Dawn arrived as it always did, casting its pale light upon the forest.
With the confirmation that the enemy had retreated, the surviving ninja of the Firefly organization began the grim task of sweeping the battlefield and collecting the bodies of the fallen.
The list of casualties was continuously delivered to Hane Genma's hands.
Morinaga Kanzawa, Hayasaka Ryunosuke, Fuma Goro, Akimichi Kigetsu, Nara Noriyuki, Wutong...
"How many of us are left?" Genma asked.
Beside him, acting as his guard, Fuma Satoshi replied, "Less than thirty. However, a portion of our forces are listed as missing in action. This includes those like Akimichi Miharu, who were shielded by Uchiha Nanami's technique."
Genma nodded. That was true, but the problem remained: for those sent into the future, at what point in the timeline would they return?
Their side's Akimichi Miharu and Uchiha Shizuru had not died on the battlefield, but no one knew the specific time of their return to the present... It was entirely possible they might wake up right in the middle of the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Unbeknownst to Genma at the time, Nanami indeed could not control her Mangekyo Sharingan when the battle first began. However, she gradually mastered her ocular powers as the fight progressed. Within a single day, seven ninja had reappeared within the organization.
By the final count, the Firefly organization had lost more than half of its ninja in this battle. However, if one calculated strictly by the kill-death ratio, the difference between the two sides was not vast; the enemy had also left behind nearly thirty corpses.
Ran was naturally a force of destruction, and Nara Hideyuki had achieved astonishing growth amidst the war. Between the two of them alone, they accounted for more than half of the enemy kills.
Genma did not yet know the effectiveness of the Senju clan's attack on the Hagoromo clan, but regardless, he knew better than to hope the Senju would wipe out the Hagoromo in a single stroke.
A day later, the pursuit squads returned.
The survivors, the wounded, and the dead of the Firefly organization all returned to Kikyo Castle.
In the main hall of the castle keep, the bodies of the sacrificed were laid out in state.
Genma placed a broken arm guard into Fuma Goro's coffin. He would no longer need it.
Then, he looked up at Fuma Satoshi and said, "Clan Head Goro was my right hand. The Fuma clan must rely on you now."
"Yes, Genma-sama." Fuma Satoshi was very young. Genma's words agitated him slightly, but he could not hide the sorrow in the depths of his eyes.
"Go now. Let me be alone for a while."
After Fuma Satoshi left, only Genma and Ran remained in the hall.
They walked to another coffin, where the body of Uchiha Nanami lay quietly.
" The Uchiha clan..."
Before Ran could finish her sentence, Genma interrupted her.
"Do not touch the Uchiha. They are useful."
Nanami's Sharingan were missing. Genma suspected that, much like Uchiha Tajima's eyes, her Mangekyo had been stolen by Black Zetsu.
Nanami's Mangekyo could connect the present and the future, though it was unknown if it could connect the present to the past. However, since her death was now an established fact, that possibility could essentially be ruled out.
Setting aside the specific methods Black Zetsu would use to introduce the chakra of Indra and Asura to evolve a pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan into the Rinnegan... ultimately, it would inevitably involve Uchiha Madara.
In the future, both pairs of Rinnegan would be linked to Uchiha Madara, which meant Madara was bound to the "Rinne Tensei no Jutsu" (Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique).
Under these circumstances, Genma's most correct choice was to ignore the Uchiha clan and allow Black Zetsu to manipulate them.
Not just Nanami, but perhaps all the sacrifices of this battle might have a chance to return to the living world eventually.
Genma decided to preserve Nanami's body carefully.
"Then, the Hagoromo clan," Ran said, her hatred no less intense than Genma's. She felt that this matter should not end here.
"That," Genma replied, "is something we can definitely handle."
Genma suddenly understood why the Hagoromo clan was wiped out in the chaotic warring states era of history; it would be strange if they didn't perish.
After temporarily handling the organization's affairs, Genma went to meet the Daimyo again.
"I heard about your achievements this time. To engage such a powerful ninja clan and ultimately repel them... by no means can this be considered a defeat," Shimizu Kisuke said, offering Genma some consolation, knowing the organization's casualty rate was high.
Repel?
Repelling the Hagoromo clan previously wasn't due to the Firefly organization's power alone, and in the future, Genma would not seek merely to "repel" the Hagoromo clan. That goal was too narrow.
