A Single Tree Cannot Make a Forest

"Shizune, you mustn't go around saying things like that from now on."

Tsunade was rarely this serious.

Shizune nodded.

Although Tsunade hadn't admitted it, she was more or less Tsunade's apprentice. If those words got out, it would be very bad for both Tsunade and Kanda Kyoichi, so she naturally wouldn't dare spread them around.

"Brat, I'm leaving. Tell the old man not to come looking for me. I'm not planning to go back anyway."

"Won't you stay for a meal before you leave?"

Kyoichi was reluctant to see her go.

Tsunade had treated him rather bluntly, but that very bluntness made him feel as though he had encountered a family member—only family could be so open and sincere with one another.

"Tch, do you really think I've run out of money for food?"

Tsunade waved her hand with easygoing nonchalance. On the back of her green clothes, the huge character for "gambling" was especially eye-catching.

Kyoichi didn't try to stop her.

Konoha was now caught in turbulent times. A Princess Tsunade suffering from hemophobia might be better off leaving.

Kyoichi lowered his head and stared blankly at the key in his hand.

After a moment, he clenched the key, put it into his ninja pouch, and turned toward Shisui and the others.

On a hilltop in Baiyun Town.

Tsunade stood on the heights, watching Kyoichi's back. Her eyes were filled with complicated emotions. Only after Kyoichi disappeared behind the wall did she let out a sigh.

"If Nawaki were still alive, he might have become a Jonin by now..."

"Is he like Nawaki?"

Shizune was curious.

"He isn't. He resembles Second Lord more. As for Nawaki..."

Tsunade shook her head.

But she couldn't help thinking of Nawaki. After all, Nawaki wasn't much older than Kyoichi, and there wasn't much difference between their ages.

However.

"I'm only reminiscing."

"Lady Tsunade, you said earlier that Konoha's current situation is rather dangerous, and that other villages might also attack to test us. If another war really breaks out, will you return?"

Shizune asked.

The war with Sunagakure had ended.

But according to Tsunade, that was only the beginning.

Ever since Tobirama Senju's death, large and small conflicts between Konoha and the other villages had never stopped. Although things had calmed down for two or three years after the Sannin battled Hanzo, friction soon broke out again.

Over the past few years, Tsunade had traveled through many countries and clearly understood the attitude of the great nations surrounding the Land of Fire toward Konoha—

They all wanted Konoha to be defeated!

Peace wouldn't last long.

"If I go back... what can I even do? We'll talk about it when the time comes."

Tsunade shook her head.

The Third Hokage had sent Kyoichi to find her, clearly hoping to use him to resolve the feelings in her heart and persuade her to return to Konoha and serve.

But she had hemophobia. Very few people knew that. Even if she returned to Konoha, what could she do?

Tsunade turned and left.

Kyoichi glanced back in this direction.

Tsunade was truly gone.

It was a little regrettable, but her condition clearly made it unsuitable to ask about too many things. Trying to talk her out of her hemophobia was even more absurd.

It had only been a few years since Nawaki and Dan Katō had died.

Tsunade herself was a master medical ninja. If psychological illnesses were that easy to cure, hers wouldn't have persisted for so many years.

Some things needed more than the washing away of time. They also needed an accident, an opportunity.

"Asuma, why don't you rest for a while first..."

"No, I'm fine!"

Asuma gathered chakra and continued using the nature transformation of Wind Release to slice the stone bricks.

Shisui likewise gathered Wind Release chakra and tried to use chakra nature transformation together with his samurai sword to split the bricks.

This was the training assigned by the Shadow Clone.

As for Kurenai Yuhi,

she was carrying the stone bricks.

The workers had initially refused to let the ninjas do this, but after hearing the Shadow Clone say that it was a mission and a form of training, they had no way to argue and could only let them do as they pleased.

However,

because of this, the work progressed much faster. What originally would have taken several days was essentially completed in a single afternoon.

That evening, at the town chief's earnest invitation, the four of them attended a gathering organized by the town.

The food was plentiful, and the villagers were very enthusiastic.

"Teacher, I used to think that villagers were difficult to get along with and completely incompatible with us Uchiha. But now I see that the ones who are incompatible with them aren't the villagers—it's us Uchiha."

Shisui spoke with feeling.

This trip had made him understand many things.

The villagers weren't difficult to get along with.

As long as one didn't consider oneself superior and treated them with an equal attitude, both in manner and conduct, they would naturally repay that kindness with their own enthusiasm.

The Uchiha were different.

The Guard Unit, the high walls around their clan grounds, and their reputation as Konoha's foremost clan had isolated them from the outside world from birth. Within the clan, they had never even considered interacting or communicating with outsiders.

And they still wanted the position of Hokage?

How could it be that simple?

"Good that you understand. A single tree cannot make a forest. If it doesn't integrate itself and help the forest expand, the lumberjacks will cut down the tree standing outside first."

"Teacher, I think I've read something similar to that before."

Shisui was stunned for a moment.

The wording was different, but the meaning was similar.

"You're Elder Mirror's descendant, so you probably read something similar in his books. But believing everything in a book is worse than having no book at all. When reading, you should use your own thinking and view things dialectically."

"Yes."

Shisui nodded.

Kyoichi didn't continue.

Shisui was only five years old. If he said too much all at once, Shisui might not understand. It was enough to tell him some things and let him digest them slowly.

He was currently the only "fat sheep" who acknowledged him as his life mentor, so he had to cultivate him properly.

Asuma chatted happily with the townspeople.

However,

the content of their conversation was rather bold.

"Uncle, which do you think is more important, the Daimyo or the Hokage?"

"How would I know? Whoever can keep us safe and make sure we have enough to eat is more important."

"Is that so?"

"..."

That child was still stubbornly dwelling on his question about the "King."

Kyoichi's previous answer had helped him understand the nature of the "King," but Asuma didn't know who his own Jade General was.

The Hokage?

No. As the son of the Hokage, he didn't actually hold that much reverence for the Hokage. Before meeting Kyoichi, he had even believed that the Daimyo was the "Jade General."

His thoughts had changed somewhat now.

But he was still exploring the specifics on his own.

Kyoichi didn't interrupt.

What one realized independently was far more profound than what others taught.

Two or three days later.

With the help of Kyoichi's squad, Baiyun Town was gradually repaired, and the C-rank mission was completed.

Afterward, they went to the area surrounding the town. With the town chief's cooperation, they returned the money seized by the bandits to the families it had originally belonged to, then embarked on their journey back to the village.

Whether it was Asuma, Shisui, or even Kurenai Yuhi, who had relatively few worries, all three felt heavy-hearted at that moment.

They were almost back at the village.

Asuma asked, "Teacher, can we take another C-rank mission next time?"

"Are you addicted to doing missions?"

"No. I just feel that going out of the village for missions lets us learn many things while training. It's much better than staying in Konoha to train."

Asuma explained.

Kurenai Yuhi and Shisui nodded along.

"You're the Third Hokage's son. Make more of a fuss at home, and maybe next time we can get a B-rank mission."

"Huh?"

Laughter filled the forest. Only Asuma stood there dumbfounded. It took him a long while to realize that his teacher was joking with him, and he was immediately speechless.

But B-rank...

Emmm.

Missions of that rank involved all kinds of ninjas.

He was a little tempted!