"Eighty years ago…"
Shinichi's voice slowly sounded, like a hand gently pulling everyone's thoughts back to that distant era.
"Eighty years ago, in that Warring States Period where conflict was frequent and human life was as cheap as grass, there was once a young child who stood where I stand now, gazing over this land."
Shinichi's voice was clear and steady, yet it seemed to carry a power that pierced through time.
"He saw ninja clans slaughtering each other, hatred like chains, locking generation after generation into a vortex of blood and revenge."
"He saw children who should have been holding toys and laughing in their parents' arms, forced to pick up blades taller than themselves, their young faces stained with blood, their bright eyes losing their light in the act of killing."
"He saw comrades fall behind him, loved ones perish before his eyes. Figures who were laughing together just yesterday had become names engraved on cold gravestones today."
"He saw countless lives like morning dew, vanishing before the sun could even rise."
"He experienced more deeply than anyone the pain of wanting to protect, yet being powerless."
"And so, in this child's heart, a dream arose, one that seemed distant and unattainable, yet would illuminate the entire era that followed."
"A dream that one day, ninja clans trapped in deep-seated grudges, facing each other with blades drawn, could lay down the hatred that had flowed for hundreds of years. That their children could sit in the same classroom, share food under the same tree, and entrust their backs to one another, instead of aiming for each other's hearts."
Below the stage, in the area where the Uchiha Clan had gathered, many people unconsciously tensed slightly. Many teachers from the education department and the Ninja Academy wore expressions of deep concentration, their gazes distant, as if they were seeing certain scenes.
"A dream that one day, children would not have to learn to grip a blade before learning to read, would not be forced to understand death and killing before understanding love and beauty. Their childhood should be filled with swings, the sound of cicadas, warm meals, and the laughter of companions."
In the crowd, many parents unconsciously reached out to gently pull the children beside them into their arms, softly stroking their hair.
"A dream that one day, ninjas from different clans and surnames could stand side by side for a shared belief and protection. That the word 'companion' would mean absolute trust and a bond of life and death, instead of someone from another clan to be wary of or a consumable to be sacrificed at any time."
In the area where representatives of various clans gathered, many people's gazes shifted slightly, occasionally meeting the eyes of those from other clans nearby before quickly looking away.
A complex, indescribable silence filled the air.
"A dream that one day, a place could be established where all weary ninjas could lay down their weapons and rest in peace. A home where civilians drifting through chaotic times could find shelter, settle down, and live in peace and prosperity. A soil where dreams, laughter, hope, and the future could take root and grow. This place would be like a towering tree, shielding all who long for peace and tranquility."
At this point, the expressions of everyone in the plaza changed unconsciously, a deeper, warmer emotion surging in their eyes.
"This dream was so grand, so difficult, that to the people of that time, it may have seemed like nothing more than a child's foolish fantasy."
"But this child, carrying that dream, step by step, became a great ninja."
"This great ninja, together with his brothers, his close friends, his companions, and countless pioneers who shared the same vision, used all their strength, wisdom, and even their lives to pursue this dream!"
"And thus, Hidden Leaf Village was born!"
"And that child was the first Hokage!"
As the words fell, everyone unconsciously raised their heads, looking toward the dignified and broad face of the first Hokage on the Hokage Rock, then glanced around at the familiar streets, houses, shops, and the neighbors and friends living alongside them.
A warm current mixed with gratitude, recognition, and a strong sense of belonging silently spread and resonated through the quiet crowd.
All of this daily life, this ordinary peace, began with a child, in that bloody era eighty years ago, with a dream that was incredibly precious, and once considered naive.
"Today, we stand before the statues of this great ninja and the two great successors who inherited his will. We gather here under the gaze of countless martyrs who sacrificed themselves for this dream!"
Shinichi's voice suddenly rose, clear and powerful, echoing across the plaza.
"Eighty years of time have allowed a seed buried in the heart to grow into a towering tree! Hidden Leaf Village has become the home we all share, a symbol of peace and prosperity in the Shinobi World. The dream of the first Hokage has, in many ways, become a reality within our reach. Children can study in schools instead of going to the battlefield. Ninjas from different clans can fight side by side. Civilians can live and work in peace within the walls!"
His gaze was sharp as he swept over every face below, immersed in memory and emotion, but his tone suddenly shifted, carrying a solemn and resolute force: "But today, we must face a cruel reality!"
"Some people, some forces, have never understood, and refuse to understand, the value and greatness of this dream! They only see the wealth of our home, the peace of our lives, and treat it as something to be plundered, as weakness to be trampled upon!"
"They live in wind and sand and barrenness, and thus believe it is only natural to seize fertile lands!"
"They are confined among mountains and ravines, and thus believe that occupying the plains is the right of the strong!"
"They are riddled with internal conflicts and distorted rules, and thus seek to direct the flames of war outward, using others' blood to extinguish their own internal fires!"
"They see that we cherish our families and think we fear sacrifice! They see that we love peace and think we are weak and easy to bully! They see us building our home and think it is a granary and treasure vault prepared for them!"
Shinichi's voice grew more impassioned, each word striking like a heavy hammer against people's hearts: "But they are wrong! Gravely wrong!"
"We cherish because we know the pain of loss! We love because we have witnessed the abyss of hatred! We build because we firmly believe that labor and wisdom can create the future!"
"The dream of the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, is not cowardice that bows before blades! The system established by the second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, is not a sandcastle that collapses before invasion! The peace protected by the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is not a tribute to be taken at will!"
He spread his arms wide, as if to embrace all of Konoha, his voice piercing the sky: "We gather here today, looking up to the glory of our predecessors, not to seek comfort in memories, and certainly not to bow our heads before the coming storm!"
"We stand here to declare to the entire Shinobi World!"
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