Chapter 129: The Beginning of the Second War
"I've outlived another one..." Masahiko sat alone, sighing.
Although Masahiko felt that Tobirama had died from his lingering injuries and could have lived another ten years normally—which would have allowed Masahiko to resurrect him alongside Hashirama later—he still felt a deep sorrow upon receiving news of his death.
As he had said, he did not want to attend Tobirama's funeral, so he truly did not go. However, as the Hidden Leaf's ally, someone from the Land of Whirlpools had to attend. Masahiko sent Nanako, who was the Daimyo's wife, to represent him.
"Great-Grandpa, I've refined my chakra!" A clear girl's voice called out, bringing Masahiko back to reality.
"So fast? Kushina-kun is really amazing," Masahiko spoke in a coaxing tone used for children.
At this point, Kushina-kun was nearly five years old, the perfect age to begin a ninja's enlightenment education. For this little princess of the Land of Whirlpools—the mother of the protagonist Naruto—Masahiko chose to guide her personally.
As he slightly activated his perception, Masahiko froze.
"This chakra..." Under Masahiko's sensing, the chakra Kushina-kun had extracted felt unique.
A commotion erupted from Masahiko's robe. He paused and took out a container that held the sealed half of the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails' chakra, which had been very quiet, was unconsciously emitting violent fluctuations. Only after Masahiko performed several seals did it calm down again.
"Great-Grandpa, what was 그?" Kushina-kun asked.
Masahiko smiled. "Just a naughty little fox that won't behave."
"A fox?"
"Yes, a cute little animal. You might have the chance to see it in the future." Masahiko talked nonsense without thinking, but Kushina-kun listened quite seriously.
"Is this the chakra that naturally counters the Nine-Tails?" Masahiko muttered. "But what is the reason? Pure talent?"
Masahiko couldn't figure out the reason for the time being, so he could only leave it for later.
"Great-Grandpa, where is the little fox? Tell me more!"
Masahiko came back to his senses and smiled. "You are still young. Practice first. When you grow up, I'll take you to the Hidden Leaf to see the little fox."
During his years in the Hidden Leaf, Masahiko had not found Minato, nor had he found anyone with the surname Namikaze. Like Jiraiya-kun, Minato's family background felt quite mysterious.
"Maybe I'm overthinking. Are they just commoners? Ordinary orphans?"
Looking at Kushina-kun, who had started refining chakra again, Masahiko was still thinking about how to "deliver" her to Minato.
"Do I have to act as a matchmaker again? I still don't know where Yuna-kun went..." Masahiko felt worried. He knew he wasn't suited for this job, but he couldn't avoid it.
"I don't need to force it," Masahiko learned from experience. "In two years, I'll find a way to enroll Kushina-kun in the Hidden Leaf Ninja Academy, and I'll just let nature take its course."
Masahiko had considered bringing Minato to the Land of Whirlpools, but then even if Naruto were born, Masahiko would have to find a way to send him to the Hidden Leaf, or the plot would still collapse completely.
"Speaking of which, this Witness Point system is really stupid," Masahiko sighed. "On the surface, it encourages me to change the plot, but secretly, it makes me work hard to fix it back, or there won't be any 'plot' left in the future..."
Masahiko felt that he had been scammed by this bootleg system his whole life. At this moment, he didn't realize that an even bigger scam was yet to come.
Tensions Rise
After a peaceful month, the timeline entered Year 29 of the Hidden Leaf.
In recent days, frictions in the ninja world had intensified. Tobirama's death acted like a fuse, making the already restless world even more chaotic.
"These two brothers, Hashirama and Tobirama... they made it so that every time one dies, a war breaks out. What about the Third War? Is it my turn to die?" Masahiko muttered, finding a strange sense of humor in it.
"Great Elder, we've captured another spy from the Hidden Mist!" The one speaking was Gosha Uzumaki. He was the clansman who had been the only winner in the Jonin exam in the Hidden Leaf years ago. He was one of the few promising young people in the clan, particularly in sealing techniques. After over two years of growth, he was now a proud squad leader of the Patrol...
"Captured another one?" Recently, the Hidden Mist's probes into the Uzumaki clan had become increasingly blatant. Masahiko was now basicially certain that the Hidden Mist had a hand in destroying the Land of Whirlpools in the original story.
"No need to ask me anymore. If you catch another, kill them without mercy!" Masahiko had lost his patience and spoke with a murderous aura.
However, after Masahiko finished, he saw the other man's expression turn strange. He froze for a moment, and the gathered aura dissipated.
"I mean kill him; there is no need for forgiveness."
"I understand, Elder Masahiko!"
Watching Gosha-kun leave, Masahiko scratched his head. When he sent his Shadow Clone back previously, he found that Izuko-kun was training the Patrol exactly the way he had trained Kento-kun. He had to correct it immediately; he didn't want the Uzumaki to produce a bunch of single-celled organisms, as that might lead to the clan's "extinction."
But that batch of ninjas was already set in their ways. Even with Masahiko's efforts, they were still a bit blunt, but it was harmless overall.
"Sensei!" Izuko-kun's voice came from outside, sounding quite urgent.
Masahiko was delighted. "Is there news of Yuna-kun?"
Izuko-kun shook her head and handed Masahiko a letter. It was a request for aid, stating that the Hidden Sand, Hidden Rock, and Hidden Rain were all moving around the borders of the Hidden Leaf as if they intended to besiege it.
"Sensei, what should we do?"
Masahiko frowned. "Reply to Hiruzen-kun and tell him to go to the Hidden Waterfall to find Kakuzu. Plus, with Mito there, it should be fine. As for the aid, tell him we are likely to have a conflict with the Hidden Mist and are unable to help."
After sending Izuko-kun away, Masahiko felt helpless. "Hiruzen-kun still can't compare to Tobirama. If it were Tobirama, he definitely wouldn't ask for help right now; he would know my Uzumaki clan won't have a peaceful time either."
"Or perhaps, he knows it's not peaceful but asked for help anyway?"
Masahiko didn't think further and began practicing his Gentle Fist again. He was obsessed with the Gentle Fist because it wasn't affected by age and didn't suffer from diminishing returns as its level increased...
The View from the Hidden Leaf
In the Hidden Leaf Village, Hiruzen-kun read Izuko-kun's reply and handed the letter to Danzo.
"I told you there was no need to send a letter. Since the Uzumaki clan has already separated from the Hidden Leaf to establish their own country, they cannot stay out of a Great Ninja War..."
Danzo gave a somewhat bright smile. "But we still had to try and ask for aid."
In his heart, he thought: Hiruzen-kun, you are still too naive. If we don't ask for aid, we might receive a request for aid from the Land of Whirlpools soon.
Hiruzen-kun nodded. "From now on, we must rely on ourselves! Lady Mito is old after all; unless it's absolutely necessary, we shouldn't trouble her." Hiruzen-kun was Hashirama's disciple, so he was very close to Mito.
"Don't worry," Danzo responded. "We can crush the Hidden Sand without Lady Mito. I will lead the team personally! As for the other villages, that's for you, the Hokage, to worry about."
Hiruzen-kun paused, then nodded. "Be careful..."
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