A Blood Feud

The two turned the corner and entered a small shop. A cute little chicken was printed on the noren (traditional Japanese curtain) at the entrance, its head tilted, looking somewhat silly.

Sōsuke lifted the noren curtain and stepped aside to let Hideki go first.

The aroma of roasted chicken, mingled with the scent of charcoal, filled the shop, making one's mouth water. A few low tables were scattered throughout the shop, and there weren't many customers, just a few sitting in small groups.

They sat down by the window.

"Two roast chicken sets," Sōsuke said to the approaching shopkeeper, then looked at Hideki, "And two cups of tea, too."

The boss responded and turned to leave.

Hideki looked around, his gaze landing on the small decorations hanging on the wall.

Temari, roly-poly toys, Daruma, and some Ema) —it's a very cozy wall.

"This shop is good," he said.

"Right?" Sōsuke laughed. "When I first discovered this restaurant, I ate there for three days in a row."

"Just like something you can do."

"Hmph, just wait and see how you get conquered."

The set meal was served quickly. Two plates of neatly arranged roasted chicken, accompanied by Pickled Radishes and a bowl of Clear Soup. It was steaming hot, and the aroma wafted straight into my nose.

"I'm starting to eat—" Sōsuke picked up his chopsticks.

Hideki also whispered something, picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.

The meat was tender, the skin was roasted to a slightly crispy texture, and the sauce had a perfect balance of salty and sweet.

"It's delicious," he said.

I knew it.

The two ate quietly for a while.

Then Sōsuke put down his chopsticks, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"Listen to me," he said, "Konoha is making good progress lately; it feels like the future is within our grasp."

Hideki paused for a moment with his chopsticks.

"Future?"

"Yes." Sōsuke. "The village changes every day. Roads built today will have vendors setting up stalls tomorrow. Houses completed today will have people moving in the day after. People have smiles on their faces, and they walk faster than before."

As Sōsuke described it, Hideki recalled everything he had just seen on the street.

Just as Sōsuke said, it is thriving.

"But we're still going in circles with the past."

Hideki paused for a moment.

"That's what Lord Izuna said." Sōsuke withdrew his gaze and smiled. "Well, I think the future he envisions is a bit too far-fetched. But since he says it's possible, then it definitely is."

Hideki looked at him and sighed.

"Sōsuke- nii, why do you keep mentioning Uchiha Izuna?"

Sōsuke blinked.

"Hmm? Is there?"

"Hmm." Hideki raised his hand and began to count, "Lord Izuna likes Three-Colored Dango, Lord Izuna's policies are so good, Lord Izuna said he's still going around in circles, it's all about Lord Izuna, Lord Izuna."

Sōsuke looked away, "... Uh."

Hideki lowered his hand.

"Sōsuke, I'm here to catch up, not to hear you praise that Lord Izuna."

Sōsuke coughed lightly.

I'm so sorry.

Hideki sighed.

"No, you don't need to apologize for this," he said, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness. "Actually, I'm quite curious too. After all, the name I've heard most often in Konoha these past few days is Uchiha Izuna."

Sōsuke's eyes lit up.

"Really? It seems everyone likes Lord Izuna very much." He smiled, a hint of pride in his smile. "That's wonderful."

Hideki looked at his smile and didn't know what to say for a moment.

In his view, Uchiha Izuna was actually a bit scary.

Hideki was quite uneasy about the aggressive words spoken in the Meeting Room. The sharp edge and overwhelming argument that even Quhai couldn't suppress were full of power and pressure.

He stood behind Lord Quhai, not daring to even raise his head.

For a moment, he actually felt that the Land of Whirlpools were truly evil, and a sense of guilt crept up his spine, chilling him to the bone.

Only after leaving that place did he recall their destination.

"... Sigh." He sighed, "Isn't your leader Lord Hashirama?"

Sōsuke blinked.

Hideki did not continue the topic.

"Lord Quhai let me out, probably because he wants me to communicate with you," he said.

Sōsuke's smile faded slightly.

Hideki.

"Sōsuke- nii, let me finish." Hideki looked at him, his eyes serious. "This matter is really important."

Sōsuke remained silent for a moment.

"... you say."

Hideki took a deep breath.

"You also know how our Uzumaki clan became the royal family of the Land of Whirlpools, right?"

Sōsuke remained silent.

"It started with marriage alliances," Hideki said. "A marriage alliance with the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools at the time, a child born, and that child inherited the throne. Then they continued with marriage alliances, continued having children, and continued the inheritance."

His voice was calm, as if he were stating a perfectly ordinary fact.

"Later, we gradually seized power and infiltrated the country bit by bit. Until now, we have truly become the de facto masters of the Land of Whirlpools."

Sōsuke looked at him.

There was no emotion in those eyes.

"Quhai told me," Hideki continued, "That he doesn't want you to seize power by force. It's a marriage alliance."

He paused.

"If we start planning now, the Land of Fire will also be Shinobi Clan for the taking."

"No, Hideki, you're wrong," Sōsuke immediately chimed in, "Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan are different."

What's different?

"Konoha is not a single clan," Sōsuke said. "Do you understand?"

Hideki's brow furrowed slightly.

"Konoha is a collection of multiple families."

"Every family has its own history, its own pride, and its own hatred."

He paused.

"You mentioned a marriage alliance. Fine, then tell me, who will you send? The Senju? The Uchiha?" Sōsuke looked at him. "Neither of them will do."

