The Aftereffects

In the end, Senju Butsuma and Senju Hashirama's conversation ended on a thoroughly unpleasant note.

After the funeral, most of the Senju clan members left. Only Senju Kyogawa and his brothers remained, and Senju Tobirama started scolding Senju Hashirama and Senju Kyogawa again.

The sun sank in the west, and the dusky light of the setting sun spilled through the forest, dividing it into alternating bands of light and shadow.

Senju Kyogawa and his three older brothers sat on a large tree stump.

After speaking for a while, Senju Tobirama saw that neither Kyogawa nor Hashirama was reacting and couldn't help sighing.

The four of them fell quiet. For a time, nobody spoke.

The birdsong and insectsong in the woods gradually died away, leaving only the rustle of leaves stirred by the wind.

Senju Tobirama crossed his arms over his chest and broke the silence first:

"Adults are all fools. If they want to end the war, why not make an agreement with the enemy and stop fighting?"

Senju Tobirama had a point.

In Senju Kyogawa's view, the most likely way to end the fighting was to make an agreement.

Either everyone's strength would balance out, leaving them no choice but to make an agreement to maintain a relative balance, or they would become stronger than all their enemies, making their enemies so afraid they wouldn't even dare think of fighting back.

However, the current state of the Ninja World was one where the Senju and the Uchiha stood as equals, with the two clans dominating the land.

The best solution was for the two clans to form an alliance.

But the two clans had been fighting for a hundred years and harbored deep grudges... How could they form an alliance so easily?

"But if we did that, wouldn't the parents and brothers who were killed... wouldn't our comrades have died for nothing?" Senju Itama clearly didn't agree with the idea.

He thought of his older brother, Senju Kawarama, and of all the other brothers who had fought alongside them but had been left on the battlefield forever.

Senju Kyogawa sighed inwardly.

See? Resolving hatred isn't something that can happen overnight. There will always be people who aren't satisfied.

Senju Tobirama looked sternly at Senju Itama and said in a harsh voice:

"If you keep saying things like that, you'll die too. You and the adults are all too impulsive."

Senju Tobirama was right. Itama was a sensitive child, easily swayed by his emotions. Senju Kawarama's death might already have planted a seed of hatred in his heart.

"From now on, all shinobi need to do is suppress their emotions, establish strict rules, and follow them to avoid unnecessary wars." Senju Tobirama continued to share his thoughts.

Senju Kyogawa thought his second older brother Tobirama had a point.

Thinking about it carefully, was it because the age at which people became shinobi was so young, and children were always more emotional than adults? Perhaps witnessing the deaths of their family and friends when they were young made the seeds of hatred take deeper, firmer root in their hearts. And when those shinobi grew up, they would never think of allying with their enemies, because the hatred in their childhood hearts had already grown into towering trees.

Under those circumstances, perhaps fighting to the death was the only fate fit for shinobi.

Adults, on the other hand, were always constrained by various interests and rules. Perhaps rules were the better way to keep the adult world in check.

Senju Hashirama lowered his head and furrowed his brow before asking:

"Could a true agreement... an alliance... really never come to pass?"

Kyogawa watched Senju Hashirama, his oldest brother in this life.

He had known for a long time that Senju Hashirama's heart had always been set on peace.

The fact that Hashirama could still hold on to a heart full of love in a place like the Ninja World was one of the reasons Senju Kyogawa admired him.

Senju Kyogawa couldn't bear to see Hashirama looking so lost. He reached over and patted Senju Hashirama on the head, then answered loudly:

"Of course..."

"It can happen!"

Senju Hashirama looked up at his youngest brother.

At that moment, his little brother—Senju Kyogawa—stood ramrod straight, the golden sunlight falling all over him.

Senju Hashirama heard his little brother—Senju Kyogawa—give voice to what was in his heart:

"An alliance! It's a pretty good choice..."

"If the Ninja World itself is wrong, then let's change it..."

"Sooner or later, we'll find a true path—a path that won't require sacrificing children!"

Senju Hashirama stood up. He felt his strength and fighting spirit returning.

That was right. How could he be less clearheaded than a five-year-old? If the rules of the Ninja World were wrong, then they could just make new ones!

A bright smile finally returned to Senju Hashirama's face. He ruffled Senju Kyogawa's hair, his palm wonderfully warm, and agreed:

"That's right! Little Kyogawa is right!"

Senju Itama looked bewildered. He was still a child, and seeing all his brothers agree with the idea, he quickly chimed in, though he still had some doubts:

"An alliance? Well... if Hashirama and Kyogawa think so... then I agree too!"

Seeing this, Senju Hashirama couldn't help smiling even more broadly. Getting his younger brothers' support made him feel as though he was one step closer to success.

From that day on, Senju Kyogawa trained even harder in swordsmanship. He didn't know why. Perhaps he simply wanted to put in the training that Senju Kawarama no longer could.

Senju Kyogawa still remembered that night. After he got home, Senju Kazuki came to see him and handed him a bag of konpeito.

Senju Kazuki had been Senju Kawarama's teammate in that war.

He told Senju Kyogawa, "Kawarama said that after the battle, he'd bring you some konpeito..."

Senju Kyogawa took the bag of konpeito with trembling hands.

He could barely remember how he'd felt at the time.

Was it sadness?

No. Perhaps he'd already grown somewhat numb...

Senju Kyogawa felt his body grow cold inch by inch. He was almost unable to feel his own body, as if his soul had left it.

But to other people, he probably seemed all right, didn't he?

He thanked Senju Kazuki and asked after Grandma Naiko's health, then politely said good night and goodbye to him.

Senju Kyogawa didn't notice the complicated expression on Senju Kazuki's face as he looked at him.

His limbs numb, almost moving his arms and legs in tandem, he returned to his room. He ignored his brothers' worried words, went straight into his room alone, closed the door, and climbed into bed.

Senju Kyogawa asked the system:

[System, if I put this bag of candy in the system inventory, will it go bad?]

The system answered promptly: [No. Time is frozen in the system inventory.]

So Senju Kyogawa put the bag of konpeito into a slot in the system inventory.

He pulled the quilt over his head, then realized it was a little damp and his nose was a bit stuffy.

So there really are aftereffects.

Senju Kawarama's death really did have aftereffects...