’s noses would be needed to point in the same direction. And it’s not always easy to put our ego aside, but I believe that with our clan getting stronger it would go hand in hand with the growth of our village.”

Minato knew all too well about the history of his clan. A history he would not want to see repeated. That’s why he needed to be careful about his ambitions as he didn’t want to give anyone the wrong impression. But he wanted his village to get stronger and he knew that they would need the Uchiha to achieve it. The current Minato wouldn’t be able to change his clan, let alone his village, but with the help of others, who knew?

“Maybe after all those years of trying to lead, the time has come for us to act from the shadows. Trying to become the glue that keeps everyone together, our clan and the village. Keeping in mind how strong we already are on our own, imagine the things we would be able to achieve when we work together. We’re a clan after all.”

(WC: 717, TWC: 2490)

Taking into account everything that was being said at the table Higuto was thinking of whether or not he ever actually put much thought into what he was going to do if he managed to get into the Kage chair and how he'd use such a position to his advantage. He always had the thought of helping to change the world for the better but, indeed as Kisuke mentioned, other villages had other Kages leading them down the visions they themselves had. Xyxer was one such Kage who used his village to control the Leaf and make it his under tyrannical rule. Higuto didn't want to resort to such tactics where others needed to be enslaved in order to appreciate the vision of a lone individual.

"As Hokage my political power may be limited to that of my village but in reputation I would hold my own place of honor with the other Kage. I have no intentions of ever using my strengths over others to force them to follow my will when peace brought through methods like those is nothing more than illusion. Peace brought by that is always doomed to fail. I want to bring about peace that can actually last and that requires cooperation rather than force. So I believe the best way to go about such a plan would be to talk things out with other Kages instead of threatening."

Higuto would take another sip after that as his mind wandered on what to do next for the future.

While the rest of them were enjoying their cup of tea the young Uchiha had already finished his. Looking at the time he suggested for them to head out to the village and to see what kind of trouble they could run into and it would also give them a chance to get to know each other a little bit better. Leaving the tea shop he head out, waiting for the others to hopefully follow him soon. 

(EXIT)
(TWC: 2567 + 421 from here + 203 from here + 309 from here = 3500
Claims:
- 2500 towards Lightning Beast Running Technique
- 1000 towards Cloud-Style Crescent Moon Beheading
- 16 stats (already claimed stats from 200 words in previous mid-thread claim)

Approved