Secrets of the Past

Takemoto Anna finished the fight at the dumpling shop.

When she returned home, she found her grandfather and father in the backyard.

Takemoto Shuichi and Takemoto Masamasa were playing shogi.

Takemoto Anna stood obediently to one side, not daring to interrupt them.

Before long, the game ended with Takemoto Masamasa's defeat.

Only then did Takemoto Shuichi look up at his granddaughter and ask, "Has that little fellow shown any unusual behavior lately?"

Takemoto Anna thought for a moment before replying, "Nothing unusual, exactly. He's just a strange person, and I can't really explain it."

Takemoto Shuichi grew interested. "People who inherit that kind of Secret Technique all become rather strange. Tell me what you think."

"Shiraishi Yoshijo is very deliberate in everything he does. I've read all the books he borrowed from the hospital library, and they were all about medical knowledge of the human body. He doesn't even glance at books on herbs or how to prepare medicine."

"He used to go to the training grounds now and then after work, but for the past six months, he's stayed home every day. He's very mysterious. I think..."

Takemoto Anna hesitated. Takemoto Shuichi waved a hand. "If you have an idea, say it."

"Judging by his talent for Ninjutsu, I think he may have already succeeded in developing the Medical Ninjutsu he once mentioned.

"But he's never used it in front of anyone, so I can't say for sure."

"Oh?" Takemoto Masamasa interjected. "Why is that?"

Takemoto Anna shook her head. "I don't know. He didn't join the hospital for such a simple reason, and Uncle Eisawa is hiding something from us, too."

Takemoto Shuichi chuckled. "I can more or less guess what Eisawa is thinking, but that little fellow is hard to figure out."

Takemoto Masamasa said, "Father, it's been a year since they moved here, but Shiraishi Yoshijo has never once come to visit us of his own accord. I think..."

Takemoto Shuichi glared at him. "You think what? That he doesn't like us—or even hates us?"

Takemoto Masamasa gave a bitter smile and nodded.

"You... With an attitude like that, how can you ever achieve anything? I know it's hard to keep offering warmth to someone who gives you the cold shoulder."

"But people have hearts. The more he keeps his distance, the more we should treat him well."

"Even a stone can grow warm if you hold it against your heart for a few days, let alone a child who isn't even ten."

Takemoto Masamasa still wore a bitter smile. "Father, forgive me for speaking frankly, but does it have to be him?"

"It has to be him!" Takemoto Shuichi declared firmly. "If you can't give the clan a better life, then I'll find someone who can. The more I think about it, the more I like that little fellow."

After saying this, Takemoto Shuichi looked at Takemoto Anna and asked, "Anna, if I asked you to marry him, would you be willing?"

At those words, Takemoto Anna panicked. Her face flushed bright red, and she couldn't manage a word.

Takemoto Masamasa grew anxious. She was his only daughter, and she was so sweet and obedient.

Shiraishi Yoshijo wasn't close to their family. If she really married him, wouldn't that be like pushing her into a fire pit?

"Father, there's no need to go that far. If we explain our blood ties to Shi-Die to those clans, they might support us. We could—"

"Enough!"

Takemoto Shuichi flew into a rage.

Takemoto Masamasa sighed and looked at his daughter with deep regret.

Takemoto Anna had recovered by now, but her face was pale. "Grandfather, I'm three years older than him, and he doesn't feel that way about me. Even if I agreed, he wouldn't."

Takemoto Shuichi saw the expressions on his son and granddaughter's faces and sighed. "I know. I wouldn't force you into something like that. But you need to understand that when you're born into a shinobi clan, the family comes first."

"As for what you said, Masamasa, it simply won't work. You have no idea where the clan's crisis lies. This isn't a struggle for power. It's a matter of life and death."

"If Konoha keeps developing this way, it will certainly grow stronger and stronger. But at this rate, our clan will disappear within a hundred years at most."

"How is that possible?" Takemoto Masamasa asked, looking incredulous. "Wouldn't Konoha growing stronger be even better for us?"

Takemoto Shuichi shook his head. A trace of memory crossed his eyes, and a look of melancholy settled over his face.

"Yukihito wasn't just a hero; he was also an exceptionally intelligent man."

"Masamasa, you lived through the Warring States period, too. Why do you think Yukihito led us into Konoha?"

"Wasn't it for peace?"

"Foolish!" Takemoto Shuichi laughed in exasperation. "That kind of line might fool the clan, but how can you believe it?"

Takemoto Masamasa looked awkward. His father had scolded him in front of his daughter. Couldn't he at least save face as a father?

