Return and Bad News

Absentminded, Masahiko said goodbye to Senju Butsuma, Tobirama, and the couple Hashirama and Mito. He declined their send-off and set out on the journey home alone.

Participate in and witness the development of Flying Thunder God... In that case, should I keep a close eye on Tobirama? The Shadow Clone Technique should be coming soon, and it'll probably be worth quite a few Witness Points. Most importantly, Impure World Reincarnation. If that bugged jutsu doesn't give me fifty Witness Points, that'd be hard to justify.

What other jutsu were there? Come to think of it, perhaps he did not have to wait until Konoha was founded to obtain Witness Points in large quantities...

The journey was peaceful. Since he was traveling alone, after a little over two hours, he was less than five li from the Uzumaki Clan Compound.

Yet Masahiko stopped at that moment, because he remembered something important.

After going there and back, he had become twelve years younger. The Yin Seal explanation would probably just earn him ridicule from the Clan Head and the three elders...

Should he say he had eaten a Youth-Preserving Fruit? Damn it, this was not some fantasy world.

Or should he say that even an old man could be seized by youthful vigor?

Forget it, this would do. Masahiko formed several hand seals. "Transformation Technique!" He changed back into his previous appearance. His Level 10 Three Body Jutsu came in handy once again.

Mm, I can go back now. With that thought, Masahiko returned to the clan compound in the blink of an eye.

When the two guards at the gate saw him return, they exchanged a glance and actually went to report to the Clan Head at the same time.

Masahiko was utterly baffled. "I'm returning to my own home. One of you only needs to notify the Clan Head, so why did both of you go...?"

Unable to figure it out, Masahiko did not dwell on it and headed toward his home on his own.

Before he even arrived, someone blocked his path. Looking closely, he found that the Clan Head himself had come.

"Uh, are you really that eager to know how your daughter is doing? Let me tell you, Mito..." Masahiko stopped halfway through his words when he saw the Clan Head's grim expression.

"Muto died in battle." The Clan Head squeezed out four words.

"What?" Masahiko had not heard clearly—or rather, he did not believe what he had heard.

"I said Muto died in battle..." The Clan Head repeated himself.

This time, Masahiko heard him clearly. He immediately turned and rushed toward the Main Hall.

When he reached the Main Hall, Muto's funeral was underway. The Second Elder and Third Elder merely glanced at Masahiko, having no mind to pay him any attention.

"Where's the First Elder? Could he also..." Masahiko asked.

The Second Elder glared at him. "Big Brother is fine. He suffered a minor injury and is resting in his room. We rushed over the moment we received the distress message, but we were still too late. Muto died of his injuries on the way back..."

Masahiko carefully examined Muto's body. The fatal wound was a puncture through the chest from a sharp weapon, likely piercing a lung.

"This wound..." Masahiko muttered.

"That's right. It was one of those Kaguya Clan lunatics," the Third Elder said.

Masahiko looked again at Muto's excessively young face. Thinking of how Muto had confidently vowed to protect Mito before Masahiko left for the Senju Clan, he let out a sigh. "This damned Warring States!" He turned and walked out of the Main Hall.

The Clan Head was waiting for him outside. Knowing he had a bellyful of questions, he took the initiative to speak. "Yesterday, unknown individuals were discovered moving about east of the clan compound. Muto's squad accepted the mission and went to investigate."

"When they reached a valley over there, they were discovered by the other side. It was the Kaguya Clan Head, Kaguya Jyorai..."

"The moment he discovered Masahiko's squad, he launched an attack. Masahiko held back the Kaguya Clan Head to cover his teammates' retreat..."

"You know what happened afterward. The three elders went to rescue them together. The First Elder was injured, but they successfully repelled the Kaguya Clan Head. Muto succumbed to his severe injuries on the way back." The Clan Head slowly told Masahiko the course of events.

"I have two questions. Why would the Kaguya Clan Head personally come near our clan? The second question may not be appropriate in these Warring States, but we truly have no grievance against the Kaguya Clan. Could it be because of Mito?" Masahiko asked.

"No. It was Frostbone Grass," the Clan Head answered.

"Oh, I understand," Masahiko replied flatly.

"And now, there is no longer no grievance between us. Prepare for war..." the Clan Head added.

"Alright, understood." Masahiko answered before turning toward his home.

Frostbone Grass was a pale blue medicinal herb on the verge of extinction. It could suppress the Kaguya Clan's Bloodline Disease. Masahiko knew that this herb was becoming scarcer and scarcer. Before long, it would likely disappear completely.

Otherwise, the mighty Kaguya Clan would not have ended up vanishing in Mist in the future. One had to know that during the Warring States, the Kaguya Clan had been second only to the Senju Clan and Uchiha. Even the Hyuga were somewhat inferior.

If they had not been plagued by the Bloodline Disease, while Frostbone Grass grew ever scarcer, the Kaguya Clan might have stood alongside the Senju Clan and Uchiha as the three great clans of the Warring States.

Now that Frostbone Grass had been found near the Uzumaki Clan Compound, there must have been quite a large quantity of it. That was why even the Kaguya Clan Head had personally mobilized.

Muto had died because of this. A war was unavoidable.

Masahiko returned home and flopped onto his familiar bed.

"Exhausting. I've been away for half a month, and my body was already tired. Now that I'm back, I hear such terrible news. I'm exhausted in both body and mind!" Masahiko muttered.

Over the past half month, Masahiko's strength had improved repeatedly, and he had grown somewhat lax in his training. Thinking about it now, he was merely an Elite Jonin. Even if he possessed special methods that allowed him to fight opponents above his level, he should not have been so complacent.

"Even now, I'm still powerless against the Kaguya Clan. Not to mention that I may have to assist the Senju Clan against the Uchiha in the future..." At that thought, Masahiko immediately perked up again.

Finding a way to improve his strength was the proper path!

Witnessing the development of Flying Thunder God had earned him five Witness Points, and he had one remaining from before. How should he use these six points to strengthen himself the most?

"Right, I haven't added points to the 'Jutsu' category before. I wonder what effect it has."

With that thought, he immediately added one point to "Jutsu."

Jutsu: 1004 (+1)(+)

"Uh, what does that mean?" Masahiko did not feel any difference, so he added another point.

This time, he felt an obvious difference. It was a change in Chakra concentration, increasing by a full twenty percent. In other words, with the same Chakra output and the same jutsu, his techniques would be twenty percent stronger than those of others.

Upon discovering this, Masahiko was overjoyed and invested all his remaining points into "Jutsu."

Jutsu: 1004(+5.5)

"After +5, each time only increases it by half a percent? Makes sense. Otherwise, I'd soon become unbeatable." Masahiko looked at the Attribute Panel and thought to himself.

Having finished allocating his points, Masahiko felt satisfied. This time, he had increased the power of his ninjutsu by fifty-five percent. In the coming war, even if I encounter a Clan Head-level expert, I should be able to hold my own for a while... Uh, it seems even a Peak Jonin can only hold their own for a while.

"Then it's happily decided. From now on, everyone can call me Uzumaki Xuan Xuan." That was what Masahiko thought.