The nerves in his hand continued to grow, endlessly branching out and drilling into Enryū's brain. Uchiha Kin pressed his lips into a slight smile, his voice laced with amusement.
"So, what do you think is the real cause of this war?"
"The disappearance of the Third Kazekage caused a sharp decline in the reputation of Sunagakure," Enryū responded, continuing her train of thought. "They urgently needed to demonstrate their power to the world, or else their mission system would collapse."
"Wrong," Uchiha Kin cut her off with a single word, denying her overly simplistic and naïve deduction.
Then, he offered an explanation.
"Before we talk about that, we have to start with the Land of Earth.
"The Land of Earth is mostly barren—dominated by deserts and rocky plains, with only a few small oases. It also lacks significant mineral resources, and its agricultural output is negligible.
"In short, of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Earth has the worst natural conditions. And it's also the one that most desperately needs mission income.
"However, Iwagakure's location makes one thing inevitable—under normal conditions, neither merchants nor officials are willing to endure sandstorms and hardship just to travel to such a poor, remote land to issue missions.
"This creates a fundamental contradiction between supply and demand.
"As a result, Iwagakure's mission system isn't sustained by civilian commissions like Konoha or Kumo. Instead, it relies heavily on mercenary work abroad—labor contracts, construction projects, and ninja-for-hire services. Their economy is excessively dependent on external demand."
Here, he suddenly smiled strangely. His eyes looked down at Enryū from above with a gaze full of insight as he said something she didn't want to believe.
"Given those conditions, which of the Five Great Nations do you think is the most belligerent? The one that least desires peace? It's the Land of Earth.
"And the village that benefits most from continued warfare—skirmishes every few days, major battles every few weeks—is Iwagakure."
Enryū protested, "That's not true! We Iwa-nin desire peace!"
Uchiha Kin replied calmly, "But no shinobi exists in isolation. A single person might be able to endure hunger, might even starve to death without committing theft or murder.
"But behind every shinobi is a family. Parents. A spouse. Children. That responsibility becomes a burden you can't ignore.
"You may choose honor, but your child still needs to eat. Your parents still need to survive. You must bring home money every month to keep them alive. That's not optional. So you step into the mission hall of your village.
"And you don't get to choose which mission you take. Neither does the village.
"Without war, the mercenary missions dry up. A large portion of your shinobi population loses their income.
"That's why low-intensity, sustained conflict is necessary. Only with ongoing wars can your village receive commissions, and only then can you earn a living. Only then can your family eat, and only then can your village continue to operate and hold itself together.
"That's why, upon learning of the Third Kazekage's disappearance, Iwagakure didn't hesitate to invade the Land of Wind. And at the same time, they initiated conflicts with both the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Leaf."
The world needed to be thrown into chaos—because only in war-torn regions can the mercenary economy survive. And only then can a resource-poor village like Iwagakure grow.
"Of course," Uchiha Kin added, "the Tsuchikage probably wasn't acting purely for war profits. He likely hoped to truly take over the Land of Wind.
"The Land of Wind is rich in oil and gold. If the Land of Earth could seize those resources, they could break free from dependence on war to survive. But Sunagakure proved stronger than expected. One failed strike, and the chance was lost.
"After that, they turned to attack the Land of Fire and Lightning. Almost simultaneously, Sunagakure also launched an assault on Konoha.
"Sunagakure didn't expect Iwagakure to move the same way, but in the end, their goals were identical—drag the Hidden Leaf into the fray."
He continued, "Kirigakure is the same. Their economy also relies on warfare and mercenary missions. But their resources are even more scarce, so their methods are more extreme. They resort to civil war, thinning their own low-level shinobi population.
"Compared to Iwagakure's war-making capability, Kirigakure is far weaker. They don't have the strength to start large-scale wars, so they tear themselves apart to reduce internal consumption—waiting for the next war to come.
"You must've wondered: Why do the Mist-nin always act like chaos agents, jumping into every battle they find?"
Enryū nodded. "Yes, they're maniacs. They kill on sight—whether it's us or Konoha. As long as you're a shinobi, they won't spare you. Are you saying... they're doing that because they're hired?"
"That's right," Uchiha Kin said. "They're killing because they were paid to kill. Even the craziest ninja understands one basic fact—
"Every kunai, every jutsu they wield, is a quantifiable asset. Without a mission, it's wasteful to kill. Such actions make you worthless. Employers won't hire you again—because they don't need to.
"They just need to provoke you, anger you. Then you'll kill for free. So why would they pay?"
Enryū was quiet. "That… makes sense. But I still don't understand. What are you really trying to say?"
"Heh," Uchiha Kin chuckled softly. "Honestly, I'm not sure either. Maybe I just wanted to talk more with you. I want to see what the future looks like. Maybe… a future without war."
"So you want me to be your vessel?" Enryū asked. "But we're about the same age. I don't think I'll outlive you."
She voiced her inner question. She knew what "vessel" meant.
Even if she didn't know how Uchiha Kin planned to use her, that wasn't strange—there were countless secret arts in the shinobi world, bizarre and inscrutable. But what puzzled her was why someone like him would choose someone as weak as her to be his vessel.
Uchiha Kin let go. The nerves connecting them snapped naturally. The last strand of nerve tissue entered Enryū's body, seamlessly connecting with her brain and entire nervous system.
"Who can say for sure?" Uchiha Kin murmured.
Then he gently tapped the unconscious Iwa-nin beneath his feet—the one whose back had been shredded by explosive tags. The blow knocked him out cold.
"I think… now that you're my vessel, could you tell me your real name?"
The red-haired, red-eyed girl hesitated. Then, after a pause, she said softly:
"My name… is Uzumaki Miyu."
"Thank you."
Uchiha Kin crouched and placed his hand on the back of the unconscious Iwa-nin. A mass of pale yellow nerve tissue sprayed from his palm, spreading like a net.