"Lord Hazuma, another secret letter."
An Aburame shinobi stepped before Hazuma, a falcon perched upon his single, out-stretched arm.
Hazuma was currently in his office on the highest floor of the Hotarubi Headquarters. Looking down at the settlement—which had already grown massively and promised to expand even further in the future—he was currently experiencing a profound sense of "regretting ever creating Hotarubi Village."
It wasn't that he was being pretentious. It was simply because the current scale of the village ran completely counter to his preferred style of keeping a low profile and quietly making a fortune. After all, the bird that sticks its head out gets shot first.
But what else could he do? Things must always progress forward. The sheer momentum generated by the shifting tides of history was just too strong to resist.
"Lord Hazuma?"
After another prompt from Hideyuki Nara, who sat behind a desk nearby, Hazuma finally snapped out of his daze.
"Ah, a secret letter... How many does this make lately?"
"The fifth one, Lord Hazuma."
Hazuma sighed inwardly. While it was a good thing that someone was actively feeding him intel, was all this really necessary? He had merely built a ninja village ahead of its time, one that met the benchmarks of the upcoming era. It wasn't like he had conjured some kind of phantom.
Could this be what they called a cultural victory or an institutional triumph?
Hazuma raised his left arm. Waiting for the bird to fly over, he reached out and unfastened the letter tube tied to its talon.
He then placed the falcon on a nearby coat rack, pulled out the secret letter, and began to read.
To the Honorable Lord Hazuma:
I am an ordinary shinobi of the Senju Clan, and I wish to inform your side of some recent developments within our clan.
Lately, the attitude of the clan's higher-ups toward your organization and village has grown increasingly negative. Rather than seeing you as potential fellow travelers, they view you as a threat. This may bring about some unfavorable changes in the near future, and I hope you will be psychologically prepared.
However, please do not lose faith in us. Those whose minds are rigid and incapable of adaptation represent our "past." Those who can see your potential and discern the future development trends of the shinobi world represent our "future."
Recently, the frequency of arguments between two young lords of the clan and the Clan Leader, among others, has increased significantly, and the intensity of these disputes grows by the day... Their thoughts align with yours; they are kindred spirits, and our future rests upon them.
Time is on our side. In the near future, the Senju Clan will walk alongside you.
The reason I write such letters is not out of gratitude for the medical treatment your side provided me, but because there remains a sliver of light, a shred of hope, and the capacity to look ahead and distinguish right from wrong within my heart.
Furthermore, should any sudden situations or major crises arise, I will notify you immediately.
Hazuma set the brief letter aside and couldn't help but shake his head. You guys are putting a mountain of pressure on me.
The letter seemed to say nothing, yet it also felt like it said everything.
Without a doubt, it came from the Senju Clan. When Hazuma first started receiving these kinds of letters, he thought Tobirama Senju was playing tricks again. But after it kept happening, he finally understood: this was what people meant by "the turning of hearts."
The critical point was that Hazuma felt he hadn't actually done anything. So why were several Senju shinobi actively leaking their clan's movements to him?
Take the author of this letter, for instance. To know the frequency of the arguments between Butsuma Senju and his sons, one didn't need to ask to know this person was definitely no ordinary ninja.
Could this be considered selling out the Senju's interests? In reality, it didn't quite count, but Butsuma Senju certainly wouldn't see it that way.
Never mind Butsuma; even Tobirama wouldn't be pleased to see this happen. Who could possibly smile knowing their own clansmen were tipping off an outside force?
Hazuma picked up a brush, took a piece of paper, and wrote:
Message received with utmost gratitude. There is no need to take unnecessary risks. To follow those two young men is to follow the future.
He still cared about the informant's safety. Even if this reply were intercepted, it contained no actionable details.
Theoretically, not replying at all would be best, as leaving no reply meant leaving no vulnerabilities. But if he didn't reply, how would the sender receive the validation and emotional reassurance they sought?
Without that emotional validation, how could he get them to write the next letter?
Tying the reply to the bird's leg, Hazuma released it into the sky.
"Is there any other important intel today?"
"Nothing major, just the usual updates. The conflict between the Uchiha and the Senju is escalating. This is largely because Madara Uchiha has been exceptionally active. Despite losing the support of their allies, the Uchiha have actually gained the upper hand in several recent battles against the Senju."
Hazuma nodded and said, "That makes sense."
The Uchiha youth were full of sharp, aggressive energy, while the leaders on the Senju side were cautious old relics weighed down by overthinking. How could the two sides compare?
Besides, if they weren't taking a beating from the Uchiha, why would so many Senju shinobi be writing letters to Hazuma?
