Chapter 42: One Tree Cannot Make a Forest
"Shizune, you mustn't spread these words around in the future," Tsunade was unusually serious.
Shizune nodded.
Though Tsunade hadn't acknowledged it, she was essentially Tsunade's disciple. She knew these words getting out would be bad for both Tsunade and Kyōichi, so she naturally wouldn't speak carelessly.
"Kid, I'm leaving. Tell the old man not to look for me, I'm not planning to return anyway."
"Won't you stay for a meal before leaving?"
Kyōichi felt somewhat reluctant to see her go.
Though Tsunade had been rough with him, it was precisely this roughness that made him feel like he'd met family—only with family could one be so open-hearted.
"Tch, you think I really can't afford food?"
Tsunade waved her hand casually, the large character for "gambling" prominent on her green clothing.
Kyōichi didn't try to make her stay.
With konoha in turmoil, perhaps it was better for Tsunade, with her hemophobia, to leave.
Kyōichi lowered his head, lost in thought as he looked at the key in his hand.
After a moment, he gripped the key tightly, placed it in his ninja tool pouch, and turned to head toward where Shisui and the others were.
On the hilltop of Shiragumo Town.
Tsunade stood at the height, watching Kyōichi's retreating figure with complex emotions in her eyes. Only after he disappeared behind the wall did she sigh.
"If Nawaki were still alive, he might have become a jonin too..."
"Was he similar to Nawaki?"
Shizune was curious.
"No, he's more like the Second Hokage. As for Nawaki..."
Tsunade shook her head.
But.
She couldn't help thinking of Nawaki, since he wasn't much older than Kyōichi.
However.
"I'm just feeling nostalgic."
"Lady Tsunade, you mentioned earlier that Konoha is in a dangerous situation, and other ninja villages might test us with attacks. If another war breaks out, will you return?"
Shizune asked.
The war with the Sunagakure had ended.
But according to Tsunade, this was just the beginning.
Since Tobirama Senju's death, conflicts between Konoha and other ninja villages had never truly stopped. After the Three Legendary Sannin fought Hanzo, things were peaceful for two or three years, but friction soon resumed.
Tsunade had traveled through many countries these years and clearly understood how the major nations surrounding the Land of Fire viewed Konoha—
They all yearned for the Konoha's defeat!
Peace wouldn't last long.
"If I return... what could I do? We'll see when the time comes."
Tsunade shook her head.
The Third sending Kyōichi to find her clearly showed he hoped to use Kyōichi to resolve her emotional turmoil and get her to return to serve Konoha.
But.
She had hemophobia, which few people knew about. Even if she returned, what could she do?
Tsunade turned to leave.
Kyōichi looked back in this direction.
Tsunade had really left.
Though it was somewhat regrettable, her condition clearly wasn't suitable for asking too many things, let alone trying to resolve her hemophobia.
It had only been a few years since Nawaki and Dan Kato died.
Tsunade herself was a medical genius; if psychological illness were so easy to cure, it wouldn't have persisted for so many years.
Some things need not only time to wash away but also an unexpected opportunity or fate.
"Asuma, why don't you rest for a while..."
"No need!"
Asuma gathered chakra, continuing to cut stone bricks with wind nature transformation.
Shisui likewise gathered wind chakra, attempting to combine nature transformation with his samurai sword to split stone bricks.
This was the training the shadow clone had assigned.
As for Kurenai.
She was carrying stone bricks.
The workers originally wouldn't let the ninja do this, but hearing the shadow clone say it was a mission and training, they couldn't refuse and had to let them help.
However.
Because of this, the work progressed much faster. Tasks that would have taken several days were basically completed in one afternoon.
In the evening, at the town mayor's insistence, Kyōichi's team of four attended the town's banquet.
The food was abundant, and the villagers were very warm.
"Sensei, I used to think villagers were hard to get along with, that they were incompatible with us Uchiha. Now I see it's not the villagers who are incompatible, but us Uchiha."
Shisui spoke thoughtfully.
This journey had helped him understand many things.
Villagers weren't difficult to get along with.
As long as you don't consider yourself superior and interact with them as equals, they'll naturally respond with their own warmth.
The Uchiha weren't like this.
The Police Force, the high walls around their compound, and their title as Konoha's number one clan naturally isolated them from the outside world, and they never had any intention of connecting or communicating with outsiders.
Like this, how could they hope for the Hokage position?
It wasn't that simple!
"Good that you understand. One tree doesn't make a forest. If you don't integrate and help the forest grow, when the woodcutters come, they'll cut down the isolated trees first."
"Sensei's words... I think I've read something similar before."
Shisui paused for a moment.
The words were different, but the meaning was similar.
"As Kagami-senpai's descendant, you've probably seen similar ideas in his writings. However, blindly believing books is worse than having no books. When reading, you should think for yourself and view things dialectically."
"Yes."
Shisui nodded.
Kyōichi didn't continue.
Shisui was only five years old; saying too much at once might be too much for him to understand. It was better to let him digest things slowly.
He was currently the only "prize student" who regarded Kyōichi as a life mentor, so he needed to be cultivated carefully.
Asuma was chatting happily with the townspeople.
However.
The content of his conversation was rather bold.
"Uncle, who do you think is more important, the Daimyo or the Hokage?"
"How would I know? Whoever can keep us safe and well-fed is more important."
"Is that so?"
"..."
This child was still obsessing over his "king" question.
Kyōichi's previous answer had helped him understand the nature of the "king," but Asuma didn't know who his "king" was.
The Hokage?
No, coming from the Hokage's family, he actually didn't have that much reverence for the Hokage. Before meeting Kyōichi, he even thought the Daimyo was the "king."
Now his thoughts had changed somewhat.
But exactly what they were, he was still exploring for himself.
Kyōichi didn't intervene.
What one discovers for oneself is far more profound than what others teach.
Two or three days later.
With Kyōichi's team's help, The Town's repairs were gradually completed, and the C-rank mission was finished.
Afterward, they visited the town's surroundings and, with the mayor's cooperation, returned the stolen property to their original families before starting their journey back to the village.
Whether it was Asuma, Shisui, or the relatively carefree Kurenai, they all felt heavy-hearted now.
As they approached the village.
Asuma asked, "Sensei, can we take another C-rank mission next time?"
"Addicted to missions?"
"No, I just feel that doing missions outside the village lets us learn a lot while training, much better than just training in Konoha."
Asuma explained.
Kurenai and Shisui nodded in agreement.
"You're the Third's son. Make some noise at home, and maybe next time we'll get a B-rank mission."
"Huh?"
Laughter filled the forest, with only Asuma standing there confused, taking a long time to realize his sensei was teasing him, leaving him speechless.
But B-rank...
Hmm.
That level of mission would involve interactions with various ninja.
Rather tempting!