For a ninja, losing a leg was even worse than losing an arm. Their mobility was greatly reduced, making going onto the battlefield almost no different from throwing their life away.
That was precisely why Senju Butsuma only expected Kawarama to handle logistics.
Not having to go to the battlefield meant he was safe. As long as the fighting didn't get too severe, Senju Kawarama could live out the rest of his life in the clan compound. But for a boy, becoming disabled was still a tremendous blow.
Kawarama was deeply downcast, and kept trying to hide his legs.
Seeing this, Tobirama and Hiugo didn't offer much comfort. Instead, they did their best to treat him like any other member of the clan. Accepting something like this was something he had to do for himself.
Before leaving, Hiugo gave Kawarama his improved version of the Mysterious Peacock Method. This version didn't include a way to replace walking, but he explained it in detail, leaving Kawarama to develop it on his own.
As the brother of Tobirama and Hashirama, Kawarama couldn't be lacking in talent. Developing a new branch of the technique could give him hope in life and give him something to strive toward.
"Did you buy the things I asked for?"
Tobirama asked.
"You sure know how to make demands. You've burned through my entire stash."
Hiugo sighed helplessly and took out a scroll.
"I'll share any progress I make with you. With these instruments, you can continue your research into the human body..."
Tobirama eagerly opened the scroll. One instrument after another, each with a different shape, appeared before his eyes.
Hiugo had bought them with the money from selling the Heavenly Gift Fruit. He had the traveling merchants to thank; otherwise, a single trip would have taken him across most of the Land of Fire. The Land of Lightning had more instruments of this kind for research.
In fact, it was clear from the movie featuring Otsutsuki Toneri in the original work: the Land of Lightning had developed a Chakra Cannon capable of destroying meteors, while Konoha still relied on ninja to destroy them. This was more than enough to show that the Land of Lightning's technology was ahead of Konoha's.
"There are fewer than I planned for, but they'll do."
Tobirama carefully ran his fingers over the instruments, his eyes brimming with delight.
With these instruments, along with the ninja he'd met on the Western Battlefield who had relevant experience, he could continue researching the human body and investigating the changes in each clan's Kekkei Genkai.
The only regrettable thing was that Senju Butsuma thought these things were useless and refused to provide funding. Otherwise, Tobirama wouldn't have needed Hiugo's help.
"Take a good look. I'm heading out."
Seeing Tobirama like this, Hiugo quietly took two steps back. He was acting just like a man who'd spotted a beautiful woman—he couldn't even blink. He probably wouldn't be interested in anything else for a while, so Hiugo called out a goodbye and left.
On the way, a group of Senju ninja had already set off in a fury. Among them was Senju Rinma, who looked vaguely familiar.
Butsuma meant what he said and never dragged his feet. The clan meeting had only just ended, and he'd already sent people out to fight.
Hiugo's eyes narrowed. He remembered Hashirama's "death." The timeline of those around him had shifted somewhat because of his actions, but certain things still happened.
Just as Kawarama should have died on the battlefield fighting the Hagoromo Clan, but had now had his leg blown off ahead of time.
During the Warring States period, both polygamy and monogamy were practiced. So although Kawarama and Hashirama were a year apart in age, they were actually only about half a year apart. Kawarama had just turned seven—the age at which he was originally "supposed to die."
Seven. What an awful age...
Hiugo stopped thinking about it and returned to the clan compound. They were all useful hands, and although his father's intelligence had been off the mark on the Eastern Battlefield, he was no worse than Butsuma when it came to the clan compound.
He had barely pushed open the door when a hand suddenly shot out. Hiugo immediately ducked and rolled aside, throwing three shuriken that slammed into a water ball rising in front of him.
"Not bad reactions,"
Genma remarked.
"If this were before, I'd have stuck Explosive Tags on the shuriken and blown the whole house apart."
Hiugo curled his lip, then paused when he saw the table full of food. As far as he could remember, Genma had never cooked before.
"I've always been able to cook. I just couldn't be bothered before,"
Genma said calmly.
"You have time now?"
That didn't make sense. Shouldn't becoming First Elder make him even busier? Besides, Genma had served as both First Elder and Second Elder until Akema returned.
Genma thought for a moment, then said, "The clan's short on money."
At Hiugo's confused look, Genma explained. Prolonged fighting was the biggest drain on their finances. They needed ninja tools, armor, and food, and lately they'd also taken in a few more affiliated clans. All of it cost money.
The Hagoromo Clan and the Senju Clan had worked together to find a copper mine, the source of the copper used to make coins. Each clan had its own special molds for minting them.
But the mine was near the Hagoromo Clan's territory, so the Hagoromo Clan had decided to kill the Senju workers and cover it up. If the Senju later came asking questions, they could simply pay them a sum in compensation.
Trading a short-term gain for a long-term one was certainly a good choice.
What they hadn't expected was that the Senju workers weren't very strong, but were excellent at escaping. After burrowing into the ground, they were hard to catch with attack techniques. They managed to break through the encirclement and get the information out.
To protect themselves, the Hagoromo Clan had approached the Uchiha, and that was how the war began.
After hearing the whole story, Hiugo felt that he might have had something to do with it. Hyakuya, Mizukumo Clan, and Hayate Clan were all under his command now.
Genma took a sip of wine and said:
"War is the best way to make money, no matter the era. You can reduce the number of affiliated clans and gain wealth at the same time."
"Let's not talk about that. I haven't seen you in three years, and I hear there's a girl by your side now?"
Hiugo said helplessly:
"Dad, I'm not that old... She's the young clan leader of the Mizukumo Clan. I tested her, and she was only getting close to me to secretly learn the Senju techniques. I gave her a warning, and she's behaved since."
Genma smiled.
"I didn't say anything. Come with me."
Hiugo followed Genma in confusion to his room. Genma stepped on a wooden board, and an entrance appeared in the floor.
"A secret room? Was it built after I left?"
"It was here from the beginning. The mechanism in here is connected to my room. You have to activate the mechanism on my side first before this one will open."
Hiugo followed Genma downstairs. Six ninja, completely covered in black, were already standing straight ahead.
Four jonin and two elite jonin.
Hiugo quietly assessed their strength. For him as he was now, they weren't strictly necessary.
"These six are ninja from the Bone Woman Clan. They specialize in disguise."
At Genma's words, the six removed their black coverings, revealing faces similar to Hiugo's. They also began to shrink, until they looked almost exactly like him. It was like looking in a mirror.
This kind of disguise didn't involve Chakra. Instead, it used materials and a special secret technique to alter their appearance. The only way to spot the difference was through one's own powers of observation.
There was no doubt that, in a sense, all six could serve as "substitutes." They could also act as decoys, which made them useful in their own right.
Given Genma's personality, these people were trustworthy; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought them into this secret room.
"You can get to know them during this time. That'll help them look even more like you."
"Even more? Don't tell me they've been..."
Genma fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"That's right. They said they've watched you grow up. They know everything about you: your features, your birthmarks, your personality."
"..."
Before you continue