Momotaro * Preparing for War

Long, long ago, in a certain place, lived an old man and an old woman.

Every day, the old man goes up the mountain to cut firewood, and the old woman goes to the river to wash clothes.

One day, the old lady was diligently washing clothes by the river when a large peach floated down from upstream.

"Dongbula gugu, sou gugu. Dongbula gugu, sou gugu."

It sang as it floated downstream.

"Oh my, what a beautiful peach! Let's give it to Grandpa as a gift. Here, I'll take it home."

As the old woman spoke, she bent down to reach for the peaches, but they were too far away. So the old woman sang:

"The water over there is bitter. The water over here is sweet. Bitter water, stay away. Sweet water, flow over here."

She sang and clapped her hands. Then Peach:

"Dongbula gugu, sou gugu. Dongbula gugu, sou gugu."

As he sang, the water flowed to the old lady.

The old lady said with a smile, "Hurry up and share it with the old man."

As she spoke, she picked up the peaches and put them into the wooden basin along with the washed clothes, then happily carried them home.

The actress playing the old woman on stage had a hunched back, unsteady steps, and a high-pitched, thin voice, vividly portraying the spirit of a country old lady.

Several children in the audience laughed out loud. A little girl lay on her mother's lap, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the stage.

Next, the old man appears, and then he cuts open a peach. Inside the peach lies a chubby, white baby. The old man and woman happily pick him up and name him Momotaro.

Then, Momotaro grew up. He had a small knife on his waist and a bamboo pole in his hand, with a small flag tied to it that read "The Greatest Under Heaven").

He was setting off for Ogre Island to vanquish the evil spirits that frequently oppressed the villages.

The old lady made him some glutinous rice dumplings and put them in a small cloth bag. Momotaro slung the bag over his shoulder, said goodbye to the old couple, and set off on his journey.

He encountered a white dog on the way.

"Mr. Momotaro, Mr. Momotaro, what's that hanging on your waist?"

"These are glutinous rice dumplings that will make you as strong as a hundred people once you eat them."

Give me one, and I'll be your retainer.

Momotaro broke off half a dumpling for it. The white dog ate it and followed behind him, wagging its tail.

Next up were the monkeys.

The monkey jumped down from the tree, blocked the way, asked the same question, got the dumpling, and followed.

Next up are the pheasants.

A pheasant flew down from the sky, flapped its wings, and landed on Momotaro's shoulder. It also got a dumpling and followed along.

With his three companions gathered, Momotaro led them across the sea to Ogre Island, where they fought a fierce battle against the Red Oni and the Blue Oni. In the end, they defeated the Yōkai, forcing them to their knees and begging for mercy, and retrieved the stolen treasure. They then returned to the village in a grand procession.

The entire story flows smoothly, with almost no pauses.

One line reads, "They were picking peaches by the river," and the next, "Momotaro has already been born." The demon leader had just raised his iron bar when he was pinned to the ground in the next turn.

From departure to triumphant return, it only took a few words.

The whole story ended in about ten minutes.

Izuna sat in the partitioned area and couldn't help but yawn.

To him, this was similar to what was shown on the children's channel; although it was exciting, it was ultimately a story for children.

Which modern TV series doesn't have a small climax every three episodes and a major plot twist every five episodes, with intricate relationships between characters and the feeling that someone dies in every episode?

Having seen so many others, watching this one really makes me lose interest.

"Truly a classic," Enma exclaimed from the side, clapping and shaking her head. "You'll never get tired of Momotaro's story, no matter how many times you watch it."

Izuna nodded. The actors performed wonderfully. Although the story structure was simple, their acting filled in the gaps. Moreover, it was his first time seeing a stage play like this, so he had a good viewing experience.

Kyōnosuke smiled and tilted his head slightly, seemingly looking at Izuna: "This is just the opening act. Now that everyone is seated, the main event is about to begin."

Izuna tilted her head to look at him. "The main show?"

Kyōnosuke didn't answer directly, but simply raised his chin, gesturing for him to look at the stands.

Just as Kyōnosuke said, everything on the stage began to change.

The wooden board depicting distant mountains and clouds was removed and replaced with a dark background cloth embroidered with large Cloud Pattern and flame patterns in gold thread.

Several paper lanterns were taken down from both sides of the stage, leaving only the two in the middle. The light suddenly dimmed, so dim that you could barely see the outlines of the performers on stage.

The Shamisen tune has also changed; it's no longer the lighthearted tune of Momotaro, but a deep, slow melody, with each note sounding like a percussion.

