"Naruto: My Ninja Skills"Chapter 178: Off You Go
The soldiers Shimizu Kiyosuke recruited could move under a rain of arrows—in a certain sense, they were "superhuman."
On one hand, these men were physically robust, enabling them to fight fully armored. In a battle of limited duration, they could operate wearing full suits of armor capable of deflecting arrows from medium and long-range volleys—this presented no real problem.
If the two armies had closed further, the situation would have been less certain.
On the other hand, the daimyo truly paid well. Shimizu Kiyosuke had emptied his final reserves as military funding, paying in gold no less.
Half up front, the remainder after battle's end, with bonuses for exceptional performance.
Therefore, these two hundred men were essentially equivalent to death-sworn troops, their morale running exceptionally high.
They were mortals, their enemies were mortals—in warfare without ninja participation, what was there to fear?
Of course, the Enshi forces also performed admirably. Facing heavy artillery bombardment, they remarkably didn't collapse.
Thus, these men genuinely and wholeheartedly enriched the local soil quality with their bodies.
Honestly, this group's performance was highly problematic.
These people had either fallen under some form of mild Genjutsu control, or been subjected to intensive hypnotic conditioning... Considering that Genjutsu was difficult to conceal from the Byakugan, the latter possibility seemed more likely.
Given the enemy's cheating behavior, Lord Shimizu's "emptying all ammunition" approach actually didn't seem insane—on the contrary, it was an unusually calm and correct tactical decision.
Hypnotized enemies couldn't be considered normal humans—their aggression was equivalent to mindless "zombies."
Under any circumstances, using heavy firepower to prevent zombie approach was absolutely correct.
High technology versus cold steel, chemical energy weapons versus kinetic energy weapons... Well, the former wasn't necessarily superior, but the Enshi family's kinetic weapons were too primitive—they couldn't compete in direct engagement.
If Lord Enshi hadn't been killed in the first salvo, he could have roared skyward, "Heaven wills my destruction—this is no fault of generalship!"
Overall, this war was fought quite briefly—the main event wasn't even as long as the preliminaries, but this was normal.
Anyway, the ninja who came to spectate enjoyed themselves immensely, unanimously declaring the trip worthwhile.
Lord Shimizu was truly extraordinary—so what exactly were the weapons these civilians employed?
The battle concluded hastily, then Tobirama Senju immediately inspected the Shimizu forces' weapons, suspecting chakra involvement... Damn it, you used Explosive Tags, didn't you?
But to the victor belong the spoils—what meaning was there in investigating afterward?
Yūshin and Lord Shimizu didn't undertake targeted investigative action... Not from laziness, but because it was unnecessary.
Facts spoke louder than eloquence—anyone with eyes could see who was actually cheating.
Originally, the Shimizu army would have needed time to mop up remaining enemy forces, but with victory already decided, certain ninja hastily intervened, restraining those Enshi survivors who were obviously abnormal.
Heh.
While having nearby soldiers help remove his armor, Lord Shimizu smiled as he watched Tobirama Senju perform dismantling operations on the "gas canisters"... Explosive Tags? Whether they're Explosive Tags or not, you'd know if you took a direct hit, wouldn't you?
"Tobirama-sama, there don't seem to be any chakra traces—it's some kind of special explosive... This appears to be something developed and used by civilians. Never seen before."
"New-type weapons? Can they be used against enemies?"
"The explosives themselves might have significance, but these weapons basically can't be used against ninja... They're too cumbersome."
"Is that so? That's somewhat disappointing."
This group examining the weapons completely ignored Lord Enshi's fate—they were more concerned with whether the "gas canister shells" could be used to fight ninja.
The answer was obvious: not really.
Although these things' explosive power exceeded ordinary Explosive Tags, they were too unwieldy, far less flexible in use than Explosive Tags.
Put it this way: these projectiles' ballistic velocity was far inferior to Fire Release techniques. Given ninja agility, as long as you chose to dodge upon seeing these things flying toward you rather than trying to catch them, you could avoid the damage they inflicted.
While they studied the gas canisters, more ninja had already surrounded Lord Shimizu, coming forward to congratulate him... Lord Shimizu had won the war, which meant winning the Land of Fire daimyo position.
In a sense, Shimizu Kiyosuke had already become the Land of Fire's acknowledged "sovereign ruler." At this point, even the Senju Clan couldn't express opposition.
Ninja could sometimes be treacherous and cunning, but sometimes they had to be as good as their word... People couldn't have every utterance amount to hot air, right?
The next day, Hashirama Senju formally paid respects to Shimizu Kiyosuke—this submission was equivalent to officially recognizing Shimizu Kiyosuke's identity as Land of Fire daimyo... Shimizu Kiyosuke's earlier efforts to build good relations with the Senju Clan were meant for precisely this moment.
