"Naruto: My Ninja Skills"Chapter 168: The Feather in the Lake
Several Uchiha ninja were escorted into the Senju Clan's village, drawing countless curious onlookers along the way... What was happening now was so extraordinarily rare it bordered on the fantastical.
Before long, these dejected-looking Uchiha ninja stood before the Senju brothers.
No one suspected they were assassins sent by the Uchiha Clan to kill Hashirama—honestly, the Uchiha weren't foolish enough to attempt something so suicidal.
Even Hashirama Senju was curious why these Uchiha ninja would suddenly surrender, as such behavior completely contradicted the Uchiha's reputation for being "stubborn as mules" and "never turning back even after hitting a wall."
So he directly asked these Uchiha ninja what exactly had happened.
The leading Uchiha ninja answered Hashirama's question, recounting their ordeal.
After listening to their account, Tobirama Senju spoke:
"I know the Uchiha ninja you're referring to. Although their leader harbors some inexplicable hostility toward me—would love nothing more than to see me dead—still..."
"Their actions were merely rescuing Uchiha ninja who'd lost their fighting capability on the battlefield. Why is Madara so obsessed with dealing with them?"
Of course, Tobirama was only voicing his confusion—he didn't expect these men to provide accurate answers.
"Furthermore, while Madara's behavior is highly problematic, why did your attitude toward him undergo such a complete reversal, transforming from followers into defectors?"
"Tobirama!"
Hashirama turned and glared at his brother—this annoying little brother talked too much.
The latter question these Uchiha ninja could answer, but they didn't want to.
Their attitude change toward Madara had been a gradual process; a clansman dying at Madara's hands was merely a symbolic event—their disillusionment hadn't originated from that moment.
The Senju alliance's formation had long been brewing, as evidenced by the Hagoromo Clan's destruction. But what had Madara done since then?
He'd continued stubbornly confronting the Senju head-on, completely ignoring the shift in overall power dynamics—essentially displaying his irrational side.
Subsequently, following Uchiha Izuna's death, Madara became even more bizarre.
Honestly, who was to blame for Izuna's death? The enemy had clearly transformed dramatically, yet the Uchiha persisted with their original tactics, showing no adaptability—whose responsibility was that?
Izuna's death marked a turning point for Madara, while Kensuke's death completely shattered these Uchiha ninja's perception of Madara... They could no longer deceive themselves; certain illusions had finally shattered.
Essentially, their decision to surrender stemmed from no longer trusting Madara Uchiha's capabilities, believing the Uchiha had lost all hope under his leadership—yet Madara's strength made it impossible for the Uchiha to escape his rule.
What kind of fate would a paranoid yet exceptionally powerful clan leader bring to his ninja clan?
Unknown, but these Uchiha ninja felt that rather than following this clan leader, surrendering to the Senju was preferable.
These ninja's decision was quite sound.
Within the current Uchiha Clan, how many still genuinely believed they could defeat the Senju alliance? No one spoke of it, but everyone had their private thoughts.
As long as their minds weren't diseased, they could all sense the tremendous pressure from the Senju alliance—the enemy kept advancing while the Uchiha remained stagnant.
"I understand taking this step is extremely difficult for you. I don't wish to create excessive bloodshed, so I'm willing to accept your—"
"Wait, Lord Hashirama, we have two conditions. If you can agree to them, we'll serve as your loyal retainers. If you cannot agree, we'd rather die than surrender."
They seemed intent on preserving some dignity, though having Uchiha speak of serving "as dogs and horses" showed they'd truly lost all faith in Madara Uchiha.
"Please state your terms."
"First, we request not to fight against the Uchiha; second, we will not divulge Uchiha-related intelligence... Just these two conditions. We hope for Lord Hashirama's understanding."
Tobirama Senju was about to object when Hashirama said:
"No problem, I agree to your terms."
Hashirama's magnanimity made these Uchiha ninja sigh with relief—honestly, this was their only remaining sanctuary.
Tobirama Senju, however, was quite displeased. He felt his elder brother had agreed too hastily—such conditions shouldn't be accepted; these Uchiha ninja should be sent back to Madara as spies.
