The Uchiha Girl Who Left Konoha

The day after the Hokage's inauguration ceremony, delegations from many countries began leaving one after another.

The delegations from the great powers did not depart, choosing instead to remain behind. They were likely planning to negotiate some secret matters with Konoha.

Judging by the recent actions of the four great powers—Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Water—they were also nearing the path of establishing shinobi villages.

Yesterday's ceremony had surely left the delegations from those four great powers with an almost terrifying sense of shock.

If they did not establish shinobi villages, being cast aside by the times was a future all four great powers could foresee.

The exchanges between the great powers did not affect Yayoi. On the day after the ceremony, he, like representatives of some other countries, packed up and left Konoha, returning to the Land of Night.

Konoha had only just been established, and aside from its military strength, its other foundations were extremely weak.

Education, commerce, medicine, and other fields were all blank slates, with no systematic framework yet established.

This was Konoha's greatest gap, but it was the Land of Night's advantage.

The Land of Night had been formally established for nearly ten years. Through Yayoi's gradual efforts, many foundational fields had achieved considerable results. In the coming era, he possessed a certain head start.

There was another point that put Yayoi somewhat at ease: Konoha had shown no intention of expanding outward. It merely occupied the most fertile Land of Fire and seemed to bear the important responsibility of maintaining balance in the Ninja World.

In a sense, this was a good thing.

An era with tense circumstances but a relatively stable environment, where the strongest were willing to step forward to preserve peace, was undoubtedly an era of great development.

According to the original story he knew, so long as the overall trend did not change, the First Shinobi World War would not officially break out until more than ten years after Konoha's founding.

In other words, whether the Land of Night could catch up to the Five Great Nations would depend most crucially on the next decade or so.

While others were uneasy, he could rely on this advantage of foresight to develop by leaps and bounds.

"I always feel like the Ninja World of the future will be completely different from before."

Inside the carriage, after a day to process it, Kicho—who had watched the entire Hokage inauguration ceremony—was still deeply shaken by the previous day's ceremony, unable to calm down for a long time.

The overwhelming impact of that magnificent tide of the times was swifter and more suffocating than anything else.

Not to mention someone like Kicho, who knew nothing of the future's developments—even a prophet like Yayoi, despite knowing many things about the future, had been equally restless at yesterday's gathering.

People found it difficult to imagine things they had never seen.

One Country, One Village was exactly such a thing—something unfamiliar, something people had not even dared to imagine.

For the first time, it showed people that shinobi and shinobi clans... could be connected and bound together in this way.

In ancient times, there had been shinobi who first understood the essence of chakra. People called them Ninshū.

The earliest Ninshū had not consisted of clans and clans, but individuals forming connections with one another through chakra.

Then, as the times evolved, the shinobi who first mastered the power of chakra began acting in family units.

Thus, conflicts between shinobi rose from individuals to clans.

Now, the era of single shinobi clans was ending. Battles between shinobi were no longer person against person or clan against clan, but nation against nation.

"It's all right, Kicho. I'm here."

He held Kicho's still-frightened body tightly in his arms and comforted her softly.

Her palms were colder than usual. Clearly, she had yet to fully recover from the suffocating pressure of yesterday.

When fragile individuals faced such a torrent of the times, they could only submit and pray. There was no other way.

Therefore, Yayoi knew he could not collapse. No matter how difficult it became, he had to grit his teeth and persevere.

Other than himself, no one in the Land of Night was qualified to stand at the forefront of this tide and lead everyone through thorns and brambles.

That was the bearing and courage a ruler of a nation, and a husband, ought to possess.

It reminded him of an ancient saying that made perfect sense—no one who founded a dynasty had ever become an emperor without achievement.

If a ruler could not do that, power would become vacant, rule would collapse, and the people would no longer believe in him. In the end, he would become a complete and utter failure.

"Mmm..."

Kicho nodded lightly, nestling against Yayoi's chest and breathing softly as she enjoyed a brief moment of peace and warmth.

"After we return... I should sell all the clothes and accessories I bought before."

After a long while, Kicho's muffled voice sounded.

"Why would you say that?"

Yayoi was slightly stunned.

"Because the country will need a great deal of money for its development from now on, won't it?"

Kicho broke free from Yayoi's embrace and sat upright. Her pure white pupils revealed a serious, resolute expression.

"..."

Yayoi did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Although Kicho sometimes had a keen political instinct, she did not seem very familiar with the country's economy.

