#this is confirmed by the fact future tsuna set the plan in motion by pretending he had died

[vongola-renaissance]

Unpopular opinion, Tsuna is not dumb and the only reason he was half as manipulated as he was is because he was a teenager trying to go with the flow, so he could return one day to his life.

Reborn put him in specific situations where he either solved things off or risked someone's safety (mostly his friends or even the world). Most of the events in the manga that made Tsuna dive into the mafia world happened through kidnapping. The things they were manipulating the most were the circumstances, not Tsuna.

He doesn't want to start a war with the Vongolas because he doesn't want the Vongola legacy.

His friends were tricked, tho.

They are the ones who were actually manipulated most of the time, even if it'd be easier to believe that loser Tsuna was the victim. I'm talking about canon characters like Yamamoto, Gokudera or Haru whose self worth were directly related to how much they could physically do for another person. Tsuna was the first person that looked at them and considered them and risked his life for them. Whenever Reborn appeared with a mission Tsuna had to accomplish, they'd jump to do it just for the sake of doing it for Tsuna.

Although they were being used against Tsuna, at least he knew what was happening. He hated it, he hated Reborn from forcing it, Tsuna spent the manga angry and tired because of that.

Meanwhile, his friends couldn't see that their blind devotion to Tsuna was being manipulated to turn them into Vongola weapons. They all were taught what they should be, how they should fight, their roles within the mafia. For Tsuna, of course. Even if Tsuna only ever wanted them safe, back home, living their teenage lives.

The best part is that Tsuna somehow convinced them that they should live and be happy for him. Where's the post that goes like "you'd die for me? kill for me? then tell me, would you heal and be well for me?"

Reborn has them in the palm of his hands 'cause he's a hitman, he won't doubt about putting them in danger if that serves his purpose.