Peony * Regret

"Those people from the Land of Whirlpools," Tobirama said, "They won't just let it go like that."

Hashirama's smile faded slightly.

"That guy Quhai is no simpleton," Tobirama said. "Every word he said just now hit the nail on the head. If it weren't for Izuna..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the head hiding behind Madara.

"If it weren't for Izuna, we might have really gotten ourselves into his trap."

Hashirama nodded.

"Yes, what he said was indeed... some of which I hadn't considered."

Izuna peeked out from behind Madara, and only after confirming that Hashirama wouldn't pounce on him again did he slowly step out.

"Leave them alone." He brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes, his tone returning to its usual lazy manner. "Just send someone to keep an eye on them, make sure they don't cause trouble in the village. We don't have time for these politics-obsessed guys right now."

Hashirama paused for a moment.

"That's all?"

"That's it." Izuna shrugged. "They wanted to talk, and we talked with them. Their attitude was very clear. Continuing to talk would just be repeating the same old things and wasting time."

If they contact you again, just say you're busy and don't have time.

Hashirama blinked, his expression somewhat subtle.

"Will this... work?" Hashirama. "They've come from afar, and they're from the Mito clan. Wouldn't this be... too impolite?"

Izuna rolled his eyes.

"Hashirama- kun, politeness is for those who deserve it. Those guys do?"

Hashirama opened his mouth, as if to say something, but swallowed the words back.

He still felt a tightness in his chest when he thought about the conversation, and he definitely didn't want to see them again.

"Alright," he said, "Then let's do it your way."

Tobirama hearing this, Tobirama nodded, a rare occurrence for him.

"That's for the best," he said. "Those people are full of unrealistic, abstract theories, ignoring the actual situation and only talking nonsense. It's essentially an irresponsible act."

Izuna glanced at him.

"Oh, Tobirama actually agreed to my request?"

Tobirama stared back at him expressionlessly.

I'm just stating the facts.

"Oh, let's stick to the facts."

After saying that, Izuna laughed to himself.

Tobirama saw Izuna smile, and he chuckled twice in return.

After laughing enough, Izuna turned and walked towards the door.

"Izuna?" Hashirama called out to him, "Where are you going?"

"Go and get ready." Izuna waved his hand without turning his head. "You'll come this afternoon."

"Okay, okay."

The door closed behind him.

The corridor was quiet.

After walking for a while, Izuna saw Sōsuke leaning against the wall at the corner, arms crossed, seemingly lost in thought.

Hearing footsteps, Sōsuke looked up.

"Lord Izuna."

"Hmm. There's something I need you to do."

Sōsuke nodded.

"You said."

Izuna looked at him and suddenly smiled.

Aren't you curious about what happened inside?

Sōsuke remained silent for a moment.

"Curious," he said, "But that's your business. I just need to know what to do."

Izuna blinked.

"Okay," he said, "Then listen carefully."

Sōsuke lowered his head slightly.

"Go tell those people from the Land of Whirlpools: either leave now, or stay and participate in the Amusement Park opening."

Sōsuke nodded. "I understand. I'll go and relay the message now."

Izuna stroked his chin.

Sōsuke is surprisingly frank. He wasn't like this before.

Although that guy used to be steady, he always had something on his mind and kept his words and actions somewhat reserved.

If it were the old him, he would have hesitated long ago, wondering if he was being too decisive.

Now, he's doing whatever he's told to do, so efficient and decisive, it's unlike him at all.

Could it be that his Ultimate Technique Illustration has changed?

Izuna stroked his chin, watching Sōsuke's figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

With a thought, a semi-transparent light screen unfolded before his eyes.

[Uzumaki Sōsuke]

[Battle voice lines: "I'll handle this!" "They'll pay for this!" "Adamantine Sealing Chains!"]

Below is an Ultimate Technique Illustration.

In the picture, Sōsuke has a white cloth tied around his head, as if he has made up his mind.

Golden chains extended from behind him, dancing in the air like living things, grasping at something.

His expression was focused, his brows were slightly furrowed, and the corners of his mouth were pursed into a straight line.

Izuna stared at the picture for a while, feeling that something was off.

The image seems to be... flashing?

Izuna couldn't resist reaching out and tapping on the picture.

The instant his fingertip touched the screen.

"Call--"

A very faint sound, like a flame igniting, echoed in his mind.

The Ultimate Technique Illustration suddenly ignited!

Golden-red flames exploded from one corner of the picture, instantly engulfing the entire scene. Izuna instinctively withdrew his hand.

The flames are burning.

It's churning.

The original Ultimate Technique Illustration was burned.

Then, the flames gradually subsided.

A brand new Ultimate Technique Illustration appeared before his eyes.

The raging flames covered the entire background, the Kakkō soaring into the sky and turning half the sky golden red.

Before the raging flames stood a red-haired youth.

He wore an exquisite red tunic, with the Uzumaki Clan's patterns engraved on his shoulder armor, and the Tachi at his waist gleamed coldly in the Kakkō.

Flames surged behind him, but seemed to be blocked by some invisible force, unable to even touch the Kakuzu of his clothes.

He was surrounded by a large cluster of Peonies.

Fiery red, pinkish-white, and deep purple peonies bloomed in layers, surrounding him completely.

The petals trembled slightly in the heat, yet showed no signs of withering.

