"Naruto: My Ninja Skills"Chapter 187: Ōtsutsuki
Hagūgen Aoi and Tsunade were running across Konoha's rooftops.
Normally, ninja shouldn't be dashing around the village streets in broad daylight, but this wasn't a normal situation.
People are ultimately different from one another.
On one hand, this was no longer the era of chaotic warfare. Even the recently concluded Shinobi World War had been more orderly and systematic. Given these environmental changes, people had to be more tolerant toward young ninja—after all, they were children, not warriors.
Of course, if Sarutobi Hiruzen jumped out at this moment claiming "Who isn't just a baby?" that would be rather shameless... Though Sarutobi Hiruzen was a young ninja, he wasn't that young, and people held different standards for the Hokage.
On the other hand, people still greatly valued "bloodline."
Theoretically, according to Konoha's founding ideals, ninja were equal on a personal level. But such talk was overly high-minded—even the subordinate ninja didn't really see anything wrong with the existence of "privileged ninja."
Of course the Hokage's descendants should become important figures and receive special treatment—what was wrong with that?
Even setting aside these young ninja's growth potential, shouldn't people respect the contributions of previous Hokage? It's not like the father could be a Konoha hero while the son was reviled as a demon fox by everyone.
So, for various reasons, Hagūgen Aoi and Tsunade weren't exactly lawless in the village, but at minimum, other young ninja generally didn't dare provoke them.
What? What if these two caused trouble? What else could you do but look at them indulgently and help clean up the mess?
At this moment, the two were running from their elevated position. Suddenly, Hagūgen Aoi, who was leading, stopped in her tracks.
"Aoi-nee, what's wrong?" Tsunade stopped behind her.
Uh, Tsunade's form of address seemed problematic—the ethics and generational hierarchy were off. But it didn't matter. The two were only a year apart, and considering the era's customs, this wasn't a big issue.
Aoi called Tsunade's mother D "sister," and Tsunade called Aoi "sister"—they each followed their own logic, no problem there.
Hagūgen Aoi pulled Tsunade aside, and both hid on the other side of the eaves, poking just their heads out to observe the street situation below.
Tsunade noticed Aoi's focal point and looked in the same direction.
"That's Lord Hideyuki from The Fireflies, and... oh, Lord Yūshin. Are they planning something big together?"
The Fireflies was a civilian, semi-secret organization—so "secret" that even young ninja like Tsunade knew all about it... There was no helping it; semi-secret meant semi-public.
After the Second Hokage's death, The Fireflies, which had been under invisible suppression, naturally resurfaced. For a time, there was a strong sense of "The Fireflies are nowhere and everywhere."
Frankly, Yūshin didn't like this trend.
"What big plan? They just look like two old men taking a stroll," Hagūgen Aoi said.
"Then why are we hiding? Shouldn't we go greet them? There must be a big operation—Aoi-nee, let's quietly follow them..."
Hagūgen Aoi was certainly more sensible than Tsunade. She reached out and knocked Tsunade's head, stopping her mischievous attempt.
Even if there really was a big operation, they absolutely shouldn't go disturb them.
"Tsunade, I'll tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone else... You must find an opportunity to shake hands with Lord Yūshin someday."
These two were truly like sisters—Hagūgen Aoi was sharing the kind of secret she "wouldn't tell just anyone."
"Sh-shake hands?"
Tsunade was completely baffled, but seeing her big sister's serious expression, she committed this to memory.
Yūshin, being an old-timer, had no idea he'd been added to the younger generation's "benefit extraction" list.
He and Hideyuki naturally noticed the children's antics but didn't take it seriously—they couldn't very well eavesdrop on little girls' conversations.
Yūshin was fortunate not to have heard their conversation, or he'd have to worry about rumors spreading through Konoha that "Lord Yūshin enjoys holding little girls' hands."
At this moment, Yūshin was preparing to leave Konoha, and Hideyuki had come to see him off. Given The Fireflies' development momentum was showing signs of overcorrection, Yūshin specifically reminded Hideyuki.
"I'm handling this matter, Lord Yūshin... Some people have become too ostentatious and forgotten our Fireflies' consistent principle of 'making money quietly.'"
Hideyuki had also noticed The Fireflies' changes and was therefore making adjustments.
"I almost forgot—your management abilities have long surpassed mine..."
