"Naruto: My Ninja Skills"Chapter 169: Feeling Sorry for My Brother
Sakumo Hatake certainly wanted to return to his own era—that was only human nature and needed no further explanation.
However, regarding the method of return, Yūshin currently had only a conceptual framework. He would need to conduct gradual experiments to transform that concept into a viable approach... After all, methods for traversing time and space didn't necessarily require space-time ninjutsu.
Compressing or piercing through spacetime wasn't particularly difficult—it all depended on whether you observed from a subjective or objective standpoint, since spacetime itself was a relative concept.
Setting Sasuke's situation aside, Yūshin reconsidered the new assignment Hashirama Senju had given him... At this point, Yūshin felt his battles were finished.
At least in the short term, he wouldn't be participating in any more wars.
The borders between the Land of Fire, Land of Wind, and Land of Waterfall had been clearly established. North of the Land of Waterfall lay the Land of Iron—a "samurai nation" completely at odds with the Shinobi World. They kept their doors closed and played by themselves, never interfering with ninja activities.
The Land of Rain had migrated westward, and the Land of Wind and Land of Waterfall were indeed advancing toward the plateau. Objectively, they no longer possessed the capacity to cause trouble for the Land of Fire. Therefore, Yūshin monitored the border for another week, and after confirming he sensed only tranquil calm, he led his team away from the area.
"When spring river waters warm, the ducks know first"—often, civilians perceived situational changes more accurately than ninja... because civilians were far more fragile than ninja. The more fragile something was, the more sensitive it became—otherwise, even slight disturbances could shatter their lives.
The term "grass people" wasn't merely a figure of speech—it carried profound, inescapable sorrow.
In any case, once the frontiers stabilized, populations inside and outside the borders began massive, rapid movement. The Land of Fire's population started recovering swiftly—achieving net growth within the year was certainly feasible.
In a sense, this was the crucial moment for establishing a nation's foundational strength. Even excluding extraordinary factors like Hashirama Senju, based purely on population and natural endowments, the Land of Fire could develop into a powerful nation.
Yūshin's team split in two: ninja from the four great clans returned to their respective homes, while Fireflies ninja returned to Fireflies Village.
After resting in the village for three days, Yūshin and Sakumo Hatake departed again—this time to select a site for the so-called new ninja village, Konoha.
Theoretically, this task was complex, exhausting, and meticulous, requiring substantial human and material resources.
Even with good fortune, a ninja responsible for this mission would need to camp outdoors for a year or two before finding the most suitable settlement location.
But Yūshin was different—he possessed a ready-made locator.
After leaving Fireflies Village, the two took merely two days to reach a certain location in the Land of Fire's center.
"Looks like this is the place..."
Yūshin and Sakumo Hatake stood atop a sheer precipice. Beneath their feet stretched a rock wall nearly perpendicular to the ground, remarkably similar to a smooth Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall—perfectly suited for carving faces into.
Below lay flat terrain and lush forest. Any earth-style specialist would be ecstatic—ample space, abundant materials, simply an ideal location for establishing a home.
Theoretically, Yūshin should investigate the groundwater levels, soil subsidence, and even bedrock conditions here, but none of that was necessary... Obviously, this was Konoha.
Seeing Yūshin lost in contemplation, Sakumo Hatake immediately adopted the perspective of a great figure, sage, or at minimum a pioneer... This was an excellent canvas, and Lord Yūshin was surely envisioning future blueprints.
"Lord Yūshin, what are you thinking about?"
After a while, Hatake couldn't resist asking.
"Me?"
Yūshin turned around, then stretched lazily.
"I'm thinking about square dancing, growing pothos, and even fishing."
What was he talking about? Sakumo Hatake felt bewildered. Konoha was about to be established, the one-village-one-nation system was about to be implemented, the Shinobi World would enter a period of peace, and peace would bring opportunities for vigorous development. Shouldn't ambitious people be striving forward at such times?
"Don't understand? In other words, I'm considering laying down burdens I never should have carried, then quickly entering a retired, elderly lifestyle."
Yūshin spoke thus, and he genuinely wasn't joking. Once Konoha was established, everything would stabilize, the Shinobi World would begin organizing itself, and he would finally have conditions to rest for a while.