The Uchiha were fighting alone now, but weren't the Senju also flying solo? The latter couldn't just command allied forces at whim like they did during the Hagoromo extermination campaign. Without proper justification or authority, who would blindly follow them into battle?
Just look at Hazuma's own side. Many were willing to sacrifice themselves for Hotarubi Village, but could Hazuma ask them to throw their lives away for the Hagoromo Clan's legacy? What a joke; it wasn't the same thing at all.
The Sarutobi and Hyuga sacrificing themselves for the Senju? That was a bit too abstract.
This actually made Hazuma feel a bit anxious. Seriously, why couldn't Butsuma Senju just contribute one last ounce of strength for the sake of his clan?
Whatever, the ones suffering the consequences were the Senju brothers anyway.
"Is our vanguard still pushing north?" he asked Naoyuki Nara.
It was obvious Hazuma was grooming Naoyuki Nara to be his right-hand man, which meant important intelligence within the organization would be funneled to Naoyuki first.
"Still moving north. Blocking our advance is the Kurohitomi Clan."
The ballooning Hotarubi Village could no longer hide. Trying to conceal it now would be self-deception. Therefore, even if it wasn't his original intention, the most correct course of action for the village was to maximize its strength within a short window of time.
However, Hazuma would not expand eastward. The Senju were to the east; the task of sweeping across the land should be left to them.
To the west lay old wells and barren lands, and to the south was the vast ocean. Hotarubi Village's only path of advance was north.
"The Kurohitomi, huh... Most of the medical jutsu currently used in our village actually originate from them."
"According to our previous intelligence, the Kurohitomi Clan excels at medical jutsu but is entirely aloof from world affairs. They are traditional, insular, and xenophobic... It feels like they'll be difficult to deal with."
"Subduing them without a fight and absorbing the Kurohitomi Clan would be the ideal outcome. But for a clan with such an ancient lineage, it seems unlikely they would easily abandon their independent name, right?"
Medical ninja—especially exceptional ones—had always been a scarce resource. Naturally, Hazuma wanted the Kurohitomi Clan to serve his cause, but reality didn't seem inclined to permit it.
Naoyuki Nara nodded and remarked:
"Word is that the Kurohitomi's history is not a single day shorter than that of clans like the Hagoromo."
Hazuma glanced at Naoyuki, thinking to himself that this kid was learning remarkably fast; he was already speaking with double meanings.
What did he mean by "not a single day shorter than the Hagoromo"? He meant that if the other party chose to be stubborn, their history would end right where the Hagoromo Clan's did, wouldn't it?
Unwilling to join, yet unwilling to die—you make things very difficult for us.
Hazuma pondered for a moment before ultimately nodding. He felt he could acknowledge that reality.
Yet, the shinobi world was vast and full of wonders. By afternoon, Hazuma received an urgent report from the front lines.
Hazuma abruptly stood up and instructed Naoyuki Nara:
"I'll leave you in charge here for now. I need to make a trip to the front lines as quickly as possible."
"Lord Hazuma, guards! You need to take guards..."
Before Naoyuki could finish his sentence, Hazuma's figure had already vanished.
Theoretically, if the leader of an organization traveled out, safety regulations dictated they must bring at least one squad of bodyguards. Yet, Hazuma was the first to violate this rule. He was in a massive rush; guards would only slow him down.
In the past, if Hazuma needed to travel long distances quickly, he mostly relied on the Mayfly Jutsu. It was stealthy and decent in speed. Now, however, he could go even faster—he could fly, simply by activating the Light-Weight Rock Jutsu.
In just a few hours, he traversed the distance from Hotarubi Village to the foremost front line. Descending from the heavens right next to the frontline commander, Naoyuki Nara, he bypassed any pleasantries and demanded immediately:
"What is the exact situation?"
"Lord Hazuma, well... To be exact, when we arrived at the Kurohitomi settlement, before we could even issue a demand or take any action, they had already 'poured out of their homes' in full force."
"To avoid destroying their village, they marched out to form a battle line and face the enemy?" Hazuma asked.
"No, quite the opposite... They want to meet with you, Lord Hazuma, to negotiate terms for their surrender. The reason they all evacuated the village was merely to demonstrate their 'harmlessness.'"
They weren't even prepared to fight a guerrilla war in the streets, so how could they be anything but harmless?
Hazuma wiped his face, which had been dried tight by the high-altitude winds. He then pulled Naoyuki aside, his voice laced with unvarnished bewilderment:
"A thousand-year lineage? A clan of medical scholars? The Kurohitomi Clan? Are you sure you didn't get the wrong people?"
How could a thousand-year-old shinobi clan slide into a surrender faster than a common minor clan? Did something go wrong somewhere?
"It is indeed a bit bizarre. However, Lord Hazuma can meet their leader first. The current head of the Kurohitomi Clan is named Yakushi Kurohitomi."
