A Glimpse of the Future

By explicitly stating that he was the leader of the four clans, he was also subtly signaling to Kangetsu that these decisions were his alone and had nothing to do with anyone else. He then mentioned encountering a major problem, implying that his current tension was due to an enemy, before finally offering an apology and expressing his sincere request for Kangetsu's help.

Kangetsu naturally understood Nara Isshin's words. Since Kangetsu's goal was to bring all four clans under his wing, he certainly would not take offense. He even went so far as to tell them to remember his name deeply, signaling that he was very interested in their four clans.

It could be said that these few short sentences were laden with hidden meanings; for an ordinary person, even if they could understand the subtext, it would be no less exhausting than fighting a major battle.

Under the guidance of Nara Isshin, Kangetsu walked directly into the small town.

The town was constructed perfectly. With the Onmyo clan present, setting up barriers within the town was a trivial matter, so Kangetsu looked around at the environment with great interest.

Looking at the surrounding shops and the children playing, it was hard to imagine such a paradise existing in this so-called Warring States period; it was nothing short of a miracle.

Seeing all of this, Kangetsu let out a long sigh of relief and said to Nara Isshin beside him, "So peaceful! To have such a paradise in this Warring States period is truly a miracle."

"However, while this life and environment are happy, you lack the strength to protect this happiness. Yet, the clans that do have the power to protect such happiness lack the foresight and intellect to do so."

"They only know of battle and slaughter, never realizing that sending children directly onto the battlefield after training them not only risks the extinction of their own clan but also turns those children into sacrifices for the conflicts of adults."

After finishing his words, Kangetsu scanned the town before fixing his gaze on Nara Isshin's face.

At this moment, Nara Isshin felt shocked by Kangetsu's words. It could be said that Nara Isshin's previous idea had been to attach himself to a powerful clan and, relying on his own strategies along with the abilities of the Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Onmyo clans, make that clan even stronger.

But after several negotiations, Nara Isshin had given up. They demanded that the children of his clan go to the battlefield and participate in combat; his strategies were dismissed as cowardice, and he was driven away. The wars were fought head-on, giving them no room for nuance.

This led Nara Isshin to hold a sense of contempt for those powerful clans. However, because his four clans were not born with great strength or powerful offensive ninjutsu, they could only hide here. If it weren't for encountering an unbeatable opponent this time, Nara Isshin would never have reached out to the Uchiha clan.

But now, hearing these words from Kangetsu, a feeling of having found a kindred spirit instantly arose in his heart. Although Nara Isshin had led the four clans to build this town and live in peace, he had always felt a sense of frustration at not being understood—especially by those powerful clans who could not grasp his philosophy—and a longing to meet someone who truly understood him.