Tobirama Senju: If he goes three days without scheming, His whole body feels uncomfortable.
The two brothers' perspectives were indeed quite different.
The Senju alliance's acceptance of several Uchiha ninja displeased some while delighting others... Defections meant the Uchiha Clan was approaching complete collapse.
When a ninja clan began self-destructing, external pressure would produce twice the effect with half the effort.
The goal of sweeping away the Land of Fire's numerous ninja clans seemed within reach.
...
Yūshin received notification of such important developments immediately, along with the Fireflies organization's next assignment.
"Uchiha ninja have begun surrendering, meaning the Land of Fire's greatest reactionary force is about to be eliminated... Whether through slaughter or absorption, the unification of the entire Land of Fire's armed forces under the Senju alliance is now inevitable."
"If Hashirama acts swiftly, this could all be resolved within the year... See, the Uchiha can also contribute to Shinobi World peace."
Yūshin's mood improved considerably. Seeing that his assigned tasks included selecting a site for the new ninja village, he immediately summoned Sakumo Hatake for a meeting.
Under his wise leadership and Sakumo Hatake's dedicated assistance, the site selection task would be easily completed—unless Sakumo didn't know where Konoha was supposed to be located.
But Hatake wasn't directionally challenged—at minimum, he could find his way home.
However, just as Sakumo Hatake arrived at Yūshin's tent and before they could begin their discussion, another ninja hurried over.
"Huh? Uchiha ninja claiming to want to see me? What's happening?"
This ninja's message left Yūshin momentarily stunned. While the Uchiha's fate was sealed, surely they wouldn't scatter like monkeys from a fallen tree this quickly?
"Lord Yūshin, there's a distinction... They are Uchiha ninja, but claim to be from the Hawk Organization," the messenger corrected Yūshin's assumption.
"Hawk... Oh, so it's this group of Uchiha ninja." Yūshin immediately realized these were Sasuke's subordinates. "Let them in."
Sasuke... Yūshin hadn't heard Sasuke-related information for quite some time—originally Sasuke had been quite active, but since Yūshin began executing border pacification missions, he'd lacked energy to focus on other matters.
Shortly after, guided by a Fireflies ninja, three Uchiha ninja entered Yūshin's tent.
Just one glance told Yūshin these men's circumstances were dire.
Not only because their expressions appeared somewhat dejected, but because the leading ninja entered carrying a blood-stained straight sword...
That was Uchiha Sasuke's Kusanagi sword.
"I know your origins, but... why have you come?"
Yūshin's gaze lingered on that sword while addressing the three men.
"Lord Yūshin, previously Lord Nameless..."
These men recounted the Hawk Organization's—more precisely, Uchiha Sasuke's—encounter with Uchiha Madara.
"...To cover the organization's other members' retreat, Lord Nameless personally held the rear guard, engaging Uchiha Madara in fierce battle."
"When we returned to the scene afterward, we only found this sword."
Yūshin was somewhat speechless. You found this sword and brought it to me—what does this have to do with me?
"Perhaps after being defeated by Madara, he was captured."
Unexpectedly, all three Uchiha ninja shook their heads simultaneously.
"Given Lord Nameless's noble character, how could he submit to Uchiha Madara? We know the worst may have occurred."
Noble character? Weren't these two both among the "Four Laughing Maniacs," with personalities that should be evenly matched... Yūshin ultimately wasn't an Uchiha ninja and couldn't empathize with these three men.
"We know Lord Nameless's origins and can guess that his appearance in this era might be related to the Fireflies organization..."
"Previously, Lord Nameless told us that if we encountered the worst situation, we could seek refuge with Lord Yūshin and join the Fireflies organization."
Huh? Yūshin was momentarily stunned. Did Sasuke really trust him that much? Their relationship could only be described as a chance encounter.
So these people believed Sasuke was dead—but was Sasuke really dead?
Yūshin couldn't be certain and could only maintain a skeptical attitude, because when Sasuke had been summoned to this era, he'd clearly suffered additional interference... It seemed someone was protecting the current Indra incarnation.
