The system finally activated?

Madara and Hashirama each returned to their clansmen and explained that they wanted a ceasefire with the other side.

People immediately objected when they heard the news, but the opposition was nowhere near as fierce as before. In fact, only a handful spoke up-and they had the Kaguya Clan to thank for that!

Compared to an old blood feud, the fresh hatred born of a massacre cut far deeper. Too many clansmen had died in this battle. After watching so many friends and relatives die before their eyes, their hatred for the Kaguya Clan had reached unimaginable heights!

In a sense, did this count as the first reconciliation between the Senju and the Uchiha? Well, if it really succeeded and the Shinobi World achieved peace in the future, they would definitely inscribe the Kaguya Clan's contribution to world peace on their tombstones!

Huh? Had they already decided the Kaguya Clan would be wiped out?

Uzumaki Gamu: "Honestly, even if nobody attacked them, their whole clan would eventually die out from hereditary disease. And that's not even getting into their personalities. They'd backstab their allies just to win! A clan with absolutely no honor-if they don't die out, who will?"

In short, the Kaguya Clan's destruction was historically inevitable. Unless an outside force intervened, it was... their fate!

As for someone who could intervene...

Uzumaki Gamu: "Do I look that bored? Why would I save a bunch of lunatics? Well, if Kimimaro were the only one left, I might consider saving him. That kid seemed pretty well-behaved~~ The question is, will I even live that long?"-Apparently, there wasn't much hope!

Back to the point. Thanks to the Kaguya Clan's surprise attack, the Senju and the Uchiha now shared an enemy and had no interest in continuing their feud for the time being. Thanks to that, the ceasefire was settled!

Both sides put away their weapons and began clearing the battlefield and gathering their clansmen's remains.

With nothing pressing to do, Hashirama and Madara returned to Uzumaki Gamu. They weren't just there to see him; more importantly, their fathers' remains were with him... After the two had gone to their respective clansmen, Uzumaki Gamu seemed to have done something to their fathers' bodies.

...Surely he wasn't disrespecting the dead?

Uh... in a sense, that was exactly what he was doing!

When Madara approached, he said, "Gamu, what are you... holy shit, what are you doing?!!!"-What had Uzumaki Gamu done to make even Madara swear?

Hashirama approached with sweat practically cascading down his face. He wouldn't even have dared imagine doing what Uzumaki Gamu had done!

So, what had Uzumaki Gamu done? First, he had put their fathers' bodies back together. The Bone Spears had sliced the two men at the waist into two and a half pieces, so naturally, he had to reconnect them to make their remains presentable!

Uzumaki Gamu had used the steel wire meant for controlling ninja tools-the kind Sasuke loved-to stitch their upper and lower halves together. That was a good thing, wasn't it? Why did those two look like that?

Well, besides that, Uzumaki Gamu had also been bored enough to join their hands together, making them look like lovers whose devotion transcended death!

Honestly, if their souls were still nearby, they would probably have risked total spiritual annihilation to kill Uzumaki Gamu. These two had spent their entire lives as mortal enemies, and now, at the very end... they were holding hands?

Was this some kind of joke?!!!!!

When Uzumaki Gamu saw Hashirama and Madara approach, he said with a mournful expression, "The family's here? Then I'll begin the eulogy... Dear neighbors, friends, and relatives: on this day filled with sorrow and indignation, we gather in deepest grief to attend the memorial service of Mr. Butsuma Senju and Mr. Uchiha Tajima. Today, we mourn these two gentlemen together, for their lives were glorious, hardworking, and unassuming. Though they spent their lives as mortal enemies, they reconciled before death ('Kaguya, fuck your ancestors!'), found a common purpose ('Fuck those goddamn Kaguya!'), and became dearest loved ones!! May they continue this friendship in the land of the dead. Red candles blaze upon two silhouettes; harmonious strings play their endless joy. May you enjoy a hundred years of marital bliss in the afterlife and bask forever in love! May your friendship be as rich as red wine, a bond that time can never sever."

If Uzumaki Gamu actually delivered that eulogy at a funeral home, the customers would probably beat him to death! Who suddenly started wishing the deceased marital bliss halfway through?

As for the two bereaved sons behind him...

