"What is he going to do?!"
Still pretending to be unconscious, Mito instantly recalled scenes from her treasured little novels.
Sins of a Captive...
A Thousand and One Nights in the Enemy Camp...
My Untold Story with the Enemy...
These were all educational materials her maid had found for her, and Mito had been unable to put them down from the moment she first picked them up.
"Q-quick, stop!" The girl's embarrassment finally made her open her eyes.
Only then did she discover that the boy was merely removing her restraints.
She might not be able to gather chakra, but moving around on her own was no problem at all.
Banishing those fantasies from her mind, Mito steadied herself and finally regained her usual composure.
"How did you get me out?" she asked the question that concerned her most.
Kyosuke made no attempt to hide it. At this point, he probably couldn't have hidden it anyway.
"Have you heard of Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
"Isn't that something that only exists in legends..." The girl with the ponytail froze, finally understanding how she had ended up here.
If it really was that mysterious space-time power, everything seemed to make sense.
However powerful her father was, he had no way to stop Space-Time Ninjutsu from taking effect.
After a long silence, Mito asked her second question. "What exactly do you want?"
"Simple." Kyosuke wagged a finger. "As long as the Uzumaki agree to withdraw their troops, I can come to your door and apologize in person."
"Hah, don't even dream of it," the girl snapped without a trace of courtesy. "The Uchiha have committed countless atrocities. Our clan will join the Senju in putting an end to your crimes."
"Crimes?" Kyosuke shook his head with a smile, unoffended. He could tell that she was a textbook case of someone who had swallowed every lie she was fed.
He honestly didn't think there was much point in defending the Uchiha's crimes.
There was only so much room to survive. If he didn't attack them, sooner or later they would attack him.
In the original storyline, Konoha had never launched an invasion against the outside world after its founding.
And what had that accomplished?
Through three Shinobi World Wars, Konoha had practically become everyone's punching bag.
Did that mean the four nations of Sand, Lightning, Water, and Earth, along with smaller shinobi villages like the Rain Ninja and Grass Ninja, were all evil too?
The Land of Fire had fertile land, abundant resources, and even a superb climate. Naturally, its residents didn't want to face war.
But in some countries, never mind decent food and drink-even the most basic conditions for survival were abysmal.
What were they supposed to do if they didn't fight? Just wait to die?
Reality had proven that peace was always relative.
Kyosuke understood that. Unfortunately, the others lacked his unique experiences and couldn't view historical issues from an outsider's perspective.
He had no intention of correcting the girl's beliefs. After a pause, his smile suddenly turned wicked.
"Then there's nothing I can do. For the future of both our clans, I'll have to resort to some unconventional methods."
"...I, Mito Uzumaki, am not so easily intimidated."
"Good." Kyosuke smacked a fist into his palm and eagerly explained, "I'll ask the princess to stay here for a few months. During that time, I'll eat and sleep with Your Highness. Once our child is born, I'll personally take you home."
"A c-child?!!!" Mito was dumbstruck. She couldn't quite keep up with the boy's wild leaps in logic.
"That's right," Kyosuke explained with a smile. "Once we have a child, the Uchiha and the Uzumaki will be one family."
"For his grandson's sake, Uzumaki Ashina won't keep making trouble for us."
"Kyosuke. Uchiha!" Mito Uzumaki was furious. She had never met anyone so utterly shameless.
What did he mean, once we had a child? Like hell I'd have a baby with him.
I'd stay single my whole life before I'd ever marry you!
She sat up in a huff, sorely tempted to leap at the boy and beat him senseless.
"My lord!" Maya's voice came from outside the tent.
After briefly explaining the situation, Kyosuke nodded and pointed at the girl with the ponytail. "Keep an eye on her. Don't let any outsiders near her."
"Yes!"
Turning to the girl, who had pointedly looked away, he said with a smile, "The kid's grandpa has come for a visit. I'll have to greet him in person."
At first, Mito didn't catch his meaning. By the time she realized who he meant by the kid's grandpa, that bastard had already vanished.
"You bastard! Just you wait!"
Using the Space Coordinates he had set up in advance, Kyosuke quickly reached the front-line position.
Lifting the tent flap, he ignored the many strange looks directed his way and strolled over to his seat.
"Ahem, you're here, Kyosuke." Army Commander Hiroki gave a light cough, repeatedly signaling to Madara Uchiha with his eyes.
Left with no choice, Madara sighed and spoke. "I heard you abducted the Uzumaki princess?"
"Yep." Kyosuke nodded, spouting complete nonsense. "I plan to marry her and use our offspring to dismantle the Land of Whirlpools from within."
Hiroki Uchiha: ...
Madara Uchiha: ...
The assembled commanders: ...
Rubbing his faintly aching head, Hiroki Uchiha finally understood why the clan leader seemed so helpless when dealing with the boy.
People who refused to play by the rules were often the biggest headache, because there was simply no predicting their next move.
Who could have guessed beforehand that he would dare infiltrate the enemy camp alone and bring back their country's princess?
As for all that talk about having children, everyone dismissed it as nonsense.
You're just a kid yourself. Even if you wanted to, you probably couldn't make one.
Meanwhile, what interested Madara Uchiha most wasn't the princess, but the mysterious ninjutsu mentioned in the report.
"You can really use Space-Time Ninjutsu?" Madara asked quietly.
"Yep." Kyosuke nodded with affected modesty, not forgetting to sing his own praises. "Who do you think I am? The greatest genius the Uchiha have produced in a thousand years. What's so strange about me knowing Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
"You created it yourself?"
"Of course. I call it the Flying Thunder God Technique. Pretty good name, huh?"
"It's nothing special."
While the two murmured to each other, Hiroki Uchiha began making preparations for battle.
Few had expected Uzumaki Ashina to be forced onto the battlefield in person.
Now they had no choice but to confront the threat of a peak clan-leader-level powerhouse.
The older shinobi still harbored a lingering dread and were reluctant to face him head-on. The two rising stars present, however, were itching for a fight.
"What's there to fear? Whatever he throws at us, we'll deal with it." Kyosuke waved a hand, looking utterly confident.
"Exactly. We won't know whether we can beat him until we fight." Madara nodded in full agreement.
He knew perfectly well that everyone present was probably thinking something about newborn calves not fearing tigers.
It didn't matter. Time would prove who was truly strong.
Whether it was Uzumaki Ashina or Butsuma Senju, they would ultimately become nothing more than opponents defeated by Madara Uchiha.
That was the confidence of the strong.
As for Kyosuke... his thoughts weren't quite so domineering.
With Mito in his hands, he wasn't afraid of Uzumaki Ashina turning completely hostile.
He would wager that the indecisive man probably hadn't even decided how to deal with the Uchiha yet.
Before you continue