Simultaneously, Hashirama Senju discussed the Enshi family's subsequent arrangements with Shimizu Kiyosuke. Regarding the conditions Hashirama proposed, Shimizu Kiyosuke readily agreed, promising to give the Enshi family high status and generous treatment...
Of course, such words were just for listening—as long as Shimizu Kiyosuke wasn't foolish, he knew how to properly handle political enemies.
However, considering Hashirama Senju's reputation, the Enshi family could still enjoy themselves for a few years... Hashirama couldn't possibly maintain long-term attention on the Enshi family, could he?
All told, the Senju Clan had done everything possible for the Enshi family—no one could fault the Senju anymore. If the Enshi family couldn't become Land of Fire rulers, that was their own problem.
Hashirama Senju fought for good treatment for the Enshi family, but the Enshi family definitely didn't appreciate it—they hoped the Senju would eliminate the Shimizu family... This was rather laughable.
After Hashirama performed his final "good deed," the Senju had essentially completed their separation from the Enshi family. They switched allegiances, becoming Shimizu's ninja... No, they'd always been Land of Fire ninja—Shimizu had simply become the Land of Fire's ruler.
Yes, the Enshi family had always provided support to the Senju, but conversely, wasn't it precisely because of Senju protection that they could survive until now?
Since this was a purely transactional employer-employee relationship, there was no point in attempting moral blackmail afterward.
However, the Enshi family was extremely willful—they remembered benefits but not lessons. Even after defeat, these people still thought they possessed their former status.
Hashirama was fighting for good treatment for them, but what about them?
On the third day, the Enshi family declared that the one who died on the battlefield was the daimyo's body double—the real Lord Enshi was still alive and well.
When this news emerged, Shimizu Kiyosuke nearly laughed himself into a snot bubble... With great power comes great responsibility. In a war concerning a nation's sovereignty, if Lord Enshi could engage in such trickery, who could expect them to take responsibility for the newborn nation?
After this farce, ninja could completely ignore the Enshi family—this force belonged to the "shameless when given face" category. At this point, who cared whether the dead one was a body double or the living one was a substitute?
Ninja didn't even need to intervene—Shimizu Kiyosuke could handle the Enshi family himself... In the Land of Fire war's final stages, Lord Shimizu had bled heavily financially, and now he could recoup his losses.
At this point, the treatment Hashirama had negotiated naturally couldn't count. In his anger, he couldn't manage this matter anymore... Honestly, it was quite difficult to make Hashirama truly angry.
Several months later, the Land of Fire was officially established. Shimizu Kiyosuke enjoyed widespread ninja support and rightfully became the nation's sovereign.
Correspondingly, since Shimizu Kiyosuke was the Land of Fire's ruler, the Fireflies naturally counted as "Konoha orthodox"... because Lord Shimizu was the Fireflies' daimyo.
One week later, Konohagakure announced its establishment. The daimyo personally bestowed the "Hokage" title upon Hashirama Senju, making him the new ninja village's leader.
Ninja and Land of Fire civilians willingly submitted to Lord Shimizu's rule. The daimyo proposed Hashirama become the ninja village leader and Land of Fire military commander—this was the surface legal relationship.
Military subordinate to politics, the Land of Fire was a normal nation rather than a warlord state—not a single flaw.
Facing this flourishing new situation, the ninja with the most complex feelings among them was "prisoner" Madara Uchiha... No one was imprisoning him, but he considered himself a prisoner.
But simultaneously, among ordinary people, someone's psychological complexity was no less than Madara Uchiha's—perhaps far exceeding Madara Uchiha's.
This person was named Date Kanetani.
He'd witnessed Shimizu Kiyosuke step by step from a countryside daimyo to sovereign ruler. Apart from personally fighting one guaranteed-victory battle at the end, this man had clearly done nothing—how could he achieve life-winner status through pure passivity?
Was there no royal law, no legal justice? Wasn't the world supposed to be cruel?
Date Kanetani's envy, jealousy, and hatred couldn't be suppressed, but he didn't dare express it. All complex emotions ultimately crystallized into one sentence...
"I was here first!"
So humans—this species finds it difficult to understand themselves and even harder to understand others... In terms of character and talent, wasn't Shimizu Kiyosuke ten thousand times superior to this person?
After the Land of Fire and Konoha's establishment, the ostensibly disbanded Fireflies organization naturally became the link connecting both sides.
During Konoha's founding period amid this era of dramatic change, Yūshin spearheaded one final institutional and departmental innovation—he proposed creating a "Land of Fire Military Budget Application and Management Department."
This department's function was self-evident.
