Yuhara remembered there was a certain interesting orphaned bloodline clan in the Land of Grass.
That orphan clan was a distant branch of the Senju—the Uzumaki clan!
Honestly, the origins of the Uzumaki clan always puzzled Yuhara. He suspected some Senju ancestor hooked up with someone from outside the clan, and out popped someone with decent Senju talent, eventually forming a whole new clan.
But that was hundreds, maybe even over a thousand years ago—way too ancient for Yuhara to bother digging into. He didn't even know the Reanimation Jutsu, and even if he did, it's not like ancient Senju remains were easy to find.
"Not to mention, even if I dug them up, who knows if they'd be useful!"
The origins of the Uzumaki were beyond his reach, and honestly, their future didn't look much better either.
As far as Yuhara knew, the living Uzumaki members were basically just Nagato, Naruto, and maybe Karin and her mom.
He wasn't sure if Karin's mother was still alive, but Karin herself was definitely still in the Land of Grass!
Orochimaru picked her up during the Chūnin Exams. If memory served, she got all obsessed with Sasuke because he saved her during the exams—and because, well, Sasuke's a looker.
Back then, Yuhara didn't consider bringing Karin up. One, he just plain forgot about her—life was stressful, after all.
Two, he had no standing to take her in. If he had, people might've thought she was a spy.
And if he spent all that time and effort rescuing her just for Hiruzen Sarutobi to reap the benefits? No thanks.
"Since we're passing through the Land of Grass, might as well take a look."
Karin was a named character in the original story, and her abilities were nothing to scoff at.
Forget that freakishly sharp sensory ability—her blood alone could be turned into medicine to instantly heal injuries.
"Worst case, we use her blood for medicine to heal our people."
Yuhara mulled it over quickly as they picked up speed toward the Land of Grass.
But they didn't stop there. Yuhara wanted to find Karin, but he knew this wasn't the right time.
Who knew if there'd be a fight in the Land of Bears? Bringing a deadweight tagalong wasn't ideal.
"Finally here."
Looking at the dilapidated village ahead, Yuhara let out a breath of relief. It had taken them a full week to travel from the Land of Fire.
They had been cautious the entire trip—especially while passing through the Land of Rain. Yuhara had been on high alert.
Luckily, although they ran into Rain ninja, they didn't encounter any Akatsuki members.
So they made it through safely, entered the Land of Birds, passed through the Land of Cooking, and finally arrived in the Land of Bears.
Yuhara had always known the Land of Bears was a tragic place. Caught in constant battles between major nations, it had no real chance to develop.
But that "tragic" had always just been a concept for him.
He had been to the Land of Bears before, but due to the bad blood between Konoha and Iwagakure, he'd only been in areas controlled by Sunagakure.
Technically, Sand and Leaf didn't get along either—their "alliance" was only signed under duress—but at least it was safe.
That area had some signs of human life. A big village backing meant a little bit of development, even if just for their own interests.
But this—Star Village—this was the real face of the Land of Bears. The destroyed village made Yuhara feel like he'd been thrown back into wartime.
He had fought near the end of the war and still remembered what war-torn cities looked like.
He still recalled walking through a village where people were so numb, they ignored the corpses by the road as if they were just trash.
In Yuhara's eyes, those people weren't even human anymore. They were walking corpses—zombies, basically.
As much as Hiruzen Sarutobi was a bastard, there was one thing he didn't screw up completely—he never let war reach the Land of Fire, especially not Konoha.
Even the Nine-Tails incident happened under Minato's watch, not his.
"Yeah… we made it."
Shisui nodded, looking at the broken-down village with a heavy sigh.
"We've seen villages like this before, but every time still hits hard.
Because of you, I understand now why wars happen. I get why Konoha stationed troops in the Land of Rivers.
But I still keep wondering—how do we make a world without war?"
Ending all war—now that's a lofty goal. Yuhara knew that war was one thing that never truly stopped throughout human history.
The fight for resources and benefits would never go away. War was just the most direct expression of that.
Someone had already thought deeply about this in their world. And interestingly, that person was from their own clan.
That person was Uchiha Madara!
Madara's fallout with Hashirama Senju stemmed from his belief that Hashirama's ideals had changed.
When they first created Konoha, it was supposed to end war and bring peace to the ninja world. On that point, Hashirama agreed.
But once other countries formed their own ninja villages, Hashirama naively believed peace had arrived.
Madara, on the other hand, thought ninja villages didn't bring peace—they just escalated war. So he decided the ninja world had to be brought under control.
Everyone knew how that ended—Madara felt betrayed and left the village.
But he didn't just leave—he wanted to prove himself right and gain Hashirama's power. So he came back swinging, dragging the Nine-Tails with him to fight Konoha.
Basically: the dude pulled a "how about I speedrun being Voldemort," then hid underground until he met Obito.
And while he was absolutely unhinged, Yuhara had to admit—Madara really did inherit the Sage's eyes. He saw the future all too clearly.
Because with the rise of ninja villages, the world turned into one giant war machine. And that machine destroyed countless lives.
Yuhara had heard stories of veteran ninja who couldn't sleep—closing their eyes only brought flashbacks of blood-soaked battlefields.
Even Yuhara, who joined near the end, had vivid memories.
The horrors of war weren't some academic theory—they were raw, unforgettable trauma.
And though the Warring States era was chaotic, clans still cared about legacy and survival. Fights rarely ended in complete annihilation.
Back then, even if there was endless skirmishing, the overall level of brutality was lower.
But once ninja villages were created, the intensity and scale of war exploded.
