"Naruto: My Ninja Skills"Chapter 170: To Whom Belongs the Title of Hero
After selecting the village's location, Yūshin notified Hashirama Senju of this development while simultaneously ordering a portion of Fireflies ninja to form a construction corps and begin preliminary development at the site.
For ordinary ninja, leaving Fireflies Village was genuinely unwelcome. The village had only recently been established, and everyone was living comfortably there—they had neither reason nor motivation to relocate.
But there was no choice; Yūshin's orders were absolute.
No matter what else, Yūshin possessed greater foresight than ordinary ninja. They would have to move eventually, so sooner was better than later... Arriving early at the new village meant securing better positions. What was there to complain about? Clearly, some people didn't understand the real estate industry.
Fireflies Village was, after all, located on the frontier, with limited development potential. It was destined to gradually shrink in scale, eventually perhaps becoming some kind of border outpost.
In contrast, "Konoha" was situated in the Land of Fire's center—in terms of safety alone, it surpassed Fireflies Village by an immeasurable degree.
Yūshin had to explain to his subordinates that even after moving, the Fireflies would still be the Fireflies—there was no need for such resistance... Actually, what everyone resisted wasn't the move itself, but their awareness that the Fireflies would struggle to exist as an independent organization in the future.
After merging into the Senju alliance, many worried the organization would lose its original purity, but this was unavoidable—gain inevitably came with loss. Even without joining the Senju alliance, as the Fireflies organization continued developing, it could never remain the same as before.
Speaking of purity, that would refer to when Yūshin led the Hagūgen and Fūma Clans through their pioneering hardships—that was the purest time. But what meaning would there be in remaining stagnant for that reason?
The organization currently needed an ideological unity conference, but there was no immediate rush.
Yūshin deployed some ninja to the Land of Fire's center for construction. Besides construction and security units, his first priority was establishing a hospital here and transferring members of the Kuroki Hitomi Clan.
Then, using this location as a base, he would advance forward, establishing the first frontline hospital at a position not far from the front lines, providing medical support for ninja in battle.
The Uchiha Clan was the primary factor obstructing the Land of Fire's internal unification, but they weren't the only ninja clan that failed to recognize the times and chose resistance—meaning the war would need to continue for some time.
Just as Yūshin was immersed in construction work, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to civil engineering, he received a message from Kiyosuke Shimizu... The daimyo felt it was time to make his move.
Clearly, Daimyo Shimizu's assessment of the situation was quite accurate. Even he, who had been sitting comfortably like a fisherman, now knew it was time to reach out and gather things into his own embrace.
Yūshin naturally supported the daimyo's initiative. Kiyosuke Shimizu was inherently intelligent—if he were still squatting like a fool in the remote Reitō Castle at this point, that would truly be disappointing.
So Yūshin hurried back to Reitō Castle for discussions with the daimyo.
"Lord Daimyo, you wish to accompany the next supply convoy to the front lines and then conduct morale visits with the frontline ninja? The idea is excellent, but I must warn you—the front has just experienced a major battle; it's hardly safe."
Yūshin supported the daimyo's actions but didn't conceal the dangers involved.
Should the defeated Madara Uchiha refuse to accept defeat and stubbornly launch another attack, Yūshin couldn't guarantee the daimyo's safety... He didn't believe he possessed the capability to contend with a Perfect Susanoo.
"Lord Yūshin, it's precisely because I heard about the frontline's great battle that I decided to go for these visits..."
The front had just witnessed a "Gundam battle," and many allied ninja would be psychologically shaken by this. Facing such extraordinary methods, developing fear was only human nature. However, the more critical such moments became, the more profound an impression the daimyo's appearance at the front would leave on these ninja.
All ninja feared Madara Uchiha, yet the daimyo dared come to the front lines—what did this demonstrate? It showed the daimyo was courageous, cared about frontline ninja's lives and deaths, and shared honor and disgrace with the alliance ninja.
Ahem, this approach could be considered an alternative form of "when others fear, I am greedy."
So that was his plan... Yūshin looked at Daimyo Shimizu, inevitably recalling when he'd subdued the Akimichi Clan—this man had dared to leisurely observe from the battlefield's edge.
He remained as clever and bold as ever, or rather, his boldness was built upon intelligence.
Someone skilled at surrender, having decided not to surrender, had to make a grand gesture—otherwise, wouldn't abandoning surrender be pointless?
