"So, Kakashi-kun, why exactly do you want to be a shinobi? Because it looks cool? To wipe off the perceived stain of disgrace on the Hatake name? Do you know what it means to be a true shinobi? My hands are stained with the blood of countless individuals, innocent, guilty, victim of circumstance
"So let me tell you about my dream, since we're going to be teammates. It's a dream that only a few of my precious people know about. It's a dream that began as Ero-sennin's dream, and it is a dream that has since extended to me, his student. It is a dream of peace."
Kakashi couldn't help but scoff at what he perceived to be his teacher's naivety and foolish idealism. Arashi-sensei sent a rueful smile in return.
"I know, I know. It sounds ridiculous, right? I admit, when ero-sennin told me something similar, I thought the elder toads must have hit him one too many times on the head. After all, what can one man do against the collective hatred of the world? But as I traveled with him to many different places, meeting so many different people who held such different ideals, I began to understand that my teacher is not a fool, but a very wise man with an enormous strength of character.
"Where the shinobi system exists, there will always be violence. One village executes a preemptive strike against another village, resulting in the death of many shinobi. One child from the second village experiences the loss of a parent, the pain of losing one of his precious people. The love of the child for this person leads to a hatred for the enemy, the village that caused this pointless death. The hatred and the pain of this loss fester in the child's heart, and as the child grows and becomes a shinobi as well, his desire for revenge increases. Eventually this child becomes strong enough to kill the shinobi from the enemy village. But this small taste for revenge does nothing to sate the ever-growing hate. This child, no, adult now, in his vengeance, kills another person's precious person. The adult's hate spreads to the enemy. Pretty soon the two villages are embroiled in a war. This is the cycle of hatred. It is a curse that consumes us."
Arashi paused, as if to see whether his student was listening to the tale. Kakashi was indeed listening, but was also starting to become impatient at what seemed to be a waste of his training time.
"Now, there is a point to this story, Kakashi," Arashi said in response to Kakashi's impatient glare. "I am the heir of the Uzumaki clan. And as you know, our village was destroyed in an attempt by Kumo and Kiri to eradicate its inhabitants. It was only by the blessing of Kami that we were able to evacuate even one-third of the population. It was devastating to see the legacy of my ancestors being desecrated by people who were jealous of our prosperity and power. Seeing members of my family murdered in front of my eyes, their throats slit, entrails spilling out, skin burning to a crisp… It is a horror I hope you will never face.
"Because of this, I began to grow bitter and resentful towards Kiri and Iwa. I began to hate. And in my hatred, I decided that I would make them pay. So I began throwing myself into training, day after day with no respite. I began to crave the power and strength I thought was necessary for my revenge. In the pursuit of this goal, I focused only on my own pain and forgot about the pain of others who have experienced the same events. Kushina-chan kept pestering me to spend time with her, and I would always push her away, intent on my training. One day, I went too far and she burst into tears. She called me every name in the book, pummeled me with her fists, kicked me everywhere she could reach, and I just stood there and took it all. Because I made a mistake. I forgot about my precious people. I forgot that Kushina-chan lost people as well. I forgot that she was hurting just as much as me, and I blindly refused her comfort.
"That was the moment I realized that all the power in the world would not bring back my friends and family. Hatred would not give me peace. Vengeance would not unburden my soul. Because of a little girl, my little sister, I let go of my anger. How could I hold on to my hate when there were people who needed me to pull them from their own despair? Kushina-chan, Ryu-obachan, Inoshi-kun, (more names), they were all being consumed by their pain, just as I was. By letting go of mine, I could teach others to do the same, and begin to live again.
"One day, I met a group of Iwa jonin. Among them, there was a face I recognized. He was there the night that my village burned. I watched them all day, followed them until they stopped to camp. This man was on watch while his companions slept. I crept behind him and held a kunai to his throat. That was my ultimate test: would I succumb to my hatred, as so many others had, or would I do the impossible by forgiving one of the murderers of my clan? I chose the latter, much to my surprise and his relief. Now Zarui-san is one of my friends. Ultimately, he is not responsible for the decimation of my clan. The blame lies with the corrupt Iwa council that issued the orders without the knowledge of the Tsukage. If I had killed first, I would have never found out the true story. I would have never realized that the majority of the Iwa shinobi are not the ones to blame.
"By the time I met Jiraiya-sensei and travelled the world with him, I had already decided that revenge is useless. Ero-sennin taught me forgiveness and shared with me his dream of a united world with no war, a future in which people could understand each other. Through my pain, I can understand others. Through that understanding, I can form bonds with people, save them from their own darkness. We are all bound to each other, like chains. If one link chooses love over hate, it can change the world. And that is my goal.
"Kakashi, you must decide what kind of a ninja you want to be. Will you mold yourself into the perfect emotionless tool, carrying out orders without hesitation? If your leader orders you to participate in the genocide of every clan that wields a bloodline, will you do so without question? If your answer is yes, then I have no desire to teach you. Your strength would be a waste of resources.