Then again, she was still so young. It was impossible for her to consider every aspect of things, and she was not particularly sensitive about money either.

"You really can be adorably foolish sometimes."

Yayoi scraped her fair little nose, as if teasing her innocence.

Under Kicho's puzzled gaze, Yayoi gave a steady, forceful answer:

"That is an entirely proper expense for the wife of a general. Besides, haven't you done very well, Kicho? You previously communicated with the wives of those civil officials and used that to stabilize the officials' hearts. You do not need to worry about money. Put simply, whatever I lack right now, money will not be one of them."

Rather, he had known long ago that such an era would arrive. For that reason, Yayoi had made many preparations in the Land of Night.

One of them concerned how to save and spend money.

He had also prepared several feasible plans in advance for all kinds of civilian, military, diplomatic, and other policies.

In the era of One Country, One Village, aside from the Five Great Nations, no country would be steadier than the Land of Night.

Like the Five Great Nations, the Land of Night had the right to sit high above and watch the show in the coming days.

The ones who would truly have to struggle desperately were the small countries with weak resistance to risk.

Not to mention that the Land of Night had already undergone its transformation. Its shinobi and samurai had grown accustomed to its system. One Country, One Village was something for the Five Great Nations; it had nothing to do with the Land of Night.

The reason he had fallen silent was entirely because Konoha's military strength in its infancy had frightened him.

It was not because he worried that the Land of Night's system could not stand alongside that of the Five Great Nations.

However, he was far from the only one who had been frightened.

The delegations and shinobi of the other four great powers had likewise been severely intimidated.

"Is that so?"

After hearing Yayoi's explanation, Kicho began to wonder whether she had been taking things for granted.

Thinking about it now, elevating her small expenses to the level of national affairs was simply a sign that panic had muddled her mind.

"Besides, if you don't buy more beautiful clothes, wouldn't nightlife be too dull? I still want to see more of your different beautiful looks, Kicho."

Yayoi stroked his chin and quietly shifted the subject to something more private.

"My husband..."

Seeing Yayoi completely relax, Kicho was astonished by how optimistic and strong his heart was.

It was as though there was nothing in this world that could defeat him.

This is the husband I love most.

Kicho felt an inexplicable surge of emotion and pride in her heart.

Although they had known each other for less than half a year, if this man truly failed one day, she would willingly die for him.

Meanwhile, in Konoha.

The village's two great clans stood at its core—the Senju and the Uchiha.

At that moment, an expected split was taking place within the Uchiha Clan.

"Izayoi, do you truly intend to leave the clan?"

An Uchiha elder in his sixties, with graying long hair, looked at the youthful girl before him. At only thirteen years old, she had already awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, and he let out a deep sigh.

"Of course. Just thinking about living with Senju people makes me feel physically sick. Elder Korei, are you going to stop me?"

The girl named Izayoi spoke her true feelings to the clan elder. The gloom on her face showed that there was no room for reconciliation.

This girl was none other than Uchiha Izayoi, the Uchiha girl who had encountered Yayoi a few months ago when he captured the Seven-Tails.

After learning from Yayoi that the Uchiha and Senju were joining forces that day, she had rushed back to her clan without stopping. Yet what she saw was the Uchiha and Senju forming an alliance.

Though she had made a huge scene, no one took a little Uchiha girl like her seriously.

Hashirama Senju, the head of the Senju Clan, had even patted her head and laughed heartily, saying things like, "From now on, neither side will need to fight and kill anymore," and, "The Uchiha and Senju will become one family."

She had been so furious that she kicked him in the knee on the spot, nearly causing a diplomatic incident.

Fortunately, Hashirama himself did not take it to heart. He merely laughed and said, "If getting hit a few more times means we can live in peace, little girl, feel free to punch me a few times"...

Afterward, her foot had swollen up.

Was the Senju Clan head's body made of steel?

Without a doubt, the Senju Clan head had treated her as an ignorant child.

Izayoi believed that, as the victors, the Senju had not purged the Uchiha but instead invited them into an alliance because they surely harbored some unspeakable scheme.

She did not believe that Hashirama, the Senju Clan head, was someone who laughed foolishly so easily.

He had to be the sort of sinister man who hid a blade behind his smile.

After all, what shinobi could be this naive?

But regardless of the reason, Izayoi had no intention of remaining in this shinobi village called Konoha.

