"War's fault? The world's judgment? Helplessness?"
Tobirama Senju froze. It was as if he had been sealed inside a room, Senju Fujima's words from moments ago repeating endlessly in his mind.
"It wasn't her fault. It really wasn't her fault, but I just can't get past this hurdle."
"Why can't I get past it? I'm not even afraid of death, so why should I be afraid of this? Am I really a coward?"
"Shizuka, was I really wrong? Why? Why?"
"War—damn this war! Why does war even exist?"
"Because of war, my brothers died one after another. Even Shizuka couldn't escape its cruelty. Why?"
"End this era of chaos. End this era of chaos...!"
"That's right. This is all war's fault. I'll end it. I'll defeat war. Only then can I truly avenge them."
Half an hour later.
"This really is hard to accept. The cruelty of war... Sigh...!"
Senju Fujima saw that his Second Uncle kept muttering to himself, his whole body trembling as he wrestled with his inner turmoil. He let out a long sigh and resolved to lead the world toward peace.
But peace would threaten other people's interests. When that happened, he'd become the Ninja World's greatest enemy. He still had a very, very long road ahead of him!
"Ah...!"
Suddenly, Tobirama Senju let out a furious roar.
"Boom! Boom! Boom...!"
The river in front of them suddenly exploded, and countless plump little fish were flung onto the bank. They were clearly all dead.
"Fujima, thank you."
At that moment, Tobirama Senju finally understood. This really wasn't Sarutobi Shizuka's fault; it was all war's fault. If he kept blaming Shizuka, then he really would be a coward.
What she needed now was care and his love. Otherwise, she might waste away from sorrow, and by the time he regretted it, it would be too late.
"Hehe! Second Uncle, do you really understand now?"
"Then that's the best possible outcome! Hehe!"
"Second Uncle, don't you like grilled fish? I'll grill some for you today."
Senju Fujima saw the confident smile return to Tobirama Senju's face. The man had changed completely, as if he'd become far more self-assured.
Before, he'd seemed rather gloomy. Now he looked confident, his eyes bright with light.
"Good. Hehe!"
Tobirama Senju's only hobby was eating fish. He looked at him with a smile.
"Hehe!"
Then Senju Fujima used Wind Release to clean the fish, rinsed them with Water Release, skewered them with Wood Release, and finished by using Fire Release.
A quarter of an hour later, dozens of fish were all grilled.
"Here, Second Uncle. Take some for Second Aunt."
"I'll take these to Dad and Mom. Hehe!"
Following the principle of not letting anything go to waste, Senju Fujima grilled every one of the dozens of fish, since they were already dead.
Then he split them evenly with Tobirama Senju, grabbed his share, and dashed off.
"Hehe, that kid."
Tobirama Senju looked at the pile of fish in his hands, shook his head, and smiled.
"Ding! The host has made a successful choice and completed the task. Reward: Space-Time Ninjutsu—Flying Thunder God Technique."
After Senju Fujima left, all the Flying Thunder God Technique's markings and methods of use appeared in his mind. They were based on the Fourth Hokage's version—in other words, an improved version.
"Not bad. Now I don't have to figure it out myself. Hehe!"
Senju Fujima felt the information in his mind and chuckled. Then he took the grilled fish and went to find Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki.
Meanwhile, Tobirama Senju carried the grilled fish home. When he reached the door, he hesitated, unsure whether he should go in.
"Creak...!"
Just as Tobirama Senju reached the door, it opened.
A woman who looked to be about twenty-four stood there. She wore a white robe and had long brown hair and unusual green eyes. Her features were delicate, but her face was somewhat pale, her eyes dull and carrying a trace of sorrow.
"Honey."
This was Sarutobi Shizuka. When she saw Tobirama Senju, a hint of a smile flashed in her eyes, and she called out to him.
"Mm. I grilled some fish earlier. Would you like one?"
Tobirama Senju felt a little embarrassed. After treating Sarutobi Shizuka that way for so many years, he didn't know how to act around her now. He held out a grilled fish, nodded, and spoke awkwardly.
"Mm."
When Sarutobi Shizuka heard him, her heart lifted. In eight years, this was the first time she'd seen her husband treat her so kindly.
He'd always been polite before, too, but he'd met her with cold indifference. Today, though, she could clearly feel that something had changed in Tobirama Senju.
She didn't know why, but she was filled with joy.
She'd felt helpless about what had happened back then, but she hadn't been strong enough to fight back.
She also hated that man. So when Tobirama Senju had ended the pregnancy, she hadn't objected. She didn't want to keep a child like that, either.