The stage props suddenly became much more abundant.

A low table with writing brush, inkstone, and scrolls on it; a screen with landscape paintings on it; a sword rack with a Tachi lying across it.

The man reading the narration walked out from the side of the stage, stood in a corner, and cleared his throat:

"The next play is titled 'The Death of Oda Nobunaga.'"

He paused, letting the name sink into the depths of the tent.

"This drama pays homage to the Tale of the Heike performed by Uchiha Izuna in the Land of Fire. While we may not possess Lord Izuna's brilliance, we have done our utmost to tell this story captivatingly. So, please enjoy."

Izuna was stunned.

He never expected to be addressed by name in this way by these complete strangers.

Enma seemed somewhat surprised, "A tribute to Izuna?"

I suddenly remembered the Tale of the Heike that I performed in the Capital of the Land of Fire.

He always thought it was just a diplomatic tactic, a way for nobles and Ordinary People to understand, Ninja, and Ninjas Ninja.

But looking at the simple Momotaro on stage, which lasted only ten minutes or so, he suddenly realized—

His performance of the Tale of the Heike in the Capital City must have been a very shocking event for people around the world.

Izuna slowly sat up straight, his gaze fixed on the dark backdrop embroidered with gold thread on the stage, his eyes unblinking.

At this moment, what he saw was the storm caused by his own inadvertent Butterfly at this end of the canyon.

He had to watch the entire play carefully.

Meanwhile, in Konoha.

The midday sun hung high overhead, turning the stone path in front of the Hokage Building white.

The chirping of birds came from the surrounding bushes, and the cat lay lazily on the wall, its tail swishing against the surface again and again.

Tobirama appeared Tobirama and landed on the side corridor of the second floor of the Hokage Building.

He loosened his collar and exhaled. The coolness from the Land of Hot Water Springs still lingered in the folds of his clothes, but it was dispelled by the early Natsuhi heatwave as soon as he stepped into Konoha.

The door at the end of the corridor was half open, and the rustling sound of papers being turned over could be heard from inside, interspersed with the scratching sound of pens nibs gliding across the paper.

He walked Tobirama and pushed open the door.

The room was filled with scrolls and documents, the shelves against the wall were crammed full, and there were even stacks on the windowsill.

A large table lay across the center of the room, with seven or eight scrolls spread out on it. Annotations, still wet with ink, were crammed into the corners, the characters small and dense.

Everyone was looking down at documents, and shouts could be heard from time to time as intelligence and missions were categorized and sent to various locations.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded.

Looking back, Rokuhiko was standing by the door, still clutching a scroll of documents he hadn't had time to put down, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, clearly having rushed over from outside.

"Rokuhiko Lord Tobirama," Shikahiko handed the scroll to Tobirama, "This is today's summary."

Tobirama, but did not immediately look at it. Instead, he walked to the desk, sat down, and laid the document flat on his lap.

He was actually lying.

The Amusement Park hasn't even opened. The tasks for building Konoha have also been drastically reduced; everyone's been doing the same thing lately.

Preparing for war.

The story begins with the incident at the dock.

After the dock incident, Tobirama brought back news to Konoha that the Tsuchigumo Clan was going to relocate to the Land of Hot Water and settle down there, informing the clan Clan Head.

The news spread faster than he had anticipated; almost overnight, everyone in Konoha understood one thing.

War may be about to begin.

The Tsuchigumo Clan is skilled in unique Ninjutsu, Word-Form Technique. Users of this technique can utilize almost any power; as long as they can write, they can activate it.

Moreover, they possess a Forbidden Techniques that has allowed them to remain isolated from the world.

At first, no one took it seriously. After all, even the founding of Konoha hadn't swayed the Tsuchigumo Clan to join them. Could a marriage contract and verbal coercion really make such a clan submit?

However, after their investigation, they were surprised to find that the Tsuchigumo Clan had indeed begun renting large numbers of carriages, packing their belongings, and starting a clan migration.

Because of Uchiha Izuna's coercion, the entire clan began to relocate!

Why?

The power of the Forbidden Techniques "Fury" should not be underestimated; even the Big Brother and Madara would have to avoid its power.

Even with the drawback of a long activation time, their range is enormous. If they are well hidden, they can wipe out an area of hundreds of miles in an instant.

Kage Level powerhouses, like the four of them, could naturally escape unscathed, but Konoha cannot withstand such a turmoil.

They could easily use this technique to force Izuna to retract his words and continue their secluded lives.

But they moved. Were they afraid of Izuna? Or was there another reason?