"Very well."
Hazuma followed Naoyuki to the front of the formation. There, he witnessed the entire Kurohitomi Clan—over a hundred people—gathered together. Some who were tired of standing had relaxed completely and were simply lounging on the ground.
Yakushi Kurohitomi was senile and frail, looking to be at least eighty or ninety years old. His head was completely bald, complemented by a massive, snow-white beard and eyebrows.
As Hazuma approached, the old man strained to open his eyes, studying Hazuma carefully. Hmm, he possesses verified strength, and he's young, which means his strength has a long shelf life.
With total resolve, he offered up his walking cane with both hands, raising it high as if presenting a tribute to Hazuma:
"Lord Hazuma, the Kurohitomi Clan tenders its submission to you and your Hotarubi Village. We wish to become a part of your ranks and contribute our meager efforts to the organization's growth."
Hazuma: "..."
That was way too decisive.
But what would he want with a walking cane? Hazuma reached out to support the old man. Given his age, bending over like that risked snapping his spine.
Although the Kurohitomi had a long history, they had always been a functional, supportive shinobi clan. Their direct combat capabilities were unexceptional. Thus, their actions now could be deemed as wise compliance with the shifting times.
But should he trust them? For a moment, Hazuma couldn't make up his mind.
"Lord Hazuma, you need not doubt our intentions. We are pure medical practitioners... According to our ancestral teachings, we are indeed destined to surrender to an organization like Hotarubi Village."
"You guys, this..." Hazuma still felt something was off.
"Lord Hazuma, how do you think a clan like ours has managed to survive for so long?"
"Ah, I understand now."
You should have just said so from the start. If you put it that way, I would have gotten it instantly. You guys are just another clan that excels at surrendering.
"Ahem, welcome to the fold, everyone. We are severely lacking in medical talent, and you will receive the treatment and respect you deserve... Chief, down the road, I'll introduce you to Daimyo Shimizu Kisuke of the Land of Kawayama. I believe you two will get along famously."
How did it turn out like this? It seemed someone on his side always had to have this specific trait. Daimyo Shimizu Kisuke was just about cured of his chronic surrender-syndrome, and now a whole new batch of fellow patients had arrived?
"A Daimyo? Splendid, splendid. I can help examine the Daimyo's health."
Examine his health? More like cross-infecting each other with the surrender bug.
"Everyone, when can you depart? Joining the organization means relocating to Hotarubi Village, which is mandatory." Hazuma worried these guys might be faking their surrender.
But he was merely measuring the stature of great men with the yardstick of a small mind. Every member of the Kurohitomi Clan was entirely earnest.
"When? Right now! Our luggage is already packed."
Yakushi Kurohitomi, eighty or ninety years old, was about to embark on a spontaneous journey.
He had only been alive for nearly a century, which meant he was at the perfect age to venture out and build a career.
Hazuma was utterly speechless. What kind of absurd situation was this?
He had merely taken a stroll outside and wound up inheriting a top-tier general hospital for free. Who could he even argue with about this?
What Hazuma didn't know was that all the gifts of fate had already been secretly priced in advance. Embroiled in the game himself, he had no idea he was about to face an assassination plot, much less that his newly acquired "medical dream team" would very quickly come in handy.
In short, the combat ninja dispatched by Hotarubi Village instantly changed classes to escort ninja, beginning their guard duties as they escorted the Kurohitomi Clan and their packed belongings back down south toward Hotarubi Village.
The caravan was massive, dragging along the elderly and the young, making it difficult not to attract the gaze of scavengers. However, with Hazuma personally anchoring the rearguard and elite ninja flanking the sides, no accidents occurred along the way.
Before long, they safely returned to Hotarubi Village.
Hotarubi Village was bustling with preparations to welcome the new members. Knowing that the newcomers were all medical ninja, the villagers were exceptionally warm and enthusiastic.
But right at that moment, Hazuma received a piece of grim news from the anonymous "Five Heroes of the Senju":
His beloved close friend Tobirama Senju had suffered a devastating blow, and his condition seemed critical.
Shortly afterward, he received an official medical appeal from Hashirama Senju. This was likely a desperate, frantic bid for help; news of the Kurohitomi Clan joining the Hotarubi organization couldn't possibly have spread that quickly.
Tobirama Senju had been gravely injured—who could have pulled that off? For a moment, Hazuma couldn't quite fathom what had transpired.
But it didn't matter. As the saying goes, the good die young while scourges endure for a thousand years. Tobirama Senju wouldn't die that easily.
Gathering a few top-tier medical ninja from the Kurohitomi Clan, Hazuma prepared to head out to the Senju Clan to assess the situation.
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