Secret History

Takemoto Anna finished her battle at the dango shop.

Returning home, she saw her grandfather and father in the backyard.

Takemoto Shuichi and Takemoto Masamasa were in the middle of a game of shogi.

Takemoto Anna stood obediently to the side, not daring to disturb them.

Soon, the game of shogi ended with Takemoto Masamasa's defeat.

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

Takemoto Anna pondered for a moment before replying, "There's nothing unusual per se, but he is a very strange person; I can't quite put my finger on it."

Takemoto Shuichi became interested. "Anyone who inherits that kind of secret technique becomes strange. Tell me your observations."

"Shiraishi Yoshijo is very purposeful in his actions. I've read all the books he borrowed from the hospital library, and they are all about medical knowledge of the human body. As for other herbs or the preparation of medicine, he doesn't even glance at them."

"He used to go to the training grounds after work, but for the past six months, he has hidden himself at home every day. It's quite mysterious, and I think..."

Takemoto Anna hesitated, but Takemoto Shuichi waved his hand. "Speak your mind."

"Judging by his talent for ninjutsu, I think the medical ninjutsu he spoke of before might have already succeeded."

"It's just that he has never used it in front of others, so I can't be certain."

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

Takemoto Anna shook her head. "I don't know. His entry into the hospital wasn't that simple, and Uncle Eisawa is also hiding something from us."

Takemoto Shuichi laughed. "I can roughly guess what Eisawa is thinking, but that little fellow is a bit hard to fathom."

Takemoto Masamasa said, "Father, it has been a year since they moved here, but Shiraishi Yoshijo has never taken the initiative to visit us. I think..."

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

Takemoto Masamasa nodded with a bitter smile.

"You, with such a narrow mind, how can you accomplish anything great? I know it's frustrating to be cold-shouldered when you're trying to be warm."

"But human hearts are made of flesh; the more he distances himself, the more we must treat him with kindness."

"Even a stone can be warmed if held against the chest for a few days, let alone a child not yet ten years old."

Takemoto Masamasa still smiled bitterly. "Father, if I may be so bold, does it have to be him?"

"It must be him!" Takemoto Shuichi said with ironclad certainty. "If you don't have the ability to let the clan live a better life, then we replace the person. I'm finding the little fellow more and more promising."

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

Upon hearing this, Takemoto Anna panicked, her face turning bright red, unable to say a word.

Takemoto Masamasa grew anxious. She was his only daughter, both obedient and well-behaved.

Shiraishi Yoshijo wasn't close to them; wouldn't marrying her to him be like pushing his daughter into a pit of fire?

"Father, is there really a need to go this far? If we clarify our blood relationship with the Shide to the other clans, they might not necessarily refuse to support us. We could completely..."

"Shut up!"

Takemoto Shuichi was furious.

Takemoto Masamasa sighed, looking at his daughter with a face full of guilt.

Takemoto Anna finally regained her composure, her face pale as she said, "Grandfather, I am three years older than him, and he has no such intentions toward me. Even if I agreed, he wouldn't."

Seeing the state of his son and granddaughter, Takemoto Shuichi sighed. "I know. I wouldn't force you into such a thing, but you must understand that being born into a ninja clan, everything is for the sake of the clan."

"As for what you said, Masamasa, it simply won't work. You have no idea where the clan's crisis lies. This isn't about power struggles; it's about life and death."

"If Konoha continues to develop like this, it will surely grow stronger and stronger, but if things go on this way, our clan will vanish into thin air within a hundred years at most."

"How is that possible?" Takemoto Masamasa looked incredulous. "Isn't it more beneficial for us that Konoha grows stronger?"

Takemoto Shuichi shook his head, a flash of memory crossing his eyes, and a look of melancholy appearing on his face.

"Yukihito was not only a hero but also a rare, intelligent man."

"Masamasa, you are someone who has experienced the Warring States period. Why do you think Yukihito brought us to join Konoha?"

"Wasn't it for the sake of peace?"

"Foolish!" Takemoto Shuichi laughed in anger. "It's fine to use such words to deceive the clansmen, but how could you believe them yourself?"

Takemoto Masamasa was full of embarrassment. Being scolded by his father in front of his daughter—didn't he have any dignity as a father?

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

Takemoto Shuichi nodded and glared at Takemoto Masamasa, feeling a sense of frustration at his lack of progress.

"The strongest in the ninja world, the Senju and the Uchiha, joined forces to build Konoha. If it weren't for the fact that Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were too powerful, they would have been wiped out by us ninja clans long ago."

"For the sake of peace? What a joke. Everyone wants to be the boss in their own territory; who would want to be a lackey? Can't you use your head for once?"

Takemoto Masamasa was left with nothing but embarrassment. He asked, "Were we forced to join Konoha?"

"Before the Senju and Uchiha established Konoha, they were already among the top clans. After Konoha was built, they became even stronger, and in the foreseeable future, they will only become stronger still."

"The Senju have always loved peace, but the Uchiha do not. With them united, what room is left for other ninja clans to survive?"

"I don't need to explain the importance of missions to a ninja; after Konoha was established, some small clans couldn't even secure a few missions a year."

"But there was no other way. Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were too strong—strong to the point of despair."

"Since we couldn't beat them, we had no choice but to join them. We joined Konoha under the banner of peace, but in reality, we joined because we had to survive."

"The Sarutobi were the first to see this situation, followed by the Shimura, and then the Akimichi, Yamanaka, Nara, Kurama, Shide, Aburame, Gekko, Inuzuka, and other clans all saw it too."

"Perhaps some were truly for peace, but for most, it was a matter of necessity. If you didn't join, even if Konoha didn't attack you, the fate awaiting you would only be a slow decline into extinction."

Hearing this, Takemoto Masamasa broke into a cold sweat: "But it has indeed been peaceful since joining Konoha, and everyone lives in harmony. Isn't that a good thing?"

"A good thing? Naive!" Takemoto Shuichi barked: "Human nature is to struggle. Before, everyone fought with weapons for missions; now, they fight with politics within the village for influence."

"The struggle has never ceased; it has simply changed form."

"Uchiha Madara saw this situation, which is why he left Konoha. Do you think Uchiha Madara's defection happened without the instigation of clans like ours?"

Takemoto Shuichi paused here.

Takemoto Anna couldn't help but ask: "What does this have to do with the survival of our family? We have already joined Konoha; even if the infighting is brutal, it shouldn't lead to the annihilation of a clan, right?"

"Senju Hashirama created the Will of Fire, attempting to twist the clans in the village into a single rope."

"That guy Senju Tobirama didn't just push the Will of Fire; he wants to turn all the ninja clans into commoners. That is the real crisis."

"Turn all the ninja clans into commoners?" Takemoto Masamasa's mouth twitched: "How could that possibly be done?"

"At first, no one knew what kind of scheme Senju Tobirama was plotting. It wasn't until the establishment of the Ninja Academy that Yukihito immediately sensed this crisis, and he even had a premonition that Konoha was about to face a Great Ninja War."

"Sure enough, the Great Ninja War broke out. Unfortunately, Yukihito died on the eve of the war, but he did leave behind a contingency plan."

"Before Senju Tobirama ascended to the position of Hokage, Yukihito had already noticed his abnormality, which is why he went out to compete for the Hokage seat, only to fail."

Takemoto Masamasa asked: "Isn't the establishment of the Ninja Academy a good thing? Why would Uncle Yukihito think it would become a crisis for the ninja clans?"

"The Ninja Academy is indeed a good thing, and Yukihito agreed with that. What he didn't agree with was that Senju Tobirama's methods were too extreme."

"He supports commoner ninjas, plays one clan against another, and takes the village's interests as the starting point for everything, completely disregarding how many casualties the ninja clans suffer, or even standing by and watching as clans are wiped out."

"Now, there are far fewer ninja clans in Konoha, and commoner ninjas are becoming increasingly valued. If this continues, do you think the ninja clans will still exert themselves for the village?"

"If you don't exert yourself for Konoha, you won't get a say in matters, but if you do, you'll be treated as cannon fodder."

Takemoto Shuichi sighed and continued: "Yukihito said that Konoha is too strong. Compared to other ninja villages, it has far more clans specializing in ninjutsu, secret techniques, and bloodline limits. This has both advantages and disadvantages."

"The advantage is that the external pressure we exert is immense; if war breaks out, no other ninja village will be our match."

"The disadvantage is the infighting. Konoha's internal strife is far more intense than in other villages."

Having said this, he looked at Takemoto Masamasa and asked: "If the infighting were to escalate into a coup, what would you do?"

Takemoto Masamasa hesitated: "Eliminate them?"

"That approach is too low-level. There are more brilliant ways."

Takemoto Masamasa scratched his head.

"Start a war abroad, turn internal strife into external conflict, and then purge your opponents—that is the most brilliant approach."