Even Tobirama couldn't figure out what made the Tsuchigumo Clan make this decision.

In any case, the migration of such an entire ethnic group involves significant interests and unrest, and is by no means a trivial matter.

The Land of Hot Water is already situated in a sensitive area between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, and now with the addition of the Tsuchigumo, various forces converge there, and a single misstep could lead to an accidental clash.

At such a time, it was naturally impossible to operate Amusement Park. No matter how well Izuna wrote the regulations, no one had the extra energy to implement them. All the money was invested in wartime reserves, so there was naturally no extra property to complete the hiring.

Standing before the desk, Rokuhiko watched Tobirama perused the documents and said, "Lord Tobirama, this is Roster the strategic materials we've recently stockpiled."

Tobirama's gaze fell upon the paper, reading line by line. Explosive Tags, Military Rations Pills, Kunai, Shuriken, bandages, hemostatic medicine, antidote, marching tents, signal flares, water bags, and dry rations—the variety was complete, and the quantity was considerable.

The reserves in several warehouses have already exceeded the limit, nearly 30% more than when he last checked.

He nodded.

Rokuhiko continued, "Each tribe has also selected its best fighters, who have already set off for the border of the Land of Fire to conduct terrain reconnaissance."

"How many?"

"Each clan selected three to five people, totaling forty-seven. They'll be going in three groups," Rokuhiko paused, "The leaders are Uchiha Hikaku, the current Elder of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Masayoshi, and..."

Tobirama noticed his pause and looked up at him. "Who else?"

"Senju Toka."

Tobirama frowned. Tōka? Why not Tetsugaku?

"Tōka volunteered herself, saying she was familiar with the border terrain and was more suitable than the younger people."

Tobirama fell into deep thought.

Tōka is usually in charge of logistical tasks. Although the Shinobi Clan values strength above all else, women can also be quite capable in combat and intellect if they are willing to train. However, physiological issues can slow down their efficiency.

Therefore, they generally do not choose to go to the front lines, but instead are responsible for logistics and more covert assassination work. It can be said that the tasks of female Ninjas are not much easier than those of men.

When he was not around, Tetsugaku was in charge of external affairs, Tōka was in charge of internal affairs. The two worked together to arrange things clearly and in an orderly manner.

But why is she going to the front lines this time?

Tobirama set that matter aside for now and asked, "Is there any news from the border?"

"There haven't been any unusual developments yet. But since the incident at the docks in the Land of Hot Water, Ninja activity in the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning has noticeably increased. Our people are still keeping an eye on things."

"Keep an eye on things. Also, keep an eye on the movements of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth." Tobirama narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe they can't see the current situation."

"Clear."

"That's settled then."

Tobirama closed the document on his lap and pressed his fingertips against the edge of the paper.

"You and Raisuke will oversee things from now on." He said, standing up and pushing his chair back into place. "By the way, where are the border personnel who were rotated out earlier?"

Rokuhiko answered almost immediately, as if he had expected him to ask, "Are you looking for Senju Tetsugaku? He should be in the Senju Clan Compound right now."

Tobirama withdrew his hand from the back of the chair, turned his head to glance at him, and said, "It seems something has happened."

Rokuhiko lowered his eyes slightly, his tone softening. "I can't hide it from Lord Tobirama. You should ask the person involved yourself; what I'm saying here..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning of the second half was already quite clear.

If an outsider takes the initiative to talk about other people's affairs, no matter what they say, they are easily suspected of sowing discord.

"Okay, I'll go take a look."

Tobirama turned and went out the door.

Instead of using the Flying Thunder God to fly directly to the tribe's territory, he chose to walk back.

The afternoon sun shone on the stone slabs, casting long, thin shadows from the eaves of the wooden house.

The streets were sparsely populated, and a few vendors were packing up their stalls for the lunch market, with wilted vegetable leaves and a few unsold dried fish remaining in their bamboo baskets.

Tobirama planned to clarify things before meeting Tetsugaku.

Since Rokuhiko already knows, this must have happened in public. Things that happen in public shouldn't be too difficult to find out.

He walked east along the alley, and after turning the corner, there was a small shop selling tea and dumplings. Several low tables were set up at the entrance, where three or four villagers were sitting and chatting.

A middle-aged woman was clearing away the teacups on the table, while an older woman sat under the eaves picking green beans, muttering to herself.

Tobirama hadn't planned to stop, but a few words carried on the wind made him slow down for a moment.

"... I knew it! If we're really going to talk about it, Lord Madara should be the Second."