Yūshin shook his head, feeling he was meddling too much. There was no helping it—when people get old, they like to worry about everything.
"I wouldn't dare compare myself to Lord Yūshin. The Fireflies I manage and The Fireflies you managed have completely different spiritual outlooks."
"It's not about the manager—it's that the times have changed."
"The times..."
Hideyuki felt resistant to Yūshin's statement, but reality wouldn't allow him to resist.
"I'm becoming obsolete too."
Hideyuki shook his head, feeling it was nearly time for him to step down and make way for the capable.
"Just the new generation replacing the old."
"Lord Yūshin, are you really planning to retire? Your planned departure from the village seems quite extended this time."
"The village has stabilized, the Third Hokage is growing—I feel there's nothing left for me to do... Next, I plan to visit old friends in the capital, then begin traveling the shinobi world."
"Lord Yūshin's state is enviable. Once I've cultivated the next generation, I'll be able to learn from you and let go..."
As he spoke, Hideyuki leaned close to Yūshin and lowered his voice to whisper:
"I've discovered a promising prospect. Let's just say, he looks like Kanbun Tsui's child in every aspect."
Yūshin turned his head and indeed saw Hideyuki's face full of gossip.
"Uh... cultivate him well, focusing especially on his stress resistance."
Yūshin had nothing else to instruct. After leaving Konoha, he headed to the Land of Fire's capital.
The capital was located in the Land of Fire's center, maintaining a delicate distance from Konoha—neither too close nor too far, a true reflection of the connected yet independent relationship between political and military centers.
Kiyosuke Shimizu was naturally alive and well. Compared to ninja's harsh lives, he was the true winner in life.
Upon meeting the daimyo, Yūshin naturally received grand hospitality—not ceremonial grandeur, but heartfelt sincerity.
Quite the opposite, Kiyosuke Shimizu didn't create any grand scenes; he hosted Yūshin privately.
Seeing Yūshin, he was genuinely, wholeheartedly happy—no pretense whatsoever. As a nation's ruler, the daimyo was essentially a lonely man; having a friend wasn't easy.
From Kiyosuke Shimizu's perspective, reviewing his life experiences, Yūshin wasn't just a friend—he was clearly an angel sent by the divine.
Daimyo Shimizu wielded the Land of Fire's political power, and after reaching middle age, he focused daily on health preservation. He appeared capable of living much longer, which made Yūshin both annoyed and gratified... He believed it wouldn't be long before Kiyosuke Shimizu's son would start creating famous sayings like "How can there be a crown prince for fifty years?"
After extensive conversation and reminiscing about past glorious years, Kiyosuke Shimizu began discussing future matters.
"My son is merely mediocre—I won't have you meet him to spare you the irritation... Fortunately, he has self-awareness and generally won't do anything foolishly clever. That's his only virtue."
Kiyosuke Shimizu indeed cared about Yūshin's feelings. Normally, to deepen ties with Konoha, he should have actively introduced his heir to Yūshin, but he didn't—when old friends chat, mixing in too many other factors would defeat the purpose.
"I've long stopped managing affairs. Let him deal with Hideyuki or the new Hokage in the future."
Yūshin shook his head, truly having no intention of establishing connections with the next daimyo.
Not managing affairs? Ninja differed from ordinary people—if Yūshin wanted, regaining control of Konoha wouldn't be particularly difficult... However, Kiyosuke Shimizu understood but wouldn't say so. Having been wise his entire life, he wouldn't "tarnish his late reputation."
"You needn't meet my son, but I hope you'll meet my youngest daughter. She's very intelligent, and her beauty is first-rate..."
This made Yūshin shudder, nearly spilling his grain-based beverage onto Kiyosuke Shimizu's face.
What now, you want to play matchmaker too?
"Lord Daimyo, this joke isn't amusing."
"I'm not joking. When you're old, you need someone to care for you. You've fought your entire life—surely you don't want to end up dying alone in your twilight years?"
Yūshin shook his head with a smile:
"What scheme are you hatching now? At your age, stop making trouble."
The daimyo laughed along:
"Fine, I can't hide anything from you... I heard ninja have something called Kekkei Genkai—wouldn't it be wasteful not to pass it down?"
"Lord Daimyo, maintain proper business separation between Konoha and the Shimizu clan—each managing their own affairs without crossing boundaries. Only then can the Shimizu endure... Surely you understand this principle?"