In this era, Kiyosuke Shimizu's approach was quite unconventional. The relationship between daimyo and ninja was purely transactional—in fact, the vast majority of ninja didn't even know their supporting daimyo's specific name.
Daimyo only concerned themselves with their own interests and losses, never caring about ordinary ninja's lives and deaths. But Kiyosuke Shimizu?
On one hand, he actively and voluntarily provided ninja with abundant supplies; on the other, he dared enter battlefields.
Regardless of Shimizu Kiyosuke's wisdom and virtue, at least his performance far exceeded his peers. Comparisons made everything clear—his behavior could easily win ninja support. As long as he toured the front lines once, ninja would at least become familiar with his name.
"If that's the case, our actions should be swift rather than delayed. While the great battle's aftereffects haven't yet settled, you should appear before frontline ninja as quickly as possible."
"That's exactly my thinking. We'll depart immediately... Lord Yūshin, I'm entrusting my safety to you."
"At this point, why say such things? You have no way to turn back anyway. Even if you die at the front, there's nothing to regret."
Shimizu Kiyosuke: "..."
Well, the words were crude but the reasoning sound. Given Shimizu Kiyosuke's current scale, even if he wanted to surrender to the Onishi Clan, they couldn't possibly accept him... The Onishi Clan would fear overextending themselves.
So, once the bow is drawn, there's no turning back.
Shimizu Kiyosuke sighed inwardly. How did a country daimyo like me end up seriously competing for the Land of Fire's leadership position? Yūshin, you've truly caused me suffering.
Understanding the daimyo's determination, Yūshin personally served as his guard. They traveled light, following the supply convoy as they departed Reitō Castle and headed eastward.
However, the group didn't proceed directly to the front lines, because this supply transport's first stop was the Sarutobi Clan's village, so Daimyo Shimizu would first conduct visits here.
Naturally, Daimyo Shimizu's arrival caused a sensation. On one hand, the Sarutobi Clan had already received multiple material aid shipments from the Land of the River Source; on the other, a national daimyo "condescending" to visit was extremely rare—this had to be considered the Sarutobi Clan's honor.
Shimizu Kiyosuke conducted detailed care and concern work with the wounded and ninja teams about to deploy, while also showing appropriate care for Sasuke Sarutobi. He appeared sincere and completely unaffected—his acting skills were far superior to Yūshin's.
Sasuke Sarutobi was delighted, even bringing out his less-than-one-year-old son. At this point, Shimizu Kiyosuke could even hold the child and shower him with praise, displaying professionalism comparable to neighborhood matrons with forty or fifty years of experience... Obviously, he'd researched Sasuke Sarutobi's family situation beforehand.
Yūshin looked at that infant, thinking that if nothing unexpected occurred, this year would be Konoha's first year, so wouldn't Sarutobi Hiruzen be more appropriately renamed Sarutobi Konohamaru?
"Lord Sasuke, what's your next mission?"
"Heading south to eliminate the Nohara Clan entrenched at Deer Tail Mountain."
"Oh, is there difficulty involved?"
"Heh, compared to the Uchiha Clan the Senju are dealing with, our side has no difficulty."
"Indeed, I hope the Land of Fire's flames of war can be extinguished soon."
To avoid interfering with the Sarutobi's work, Shimizu Kiyosuke very tactfully stayed only briefly. He showed no trace of noble arrogance—if anything, he seemed as perceptive as a child facing a stepmother alone.
Next, the supply convoy departed the Sarutobi Clan's village, heading toward the Senju Clan's frontline battleground.
Shimizu Kiyosuke didn't plunge headfirst into the situation. He communicated repeatedly with Hashirama Senju from a distance, confirming his appearance wouldn't cause any disruption to the battle situation before preparing to depart.
Though Hashirama Senju sometimes appeared somewhat naive, in interpersonal relations he was ten thousand times superior to his brother. Before Shimizu Kiyosuke could depart, Hashirama had already proactively come to greet him.
At this time point, Shimizu Kiyosuke's appearance at the frontline camp created such a sensational effect that it even dispersed the negative impact caused by Madara Uchiha... If even the daimyo, an ordinary person, dared come directly to a place where Madara Uchiha had rampaged, what did these ninja have to fear?
Hashirama, or rather the Senju Clan, had achieved victory in the previous battle, and the Uchiha were licking their wounds, so there were indeed no combat missions at the camp currently.