Takemoto Anna noticed her father's embarrassment and quickly interjected, "Was Yukihito Shiraishi Yoshijo's grandfather?"

Takemoto Shuichi nodded, then shot Takemoto Masamasa a disgruntled look, as if he were beyond saving.

"The Senju and Uchiha, the two strongest clans in the Shinobi World, joined forces to establish Konoha. If Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara hadn't been so powerful, we clans would have wiped them out long ago."

"Peace, you say? What a joke. Who would willingly close up shop and become someone else's subordinate? Can't you use your head for once?"

Takemoto Masamasa had nothing but embarrassment left. "Were we forced to join Konoha?"

"Before they founded Konoha, the Senju and Uchiha were already among the most powerful clans. After its founding, they became even stronger, and they'll grow stronger still in the future we can foresee."

"The Senju have always loved peace, but the Uchiha haven't. With those two united, where would that leave the other shinobi clans?"

"I don't need to explain how important missions are to shinobi. After Konoha was founded, some of the smaller clans couldn't even get more than a few missions a year."

"But there was nothing we could do. Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were too powerful—so powerful they could drive anyone to despair."

"If you can't beat them, you can only join them. We joined Konoha under the banner of peace, but in truth, we had no choice if we wanted to survive."

"Sarutobi saw the situation first, then Shimura, followed by Akimichi, Yamanaka, Nara, Kurama, Shi-Die, Aburame, Gekko, Inuzuka, and the other clans."

"Some may truly have joined for peace, but most had no choice. Even if Konoha didn't attack the clans that stayed out, they were still destined to fade away."

By now, Takemoto Masamasa was sweating profusely. "But after we joined Konoha, there really was peace. Everyone got along. Isn't that a good thing?"

"A good thing? Naive!" Takemoto Shuichi roared. "It's human nature to struggle. In the past, everyone fought over missions; now, they fight over influence in the village."

"The struggle never ended. It just took a different form."

"Uchiha Madara saw what was happening, so he left Konoha. Do you think the other clans didn't help push him into defecting?"

Takemoto Shuichi fell silent.

Takemoto Anna couldn't help asking, "What does all this have to do with the clan's survival? We've already joined Konoha. No matter how fierce the infighting gets, surely it won't wipe out the clans?"

"Senju Hashirama came up with the Will of Fire, hoping to unite the village's shinobi clans."

"That fellow Senju Tobirama didn't just create the Will of Fire. He also wanted to turn all the shinobi clans into civilians. That's the real crisis."

"Turn all the shinobi clans into civilians?" Takemoto Masamasa's mouth twitched. "How could he possibly do that?"

"At first, no one knew what Senju Tobirama was planning. It wasn't until the Ninja Academy was established that Yukihito immediately sensed the danger. He even foresaw that Konoha would soon face a Shinobi World War."

"And sure enough, war broke out. Sadly, Yukihito died on the eve of the war, but he had left a contingency plan."

"Before Senju Tobirama became Hokage, Yukihito had already sensed that something was off about him. That was why Yukihito came forward to compete for the Hokage position, but he failed."

Takemoto Masamasa asked, "Wasn't founding the Ninja Academy a good thing? Why did Uncle Yukihito think it would become a crisis for the clans?"

"The Ninja Academy was indeed a good thing, and Yukihito agreed. What he disagreed with was Senju Tobirama's extreme approach."

"He supported civilian shinobi, played the clans against one another, and put the village's interests first in everything. He didn't care how many casualties the clans suffered, and he even stood by as they perished."

"Fewer and fewer shinobi clans remain in Konoha, while civilian shinobi are receiving more and more attention. Do you think the clans will keep working for the village if this continues?"

"If they don't work for Konoha, they'll have no say. If they do, they'll be treated as cannon fodder."

Takemoto Shuichi sighed and continued, "Yukihito said that Konoha was too powerful. It had far more Ninjutsu, Secret Techniques, and bloodline clans than the other shinobi villages. That brought both advantages and disadvantages."

"The advantage is that it exerts tremendous pressure on other villages. If war breaks out, no matter which village we face, they won't be our match."

"The disadvantage is infighting. Konoha's internal struggles are more intense than those in any other village."

At this, he looked at Takemoto Masamasa and asked, "If the infighting turned into a coup, what would you do?"

Takemoto Masamasa hesitated. "Eliminate them?"

"That's too low-level. There's a more sophisticated way."

Takemoto Masamasa scratched his head.

"Start a war against another village, turn internal strife into external conflict, and then get rid of your rivals. That's the most sophisticated approach."