Remember, it wasn't only Black Zetsu monitoring the Shinobi World—there was also the person Black Zetsu hated most.
So would this person really allow Sasuke to die so quietly and unnoticed?
Yūshin's mind raced while he spoke with some hesitation:
"So you're here to... Wait, you only have three people left?"
The leading Uchiha ninja continued shaking his head:
"Regrettably, we cannot execute Lord Nameless's final command. We didn't come here representing the Hawk Organization to surrender to Lord Yūshin, but to inform you of Lord Nameless's fate while returning his sword to you."
Yūshin: "..."
What use is this broken sword to me? Are you treating me as the "Feather in the Lake"? What kind of logic is this?
"So what are you planning to do?"
"We intend to continue Lord Nameless's unfinished work—protecting Uchiha clansmen as much as possible in the coming war while avoiding integration into the future ninja village."
"You don't need to do this. Be more rational... For your Lord Nameless's sake, I'm willing to accept you. Perhaps you believe you're doing the right thing, but you must consider the tide of history—those who go against it will only drown."
Yūshin felt these Uchiha ninja were different—they'd recognized the world's cruelty, were down-to-earth and completely lacking in arrogance. He was happy to lend a helping hand.
But these men had already made their decision and wouldn't change it.
"We don't regret following Lord Nameless. If we regret anything in this life... we should regret not following Lord Shichimi to the Fireflies initially."
"However, what's missed is missed. Since we missed the first opportunity, we absolutely cannot miss the second."
This "second opportunity" clearly didn't refer to joining the Fireflies again.
They'd said everything that needed saying. These men set down the sword and turned to leave.
However, when they reached the tent entrance, the rear ninja stopped, turned around, and left a final message:
"Lord Yūshin, we're destined never to become sages, but at least we once followed a sage... Thank you for witnessing all of this."
Lord Yūshin nodded silently. You guys are so principled that I don't even know what to say.
"Lord Yūshin, they..."
Though Sakumo Hatake had only overheard part of the conversation, he roughly understood these men's situation and felt somewhat sympathetic.
"We can't help them. Light that has lost its source is destined only to fade away."
Without Sasuke's level of combat strength, these Uchiha ninja were destined to vanish in history's tide without even creating ripples.
Sakumo Hatake fell silent. He simply felt it was regrettable, but he understood the principle that "a city may be destroyed but the heart cannot be broken; a commander may be captured but his will cannot be taken."
"This 'Lord Nameless'—I don't seem to have heard of him before..."
"He's like you, not belonging to this era—he comes from an even more distant future than yours."
Only to witness? Indeed so.
Speaking of which, the Uchiha truly lived up to their name—so absurd... In this chaotic world, the most enlightened group chose to die silently and unnoticed.
What else could one say? Only laugh maniacally.
Yūshin suddenly turned around, completely changing his previous expression as he patted Sakumo Hatake's shoulder:
"Sakumo, let me tell you some good news—I just thought of a good method to send you back to the future. However... well, there's no rush."
Sakumo Hatake: "..."
If you keep being so cryptic, you'll get yourself killed.
"Don't worry. Let's first complete the important task assigned by the organization—selecting Konoha Village's site... This task is practically tailor-made for you."
Yūshin chose to keep him in suspense, no longer mentioning the topic of returning to the future.
"This task indeed isn't difficult for me..."
"Lord Yūshin, I know this is a critical period for village establishment and personal gains shouldn't be considered—contributing effort is everyone's duty. However... what's this method you mentioned for returning to the future? Is it reliable?"
"Surveying locations, determining internal power structures, balancing clan interests—I know being responsible for countless interconnected matters can be very busy, but... do you have confidence in this method? How much confidence?"
Yūshin smiled without speaking.
No rush. Aren't you usually accustomed to maintaining a cold expression? Well, now you can worry for a while.
Don't think Yūshin's being malicious—Sakumo Hatake should be grateful he even has a way back. Yūshin himself doesn't even have that option.
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