"Lord Yūshin, are you serious about this?"
"Of course. I feel my ambition stops right here, and that's just right. Regardless of how posterity views it, my self-positioning has always been clear... I'm merely a supporting character in this era, and eras are propelled forward by protagonists. From this perspective, whether I exist or not, Konoha would still be established."
Yūshin never overestimated himself, though his words were somewhat self-deprecating. In fact, his actions had accelerated the Shinobi World's ascent and development from its previously stagnant state...
The simplest evidence was that under the Fireflies organization's demonstration, the Senju alliance appeared ahead of schedule, and this Senju alliance wasn't the original Senju-Uchiha union—instead, the Uchiha had been excluded.
The result of all this was that Konoha's establishment timeline had advanced by five years.
Honestly, those five years held extraordinary significance—countless ninja survived because of it.
"Lord Yūshin, I believe Konoha isn't solely Hashirama Senju's achievement. Ninja are constrained by lifespan—even the most powerful ninja will eventually turn to dust with time's passage—yet ninja ideologies will flow eternally... Lord Hashirama forged Konoha's form, while Lord Yūshin's philosophy has always maintained Konoha's spirit."
Sakumo Hatake was a Fireflies ninja, and not just any Fireflies ninja, so naturally he would advocate for Yūshin, exaggerating or praising Yūshin's role was perfectly normal.
"Well said, but... First, your understanding of ninja ultimate strength is insufficient—after all, you haven't personally witnessed what's called the 'God of Shinobi.' Second, maintaining ambition is correct, but it has one drawback—it's exhausting."
Yūshin's face showed listlessness, his entire being radiating fatigue.
He'd been struggling in the Shinobi World for four or five years, experiencing numerous events—not too many, not too few. Recently, he'd genuinely felt a thick sense of weariness... Exhausted, more exhausted than writing 300,000 words monthly.
Sakumo Hatake was a "future person," so Yūshin didn't mind expressing his thoughts to him more fully.
"Retiring at the peak might seem slightly selfish, but overall it can be considered a form of maintaining integrity..."
"During an organization's pioneering phase, its advancing stage, it naturally unites and faces external challenges together, radiating vigorous vitality. But once it completes pioneering and stabilizes the surrounding environment, its internal problems will gradually surface..."
"Internal friction is unavoidable, and I extremely detest ugly power struggles."
Sakumo Hatake quietly listened to Yūshin's words. After silent contemplation, he spoke again:
"Lord Yūshin, why do I feel you're creating a grand finale atmosphere?"
"Not quite that extreme, not quite... I'm just saying an era is indeed ending, and when the new era begins, I can indeed find opportunities to slack off... After all, some people will be exceptionally diligent at such times, won't they?"
"You mean Lord Tobirama, the Second Hokage?"
"Huh? I'm not, I haven't, don't make wild accusations... In your era, has Tobirama's reputation already become unspeakably foul?"
"Uh, Lord Yūshin, you know I'm not the type who enjoys gossiping."
Sakumo Hatake said nothing, yet said everything.
Among the Second Hokage's actions, setting aside everything else, just the ANBU system alone... Ninja who experienced the ANBU system's evolution from inception to becoming Konoha's most important armed force would harbor no favorable feelings toward Tobirama Senju.
Some could understand the ANBU system's emergence rationale, others simply didn't attempt to understand, but regardless of which type, everyone extremely resented this system... Who would appreciate an armed secret police organization used against their own people?
In the original timeline, Tobirama also had the ninja academy system, Konoha hospital system, and other beneficial institutions to balance the ANBU's negative impact, but now... the culprit was conversing eloquently with Sakumo Hatake.
The two were merely chatting casually, overall quite relaxed, but suddenly both simultaneously turned toward a certain direction.
"Lord Yūshin, did you sense that?"
"Yes, I sensed it... Extraordinarily exaggerated chakra."
Neither was particularly excellent as sensory ninja, however... Even someone with poor vision, though unable to see stars hidden in the night sky, surely couldn't miss the sun hanging in the clear noon sky?
"What's happening... Lord Yūshin, should we approach for a closer look?" Sakumo Hatake asked. The distant chakra was truly heart-stopping.
