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After that, Manji and Uchiha Jin spoke for quite some time.
"Your decision is made, so you can't turn back now. Be bold and see it through." Manji sat upright on the tatami.
After he spoke, he felt a small sense of anticipation. He was eager to see how this generation would turn out.
In the previous cycle, both Uchiha Gen and Senju Shima had been sent into the Pure Land by his hand, so that round did not count. The contest between Indra and Asura's reincarnations still stood at three to two, with Asura barely holding the lead.
Now, the remaining variables lay with the future Hashirama and Madara, and later with Naruto and Sasuke.
There was also Uchiha Jin and the Asura of this generation.
Manji had not yet seen this era's Asura reincarnation. He had been living inside the Uchiha compound these past years, after all.
Across from him, Uchiha Jin frowned. He looked like a clan head struggling with the burden of duty and its consequences. After a long pause, he let out a sigh. "I am not afraid for myself. What worries me is that if too many clansmen die, it could trigger one problem after another."
"But without war, there are no commissions. The daimyō of the Land of Grass has already paid us to wipe out a group of wandering shinobi..."
He had to choose between protecting his people and making sure the clan had the resources, contracts, and support it needed to survive.
Jin felt the pressure of this choice. He was new to his role and had never led a major clan war before. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find peace.
"Caught in a position where you have no real freedom, are you? I understand that." Manji rested his fingertip on the table for a moment, then gave a small nod.
His tone remained steady. "Death cannot be avoided. Where there is war, there will be casualties. Jin, a soft heart cannot command troops."
Centuries ago, he used to feel guilty about the endless struggle between Indra and Asura. The entire Shinobi world had become a chessboard for their conflict. Many innocent people had lost their lives in a fight they never chose, suffering from war, hunger, and death.
But after he created the Pure Land and helped guide the dead there, his guilt faded away.
Under Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's tireless effort, the Pure Land had already become an ideal land without conflict.
There was no war, hunger, or struggle for resources there. People didn't have to worry about birth, aging, sickness, or death. Everyone had food, clothing, shelter, and everything they needed. The biggest questions each day were what to eat and how to have fun.
From that point of view, the wars and suffering in the human world were just a short trial in everyone's life. Even if someone died, they would go to the Pure Land and find peace.
If they died, they died.
After death came comfort.
"Clan Elder..." Uchiha Jin's body shook.
This clan elder was very rational, almost to a scary extent...
Jin immediately bowed—his back straight and his voice filled with respect and self-reflection. "Clan Elder, you are correct. I should not have been wavering like this..."
As clan head, caring for his people was only natural. But being too soft or indecisive could slow down the clan's plans, or even put his people in more danger.
With just a few words, Manji cleared away Jin's doubts.
"It is nothing."
Manji reached out and gently helped Jin up. He nodded, showing quiet approval.
Everything important had already been said and understood.
At the doorway, Uchiha Tajima stood quietly, watching the exchange with a serious little face.
He watched his grandfather guide the powerful clan head with just a few simple words. The clan head showed respect, taking the advice as if it came from a true powerhouse.
Admiration shone in Tajima's eyes. 'Grandpa really is amazing. Even the clan head listens to him and respects his advice. I need to learn from Grandpa from now on.'
........
Half a year later, Uchiha Jin returned.
He led the army out in spring and returned victorious by autumn. Quick campaigns that started and ended in a single season had become the norm.
Manji still remembered the wars before his Demon Purge.
Back then, even a short war could last a year, and longer ones could go on for decades.
But after the purge, everything changed. Shinobi clans couldn't make their own supplies anymore. They had to rely on money and support from the daimyō, so they couldn't afford long wars.
The long, exhausting wars of the past were gone. Little by little, wars in the Shinobi world were starting to look like the ones Manji remembered from the original story.
Wars started and ended quickly.
Victories were decided fast.
Even faster wars would happen in the future. If Manji remembered right, the Fourth Shinobi World War lasted only four days.
"Grandpa! Clan Head Jin is back! We won!"
Uchiha Tajima came running in, his face flushed with joy.
"I know." Manji nodded, his expression calm.
The Uchiha Clan's victory didn't make him feel much. When Tajima saw how calm his grandfather was, he rushed over, eager to share even bigger news.
"Grandpa, this is huge! Clan Head Jin personally entered the battlefield and killed the Senju Clan Head. Our Uchiha Clan won a victory like nothing we've ever had before!"
As soon as he heard those words, Manji's calm expression changed.
Wait... Uchiha Jin killed the Senju Clan Head?
"..." Manji immediately frowned.
According to the ancient pattern of reincarnation, the Senju Clan Head of this generation should almost certainly have been Asura's reincarnation.
Asura's reincarnations were supposed to have special luck and strong life force. How could one be killed so easily?
Back then, Senju Tsuru had fought Uchiha Sa for years before the outcome was decided.
After hesitating for a moment, Manji started thinking.
He created a clone that couldn't be seen by the naked eye.
A short while later, that clone arrived in the Senju Clan's territory.
The Senju compound, which had once been lively and full of vigor, was now wrapped in grief. Everyone in the clan wore mourning clothes and white funeral headbands. Low sobs mingled with the solemn air of the funeral, filling the entire settlement with the bleakness of a clan that had lost its head.
Manji hid off to the side, watching the funeral. He focused on sensing every aura nearby, and his frown grew deeper.
There really was no sign of Asura's unique soul.
Had this generation's Asura reincarnation truly been killed so easily by Uchiha Jin?
Or had Asura not reincarnated into the Senju Clan at all this time?
Suddenly, Manji stopped.
An idea came to him...
He didn't stay any longer. He turned and went straight to another clan.
........
The Uzumaki Clan.
Inside the Uzumaki Clan Head's home, a tall young man sat at his desk. He held a small child with one arm while calmly handling clan business with the other.
This man was the current head of the Uzumaki Clan, Uzumaki Yū.
"Father, why do you seem sad?"
The child looked up and gently tugged on Uzumaki Yū's sleeve, his eyes confused.
Yū let out a soft sigh. Looking down at the child in his arms, he said, "Ashina, the Senju Clan Head has died. He was killed by someone from the Uchiha Clan."
"Oh..."
Uzumaki Ashina answered, only half understanding. He was still too young to realize how much this would change the Shinobi world.
Not far away, Manji's clone stood quietly. He looked at Uzumaki Yū, and suddenly everything made sense.
The worried Uzumaki clan head before him was the true Asura reincarnation of this era.
As for the child in his arms, Uzumaki Ashina, Manji recognized that name too.
Uzumaki Ashina was a character from the original story. Since Ashina was already old when Senju Hashirama was middle-aged, it made sense that he was from the same generation as Butsuma and Tajima.
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