Taking Care of Children at the Senju Clan

Although Senju Kyogawa didn't want to go to war, he had no choice but to take the battlefield.

Still, he was prepared, and planned to "lie low" until the war was over.

Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama had been extremely worried about Senju Kyogawa before the war, too. They'd even considered keeping him by their sides, but the two of them had to fight on the front lines, where the danger was greater. In the end, his two older brothers decided it was best for him to stay safely in the rear and treat injured Senju clan members.

Before the battle, though, Senju Tobirama couldn't hold back his concern. He gave Senju Kyogawa another long list of precautions to keep in mind on the battlefield—the same ones he'd told him the first time Kyogawa went to war. He still couldn't put his mind at ease. After all... Senju Kyogawa was now his only younger brother.

Senju Hashirama, meanwhile, spent most of his savings buying a great many Explosive Tags and stuffing them into Senju Kyogawa's ninja scroll. He told him to throw them all at any enemy he couldn't handle, and to put his own life first, no matter what.

Even Senju Butsuma, who rarely smiled, made time to check on Senju Kyogawa and give him some words of advice before he officially went to war—even though Senju Butsuma was extremely busy with preparations.

Many of the Senju clan members who were close to Senju Kyogawa also came to see him. They wished him a safe return from the battlefield, and hoped the Senju Clan would emerge victorious from the war.

There were countless gestures like these.

Senju Kyogawa was so moved that he nearly burst into tears. He was grateful to have such caring family and clan members in his life.

In the end, no matter how reluctant or unwilling they were, the war began.

Three banners bearing the emblems of different ninja clans were raised high, and this long-awaited war finally broke out.

Senju Kyogawa had assigned himself the roles of support and medic. A few young Senju shinobi around his age came to help him. No matter how ruthless a clan might be, it wouldn't be so cruel as to send five- or six-year-old children to fight on the front lines.

Many of the "little sprouts" were going to war for the first time. One reason they'd been brought along was so that older, experienced, seasoned Senju shinobi could teach them. Another was to instill in them a sense of reverence for the battlefield, so they wouldn't treat it like a game.

Senju Kyogawa's job this time was to lead the young shinobi and help them adjust to the battlefield.

The young shinobi were mostly familiar faces. Senju Kyogawa had roped them into helping him farm before, and often made tasty snacks for them as thanks. So they knew him fairly well. He was also something of an imposing elder in the ranks of the Senju children.

That made Senju Kyogawa the perfect person to lead them.

When the little sprouts first arrived at the battlefield, they found it rather novel. They'd taken the simplest hired missions, and most had already drawn blood and killed someone. But this was their first time on a battlefield. Even though the adults had told them how cruel war could be, they had no real sense of what to expect. They were still filled with a childlike curiosity—just like Senju Kyogawa had been the first time he went to war.

In a way, the rear of the battlefield might have been the most terrifying and bloodiest place of all—and the best place for sheltered young shinobi to grow up.

Compared to the fast-paced, high-intensity fighting on the front lines, things here moved at a gentler pace. But it also gave the young shinobi a clearer sense of how terrible war could be.

Senju Kyogawa was also responsible for escorting a group of wounded soldiers back to the rear camp. They'd been lucky to survive the battlefield.

Some had lost limbs. Others had been slashed several times across the waist. A few had nearly had their throats cut and died on the spot. If Senju Kyogawa hadn't arrived in time and helped several Senju shinobi defeat the enemy who had surrounded them, they might already have been dead.

In short, the wounded were covered in mangled flesh and blood. It was not a sight suitable for children.

Senju Kyogawa couldn't help paling at the sight of their injuries—yes, he was frightened.

But after seeing wounds like these for long enough, he grew somewhat numb to them. He even found himself trying to make light of the situation: Back in the country where I lived in my previous life, even if they made a war documentary out of this, it would never pass censorship... And even if it somehow did, they'd surely cover everything in mosaics...

The tent where the wounded were being treated reeked of blood and sweat. The stench spread through the hot midsummer air until it was enough to make someone see stars.

The ground, beds, and stretchers were all stained with varying amounts of foul-smelling blood, some of it already turning black. Some of it had dried into dark clots. It really wasn't a sight fit for children.

"Blegh—"

"Ugh—"

The young shinobi could barely step inside the tent before they started gagging and retching. A few of them even collapsed to the ground and threw up until they could hardly breathe.

Senju Kyogawa had just finished using Healing Jutsu on a few patients. When he turned around and saw what was happening, he immediately called out for them to leave.

"If you can't handle this yet, go outside and catch your breath. You'll see plenty more scenes like this in the future. Are you already scared?"

The young shinobi looked up and saw the scene before them, which was like something out of hell. They were shaken to the core, and it took them a while to process what Senju Kyogawa had just said.

The young shinobi shouted back defiantly:

"Who's scared? We're not scared!"

But when they saw Senju Kyogawa standing beside the bloodied, mangled patients, they still felt a little timid. They hesitated, unsure whether to approach.

Seeing how they talked tough while clearly afraid, Senju Kyogawa couldn't help finding it funny.

What could he do? The little sprouts were still children...

But Senju Kyogawa did look rather frightening at the moment.

He'd been wearing green, but his clothes were now covered in large patches of blood, making them look a much darker shade. The ends of his smooth white hair, which had hung over his shoulders, were clumped together with red blood. There was blood on his pale skin, too. The contrast between the bright red blood and his fair skin made it stand out all the more.

The air inside was so foul that Senju Kyogawa's face had gone a little pale, and his hands were covered in blood. He looked even more like a vengeful ghost.

No wonder the children were hesitating to go near him.