"...Is this something a human being would do?" Madara asked, holding his head.

Hashirama rubbed his chin. "I think... it's pretty good?"

"Hashirama!! Are you serious? You're joking around with him on an occasion this solemn?" Madara roared. Whatever else might be said, the dead deserved respect. Making jokes about them was rather distasteful!

"Uh... surely putting past hatred to rest after death is a good thing?" Hashirama said earnestly. "Hating each other while alive was already something we could do nothing about. If they could stop resenting each other after death and start over... I think that would be good! At least, I hope they can!"

"...Hashirama." Madara turned toward their fathers' bodies. "If hatred could be severed that easily, peace wouldn't be so difficult!"

"That's true!" Uzumaki Gamu nodded. "But difficult doesn't mean impossible... At least there's much less hatred between your clans now~"

"...I don't want to use a method that takes so many deaths to dissolve hatred!" Hashirama said. He was still too kindhearted to like such an approach.

"Well, sometimes there's no other choice..." Uzumaki Gamu sighed. "Peace is never won through compromise alone. Unity sought through struggle endures; unity sought through surrender perishes. If you think making concessions will get the other side to back down, peace will never come!"

Both Hashirama and Madara felt enlightened by those words!

Uzumaki Gamu continued, "This might sound pretty damn dark, but this incident really has made peace between your clans easier to achieve... Most of the rigid old fossils are dead, and you two have become clan heads. Next, you just need to educate the younger generation properly and push out the remaining old diehards who still reject outsiders. Maybe your clans can achieve a reconciliation that's eluded them for centuries~"

Madara: "...I hate to admit it, but what you're saying might actually work!"

Hashirama quipped, "Are we supposed to thank the Kaguya for creating this opportunity?"

"No need to thank them. They just managed to do something good with bad intentions..." Uzumaki Gamu turned toward them. "Speaking of which, you two are the bosses of your clans now. Without your dads keeping you down, maybe you can sneak out to meet up like before~"

"Our fathers just died. Don't say things like that..." Madara complained. Things that make me want to hum happily!!

He hated to admit it, but the thought of nobody holding him back anymore, of being free to do whatever he wanted-such as meeting up with Uzumaki Gamu and Hashirama-made Madara want to hum!

Hashirama felt much the same. Of course, they only thought about it. If they actually hummed aloud, their reputations would be ruined for life. They might as well find somewhere to disembowel themselves afterward!

While the three chatted, another pair of sworn enemies was also talking!

Watching Uzumaki Gamu and the other two, Tobirama said to Izuna nearby, "Looks like... we won't be fighting the Uchiha much anymore." Though nobody had explicitly said so, anyone could see how close Hashirama and Madara were... Oh, and now Uzumaki Gamu belonged in that group too!

"Has my brother... forgotten the deaths of our brothers?!" Izuna said angrily. After all, both sides' brothers had been killed by members of the opposing clan. Whatever Madara felt, Izuna, at least, couldn't let it go so easily!

"Whatever my brother thinks, I'll never forget our brothers' deaths," Tobirama said. "But... if setting that hatred aside gives our clansmen better lives, it's not impossible!"

Izuna turned toward Tobirama in disbelief. "Are you really someone who gives in that easily?"

"Give in? I'm simply making the most reasonable choice. Rather than the dead, who can no longer feel anything, it's better to give more thought to the living! The adults are gone. Now it's our turn to lead our clans... Whether we've grown up or not, we have to think more carefully now!" Tobirama turned and left to help his clansmen gather the bodies!

Watching Tobirama leave, Izuna kept turning those words over in his mind. The living clansmen and the dead ones? Tobirama Senju... you really are something! As much as he disliked Tobirama, he couldn't help admiring his maturity.

While Izuna was still thinking like a child, Tobirama was already considering the future like a clan leader!

Tobirama's words also woke Izuna up. From now on, he and Madara would lead their clan. They could no longer think only of themselves... They had to consider the entire clan!

After a while, both clans finished clearing the battlefield and gathering all their dead. Without further words, they silently parted and headed toward their respective Clan Homelands. As for the mine, neither the Uchiha nor the Senju had the manpower to control it now. For the time being, it could only be abandoned or occupied by another clan!

