Night fell over the Uchiha Clan Grounds.
"Chirori, how was the academy today? Did you make any friends?"
At Kyō Uchiha's question, Chirori thought of Kumonaka Torikaze. She figured that she and her classmate Torikaze counted as friends.
"I did! His name is Kumonaka Torikaze. He's the head of the Kumonaka Clan. Have you heard of them, Big Brother?"
Kyō thought carefully. He seemed to remember seeing the Kumonaka Clan mentioned in one of the family's old books, though there wasn't much written about them.
The few details that stood out said that, despite their small numbers, the clan was extremely powerful.
Their Cloud Release secret techniques were formidable. With a wave of their hand, they could make someone scatter into clouds and mist.
"I've heard of them, but I don't know much. They're supposed to be a very powerful clan."
Chirori grew curious. Torikaze had said that his clan passed its bloodline down through a single line.
They probably had no more than four or five members, right? How could a clan like that be considered powerful?
Still, if Big Brother said so, it was probably true.
Chirori recounted everything that had happened at the academy that day, eager to hear what Kyō thought about it.
"You handled that well."
"Kyō's been fed those ideas by his grandfather since he was little. That sort of thing can't be changed overnight."
Chirori nodded. She knew a little about what was going on within the clan.
The old men led by Kyō's grandfather were all followers of Madara Uchiha.
They spent all their time urging the clan to leave Konoha and follow Madara Uchiha.
"'The Uchiha are Uchiha of Konoha.' That's very well said."
Torikaze's words had perfectly matched Kagami's own ideals.
Kagami held considerable influence among the younger members of the Uchiha Clan.
They respected Madara Uchiha, but they weren't fanatical followers. Instead, they wanted to truly integrate into the village and help their clan grow stronger.
Their voices had once been very weak, but ever since Kagami Uchiha became a student of Senju Tobirama, more and more people had begun to follow him.
Most of them were tired of endless conflict and wanted to live in peace in the village.
They believed that once Kagami Uchiha grew strong enough, they could succeed!
"This Kumonaka Torikaze is a thoughtful boy. He's bound to accomplish great things."
"Do you think that highly of Torikaze, Big Brother?"
Kagami nodded. Especially the line, "The Uchiha are Uchiha of Konoha." It had deeply moved him.
It was what he was striving for, too. Neither the village nor the Uchiha needed any more wars.
He planned to report what had happened to his teacher the next day. If Kumonaka Torikaze had the good fortune to receive his teacher's guidance, he would surely benefit greatly.
But in Kagami's view, Lord Hokage and his teacher had probably already taken notice of Torikaze.
"Chirori, get along well with your friend."
"I have a feeling he may be the key to whether we succeed."
Chirori hadn't expected her brother to think so highly of Torikaze, but she already liked him, too, so she readily agreed.
"Get some rest, Chirori. You have class tomorrow."
"Mm. You too, Big Brother."
While the siblings shared a warm conversation that night, Kumonaka Torikaze stared at the system notifications on his personal panel, at a loss for words.
[Name] Kumonaka Torikaze [Age] 6 [Strength/Chakra] Chunin/1 card [Bloodline] Crystal Release, Cloud Release (55% progress) [Talent] All-Attributes Chakra, Genius [Calmness Points/Chaos Points] 3100/5 [Time until Chaos Event: Uchiha Madara's Rebellion] 365 days
According to the system, Uchiha Madara would attack Konoha in a year. In the end, he would face Senju Hashirama in battle, be defeated, and be "killed."
But in a year, Torikaze would be Jonin at best! He wouldn't be able to help at all!
Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, Nine-Tails, Susanoo! Was that the sort of battlefield an ordinary person could join?
"This is going to be a real problem."
What if the system marked the mission as a failure and added seventy or eighty Chaos Points? Would he be sent right back to square one?
The five Chaos Points he'd gained from killing a Kumogakure spy last time still hadn't gone down by even one, despite a whole month passing!
If his Chaos Points shot up by seventy or eighty, his life would practically be over.
Just then, Torikaze suddenly remembered something.
Last month, when he'd exchanged points for Genius, he'd seen something incredible in the Shop! It was just really expensive!
"It may be expensive, but if I want to interfere in the battle between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, it's my only option."
Now that he'd figured out how to deal with the problem, he had to think about how to earn Calmness Points. That item cost a whopping sixty thousand!
Kumonaka Torikaze irritably scratched his head. He wished the streets of Konoha were crawling with spies from other countries!
Then he could kill one a day! He only hoped the Second Hokage wouldn't start making plans again.
"I'll take more walks around town from now on. Maybe I'll catch some spies or something."
"I should go to sleep. Anything can happen in a dream."
With that lovely hope in mind, Kumonaka Torikaze drifted peacefully off to sleep.
In the Konoha of his dreams, even Senju Hashirama was a spy sent by another country! Everyone trusted me, and I let them down. That's the Hokage!
He put the question of how to earn Calmness Points out of his mind. Life came first; he couldn't put the cart before the horse. That was Torikaze's rule.
As the people of Konoha gradually went to bed, the lights in the Hokage Office were still on.
Suiya Sarutobi was reporting to Senju Hashirama about what had happened at the academy that day.
Hashirama's stern expression slowly softened into a satisfied smile.
"Really? That's what Torikaze said?"
"That's right, Lord Hokage. Torikaze may be young, but he thinks on his feet."
"Maruboshi Kosuke has talent, but he acts too impulsively. Kyō Uchiha provoked him with just a few words."
Hashirama nodded. Keeping a cool head was important at all times.
The angrier you got, the harder you had to try to calm down. Still, there was no need to be too harsh on children who had only just started at the academy.
"Being hot-blooded and impulsive is common for kids their age. They'll grow out of it as they learn. It's nothing to worry about."
"Make sure they get a good education. These children are Konoha's future pillars!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Suiya Sarutobi then reported on a few other matters, along with plans for upcoming lessons.
Hashirama waved a hand and told him to handle them as he saw fit. He trusted Suiya's abilities, then sent him home to rest.
"Everyone is working hard for our dream. Where are you now?"
Outside the window, Konoha had fallen into darkness. Only a few scattered homes still had their lights on.
Hashirama felt his heart swell. The exhaustion of the entire day seemed to melt away.
"For all the people who follow me, I'll create peace with these hands!"
An immense aura surged skyward, cracking the walls!
Anyone nearby would have been knocked unconscious by that overwhelming presence!
A moment later, Hashirama scratched his head and laughed. "Hahaha, I got a little carried away."
He looked at the cracked walls and felt a little apologetic. It seemed he'd have to trouble the repair workers again.
"I'd better go home, or Mito will get angry again."
It seemed that the God of Shinobi was nothing more than an ordinary husband after all.
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