Dozens of once-powerful bloodline clans and secret-arts families vanished or crumbled within just 40–50 years of the villages forming.
The Uchiha archives still held records of famous bloodline clans from the Warring States era.
Now, most of them were extinct or barely hanging on.
Even in Konoha—one of the founding clans, the Senju, was on the brink of extinction.
Same for the swordmasters of the Hatake clan, the spirit-users of the Katō clan, or the sense-warping Kurama clan.
All in decline.
All because Hashirama's vision was too short-sighted.
"There was already a solution—someone just didn't go through with it."
Yuhara sighed, patting Shisui on the shoulder before walking forward.
"A solution?" Shisui blinked in confusion. "When? What solution?"
"The answer's simple: our former clan leader who left Konoha—Uchiha Madara."
Yuhara said it plainly. Shisui's face changed instantly, but Yuhara didn't stop.
"Think it through. Compare modern wars to the Warring States era.
Madara believed forming ninja villages would make wars bigger and bloodier. Hashirama thought it was the start of peace.
So he rejected Madara's plan and stopped the conquest. But how did that turn out, Shisui?"
Shisui went silent, fists clenched as he looked at the broken-down village before them.
The truth was… the world hadn't gotten better. It had gotten worse.
After a bit of disguise work, Yuhara and Shisui successfully entered Star Village. After talking with some guards, they were led to the "Hoshikage" building.
This place wasn't under Sand or Stone's control anymore, but Yuhara and Shisui weren't dumb enough to go around waving their Uchiha identity.
They even gave themselves aliases. Yuhara had thought about using code names but realized they weren't some official organization, and this might not be long-term.
So fake names would do.
He named Shisui "Takayuki Narumi"—a nod to how this guy was always hesitant and tended to escape reality. Fitting.
As for himself, he first thought of "Haru no Yuu."
After all, as an Uchiha, he'd inherited their most "noble" trait—good looks.
It was kinda wild how all Uchihas looked like they stepped out of a romance manga. If someone looked weird, they became unforgettable.
Yuhara was average by Uchiha standards, so "Haru no Yuu" suited him fine.
But considering he didn't have silver hair and was an only child, he thought better of it.
After thinking way too long, he settled on "Makoto Itō."
"Not a bad choice," he thought. "I even know someone named Kotonoha. Wonder if anyone's named Sekai? Maybe I'll ask Hyūga Gen when we're back."
Yuhara was lost in random thoughts, while Shisui gave him the weirdest look.
He had a feeling Yuhara picked these names with a hidden meaning—but he just couldn't figure it out, and it was driving him nuts.
Thankfully, they arrived at the Hoshikage building. Shisui dropped the thought and began observing the layout carefully.
Once they were brought into an office, Shisui quietly whispered just to Yuhara.
"There are three visible exits. No idea if there are hidden ones. About a dozen guards inside—not Anbu, but their chakra is strange.
It's dense—more than most jōnin. But it's chaotic, like it's not natural."
Shisui's ninja instincts were sharp. In just minutes, he'd scoped out everything.
That was his Anbu training kicking in. And Yuhara appreciated the caution.
"I did some digging. They train using a meteorite—they channel its energy into a secret technique."
Yuhara nodded, whispering back.
"That jutsu is strong, but it's got flaws. Did you notice anything off about their bodies?"
Shisui fell silent. He had picked up on something—something odd about their bodies.
He couldn't describe it exactly, but something felt off.
He probably wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't taken that special serum—his sensory ability had improved since then.
But now wasn't the time to discuss that, because someone entered the room.
An older man with several middle-aged ninja behind him.
The old guy looked alert and had strong chakra, but Yuhara immediately sensed his body was in terrible shape.
Same with the others—though they were younger, something was clearly wrong.
"You're the ninjas taking our war commission?"
The old man's voice was steady and strong as he looked over Yuhara and Shisui.
"Anyone willing to accept this job isn't ordinary. But the threat we face is serious—we're up against ninja hired by a great nation.
So I need to know a few things. What organization are you from? And how many people are you bringing?"
The old man came across as strong, but not stupid.
He spoke clearly and cautiously—he respected the threat posed by great nations.
Which made Yuhara curious: if this guy knew how outmatched they were, why would he call himself "Hoshikage?"
But he didn't dwell on it. He simply raised his head and, in a hoarse voice, said:
"Who we are—you don't need to know. How many we'll bring—not your concern. Your job is to have the money ready when we finish. That's it."
It sounded arrogant, but Yuhara knew that now was the time to flex.
They were mercenaries, not subordinates. And the client needed them, not the other way around.
"Arrogant!" a gray-haired middle-aged man suddenly shouted. "You dare act up in front of the Hoshikage? Who do you think you are?!"
"And who the hell are you?"
Yuhara looked at the man. He looked vaguely familiar, but Yuhara didn't bother remembering him.
"Whatever—you're irrelevant. But because of you, I've changed my mind. We want 20% of the payment upfront. Otherwise, we'll go to Iwagakure."
The third Hoshikage's face shifted. The man who'd yelled was livid. The other Star ninja looked equally pissed—they hadn't expected a hired ninja to be this cocky.
"You've got a death wish!"
The guy was about to say more—but mid-sentence, his face went pale.
Everyone froze.
Without them noticing, Yuhara was already behind him, a kunai pressed to his throat.
Blood trickled where the blade had nicked him. One move, and that artery would be gone.
The entire room turned icy cold.
Yuhara calmly spoke again:
"Now... 40%. Is that clear enough for everyone?"
(End of Chapter)
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to 30+ at patreon.com/Emik01.