Uzumaki Gamu and the other Uzumaki clansmen didn't accompany the Senju. They had only come as reinforcements, after all. There was no need to return to the same place; they could go straight home!

After saying goodbye to Hashirama and the others, Uzumaki Gamu set off home with his clansmen.

Uzumaki Gamu glanced over the group, then said to his older brother, "We've lost half the people we came with."

"Yeah..." Daigu said despondently. "If your clones hadn't come to help, we might have lost even more... Damn those Kaguya!"

"...Hatred, huh?" Uzumaki Gamu couldn't help sighing. Asking people to abandon their hatred after something like this would be sanctimonious as hell. All he could do was sigh helplessly!

Just then, however, Uzumaki Gamu suddenly felt something like an electric current pass through the back of his hand... The Ubisoft symbol on it suddenly moved!

Huh? Could it be... the system finally activated? Uzumaki Gamu thought. After fourteen years, the system was finally showing signs of life!

That should have been cause for celebration, but a question also arose in Uzumaki Gamu's mind. Why had it activated now? Was there some special reason?

-Preparing ninja tools-

The Kaguya Clan's forces returned safely to their Clan Homeland.

Kaguya Jun, who had stayed behind at the Clan Homeland, saw his clansmen returning in high spirits and happily rushed into the crowd to celebrate with them. Before long, however, he noticed something... Where was his dad?

After searching everywhere without finding his father, he immediately sought out the clan uncle who had led the returning party.

The uncle's expression instantly turned grave when he saw Kaguya Jun approach. Before Jun could speak, he said, "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go somewhere else!" The two went somewhere secluded.

"Jun, your father died in battle!" the Kaguya uncle said.

"What? Didn't we win?!!" Kaguya Jun asked in bewilderment.

"Yes, we achieved our strategic objective. We did deal a heavy blow to the Senju and the Uchiha, but..." The Kaguya uncle paused before continuing, "We didn't rout them completely. They rallied their remaining forces and counterattacked, causing us considerable losses too... Your father was killed by their youngsters working together!"

Before returning, the Kaguya uncle had instructed the clansmen not to reveal the clan head's death... At least, not until the celebrations ended!

They had paid a considerable price for this operation. At the very least, the Kaguya Clan's reputation was shot! None of the other Ninja Clans would trust them anymore, and surely nobody would ally with them again!

After paying such a price, they couldn't accept anything short of an overwhelming victory. So even if it was merely an act, they had to appear before the other Ninja Clans as absolute victors. Only then would the others fear the Kaguya. Were they actually descendants of Indians? Win or lose, they had to claim victory, huh?

In short, only the Kaguya could have come up with such brain-dead reasoning!

After learning his father had died, Kaguya Jun struggled to accept it. His father had been fine that morning. When Jun saw them off, they had even agreed to have dinner together that evening... And now death had separated them forever?

Rage and hatred surged from the depths of his heart. His face twisted as he demanded, "Who?!! Who killed my father?!!"

"...The brat you challenged before!" After hesitating, his uncle still named Uzumaki Gamu. His hesitation mainly came from worrying that his nephew would recklessly challenge him to a fight to the death.

Naturally, things went exactly as he feared. Kaguya Jun shouted angrily, "I'll avenge him!! Aaagh..." The words had barely left his mouth before his uncle slapped him clean off his feet!

After spinning through the air and landing, Kaguya Jun stared at his uncle in disbelief. "Uncle, you hit me? Even my dad never hit me..." As if! Once the Kaguya Clan got worked up, they didn't care who you were. Even the king of heaven would get beaten here! Kaguya Jun only said that because the author wanted to make a meme reference!

"Idiot!" his uncle snapped, furious at his foolishness. "You can't even withstand that slap. What makes you think you can avenge him? That Uzumaki brat defeated your father head-on!! Can you do that? No! You can't even last five minutes against your father!! What gives you the right to talk about revenge?" Exactly-what? Courage courtesy of Fish Leong?

Kaguya Jun clawed at the dirt and shouted bitterly, "But... are we just supposed to let my father's murder go?"

"Of course we aren't!" his uncle declared firmly. "You need strength to get revenge, so... you should know what to do next!"