"I know," Hideki said, "But there are more ways to gain a place among the nobles of the Land of Fire than that."

Sōsuke sighed.

"Hideki, you still don't understand."

"You didn't see what Konoha was like at the beginning." Sōsuke picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Like I said, Konoha isn't the Uzumaki Clan. These people aren't from the same clan."

"They still hate each other. Even now, they still hate each other."

Hideki's brows furrowed even more.

"But," he said, "They're already from the same village, right? That means they've accepted the idea of peaceful coexistence, doesn't it?"

Sōsuke sighed. "It's not that simple."

Sōsuke was silent for a moment, then said, "Hideki, if I asked you to live with your Father's Killer and help each other out—I'm joking—would you be willing?"

Hideki's body stiffened.

"Brother Sōsuke!"

"Your father died at the hands of the Hagoromo Clan." Sōsuke looked at him. "Hideki, can you imagine living with the Hagoromo Clan, constantly seeing each other?"

Hideki fell silent.

His father.

He died at the hands of the Hagoromo Clan.

That happened when he was eight years old. He remembered that someone came to deliver the news that day, his mother's pale face when she heard the news, and the whispers of the people in the clan.

I also remember crying alone in my room for a long time.

As he grew up, the Hagoromo Clan was wiped out, and he had no one to hate anymore, so the matter was forgotten.

But now that Sōsuke had suddenly brought it up, fresh anger and hatred surged up again, as if they had never disappeared, making his heart pound in his chest.

"Cannot."

He heard his own voice, very soft and hoarse.

"Cannot..."

Sōsuke looked at him without saying a word.

The shop was quiet for a while.

The soft crackling of the charcoal fire, the whispers of guests in the distance, and the footsteps outside the window seemed amplified, echoing clearly in my ears.

Hideki lowered his head, staring at the plate in front of him.

The oil from the roasted chicken had solidified, forming a layer of white grease on the bottom of the plate.

"So," Sōsuke's voice rang out, "Do you understand?"

Hideki looked up.

Sōsuke looked at him, his gaze filled with a gentle pity.

"That's how Konoha is," he said. "Everyone carries something in their heart. Those things haven't disappeared, they've just been suppressed. Suppressed very, very deep."

He paused.

"At this point, why bring up 'seizing power' or 'marriage alliances'?"

Hideki remained silent.

"Lord Quhai doesn't understand. Lord Hang doesn't understand either. Because they're not in Konoha, they haven't seen what this place was like in the beginning."

"But I am."

"I've seen it."

Hideki remained silent.

He recalled what Uchiha Izuna had said in the Meeting Room earlier.

[That hatred has just been suppressed, but it hasn't completely disappeared yet.]

[At this point, you come to us and tell us to go to war, to rebel, and to fight for greater power?]

Are you trying to help Konoha, or are you trying to destroy Konoha?

At the time, he was only afraid and didn't fully understand what Uchiha Izuna meant.

Now he understands, he finally understands.

Even mentioning the name of his tribe caused him to lose his composure; for a fleeting moment, an idea popped into his mind.

An extremely rude idea.

He was wondering if the people living in Konoha lacked backbone.

If he were really forced to live in a place where his Father's Killer, he'd probably carry Explosive Tags and take that guy down with him.

Sōsuke looked at him, his eyes as calm as a still pool.

"What's on your mind?"

Hideki lowered his head.

"Nothing."

Hideki never brought up that topic again.

He chatted with Sōsuke for a few more minutes. They talked about the roast chicken at this shop, the recent changes in Konoha, how Sōsuke's room was, what interesting things had happened to him recently, and his training progress. It was all trivial stuff, light and airy, like clouds in the sky.

After finishing their meal, the two stood at the shop entrance.

The sunlight was a bit too bright. Hideki squinted as he looked at Sōsuke.

"Then I'll go back."

Sōsuke nodded.

Be careful on the road.

Hideki turned around, took a few steps, and then stopped.

He turned around.

Sōsuke was still standing there, the sunlight falling on his red hair, making it shine.

"Brother Sōsuke."

"Um?"

Hideki opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then he didn't know how to start.

In the end, he simply said, "See you tomorrow."

Sōsuke smiled gently.

"See you tomorrow."

Hideki withdrew his gaze and left.

He did not look back.

When Hideki returned to the hotel, it was already afternoon.

The corridor was quiet. He walked to the door of the room Quhai, stood there for a moment, and then raised his hand to knock.

"Come in."

He pushed the door open.

Quhai was still sitting by the window, holding a book. When he saw him come in, he put down the book and looked at him.

Hang is gone. Yuansheng is gone. Only Quhai.

You're back?

Hideki nodded.

How's things going with Sōsuke?

Hideki remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke, "Lord Quhai, I have failed."

Quhai looked at him without saying a word.

Hideki lowered his head, staring at the tatami mats beneath his feet. The woven patterns of the straw intertwined before his eyes, their neatness and simplicity filling him with envy.

What did he say?

Hideki shook his head.

"He didn't say anything," he said. "He just... made me understand something."

"What did you understand?"

Hideki did not answer.

He just stood there, head down, motionless.

Quhai looked at him for a while, then he sighed.

"Go on. Take a rest."

Hideki nodded, turned and left. He went to his room and opened the door.

He walked to the window, sat down, and stared blankly outside.

The sun was shining brightly. People were walking on the street, children were running, and vendors were hawking their wares.

It's very lively.

It's quite ordinary.

There was absolutely no indication that these people had a deep-seated blood feud in the past.