He shook his head and said, "Daimyo-sama, after experiencing this great battle, I have come to realize one thing... Hane Genma whispered, 'The person I once was is dead. Now, I am nothing but ashes.' People must ultimately accept their own mediocrity."
Thinking too far ahead was useless. Ending the current chaos of the ninja world was the realistic goal before them.
The Uchiha and the Senju needed to merge.
"What do you mean by that?" Shimizu Kisuke was confused; Genma didn't look like he was disheartened.
"It means that I am merely a second-rate ninja, while you are a first-rate Daimyo. In the future, you will surely become the master of the Land of Fire."
"The Land of Fire? Second-rate? Isn't that a bit too much self-deprecation?"
It wasn't self-deprecation; it was a fact. In this era, there were only two first-rate ninja.
"Of course. The fire of the Firefly. When the chaotic times end, you will possess the entire continent."
Something was wrong. This was extremely suspicious. Why was Genma suddenly painting such a rosy picture for him?
However, the Daimyo felt it was a good thing that Genma hadn't lost his fighting spirit.
The Firefly organization had not been destroyed and had even repelled the Hagoromo clan. Despite the heavy losses, the cooperation between the organization and the Daimyo would continue.
"Also, Daimyo-sama, through this incident, I have learned that ninja should not live mixed among civilians. Otherwise, once an accident occurs, the civilians suffer immense damage..."
"I intend to establish a ninja village in the forest east of Kikyo Castle and relocate the organization there."
"Aside from dispatching specialized Guardian Ninja to your side, the organization will try to refrain from interfering in internal political affairs."
Genma made this decision partly because Kikyo Castle had indeed suffered a calamity it didn't deserve, and partly because he had developed a relatively deep sense of trust in Shimizu Kisuke.
"A ninja village? The kind with one clan per village?"
"...Probably, maybe, perhaps not quite the same."
The organization stabilized once more, retracting its claws to slowly lick its wounds.
Although they hadn't finished clearing out the surrounding minor factions, the prestige of repelling the Hagoromo clan was such that no faction dared to try and snatch chestnuts from the fire.
Nara Hideyuki temporarily left the organization, taking Nara Noriyuki's body back to the Nara clan's village.
Within such a short time, one of the two ninja sent out had died in battle. The Clan Head, Nara Naoyuki, began to doubt his decision for a moment.
That was until Nara Hideyuki explained what he and the organization had encountered during this period.
"Hideyuki, I think I understand. So your meaning is..."
"The organization is currently in a temporary state of weakness. Regardless, this is our best opportunity to join them," Nara Hideyuki said firmly.
A clansman had died, yet he was persuading the entire clan to join that very organization? Nara Naoyuki did not suspect Hideyuki of being brainwashed into betraying the family interests.
"You aren't afraid of the Hagoromo clan's subsequent retaliation?"
Nara Hideyuki shook his head. "The ones who should be worried are them. In the near or distant future, if one side must perish, it will inevitably be the Hagoromo."
This conviction left Nara Naoyuki stunned. After a moment, he said, "Hideyuki, come with me. I want to test your strength."
And then?
Then the Clan Head was quickly defeated.
After just one night, Nara Naoyuki weighed the pros and cons and finally accepted Hideyuki's view... Since they were going to place a bet, they might as well bet heavy. Life requires the resolve to go all-in at least once.
"Clan Head, just like with the previous three-clan merger, what if there are stubborn clansmen who don't agree with your decision?" Nara Hideyuki was pleased the Clan Head accepted his judgment, but immediately raised another concern.
"Don't agree? Who is the Clan Head? Then let them go their own way... I will explain this matter to the Daimyo. If the Daimyo is willing to move west, we will surely retain our noble status. Do they not feel anxious staying beside Sonoshi-shiki?"
Three days later, a large group consisting of a mix of civilians and ninja began to quietly migrate west.
However, shortly after leaving, they encountered another slightly smaller group. Caught off guard, the two sides almost clashed.
Upon closer inspection—well, it turned out to be the Yamanaka clan. Allies.
Damn it, both allies acting secretly on their own without tipping off the other?
Both sides grumbled internally, but given the magnitude of the matter concerning the future of their clans, it was only right that everyone was extremely cautious.
Almost simultaneously, while Genma was overseeing the relocation in Kikyo Castle, he encountered a strange situation. His subordinates suddenly reported that a ninja clan claiming to have "wandered for half a lifetime without meeting a worthy master" had come specifically to pledge allegiance.