"...I understand. I'll train hard!!" Kaguya Jun said resolutely!

His uncle nodded in satisfaction. "Remember, a gentleman can wait ten years for revenge... Strength isn't gained overnight. To surpass him, you'll have to endure for several years. Once you've gained strength beyond your father's, then go avenge him!"

"Yes!!!" Kaguya Jun answered firmly. Firm as his answer was, their conversation had the flavor of marking a moving boat to find a sword dropped overboard!

Just because you could grow stronger, Kaguya Jun, did that mean Uzumaki Gamu would stand still? By the time you surpassed your father, who knew what level Uzumaki Gamu would have reached~

His uncle had actually considered that too, so he added, "Merely surpassing your father won't be enough. At the very least, you need to train until you can defeat everyone in the clan..."

"What? That..." Kaguya Jun suddenly looked troubled. Was that even humanly possible?

"Hmph. If you can't do it, forget about revenge and go sit somewhere out of the way!" his uncle said disdainfully. "We Kaguya don't need cowards!!"

"...I'll definitely do it!!" Between the insult and his father's murder, those two driving forces filled Kaguya Jun with powerful motivation. He swore to surpass Uzumaki Gamu and then cut him into a thousand pieces to vent his hatred!

Seeing his nephew's expression, the Kaguya uncle smiled in satisfaction and thought, Brother, your life continues to serve a purpose even after death... Jun should now be able to become the strongest of our Kaguya. When that happens... even if the Senju and Uchiha rise again, they still won't be our match!!

He thought that mainly because of Kaguya Jun's potential. Jun was actually very talented, but disliked hardship, so he had always been halfhearted about training and fighting. Now that he had the motivation to train with everything he had, perhaps he could fulfill that potential?

In a sense, had Uzumaki Gamu done their clan a good turn? (Uzumaki Gamu: "Oh? Does he owe me thanks?" Kaguya Jun: "Dream on, you treacherous villain, evil scoundrel, rebellious knave! I swear to capture you alive, eat your flesh, and sleep upon your skin!" Uzumaki Gamu: "Yes, yes, I get it. You're a savage!")

And the Kaguya weren't the only clan thinking of revenge. The Senju and the Uchiha were also planning to retaliate against them!

However, with their fighting strength severely depleted, revenge would have to wait a few years until the new generation grew up!

Thus, all three clans began plans to build up their strength for future battles. Meanwhile, our protagonist, Uzumaki Gamu-the central figure in this whirlpool of revenge-had absolutely no interest in vengeance. He was studying his suddenly activated system!

The system on his hand had activated during the journey home, but Uzumaki Gamu hadn't done anything after noticing it. Mainly, he worried that an explosion, spatial distortion, or even temporal distortion might catch the people around him in its effects!

Uzumaki Gamu had already died once, so he wasn't particularly afraid of death. (Uzumaki Gamu: "I've met Yama and crossed the Bridge of Helplessness. I know what the world over there looks like. What's left to fear?") But if he got other people killed because of himself, that certainly wouldn't be worth it!

So Uzumaki Gamu suppressed his curiosity all the way home!

After returning to the Clan Homeland, Uzumaki Gamu said little and plunged straight into his room!

Ashina, who had wanted to say something to Uzumaki Gamu, looked at Daigu in confusion. "What's gotten into Gamu?"

"Well... maybe he's grieving because so many clansmen died?" Daigu guessed. On the journey home, he had noticed Uzumaki Gamu's grave expression. (Uzumaki Gamu: "Please don't let this thing on my hand explode!!") Carefree as he usually was, it was only natural to feel sad after experiencing war!

Ashina sighed. "Ah... in this era, such things are unavoidable... If it helps that child grow, at least that's a blessing amid the misfortune..." Father and son stood there reflecting on the growth of their second son and younger brother, respectively.

The next moment, however, Uzumaki Gamu ran out of his room and said to them, "I need to go to Mount Myōboku for something. Don't worry about me~" With that, he ran out of the Clan Homeland!

Father and son exchanged looks at Uzumaki Gamu's announcement.

Ashina said to Daigu, "Were we... overthinking things?"

"...Maybe?" Daigu said with an embarrassed sweat. Remembering all their sighing just now made him feel deeply ashamed!

