Chapter 38 : Ambition and Research
Haruto couldn't help but think of the generally peaceful situation in his previous life, which had remained stable for many years.
What had caused such a relatively peaceful state? Was it nuclear weapons? That notion was laughable. Humans have always dared to use any weapon they could imagine if pushed far enough. The real reason was much simpler: improved productivity that allowed more people to be fed—and, surprisingly to some, contraceptives. Without those, the global population would have at least doubled, and in places like Asia, it might have multiplied several times over. If faced with an extra 100 billion mouths to feed, who would care about nuclear deterrence? They'd go to war just to survive. The peace would come—when there were hardly any left to fight.
Hearing Haruto's reasoning, the Third Hokage couldn't remain calm. For the first time, he had heard a logically sound path toward true peace. As someone who had lived through countless wars, the Third Hokage yearned for peace more than anyone. In a world soaked in endless bloodshed, most people silently hoped for peace. No one wanted to wake up one day only to find their loved ones gone.
The Third had already lost most of what he cherished: his parents, his wife, his child, and countless friends and subordinates. This was the true cruelty of war. Even as Hokage, he couldn't protect everything important to him. Genocide, clan extermination, and families destroyed—these tragedies occurred daily. Hatred and pain howled endlessly like a living hell. Everyone awaited change.
Wasn't the ultimate goal of late villains like Madara and Obito also to eliminate war, no matter how twisted their method?
"Haruto, your idea is excellent," the Third finally said, "but you must understand the dangers of the First Hokage's cells."
Haruto had been waiting for this moment. He calmly activated his Sharingan.
"This... this is..."
"Lord Third, this is the result of my secret research. I didn't transplant anyone else's eyes. Maybe it's because I was born with all seven chakra attributes—my body has almost no rejection to any bloodline. These Sharingan were awakened by me. That's why I'm confident I can handle Hashirama cells too."