A person as beautiful as a peony. (The Death of Shigehira *)

This is a phrase used to describe Shigehira.

I never expected that Sōsuke's Ultimate Technique Illustration would contain such imagery.

Izuna looked left and right, then nodded in satisfaction.

Nice.

He looks much better than the previous one.

The previous one was quite impressive, but it felt like something was missing.

Now, this picture... how should I put it, it's like someone has finally found their place, and it gives off a completely different feeling.

Izuna curled the corners of his lips and turned off the light screen.

Okay, let's go back and arrange the rehearsal.

Meanwhile, the Envoys from the Land of Earth arrived in the Capital of the Land of Fire before any other country.

The procession stopped at the city gate, where the officials in charge of receiving them had been waiting for some time.

The Envoy from the Land of Earth was a middle-aged man who looked kind and honest. He had a round face, and his eyes narrowed into slits when he smiled, giving him a harmless appearance.

He stood at the city gate, looking up at the tall city wall, and praised it without reservation.

"Wow, this is the Capital of the Land of Fire? Impressive! These city walls and gates are far superior to the stone shacks of our Land of Earth."

The official who received them smiled and made a few perfunctory remarks, but inwardly he was starting to have doubts.

Why is this person praising me right off the bat? Should I say they're generous or just inexperienced?

The Envoy from the Land of Earth didn't mind and followed the receiving official into the city with a smile.

The group was accommodated at a Post Station.

The Envoy ate a simple meal and then went back to his room to rest.

"You must all be tired from your journey, so please get some rest," he said, his voice tinged with weariness. "Tomorrow we're going to visit the Daimyo of the Land of Fire."

The guards responded and dispersed.

The Envoy lay down and quickly fell asleep.

The snoring was deafening.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly opened his eyes.

The room was dark, but the sky outside the window... was still bright?

The Envoy sat up, rubbed his eyes, and walked to the window.

He froze the moment he opened the window.

The outside was brightly lit.

Lanterns hung in front of the shops on both sides of the street, their lights stretching across the street and illuminating the entire street as bright as day.

Some people were walking on the street, some were sitting in the shops, and a few children were chasing and playing, their laughter drifting far into the night.

The Envoy blinked, then blinked again.

"... Is it nighttime?"

He looked up at the sky. The moon hung in the sky, and stars were scattered across the heavens.

It was definitely nighttime.

But these lights...

He had never seen such a sight in the Land of Earth.

The nights in the Land of Earth are black.

It was utterly dark. The few lights that were there were dim, as if the darkness itself was suffocating them.

He assumed that was the norm, after all, candles were expensive, charcoal was not cheap, and oil lamps didn't last long or illuminate a large area.

Besides, they don't really need to light lamps at night; nighttime is for sleeping, and they'll deal with anything that comes up during the day.

This is how they do things in their Land of Earth.

But here...

The Envoy stood by the window and looked for a long time.

The guards were whispering amongst themselves.

Is it nighttime?

"Why is it so bright..."

"Those lamps, how much oil did they need...?"

"The Land of Fire is really rich..."

Among those guards, several were Ninjas.

They blended into the crowd, dressed in the clothes of ordinary guards.

They were among the more experienced and knowledgeable people, after all, they were Ninjas, and it was normal for them to travel around taking on missions.

At that moment, they couldn't help but look up at the brightly lit street.

Among these people was the smallest child.

Ōnoki.

He stood in the corner, looking at the lanterns, at the people walking on the street, and at the faint outlines of taller buildings in the distance.

His eyes were very bright.

The largest city he had ever seen in the Land of Earth was Land of Earth Capital.

During the day, the Capital of Land of Earth was no less prosperous than that of the Land of Fire. Their city walls were more imposing, and their dwellings were more sturdy. As for Ōnoki, he naturally preferred everything about his own home.

But now he's starting to realize something; the Land of Earth is like another world compared to this place.

People here are allowed to go out at night.

The streets here are so bright.

His destination was Konoha; he wanted to know why Konoha, despite being fellow Ninjas, could wield such power. But even before that, he had already begun to imagine.

What kind of place would the Land of Fire, with its Capital, be in its designated Special Administrative Region?

Much later, the Envoy from the Land of Earth finally withdrew his gaze.

He closed the window, turned around, and looked at the guards still standing by the window.

"Alright, everyone go back to sleep," he said with a smile. "We have important business to attend to tomorrow."

The guards responded, leaving only those on night watch, while the rest went to rest.

The Envoy stood by the window and looked again at the brightly lit street.

Then he laughed.

That smile carried a hint of something indescribable.

"As expected of the Land of Fire. Vast in territory and abundant in resources."

He paused.

"What a pity..."

He didn't say the second half of his sentence.

The Envoy turned around, walked back to the bedside, and lay down.

The snoring started again.

But none of those Ninjas could sleep.

They were in the darkness, eyes wide open, thinking about the lights they had just seen.

That cluster of lights was like a dream.

A dream they had never had before.

The youngest, Ōnoki, was ordered to go to sleep, but he couldn't fall asleep.

He was pondering the Envoy's words.

He understood the unfinished part of the Envoy's sentence.

--As expected of the Land of Fire. Vast in territory and abundant in resources.

It's a pity--

None of this belongs to the Land of Earth.