Sarutobi Shizuka took the grilled fish from Tobirama Senju and began eating it with a little smile.
It had no seasoning at all, but she thought it was the most delicious thing she'd ever eaten.
"Hehe."
Tobirama Senju watched Sarutobi Shizuka happily eating the grilled fish and smiled faintly. He usually kept a stern face, so even smiling was difficult for him.
"Maybe I really was wrong all these years. Shizuka was already a poor, unfortunate woman."
"If our Senju Clan hadn't arranged a marriage for the sake of its own interests, Shizuka wouldn't have gone through something like that."
"In the end, all of this was caused by war. I shouldn't blame her. She was helpless, too."
"That man is already dead by my hand. From now on, I'll let the past fade away."
Looking at Sarutobi Shizuka, Tobirama Senju's lips curved slightly. He lifted his head toward the clear blue sky, and the shackles around his heart finally fell away.
"Honey, why aren't you eating?"
Sarutobi Shizuka ate her fish, then looked up and saw Tobirama Senju smiling. Thinking he was laughing at her, she blushed and asked shyly with her head lowered.
"Hehe. Mm, I'll eat, too."
Tobirama Senju looked at the bashful Sarutobi Shizuka, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. Then he stuck the remaining fish into the ground and began eating one himself.
Grilled fish had always been his favorite. Eating it while looking at his beautiful wife gave him a special feeling.
"Honey, why are you staring at me?"
Seeing Tobirama Senju smiling at her as he ate, Sarutobi Shizuka felt a flush of shyness and murmured bashfully.
"I'm looking at my wife. How did I never notice before how beautiful she is?"
Seeing Sarutobi Shizuka like this, Tobirama Senju answered honestly with a smile.
"N-no, I'm not. I'm not pretty."
Sarutobi Shizuka's face grew even redder. She felt as if she could barely breathe, her cheeks red as a monkey's backside.
"Hehe. Our Shizuka is the most beautiful, isn't she?"
Tobirama Senju set down his grilled fish and instantly appeared beside Sarutobi Shizuka. He scooped her into his arms and gazed at her tenderly.
"Honey."
"Shizuka, I'll never let anyone hurt you again. Believe me."
Tobirama Senju gazed deeply into Sarutobi Shizuka's eyes. Looking at the lovely, bashful woman in his arms, he spoke with unwavering conviction, determination flashing in his eyes.
"Mm-hmm."
Sarutobi Shizuka gazed at Tobirama Senju with dreamy eyes. She felt happier than ever before. In all these years, she'd never known such happiness, and the darkness inside her began to lift.
A glimmer of light appeared in her heart, growing brighter and brighter.
"Hehe. I'll bring Little Monkey back someday."
"But since he's already been adopted by your older brother, let's have another child."
Tobirama Senju looked at Sarutobi Shizuka, thinking of Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was still with the Sarutobi Clan, and told her.
"Mm-hmm. Hiruzen is very well-behaved. He comes to visit me often."
At Tobirama Senju's words, Sarutobi Shizuka's face grew even redder. She felt as if smoke might pour from her ears and she'd die of heat, and murmured softly.
"Hehe."
Then Tobirama Senju carried Sarutobi Shizuka back into the room and slid the door shut. What happened next? We'll never know.
Early the next morning, Hashirama Senju led more than three hundred shinobi from the clan toward the battlefield. Tobirama Senju and Senju Fujima were among them, and they brought the Eight Great Elders along as well.
They were all top-level fighters, needed to hold off the enemy's strongest fighters.
"Big Brother, the agreed-upon battlefield is just ahead. What should we do?"
Tobirama Senju now longed for peace as well, and he was ready to bring an end to the era of chaos. He finally understood why his older brother pursued peace. Looking at the battlefield ahead, he turned to Hashirama Senju and asked.
"Have the Eight Great Elders stop everyone here. The three of us will go ahead and negotiate with Madara."
"Tell everyone not to act rashly. We're here to discuss peace, not to fight. Make sure no one shows any killing intent, or all our efforts could be ruined."
Hashirama Senju glanced at the battlefield up ahead, then turned to Tobirama Senju.
"Understood."
Tobirama Senju nodded slightly. This battle was crucial. If the Uchiha Clan refused peace, they would still have to settle things by force, so they had to be extremely cautious.
"I really like Madara Uchiha as a character. He's the very image of dominance and invincibility, especially that line: 'Do you want to dance, too?' It's so damn cool. Hehe!"
Senju Fujima followed close behind, watching the battlefield in the distance with excitement. He'd never been on a battlefield before, even at his age. His father had clearly gone to great lengths to protect him.
Before you continue