"I naturally understand. Your descendants would first be Konoha ninja—there's no conflict."
With a "first," there's naturally a "second"—even unspoken, Yūshin understood.
So Yūshin merely smiled and completely ignored this topic... In the end, Kiyosuke Shimizu was still planning for the Shimizu clan and his descendants.
Seeing Yūshin wouldn't engage, Kiyosuke Shimizu knew the matter was settled, but remained somewhat unwilling...
"How about at least meeting my youngest daughter? She really is beautiful."
"Stop your nonsense and go charm someone else."
"Heh, it's only because it's you—do you really think my daughter can't find a husband?"
The daimyo's "sudden inspiration" had no chance of success. Ninja weren't fools, and after Yūshin's refusal, the daimyo wouldn't dare easily attempt disrupting the balance between politics and military.
Stability above all—though the daimyo wouldn't voice this, he understood the principle perfectly.
Yūshin stayed in the capital for one day, but afterward, he didn't begin traveling the shinobi world as he'd claimed. Instead, he concealed himself in the forest near a Fireflies base.
This was Shichimi's most frequent haunt. Yūshin planned to set up barriers to seal Shichimi—or rather, seal its summoning ability.
Retrieving the Sharingan would suffice; Yūshin didn't want to confine Shichimi in some sunless dungeon.
Sealing a summoning beast capable of space-time ninjutsu sounded extremely difficult, but the principle was actually simple... It was the same as how sealing scrolls couldn't seal other sealing scrolls.
Space-time couldn't be repeatedly folded—as long as you established an abnormal, discontinuous space-time with breaks or wrinkles, Shichimi would find it very difficult to hide again after manifesting.
Of course, it wasn't that space absolutely couldn't be repeatedly folded—rather, the difficulty was too high, exceeding ninja operational limits, making it ultimately impossible.
What Yūshin needed to do was simply use the "sealing scroll" principle to cordon off this area.
Over the following period, he simultaneously set up jutsu formulas in the forest while waiting for Shichimi's reappearance.
Konoha Year Thirty-Two, June Twenty-First—a seemingly ordinary yet actually extraordinary day—Yūshin sensed Shichimi's manifestation.
Because Yūshin had previously attempted to capture Shichimi, it lacked trust in him. This time, it appeared alone, prepared to act independently.
But just as it attempted summoning, Yūshin activated the surrounding jutsu formulas, both interrupting Shichimi's summoning and preventing its short-term escape... To put it dramatically, the surrounding space-time was frozen.
"Come here. Your troublemaking days are over."
Yūshin appeared before Shichimi and beckoned... He was actually curious—based on Uchiha Sasuke's Mangekyō usage duration, Shichimi's Sharingan should have long since gone blind, yet Shichimi could still use them.
No matter—there was no rush. Once he retrieved these eyes, all truths would become self-evident.
But at this moment, Shichimi ignored Yūshin, staring nervously in a certain direction.
Its summoning had indeed been terminated, but the summoning channel hadn't closed—in fact, an external force had taken control of this channel.
Something was attempting to burst through from within.
Accompanied by squelching sounds, the sealing jutsu formulas Yūshin had arranged were being systematically removed by power projected from afar.
Yūshin's mind instantly tensed—after walking dark paths for so long, he'd finally encountered a real ghost! Whatever was breaking through could at minimum use space-time ninjutsu!
Anyone capable of such techniques was no simple character—the absolute minimum would be a ninja like Tobirama, yet the chakra tearing through space-time channels far exceeded what Tobirama could match.
But an even more bewildering event occurred: just as the enemy was about to manifest, four orange-red light barriers instantly enveloped this forest... Under such a powerful barrier, the enemy was trapped, and Yūshin was trapped as well.
Who the hell is framing me?
Yūshin was completely stunned, nearly experiencing mental confusion because he couldn't understand what was happening.
Shichimi's summoning was coincidental, but the barrier's appearance was definitely premeditated and opportunistic.
Who was behind this? Could it be that Nine-Tails?
Yūshin couldn't find a target and began wildly casting blame.
But he had no time for detailed consideration. At this moment, an exceptionally robust figure emerged from the space-time channel.
This person was massively built.
White robes.
Byakugan.
Horned head.
What a coincidence—Yūshin just happened to recognize this thing...
"Ōtsutsuki..."
"Kinshiki..."
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