It naturally served under the Hokage's leadership. In fact, Hashirama was extremely satisfied with this department's existence, because it could effortlessly obtain funding from the Land of Fire daimyo.
However, later—no one knew who started it, or perhaps simply because the department's official name was too long—people abbreviated it as the "Firefly Reserve."
Most of Konoha Year One, or rather Land of Fire Year One, was spent in warfare. Once all obstacles were cleared and the nation and village were officially established, this year quickly passed.
Within one month of the Land of Fire and Konoha's official establishment, Sunagakure and the Land of Wind in the west also announced their founding, immediately followed by both sides signing friendship treaties.
After the new year, in Konoha Year Two, following multiple rounds of testing, Yūshin's "Space-Time Travel Ninjutsu" finally achieved successful development.
He prepared to fulfill his promise and send Sakumo Hatake back to his original timeline.
With all wars concluded, Sakumo Hatake remaining here held no significance.
Incidentally, because Yūshin was a ninja of distinguished service, his desire for complete retirement was absolutely impossible to realize.
First, at such a young age, he naturally became Konoha's advisor, with only Sasuke Sarutobi joining him as fellow advisor... This advisor role was clearly different from the retirement-flavored advisors of the original timeline.
Second, Yūshin couldn't avoid all responsibilities, so he picked and chose, proactively becoming Konoha's medical department head... High status, prestigious-sounding, minimal work, offending no one—Yūshin was quite skilled at selecting positions.
At this time, Konoha village had begun taking proper shape.
On the village's opposite side from the Hokage building stood a square, five-story brick-and-stone structure—the Fireflies organization's headquarters... Well, since the Fireflies no longer existed, this location's official designation was actually "Konoha Ninja Entertainment and Leisure Multi-functional Comprehensive Club."
The facilities inside this building were indeed quite club-like, but this structure was actually five floors above ground and five floors below—the emphasis was on the underground rather than above-ground sections.
At this moment, in the building's lowest underground level—
Yūshin brought Sakumo Hatake here.
Today was Sakumo's homecoming day, so although he appeared outwardly calm, he couldn't conceal his inner excitement.
A considerably complex jutsu formula was carved into the ground surface. One could imagine that even Uzumaki ninja most proficient in such arts couldn't understand this thing... because it was randomly scribbled, possessing no functional purpose whatsoever, existing purely for intimidation.
The Uzumaki naturally couldn't understand it.
Well, saying "intimidation" was inappropriate—this was a type of "placebo" that could soothe the user's emotions. According to general intuition, space-time teleportation arrays should be this complex.
"Lord Yūshin, is this... really problem-free? It's not that I don't trust you, but completing space-time ninjutsu development in such a short period? This seems somewhat counter-intuitive."
Sakumo Hatake looked at the "teleportation array" on the ground—he was bewildered but not completely bewildered.
"Relax, it'll definitely work. We've tested it many times, all achieving success... Get in there, stop being so wishy-washy."
Yūshin pushed Sakumo Hatake into the "teleportation array," having him sit cross-legged.
"Lord Yūshin, I have another question. If I can successfully return to my original timeline now, then your previous explanation about my family discord won't hold up."
Whether Sakumo Hatake genuinely cared about this matter or was making conversation to ease nervous tension was unclear.
"Then the situation would be terrible." Yūshin put on a stern expression.
"Ter-terrible?"
"Isn't there a possibility that your mother wasn't wrongly blamed?"
"Huh?" Sakumo Hatake's brain somewhat crashed.
"Enough talk—research these family problems yourself when you return."
At this moment, Uzumaki Mito arrived here.
"Lord Yūshin, shall we begin?"
"Let's start."
Sakumo Hatake said nothing more. After receiving Yūshin's permission, Uzumaki Mito approached Sakumo. She unrolled a scroll and used an "Indian-style" head-wrapping method, bundling the scroll along with its inscribed jutsu formula around Sakumo's head into an egg shape.
The ground formula was fake—only the scroll's formula would take effect.
Then Uzumaki Mito formed hand seals. When the seals completed, those formulas flashed momentarily, then the scroll tightly bound Sakumo's head.
"Lord Yūshin, consciousness successfully severed... This ninja's resistance was quite intense."
"Good."
Sakumo Hatake had still been composing farewell words, but before he could utter a single syllable, his consciousness was severed.
Yūshin stepped forward, signaling Uzumaki Mito to retreat a few steps, then...
"Off you go!"
Yūshin used Ice Release, freezing Sakumo Hatake into an old Konoha popsicle.
Mm, space-time travel—this didn't count as deception.
For Sakumo Hatake, eyes closing and opening would transport him to the future—body and consciousness frozen together, then reviving together. The effect was identical to space-time travel.
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