Genma had been focusing his energy on internal organization affairs these past few days, so he hadn't realized that after repelling the Hagoromo clan, the Firefly organization's reputation was no longer what it used to be.
To say it had spread across the entire ninja world might be an exaggeration, but the name of Firefly was definitely no longer confined to the remote borderlands.
"What ninja clan?" Genma asked curiously.
With the organization's numbers greatly reduced, as long as there were no major issues or history of betrayal, Genma didn't care about the newcomers' original strength. If they seemed suitable, he would accept them.
"There aren't many of them. The leader calls himself Aburame."
"...Good name." Genma immediately stood up, mimicking the eagerness of ancient sages welcoming talent, and said, "Where are they? I will go to welcome them."
Sniped!
One could only say that the Nara and Yamanaka clans, dragging their families and belongings along, were simply not fast enough. They had woken up early only to arrive late at the market.
Regret was the most profound emotion Akimichi Shingu had felt during this time. Since the battle ended, he had been suffering internally.
His eldest brother Miharu was missing—though according to Genma-sama's explanation, he knew his brother would return sooner or later—but his second brother was truly dead.
Of the three brothers, only he remained.
If he hadn't been so pretentious before and had directly accepted that secret technique, would he be stronger? Would the outcome have changed?
However, reality had no "ifs."
After Nara Hideyuki returned, the "Secret Technique Inoculation" duties originally managed by Fuma Goro were handed over to him. Thus, Akimichi Shingu came before him.
"Are you sure?"
Nara Hideyuki asked. Because the Nara clan had missed the chance to be the "first loyalists" due to a series of mishaps, he was feeling a little unhappy.
So, when he asked, he transformed into a "Cursed Spirit Form," tentacles dancing wildly, scaring Akimichi Shingu until his face was pale and his body couldn't stop trembling.
"I am sure."
Yet, his answer did not change.
The location for the ninja village was chosen deep within that quiet forest.
The ninja had already cleared out a camp area. Genma didn't stay long in Kikyo Castle and came directly here.
For now, he could only live in a tent, and with so many new members joining, it felt like there was an endless stream of work.
That night, while he was busy, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Little Seven wandering near the tent... Since the battle ended, he hadn't sorted out his mood yet, so he hadn't paid much attention to Little Seven.
Little Seven seemed the same as always, and Genma couldn't help but smile.
However, when Little Seven looked toward him, he froze... He saw a pair of crimson Sharingan in Little Seven's eyes.
Nanami's eyes were not with Black Zetsu, but with Little Seven?
Genma had seen Little Seven merge with other summons and take away chakra more than once. Could this ability apply to humans?
But that didn't seem strange; was there any fundamental difference between ninja and summoned beasts?
Only, could it take away not just chakra, but other organs as well?
What exactly was going on with Little Seven?
Seeing that Little Seven seemed to be signaling him to follow, Genma stepped out of the tent.
After telling the guard at the door, "I'm going for a walk, no need to follow," Genma followed behind the white fox.
Little Seven walked deep into the forest. It wasn't until about an hour later that it stopped... This place was truly devoid of human presence.
At this moment, Genma saw the three-tomoe Sharingan in Little Seven's eyes slowly transform into the shape of the Mangekyo.
Immediately following that, the space-time in front of its gaze began to fluctuate violently.
It felt as if something was about to be born.
"This is... what?"
After several minutes of buildup, the white fox shed two lines of bloody tears. Suddenly, a space-time tunnel opened.
A human figure fell out from within.
Due to the severe spatial displacement, the person swayed unsteadily, their brain seemingly in a reboot state.
Black, medium-length hair, a slender and tall build, pale skin, and...
A long black cloak adorned with red clouds.
Genma suddenly understood. Nanami had left these eyes for him.
"Isn't... your expectation of me a bit too high, Nanami?"
Although Uchiha Nanami didn't know about Asura, she seemed to hope that Genma could become a figure like Asura.
To unite all unite-able forces, pacify the ninja world, and achieve everlasting peace.
To this end, fearing Genma lacked enough support, she had even brought him a powerful helper from the distant future—from what she assumed was a peaceful era.
Only, it seemed Little Seven's paws were a bit too clumsy; it had reached in and pulled out a massive disaster.
"Uchiha... Sasuke..."
Genma called out the name of the summoned person.
At the very least, it was a version of Uchiha Sasuke who had already fought his way through the storms of war.
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