South Naka River.
Plop!
Yun tossed a stone into the river below the cliff.
"I heard from Itachi that you've been acting off lately, so I came to check on you."
Shisui's voice came from behind as he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it forcefully into the water as well.
Yun turned around, thought for a moment, and said, "I'm starting to regret joining the Anbu. That place really isn't for me."
"Because of the Anbu's mission protocols?"
Shisui walked to Yun's side, gazing at the ever-flowing river below. "The Anbu's function does make it difficult for most people to adapt. If you want to quit, I can help explain things to the Fourth Hokage."
"Sigh…"
Yun exhaled deeply. "What if you're carrying out a mission to bring back classified intel, and a random civilian stumbles upon you while climbing the mountain? The Anbu protocol demands eliminating all possible witnesses."
"It was just an old man carrying a little girl. She had no parents, both killed in the war, just her grandfather left, taking her around to beg."
Shisui hesitated. "Details of Anbu missions... You're not really supposed to tell me this, are you?"
Yun glanced at Shisui and exhaled. "That's the difference between you and me. Tasks, rules, ninja will… There's too much of it."
"Anbu treat human life like grass. I mean, sure, I've killed people. But I have limits. Killing a completely innocent old man and a child just because they might expose us? That's not something I can accept."
"That girl… when she first saw my mask, she smiled. She called me 'Big Brother' and asked if she could play with the mask."
Shisui was stunned. The silence stretched.
After a while, Shisui sighed and asked, "So what did you do?"
Yun smiled. "As if I'd let them kill her. She called me 'Big Brother,' after all."
His gaze grew deeper. "I stopped my teammates from attacking them. I gave the old man some money and told them to leave the area quickly so no one else would see them."
When Yun didn't continue, Shisui asked, "And then?"
Yun smiled faintly. "Later, some Iwagakure scouts still found them. The old man and the girl died. But they never gave away our location…"
"And after that… when I heard the noise and turned back, I killed all of them."
Shisui blinked. "Iwa's search party? Did you leave any evidence?"
Yun shook his head. "My Anbu squad followed up and cleaned everything. Before she died, that girl told me: her grandfather taught her to always keep her word."
"A simple phrase, right? So common that it's almost cliché. But how ironic… A child dies upholding those words."
In a low voice, Yun looked up slightly, causing Shisui to flinch.
His Mangekyō Sharingan had silently activated, spinning intensely.
Despite his calm expression, Yun's emotions were clearly in turmoil.
Yun clenched his hand into a fist and looked at Shisui. "At that moment, I had this impulse, to unleash all my power, go to Iwagakure, and wipe it off the map!"
Shisui quickly responded,"Yun! Acting on impulse won't solve anything. You need to stay calm."
The Mangekyō faded as Yun nodded. "I know… Whether it's the Five Great Nations or the smaller ninja villages, most of their populations are ordinary civilians."
"Those civilians and merchants post missions. The nobles fund the higher-ranked ones. They support the entire mission-based ninja system. But the ones who suffer the most… are still the ordinary people."
"Destroying Iwagakure won't change anything. In a year or two, a second Iwagakure will rise. And it's not just them, every village is guilty of the same sins."
Yun looked up at the sky.
The imbalance in resource distribution breeds conflict.
Ninjas, with their extraordinary power, become the ideal weapon.
Yet these same ninjas, who do not contribute directly to production, demand far more resources than the average person, resources that must be seized through force.
Thus, the bizarre system was born: one where only with a feudal lord's approval can a Kage be appointed.
Suddenly, Yun found himself sympathizing with Madara and Obito.
'Maybe it wasn't really about Izuna or Rin.'
'Maybe it was this distorted system that drove them mad.'
'The Eye of the Moon Plan was a lie.'
'But then… what could save this twisted world?'
Yun shook his head sharply. If he kept going down this train of thought, he might end up like Itachi, completely mentally broken.
"Yun…"
Shisui placed a hand on his shoulder. "No matter what, if we want to change this, we need power, and the perspective that comes from standing at the top."
"I don't know how to answer your questions with the education I've had… But if anyone can change things, I believe you can."
Yun smiled. "Thanks for trusting me so much, Shisui. Even I don't know how to change this whole system."
'Change?'
In a world where supernatural power exists, things were nothing like his previous life.
'Unification?'
Gather all the ninja into one group. Abolish the concept of separate villages. Use this united force to unify all nations.
Then…
No more wars.
No more schemes.
But also, no more soil for ninjas to exist.
"Shisui, don't submit that resignation request yet. I still need to understand this world more. Even if it's twisted, I need to see its darkness fully before I can find the best solution."
With that, Yun let go of all those swirling thoughts.
Whatever the case, the weak have no say in this world.
So for now, he'd stick to his own path.
"Shisui, let's spar. We promised, once you became clan head, we'd train regularly."
Seeing Yun already take his stance, Shisui smiled and removed his cloak. "I haven't exercised in days. Since it's your request, let's go."
Bang!
After forming the Seal of Confrontation, both figures began flashing back and forth across the river.
Both specialized in Body Flicker techniques.
Even in hand-to-hand, their movements were nearly invisible.
Swish
They separated and exchanged a glance.
Blood dripped from Shisui's shoulder.
"Your blade…"
Yun nodded. "Modified it a bit. The last one shattered during the fight with Orochimaru. This one has a blood-absorption feature."
Shisui smiled bitterly. "We're just sparring. No need to take it so seriously, right?"
Yun shook his head. "If this weren't a spar, that wound would've been on your throat. You're a clan head now. You can't afford to slack."
Shisui grinned. "If that's how it is… then I'll have to take this seriously too."
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu