Chapter 133

Kaito remembered, there seemed to exist an intriguing familial remnant in the Land of Grass.

This remnant, in fact, was the Uzumaki clan, a distant relative of the Senju clan!

Truth be told, Kaito was rather baffled about the origins of the Uzumaki clan. He even speculated whether some past member of the Senju clan had intermingled with someone from an outside clan.

Could it have been the case that a person possessing certain Senju talents appeared, and the Uzumaki clan gradually took shape from there?

However, all of this likely happened several centuries, or even a millennium ago. Kaito felt too lazy to delve into such depths.

After all, he wasn't versed in any technique like "Impure World Reincarnation". Even if he were, it's doubtful he could excavate any significant information, like ancient Senju clan remains, from hundreds or thousands of years ago.

"And who's to say what I could dig up would be of any use anyway!"

As for the origins of the Uzumaki clan, Kaito had no way of investigating. And the future of the Uzumaki clan, he feared, might also be fraught with difficulties.

Among the living members of the Uzumaki clan that Kaito knew of, there was Nagato and Naruto, and possibly Karin and her mother.

Kaito wasn't sure if Karin's mother was dead or alive, but he was confident that Karin was still in the Land of Grass!

Karin was taken away by Orochimaru, which if memory served, occurred during the Chunin Exams.

Karin, of course, had developed a crush on Sasuke because he saved her during the exam and was quite handsome, which led to her downfall.

Previously, Kaito hadn't considered Karin. On the one hand, he had forgotten about her entirely, given the pressure of life.

On the other hand, he had no reason to bring Karin back, especially since he held no significant sway at the time. Bringing her back might even cause her to be suspected as a spy.

Even worse, after all his effort to bring her back, it could end up benefitting Hiruzen Sarutobi, which was the last thing he wanted.

"If we are going to pass through the Land of Grass this time, it might be worth checking in."

After all, Karin Uzumaki was a named character in the original story, and this girl's abilities were quite impressive.

Not to mention her unpredictable sensory abilities, even her blood that can quickly heal injuries is worth studying.

"At worst, we could use her blood to create medicine for quick injury recovery."

Kaito quickly thought in his mind, and they also started to speed up towards the Land of Grass.

However, they did not stay in the Land of Grass. Kaito indeed wanted to find Karin, but he knew very well that now was not a good time.

Who knows if they would encounter any battles in their trip to the Land of Bears. If they were to bring along an unnecessary person now, it wouldn't be a pleasant thing at all.

...

"Finally, we're here."

Looking at the somewhat dilapidated village in front of him, Kaito couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. They had spent a week traveling all the way from the Land of Fire.

Throughout the journey, they were extremely cautious, especially Kaito, who was particularly vigilant when passing through the Land of Rain.

However, luckily, although they did encounter ninjas from the Rain village, they did not run into anyone from the Akatsuki.

Thus, they successfully passed through and entered the Land of Birds, and finally arrived in the current Land of Bears after passing through the Land of Grains.

Kaito knew from the past that the Land of Bears was a rather desolate country, for as a battlefield of the major powers, they genuinely had no chance for development.

However, such desolation was just a concept for Kaito.

He had been to the Land of Bears before, but due to the poor relationship between the Leaf and Rock villages, the area where Kaito stayed was essentially within the control of the Sand village.

Even though the relationship between the Sand and Leaf was actually very bad in reality, and the so-called alliance was merely a result of being forced to sign after defeat, it was still safe now.

That area gave Kaito the impression that it had some semblance of civilization.

After all, it was a force backed by a major power, so it still had some room for development.

Indeed, the major powers would make some investments for their own interests, but that did not belong to the Land of Bears, but to the Sand.

Here in Hoshigakure (Star Ninja Village), one could truly see the real state of the Land of Bears. The broken village made Kaito feel like he had returned to the times of war.

Even though he had experienced the battlefield at the end of the war, he had seen what a city looked like after it had been ravaged by war.

He even remembered a village he passed through, where the people had such numb, indifferent expressions, they wouldn't even notice the corpses by the roadside.

In Kaito's eyes, these people could no longer be called humans. A more accurate definition would be walking corpses, the living dead.

Though Hiruzen Sarutobi had overstepped his bounds in many ways, there was one thing he didn't do too badly as a Hokage.

That was to never let the war reach the Land of Fire, let alone the Leaf Village.

Even the Nine-Tails incident, in a strict sense, occurred during the era of the Fourth Hokage, not during his tenure.

"Yes, we've finally arrived."

Shisui also gently nodded his head, and with a sigh, he observed the broken village before him.

"Although we've seen many villages in this state, it's still quite shocking each time we encounter one.

You've explained to me the reasons for the occurrence of war in the world, and I now understand the significance of Leaf Village's presence in the Land of Rivers.

But a question has always bothered me - how can we make this world free from war?"

A world without war is a grand and distant topic. Kaito knew that in human history, the only thing that never ceases is war.

The struggle for benefits is an unchanging topic throughout history, and war is a special and direct manifestation of it.

In this world, people have long pondered this question, and interestingly, one of them belonged to their clan.

And this person was Uchiha Madara!

The main reason for Uchiha Madara's fallout with Hashirama Senju was his belief that Senju's faith had changed.

When they founded the Leaf Village, the goal was to bring peace to the entire ninja world and end the incessant wars. On this point, Senju supported him.

But when other countries also established their own ninja villages, Senju naively thought that the war was over.

Uchiha Madara, however, believed that the establishment of ninja villages was not the advent of peace, but an expansion of the scale of war. Therefore, his idea was to evaluate the entire ninja world!

The final outcome is known to all - Uchiha Madara felt betrayed and chose to leave the village.

However, after leaving, in order to gain the power of Senju, and also to prove himself correct through his actions, he took the Nine-Tails and directly attacked the Leaf Village.

Such suicidal action made him a true villain, surviving until he finally met his end against Tobi.

But undeniably, he was truly worthy of inheriting the Sage's eyes, for his vision indeed saw through the future.

With the establishment of the ninja villages, the entire ninja world became a terrifying war machine. This war machine brought about a war that caused endless suffering for countless participants.

Kaito had heard that many ninjas who participated in the entire war, when they close their eyes, can only see the bloody battlefields in their minds, and even Kaito's late participation in the war was a fresh memory.

The brutality of that war is not something that can be described in books, but an unimaginable pain experienced first-hand.

While the Warring States period of a thousand years was chaotic, considering the continuation and heritage of the clans, the disputes between the major ninja clans often stopped at an appropriate level.

Very few would choose to engage in a devastating war that ends in mutual destruction. Therefore, although there were constant wars during the Warring States period, the intensity of the war was truly not high.

But after the establishment of the ninja villages, the intensity and scale of the war increased by dozens of times.

Many bloodline clans and secret technique clans that had been passed down for thousands of years either perished or declined in the short span of forty to fifty years after the establishment of the ninja villages.

In the library of the Uchiha clan, there were still records of many bloodline clans that were famous during the Warring States period.

"But these clans, either they are extinct now, or only a few members remain in the world of shinobi. Even in Konoha, the Senju clan, one of the founders of the village, is now severely depleted, almost extinct. There are also the Hatake clan, known for their swordsmanship, the Kato clan, masters of the 'Spiritualization Technique', and the Amari clan who can control the five senses; their situations are all quite dire. And all this is really because the vision of Hashirama Senju was too narrow."

"In fact, the solution has been there for a while, it's just that no one has implemented it." Kaito sighed lightly, patting Shisui's shoulder as he moved forward.

"It's been there for a while?" Shisui was a bit confused by Kaito's cryptic comment, "When, or what exactly is the solution?"

"The answer is simple. It's our former clan head who left Konoha, Uchiha Madara."

Kaito calmly spoke a response that drastically changed Shisui's complexion, but he continued speaking without concern.

"Think about it, review what kind of wars we are fighting now, and what the wars during the Warring States Period recorded in our family history were like.

Madara Uchiha believed back then that the establishment of the ninja villages would escalate the intensity of wars to an unimaginable level, but the First Hokage saw this as the beginning of peace.

So he rejected Madara Uchiha's proposal, unwilling to continue the conquest, but what is the truth, Shisui?"

What is the truth?

Shisui fell silent, his fist involuntarily clenching as he looked at the battered village in front of him.

The truth is, the whole world of shinobi didn't get better; instead, it got much worse...

...

After some disguising, Kaito and Shisui quickly entered the Star Village. After communicating with the alert Star Shinobi, they were taken to the Star Shadow Building.

Even though this place was no longer the territory of the Sand and Stone Villages, neither Kaito nor Shisui were foolish enough to act under the name of Uchiha.

Likewise, they gave themselves a name—Kaito actually wanted to use code names, but after some thought, they didn't quite qualify as an organization, and they might not continue this for long, so pseudonyms were enough.

Kaito gave Shisui the name 'Narumiya Takayuki'. This guy was always indecisive, even avoiding reality at critical moments, so this name didn't short-change him.

As for Kaito himself, he originally wanted to go with 'Kasugano Haruka'.

After all, as a descendant of the Uchiha, Kaito inherited one of the better traditions of the family.

It's quite interesting about this clan—being handsome seems to be the norm.

But if you look a bit odd or unattractive, you will definitely make a deep impression in this clan.

Kaito is in the category of 'plain and ordinary' within the Uchiha clan, so there's no problem with him using this name.

Yet, considering he did not have silver hair and that he was an only child, he felt it would be better not to use that name.

"Speaking of which, there's nothing wrong with this name. After all, I do know someone named Yan Ye. I just don't know who in the world is called World? Maybe I should ask Hiashi when I get back?"

Kaito's mind was a chaotic jumble, while Shisui looked at Kaito with a strange expression on his face. He felt there was a deeper meaning behind the names Kaito had chosen for them, but he couldn't put his finger on it. This uncertainty was slightly stifling.

Thankfully, they had arrived at the so-called Star Shadow Building, and Shisui had no choice but to set his thoughts aside. He began to carefully observe the layout of the Star Shadow Building.

Not until they were led into an office did Shisui speak in a whisper audible only to Kaito and himself.

"The Star Ninja Building has three exits, whether there are secret exits is unknown. The number of ninjas here is not many, about twelve on guard after we entered.

They do not seem to be from the Anbu, as their concealment techniques are very... ordinary. However, their chakra is strange.

It's quite massive, seemingly beyond the reach of an average Jonin, but their chakra is complex, not like pure chakra power."

Shisui's ninja qualities were truly high. In just a few minutes since their arrival, he had observed everything within his reach.

This was probably a habit of his as an Anbu ninja, but it could not be denied that such careful demeanor had indeed satisfied Kaito.

"I see. Before I came, I roughly understood their situation. It seems they are practicing their secret techniques through a meteorite."

Kaito nodded and then spoke in a soft voice.

"The secret technique is powerful, but it seems to have some issues. Did you notice that there seems to be something wrong with their bodies?"

Upon hearing Kaito's words, Shisui couldn't help but fall silent. He had indeed noticed that something was not quite right with their bodies.

Even though his feelings were still vague, he could indeed detect something.

If it were before, he definitely would not have discovered this, let alone compile such detailed intelligence.

All these changes had occurred after he was injected with that special substance. He felt as if even his sensory abilities had been enhanced.

However, now was not the time to discuss these things, as he had noticed someone walking towards them. Looking up, he saw an elderly man accompanied by several middle-aged ninjas entering.

The old man appeared spirited, and his chakra was quite substantial, yet Kaito keenly sensed that his physical condition was terrible.

Not just him, those behind him also had various problems. However, due to their relative youth, Kaito did not feel as strongly about them.

"Are you the ninjas planning to take over our war commission?"

The old man still seemed full of vigor. He swept his gaze over Kaito and Shisui, then slowly began to speak.

"Those who dare to accept such a task are not simple characters, but this time, the trouble we're facing is great. After all, we have to deal with ninjas hired by a major country.

I must clarify a few things. Can you disclose your organization, and how many of you plan to complete this mission?"

The old man's tone was assertive, yet he didn't come across as mindless. He wanted clear details about Kaito's side, and even reminded Kaito of the opposition they'd be facing. It was clear that he was wary of the major country's power.

This made Kaito curious. The man knew there was an insurmountable gap between him and the major country, so why did he dare use the title of Star Shadow?

Yet, Kaito was not interested in untangling this question. He just casually lifted his head and lowered his voice, making it sound somewhat hoarse.

"We won't tell you who we are, nor how many of us there are. All you need to do is prepare the money and wait for us to complete the mission, that's all."

Kaito's words were arrogant, but he knew when to be arrogant, they were hired ninjas, not these people's subordinates.

And to be frank, the other party was the one in need. He didn't have to worry about the so-called 'customer experience'.

"Arrogant!" At that moment, a middle-aged man with grey hair suddenly shouted, "Who do you think you are, acting so wild in the Star Ninja Village, in front of Star Shadow?"

"And who are you?"

Kaito looked at the man, thinking he looked vaguely familiar. But for such a person, Kaito didn't bother to pay attention. He just calmly said,

"Never mind, you're just a nonessential character. But because of you, I've changed my mind. Pay twenty percent deposit in advance, or we'll go to Iwagakure."

Kaito's words instantly changed the expression of the Third Star Shadow, and the man who spoke had anger reaching its peak on his face.

The faces of the other Star Ninjas who came along weren't looking too good either. They never expected this hired ninja to be so audacious!

"You're courting death..."

The man wanted to say something more, but halfway through, his face turned pale.

Everyone's faces also changed. Unnoticed, Kaito had moved behind him, with a Kunai held against his throat.

The sharp Kunai had already pierced his skin, with specks of crimson blooming on his skin, as if the Kunai would pierce his artery the next moment.

The atmosphere in the entire building became incredibly tense at that moment, but Kaito still spoke nonchalantly.

"Now, forty percent. Gentlemen, have I made myself clear?"

//

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