She would rather starve or freeze to death outside than live somewhere that had members of the Senju Clan.

"If that is what you intend, even if I wanted to stop you, it would be difficult. I cannot tie you up for the rest of your life, Izayoi, and force you to obey. Besides, you are not the only one in the clan who thinks this way. You have already contacted those people, haven't you?"

Uchiha Korei's dark pupils seemed to see through Izayoi's thoughts.

The wrinkles covering his aged face were marks carved by time.

As an Uchiha elder in his sixties, he had experienced the long conflict with the Senju Clan.

Of the Uchiha shinobi from his generation who had managed to survive until now, only a few remained.

Some had let go, but for others, as time passed, their hatred for the Senju only grew day by day.

"Since you already know, why ask? No matter what, we cannot coexist with Senju people."

Izayoi's youthful face fell silent for a moment before she gave a soft snort.

That was right. She was not the only Uchiha clan member who wanted to leave Konoha.

Although most of the Uchiha Clan had already compromised with the Senju Clan and were willing to live peacefully together.

By this point, both the Uchiha and the Senju had grown tired of killing.

The Uchiha had lost the previous war, but the clan still retained considerable strength. They could have completely relocated, waited for new powerhouses to emerge, and then competed with the Senju Clan once more.

But because they were weary of war, and because the Senju had offered favorable terms, a large number of compromise-minded members emerged within the Uchiha.

Thus, the Radical Faction that wished to continue fighting began to be excluded, suppressed, and silenced.

As a member of the Radical Faction, Izayoi would rather be killed than surrender to the Senju.

Her parents, sisters, beloved friends, and relatives had all died at the hands of the Senju. That bone-deep hatred made it impossible for her to peacefully coexist with Senju people.

Even if she did not seek revenge, she could never accept living alongside Senju people.

Under such circumstances, members of the Radical Faction began secretly joining together and decided to leave Konoha and stay far away from the Senju.

"Are you here to stop me, Elder Korei? Or is this Madara's decision?"

As the representative of the compromise faction, Uchiha Clan head Madara Uchiha had once been the shinobi Izayoi respected most.

But now... he was the person Izayoi despised most.

Likewise, Madara was hated by the Radical Faction. In their hearts, Madara, their clan head, was already dead.

"Lord Madara does not care about this."

"Ha, figures. That guy is probably hanging around with the Senju right now."

Izayoi revealed a mocking smile.

The clan head she once had to address respectfully could now naturally be called "that guy."

Failure was not frightening. Cowardly compromise was the true disgrace.

"Perhaps. But the clan members are truly exhausted. Not only the Uchiha—the clans that joined Konoha have also become frightened and numb from the long years of slaughter and hatred, afraid that one day they might die and their clans might be wiped out."

Korei spoke earnestly. He neither affirmed nor denied anything; he merely stated the facts he knew.

When he had been young, he had been among the most radical Uchiha shinobi.

As for now, for the clan's stability and continuation, he could also let go of his hatred.

These few months of peace had made this old man, who had fought for his entire life, understand the preciousness of peace.

"Hmph, words of weakness. If you are not here to stop me, then I'm leaving. Everyone is waiting for me."

Izayoi sneered, growing somewhat impatient with this old man's endless chatter.

Although this old man had been the close friend of her deceased grandfather and had taken great care of her in the past, he had also taught her her Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and even the techniques for using the Sharingan.

He was both a close elder and someone like a teacher to her.

"...May I ask one more question? After you leave, how do you plan to live?"

Just as Izayoi was about to raise her foot and leave, Korei abruptly asked.

"How else would we live? Naturally, we'll find new employers and work for money."

Izayoi answered without even thinking.

"...In that case, take Meirou with you."

Korei's gaze flickered.

"Uncle Meirou?"

Izayoi frowned.

Uchiha Meirou.

He was one of the Uchiha elite. His Sharingan had reached the Three Tomoe level and had been honed to its limit.

He was currently the clan member most likely to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, as well as Korei's personal guard.

During the previous war with the Senju, he had not appeared on the battlefield. Instead, he had remained behind to carry out the vital task of protecting the clan.

"The times have changed. If you still cling to the ideas of the past, you will die very quickly."

Izayoi had wanted to argue, but when she saw Korei's suddenly stern gaze, her lips moved hesitantly. In the end, she could only nod in agreement.

If she did not accept Korei's condition, Izayoi suspected she would not be able to leave the clan at all.