"Speaking of which, why does that brat suddenly need to visit Mount Myōboku again? Did something happen on the battlefield?" Ashina asked curiously.

At the mention of Uzumaki Gamu's feats, Daigu said happily, "Father, you have no idea! My little brother was unbeatable! He was incredible! He's already much stronger than me!" Daigu began chattering away about Uzumaki Gamu's performance on the battlefield.

After hearing him out, Ashina also said happily, "Hahaha! My son really is amazing. With a powerhouse like him, we shouldn't have to worry too much about the future... That means you can go do what you love too, doesn't it?"

Daigu nodded happily. "Yeah. With my little brother here, I shouldn't have to inherit the clan, right?"

"I think you should still inherit it, big brother!" Mito walked over. "Our second brother doesn't want to stay in one place forever. Sooner or later... he'll leave the Clan Homeland!" Mito really understood Uzumaki Gamu.

At that, Ashina and Daigu fell silent. Now that someone had reminded them, how could they fail to realize it?

-Preparing ninja tools-

Uzumaki Gamu ran until he reached somewhere deserted.

Looking at the Ubisoft icon on his hand, he grumbled, "I really wasn't thinking. If it actually exploded, having it blow up at home would be awful too!" Blowing up his own house would definitely be bad!

Anyway, after confirming that nobody was nearby, Uzumaki Gamu finally dared touch the mark on his hand. Earlier, he hadn't even dared lay a finger on it!

The moment he touched it, Uzumaki Gamu felt a pull. Then the mark began spinning like a flushing toilet and sucked him inside... It looked just like Kamui activating~

"Whoa, whoa, whoa~~ I'm dizzy, I'm dizzy! Stop... huh? It actually stopped?" Once the spinning ceased, Uzumaki Gamu found himself in another pitch-black space. The whole place was utterly dark, with nothing except a wheel-like object at its center!

"Ummm... what's going on here?" Uzumaki Gamu scratched his head and addressed the dark space.

The wheel suddenly spoke in response. "Hello. I am the system!"

"Uh... you're the system? That's pretty straightforward... Could you tell me a little about yourself?" Uzumaki Gamu asked.

The wheel answered, "Hello. I am the Dungeon System. I will provide you with assistance!"

"...That's it?" Uzumaki Gamu asked in surprise.

The wheel didn't respond!

Uzumaki Gamu could only keep asking, "So... you can't elaborate?"

The wheel: "Hello. I am currently unable to answer that question. Let's change the subject and talk about something else."

"...You're actually DeepSeek, aren't you?" Uzumaki Gamu said speechlessly. Why was he still encountering these AI-style answers after changing worlds?

In short, it wasn't very intelligent. Apparently, Uzumaki Gamu would have to ask the questions himself. "Well... can I ask why you only activated now?"

The wheel answered, "The host's strength has been detected as meeting the required threshold. The system has therefore been unlocked!"

"I see. So the Senjutsu: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan I used earlier counts as the passing mark? Holy shit, that move only gets me a passing grade? What exactly do you want from me?" Uzumaki Gamu asked in bewilderment.

The wheel answered, "This system will provide the host with dungeon missions. Clearing dungeons and completing missions will grant mission rewards!"

Uzumaki Gamu rubbed his chin. "Sounds interesting. Just the thing to relieve my boredom... But what are these dungeons?"

The wheel: "Hello. I am currently unable to answer that question. Let's change the subject and talk about something else."

"...Fuck you!!" Uzumaki Gamu couldn't help cursing. "Fine, I won't ask anything that complicated. Answer me this: why did Uncle Yama give me this system?"

The wheel: "Hello. I am currently unable to answer that question. Let's change the subject and talk about something else."

"Hey, this isn't how you pad the word count! There's no way you can't answer a question like that, right?" Uzumaki Gamu said speechlessly. But it really couldn't answer, so what could he do?

"...Forget it. Someone arranged my reincarnation anyway. What can I say? So? What's the first dungeon?" Uzumaki Gamu asked. Had he just accepted this setup like that?

Well, mostly, he was simply too bored. He was actually pretty happy to have something to do now. Surely that dungeon would be better than spending every day doing nothing but eating and waiting to die?