Shimizu Kiyosuke began touring and conducting morale visits with the ninja. He certainly wasn't putting on an act—in fact, he observed very carefully, and soon discovered that some ninja in the camp appeared incompatible with everyone else.
"Lord Hashirama, these ninja are...?"
"They're Uchiha ninja who, after the previous battle ended, separated from the Uchiha and joined our side."
Look at Hashirama—he never used words like "surrender" to their faces.
Shimizu Kiyosuke nodded. It seemed the Uchiha Clan was truly finished. This indicated his timing for coming to the front was excellent.
He displayed equal treatment, even showing slight sympathy in his expression. Facing these Uchiha ninja, Shimizu Kiyosuke proactively extended his hand, shaking hands with each one:
"You've worked hard."
He couldn't say much more, nor should he say nothing at all, so this was his approach.
After touring the camp, Hashirama Senju accompanied Shimizu Kiyosuke onto the platform. Facing the assembled numerous frontline ninja, this daimyo delivered a themed speech on "Fearless Against Strong Enemies, Peace Approaches," positioning himself very humbly while emphasizing praise for the ninja's brave and fearless sacrifice.
After this round of manipulation, the ninja were all confused—were they really so noble? Was all this fighting not for clan survival, but for world peace?
Regardless, Shimizu Kiyosuke's arrival boosted the ninja's morale. They'd never seen such a daimyo—they even felt respect from him. Who could argue with that?
Yūshin watched Daimyo Shimizu ahead, listening to the ninja's cheers, and only then did he understand... Damn it, this daimyo was actually holding the female protagonist's script.
Even more tragic was Yūshin's realization that he held the "supportive male friend" script.
Shimizu Kiyosuke didn't just put on a show here then leave immediately. The Senju Clan was his key target for cultivation. He remained at the front for several days, thoroughly understanding how ninja conducted warfare, then ordered additional supplies from the rear.
Afterward, he retreated slightly, waiting until the frontline hospital's construction was completed and normal operations began before finally departing.
Next, he visited the Senju (Uzumaki) and Hyūga villages in sequence before returning to Reitō Castle.
As the saying goes, "Comparisons kill, goods must be discarded when compared." Now Shimizu Kiyosuke's name was known and recognized by every ninja in the Land of Fire.
To some extent, Shimizu Kiyosuke's sincere, status-blind, top-down morale visits could be considered pioneering, so his ability to cause such sensation was reasonable.
With material support and spiritual respect—such a daimyo would be difficult to find even with a lantern.
Yūshin accompanied Shimizu Kiyosuke's entire public relations campaign. After completing his guard duties, his final feeling was actually...
Well, nurturing someone isn't bad either.
When he returned to "Konoha Village's" location, he discovered numerous buildings had already been completed... Ninja production and construction efficiency was just this high, yet normally they didn't engage in production and construction activities.
Seeing everyone working quite enthusiastically, Yūshin immediately called a halt:
"Hey, don't finish all the work—leave an open space here. We'll see how the Senju Clan arranges things later..."
More precisely, they needed to see what Tobirama Senju would arrange—had to leave some sense of participation for him, or he'd have a fit... Yūshin had learned to anticipate.
"Understood, Lord Yūshin."
"Good."
Yūshin was about to turn and leave when he suddenly stopped, because he realized the completed buildings looked extremely familiar.
Looking at this district again...
Damn it, these bastards had created a one-to-one replica of Fireflies Village's buildings and architectural layout... Their rebellious phase had arrived—this counted as silent resistance.
Of course, this rebellion wasn't directed at Yūshin, but... why create conflicts? This seemed excessively exclusionary, even somewhat contrary to the Fireflies' founding principles.
It seemed a meeting was indeed necessary.
Several days later, the Fireflies organization's leadership, including all clan heads large and small, gathered in a meeting room within one of the new village's buildings.
Then Yūshin's opening statement caused everyone to explode.
"The Uchiha Clan won't last much longer. The new ninja village that will integrate the entire Land of Fire's armed forces is about to be established, therefore... before long, the 'Fireflies' will nominally cease to exist."
Discussion erupted with a buzzing sound.
"Lord Yūshin, why is this?"
Ninja like Chitose Fūma immediately began questioning, not even noticing their tone.
Yūshin remained calm:
"Ahem, because I can't defeat Hashirama Senju..."
"Well, the real reason is that one village cannot have two central authorities."
🔥 Want to read the next 50+ chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]