"But that's just one of his abilities. He also has Water Release!"
Uzumaki Ashina agreed. "That's right. His Water Release is incredibly strong. When the two abilities are used together, they're truly unstoppable." He then said to Torifu, "You should stay here for now. The injury to your mind needs to heal. If you get hit by that jutsu again, you'll be directly controlled."
Torifu really wanted to say no, because he wanted to go back and save his friends. But his rational mind told him not to be so impulsive. In a losing battle, acting on emotion is the most dangerous thing you can do. So he agreed to stay in the room for the time being.
"Father, and you too, guest, dinner's ready."
A middle-aged man's voice came from the kitchen, and he walked out with a few plates of food. This completely threw Torifu off. 'Isn't that the Second Prince! Why is he here!' He looked at Uzumaki Ashina with a bewildered expression.
The old man calmly said, "That's another group of people. I don't know what happened to the Land of Whirlpools, to suffer such a calamity. Come on, eat, eat."
Torifu was completely speechless now. He couldn't see a single hint of worry on Uzumaki Ashina's face. 'Your own country is in shambles! Your clansmen and sons are being controlled, and you're here telling me to eat?! Do you even have a heart, old man!'
"Make some room for me. I didn't have breakfast and I'm a little hungry."
Since the Daimyō himself was so unbothered, what was Torifu so worried about? Nothing was more important than eating. The food was okay, but in such a secluded place, he was just happy to have something to eat. Torifu wasn't picky. He even took out some of his own dried meat and other snacks to add to the meal. The old man didn't stand on ceremony and immediately started eating.
"Saving you was the best decision I've ever made. I haven't had meat in a long time."
Torifu was already used to the old man's nonsense. He just gave a little chuckle and let it go.
"Do you two have any thoughts on what's going on outside? What should we do?" Torifu looked at the Second Prince, who awkwardly waved his hand. "I can't do anything. I'm just a normal person. I'm good at cooking, but saving the country? Count me out."
'Alright, so the one outside was a fake. The original is just as useless as a passerby.' Torifu then looked at Uzumaki Ashina, who was currently eating a ton of dried beef. Sensing Torifu's dark look, Uzumaki Ashina swallowed the beef jerky and said, "Do you really think an old man like me can beat that guy? The future of the Uzumaki clan rests on your shoulders, young hero!"
'Great,' Torifu thought. He had known this would be the outcome.
"Then why did you two come here?"
When Uzumaki Ashina heard that, he put down his bowl and chopsticks and reminisced. "Sigh. That day, I was discussing my abdication with my two sons. I'm getting old and I can't do it anymore."
"Who would've thought that I'd accidentally discover that Rain was controlling my eldest son? He even pretended to give me a massage to try and control me!"
"Luckily, I'm a Kage-level ninja, so he wasn't able to get me, but I was still gravely injured and stumbled out. I ran into that girl Kushina on the way and took her with me. My second son came out with his guards to chase me. I thought he was also being controlled, so I ran like crazy. After I got to the beach, I sent Kushina away, and that's when I found out this idiot son of mine wasn't controlled at all, so I brought him in here with me."
It was pretty much what Torifu had guessed. There were no strange twists or turns in the story, just the facts. It was very in-character for the old man...
Torifu held his hand to his forehead. "Then what would you have done if I hadn't come?"
Uzumaki Ashina's eyes narrowed. "Then there would have been no choice but to fight him to the death!" For a moment, Torifu felt his immense aura! But it was only for a moment before he slumped back down. "I'm old, I'm old. I don't have much of my strength left. Even if I fought him to the death, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg. I'm no match for him."
"So, I have to rely on you, my young friend from the Hidden Leaf. You're so young and already Kage-level. You have limitless potential."
Since Uzumaki Ashina was putting it that way, Torifu had no choice. If he didn't have any ties here, Torifu might not have agreed. But Naori and his companions were in Rain's hands. He had to fight this battle to save them.
"It looks like you've agreed to help this old man?"
Torifu nodded. "Even if it's just for my companions, I have to kill this Rain person. Besides, my Sensei's wife also asked me to find her brother, so I have to complete the mission."
"Sensei's wife... You mean Mito? I can't believe you're Hashirama's disciple."
Torifu nodded, a proud look on his face.
"How was your Sensei's performance on the TV just now? That Drunken Fist was pretty cool, right? Tell him to teach it to me."
"I swear, old man, can you please be serious for once!!!"
Uzumaki Ashina awkwardly coughed. "How is Mito? We haven't seen each other in a long time."
Torifu said irritably, "My Sensei's wife is doing well. She's been using the Yin Seal to maintain her youth, so she still looks young."
Ashina looked nostalgic. "She's always been a beauty. It must have taken a lot of effort to develop the Yin Seal to have that effect. As her older brother, I married her off to Hashirama without listening to her wishes to build a relationship with the Senju clan... I'm glad she's living a happy life now. It makes me feel a little better."
But Torifu looked at Ashina with a helpless expression. "I'm telling you, old man, can you please not eat like crazy when you're getting all emotional! This is your third sappy story already!"
'Sometimes I really just want to call the cops.'
Uzumaki Ashina scratched his head. "Don't mind the small details. Since you're Hashirama's disciple, can you say hello to him for me when you go back? It's been a long time since we have seen each other. We probably won't have the chance to meet in this lifetime again."
"Don't worry, I'll pass on the message. Speaking of which, since you're also about to abdicate and you don't care about the Land of Whirlpools anymore, why don't you just move to the Hidden Leaf Village?"
Uzumaki Ashina's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that before! After you defeat that Rain person, I'll go back with you!"
The Second Prince, who was sitting across from Uzumaki Ashina, was a little flustered. 'This guy's only been here for an hour and he's already trying to steal my dad! Is anyone going to do anything about this!'