Yūshin shook his head, saying:
"I can roughly guess what's happening. If you're interested, you can go observe, but be careful not to get caught in the battle's aftereffects... I won't go—I'm afraid my confidence couldn't handle it."
Sakumo Hatake didn't understand Hashirama Senju's true strength, so his earlier evaluation of Yūshin had excessive flattery. Now there was precisely such an opportunity to let him witness a glimpse of the "God of Shinobi."
Yūshin was being cryptic again, but seeing his "I anticipated this" expression, Sakumo Hatake couldn't be bothered to engage further.
Hatake left Yūshin in place and rushed toward that powerful chakra's location.
"A blow to confidence, White Fang of Konoha."
Yūshin glanced toward Sakumo Hatake's departure direction, then paid him no further attention. He moved over a flat stone, swept the dust from its surface, then sat down heavily.
Next, he retrieved a scroll from behind, unsealed it, and laid out numerous pots, pans, ladles, ingredients, and seasonings. After igniting a campfire, he began grilling meat skewers for himself.
He was carefree and content, because the distant war simply wasn't his war... It wasn't cold observation—he simply couldn't intervene.
So why worry about it? Better to eat and drink.
Time passed minute by minute. By evening, the distant chakra reaction finally disappeared.
Several hours later, Sakumo Hatake returned. Though he appeared as expressionless as usual, the dejected aura surrounding him would be difficult to shake for some time.
The strong are inherently proud. Though Sakumo Hatake wasn't the "I'm number one in the world" type, he'd previously believed he could fight anyone.
However, the battle he'd just witnessed had overturned his understanding of ninja.
"Finished fighting?" Yūshin asked him.
"Yes, finished fighting... Lord Yūshin not witnessing that battle was definitely a loss." Sakumo Hatake felt unwilling yet enlightened.
Yūshin shook his head, thinking he had no masochistic tendencies.
"What about Uchiha Madara?" he asked again.
"He escaped."
"Escaped? Hashirama let him escape? Intentional indulgence?"
Sakumo Hatake carefully recalled the battle's final stages, somewhat uncertain:
"Intentional indulgence? Impossible, but Lord Hashirama seemed to hope Uchiha Madara would surrender."
Heh, otherwise how could the ghostly brothers maintain their thousand-year cycle of love and hate? Look—at crucial moments, the Ashura brother only feels sorry for the Indra brother.
"Wood Human and Wood Dragon versus complete Susanoo?"
"Yes, Lord Yūshin."
Sakumo Hatake hadn't expected Yūshin to guess correctly.
"Then it was intentional indulgence. Hashirama still can't forget the childhood friendship he missed."
Sakumo Hatake carefully considered Yūshin's words, then froze completely.
"Lord Yūshin, you mean Lord Hashirama still wasn't using full power?"
"Full power? This was nowhere near that."
Yūshin had once discussed Sage Mode with Hashirama, so at minimum Hashirama could now enter Sage Mode... Even for the "God of Shinobi," the combat effectiveness displayed with or without using sage techniques was vastly different.
Hashirama without Sage Mode could at most be called a "pseudo-god"; after entering Sage Mode, he could be considered a "true god."
"If that's the case, isn't Lord Hashirama being too frivolous?"
"It's not quite like that. I understand Hashirama fairly well. As the saying goes, 'once, twice, but not thrice'—opportunities have already been given to Uchiha Madara. Afterward, Hashirama will come to his senses."
Sakumo Hatake sat down opposite Yūshin. The campfire crackled between them, and the surrounding aroma of grilled meat made him involuntarily twitch his nostrils.
He raised his head to gaze at the night sky, but even the brilliant Milky Way overhead couldn't add the slightest brightness to his mood.
After a long silence, he finally couldn't help speaking:
"We're all ninja—why is the gap so enormous?"
Yūshin chuckled gleefully. See that? He's been shaken—won't recover for ten days to half a month.
Countless voices and people had once praised Sakumo Hatake as a genius, but today he'd discovered he was merely an ordinary person.
"I'm hungry, Lord Yūshin. Is there anything to eat?"
"Yes, do you want soldier pills?"
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