Since the start of winter, the fighting had gradually died down, and none of the many clans within the Land of Fire had made a move.
That calm did not last long. Just after spring passed, the Uzumaki were once again drawn into war.
To be honest, Bai Sui found the wars between the various clans baffling. They didn't seem to have any grudges against one another, nor any conflicting interests that would make a war necessary. So what had sparked these conflicts?
Especially this time around, Bai Sui knew that in the days before the Uzumaki joined the war, supplies had been transported into their clan lands. Where had those supplies come from?
Moreover, the people hauling them wore clothes marked with three flames. The symbol looked familiar to Bai Sui, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it.
That evening, while reviewing the Hokage's memories, he noticed a pattern like that on the wall behind the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire. After that discovery, he dug deeper into his body's memories and recalled seeing the Land of Water Feudal Lord's emblem when he was little: a large water droplet in the middle, with a smaller one on either side.
Did this mean that these Celestial Dragons, the true rulers of each country, had started the wars between the clans?
The Uzumaki were the only ninja clan to establish a country, and the only one to be inexplicably wiped out. When their country fell, their most loyal allies, the Senju Clan, did nothing of any real significance. Bai Sui couldn't believe the Land of Fire hadn't been involved.
Not only that, but the Senju Clan had also mysteriously disappeared afterward. To be honest, the little information in the Hokage's memories couldn't explain much. Without evidence, Bai Sui could only let the matter drop.
He didn't get to enjoy watching events unfold for long, because the people in charge sent someone to assign him a mission.
Just as before, they didn't tell him exactly when it would happen. They only told him to wait at home and be ready to leave as soon as they needed him.
Bai Sui had looked forward to an opportunity like this for a long time. But now that it had finally come, he was still extremely nervous. He forced himself to calm down through meditation, then reviewed his plans in his Inner Landscape.
That was right—Bai Sui had made plans. He had little information to go on, so they were crude, but they were the best he could manage.
First, he had to prepare things to carry with him. Lately, he had used the excuse of mending the children's clothes to ask for plenty of sewing supplies. What he was after were the needles.
The sewing needles were rather thick, but still much finer than the Yellow Emperor's Nine Needles. After all, metalworking in this era was better than it had been in ancient times in his previous life.
As for weapons, Bai Sui had prepared none. He was only an assistant on a ninja mission and wasn't expected to fight. He might get caught in the crossfire, but civilians weren't allowed to carry weapons.
Besides, Bai Sui wasn't confident he could keep the ninjas from detecting one, especially the Uzumaki, whose Mind's Eye of the Kagura gave them a strong sense of good and evil.
As the saying went, carrying a sharp weapon could stir a killer's instinct. If he had a weapon on him, some sudden turn of events might cause his emotions to waver. If that led to a clash with an Uzumaki ninja, it would be the last thing Bai Sui wanted.
After all, Bai Sui had three Qi Swords nurtured within him, and those were his final lifeline in this dangerous world. It was better not to use them unless absolutely necessary.
Bai Sui also didn't know whether the clans in this world had other ninjutsu besides their own secret techniques, such as the Three Basic Techniques, known as the foundation of ninjas.
The Substitution Technique among them was a remarkable way to escape. If the ninjas of this era knew it too, Bai Sui would have to rely on catching them off guard with his first strike. After that, they would probably find a way to evade him.
The last point, and the most important one, was that Bai Sui had never forgotten how the Uzumaki had cared for him. Whatever their motives for doing so, he had benefited from it in the end. That made him unwilling to become their enemy.
Given that, he was even less willing to harm the Uzumaki for his own selfish reasons. After all, everyone needed to have some principles to live by.
No matter how conflicted Bai Sui felt, what was coming would come.
That night, an Uzumaki clansman hurried straight toward Bai Sui's house. The commotion woke Bai Sui from his meditation beneath the glow of his Primordial Spirit, and he immediately pretended to be asleep.
"Bai Sui, get up. Get dressed and prepare to leave," the Uzumaki clansman called from outside. He did not enter the house.
Bai Sui's heart jumped at the voice, but he quickly replied, "Yes, sir. I'll get dressed right away."
Civilian clothes were designed for ease of work, so they were simple to put on. In no time, he had dressed and slipped on a pair of open-toed shoes.
Bai Sui really couldn't get used to that. For some reason, open-toed shoes were the fashion in this world. Ninjas, samurai, civilians, and nobles all wore them. The only differences were the materials, the styles, and how much of the toes they exposed.
For someone like Bai Sui, they were deeply uncomfortable. Ever since childhood, he had felt strange whenever any part of him other than his head and forearms was exposed.
Back in his previous life, even when swimming in the sea in Shanghai, Bai Sui had kept his clothes on. Otherwise, he felt as though he were walking around naked. Even now, he still felt the same way.
That was why putting on shoes was always awkward for him. In his previous life, he had gone barefoot in sandals only when he was little. After that, he wore socks even with sandals. But in this world, there weren't even any ankle socks—only stockings and fishnet stockings. He had no idea what sort of development had led to that.
Bai Sui's thoughts wandered, but he kept moving. He hurriedly got dressed, rushed out of the house, and bowed to the man who had come for him.
What Bai Sui really wanted to know was how the other man had figured out he wasn't asleep. Had he seen or sensed him meditating earlier?
But if that were the case, the man shouldn't be acting so calmly now. Still, he had no obligation to explain himself, and Bai Sui wasn't foolish enough to ask.
"Follow me. We're leaving," the man said. Seeing Bai Sui come out, he didn't say anything more. He simply led him toward the outskirts.
Bai Sui followed close behind, briefly steadying himself. Then he reined in his gaze and thoughts and studied the man ahead with vacant eyes.