The next day, Yuki woke up early. Her ninja bag and other things were ready, and she couldn't wait to go out. The school had even granted them leave.
"Too slow, Father." After waiting for Ren for half an hour, Yuki was a little angry. She was the type that was hard to coax, and she was very excited to finally go out.
"It's still early." Ren looked at Yuki trying so hard to act like a little adult outside and couldn't help but laugh.
"Father, what are you laughing at?" Yuki widened her eyes, not understanding.
"Nothing. I just remembered something happy." Ren started preparing breakfast.
"Is Mother not getting up today either?" Yuki's eyes widened. It was at least the day she and her brother were going out, shouldn't Mother worry a little?
"With me here, what's there to fear? Besides, isn't the food I make just as good as your mother's?" Ren rubbed his forehead. This little girl.
"Hmm." Yuki finally obediently sat at the table, waiting for breakfast.
At this time, Yuto also got up, still a little sleepy, and greeted them, "Good morning, Sister. Good morning, Father."
"Good morning, Yuto." Yuki greeted seriously.
"Mm~" Yuto went to the bathroom to wash up.
After breakfast, the group gathered at the village entrance. The major clans had brought their most promising children, and Ren led the team.
Such opportunities were rare, and there was no need to worry about safety.
"Good morning, Yuki." Kushina Uzumaki greeted warmly. Now in the Land of Whirlpools, red hair was a symbol of prestige. She had none of the insecurities from the original story and was the outgoing big sister type in class.
"Good morning, Kushina." Yuki acted very serious.
"So this is Big Brother Ren? Even more reliable than I imagined." Kushina spoke frankly.
"He's just a middle-aged man." Yuki suppressed the corner of her mouth from rising, saying something she didn't really mean.
"Honestly, are we going out?" Shikaku acted like an adult. Following him were Choza Akimichi and Inoichi Yamanaka. As the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, they worked very well together, naturally forming a three-person team.
"Going outside, huh? Aren't you curious? There might be lots of delicious food." Choza was a little excited, even though the food in the Land of Whirlpools was already very good.
"Outside isn't always so wonderful." Shikaku sighed.
Some of these children had already been taught about the outside world by their families, while others had not, like the seemingly aloof Yuki, or the lively, bouncing Kushina.
"Let's go, hold hands." Ren used Kurama's chakra to link everyone together, then used Flying Thunder God to teleport them all at once.
"Father…" Yuki murmured softly, displeased. Why didn't he teach her such a convenient technique? It seemed her father had secrets of his own. She would have to confront him tonight.
Ren brought them directly to a battlefield, the clash between Konoha and Sunagakure, where Konoha's White Fang shone brightly. But no matter what, war was war, leaving nothing but sorrowful cries behind.
Seeing corpses strewn everywhere for the first time, the girls immediately vomited, and Yuki was no exception. The scene before her was deeply shocking.
"There's still someone alive." Kushina quickly tried to help a Sand ninja.
But what greeted her was a kunai. The ninja intended to finish her off, but his move was slower than Shikaku's, and a shadow immediately bound him.
"Good job." Ren nodded in satisfaction. These little ones weren't complete novices after all.
Hearing Ren praise others, Yuki gritted her silver teeth. She felt like such a failure. She had vomited and hadn't protected her friend, despite knowing so many techniques.
"Who are you?" On the battlefield, anyone not wearing their own village's clothing was killed.
The Sand ninja glared at them with hatred, seeing no children here—only soldiers. In this world, eight-year-olds practically had to fight.
"We are from the Land of Whirlpools. We're here to let the children see the world." Ren replied.
"Ha ha ha—" The Sand ninja laughed. The Land of Whirlpools brings out children to see the world?
And here their own children were already on the battlefield at eight.
Thinking of this, the man's laughter turned bitter. He longed for his village to be strong, so it could be like the Land of Whirlpools.
"We belong to a neutral country. You can leave." Ren had no intention of fighting. He was thinking about how to draw out Black Zetsu. If he couldn't seal him, even if he unified the ninja world, peace was impossible.
That's why he initially pulled the Land of Whirlpools from the chaotic world, making it a neutral country.
There were two conditions for neutrality: one, like the Land of Iron, had no resources; two, like the Land of Whirlpools, was overwhelmingly strong.
The Sand ninja said nothing. A secret technique of a ninja in his teens had just immobilized him. Attacking now would only bring humiliation, so he quickly moved away from them.
"So, what do you think of this scene? Yuki, answer first." Ren looked at the group, asking. Outside, corpses lay everywhere, and he was giving a live lesson, a very unusual teaching method.
"Yes, Father." Yuki took a deep breath and continued, "War is cruel."
"Other than that?"
Yuki's face turned bright red. Her eyes were full of resentment as she looked at Ren. He didn't even give his daughter any face. She decided she wouldn't leave him anytime soon.
"Shikaku, your father should have told you about the situation outside. You answer this."
"Yes. It should be about turning internal chaos into external chaos, and at the same time, plundering resources." Shikaku said calmly.
"That's basically it. Do you all understand?" Ren nodded with satisfaction. No wonder the Nara clan was known for their intelligence in the original story.
"We understand," the others said in unison.
"Big brother Ren." Kushina raised her hand.
"Kushina, if you have any thoughts, just speak."
"Then why won't our country go to war?" Kushina asked, curious.
"There are usually two kinds of countries that won't be attacked. One, countries with zero natural resources. Two, countries with overwhelming strength. The Land of Whirlpools belongs to the second type, so naturally no nation dares to provoke it." Ren explained patiently.
The place fell silent. Before, war seemed far away. The Land of Whirlpools was prosperous, and its people were full of smiles. Now, on the battlefield, they understood what war really was—bodies were everywhere, some mutilated beyond recognition.
"Let's go. Staying here isn't meaningful anymore." Ren led the group away from the battlefield.
The group, who had been excited at first, gradually grew silent. Everywhere they looked was devastation. Yuki and the others followed Ren, staring at his tall figure in a daze.
"The ninja world isn't a good place. But I brought you out because the Land of Whirlpools could face war in the future too." Ren sighed.
Although the village was strong, Black Zetsu would surely act to save his mother.
Shikaku, being so intelligent, naturally understood Ren's implied meaning: grow, don't slack off, and never forget history.
Next, Ren led the group to a village after the war. The villagers here were very different from those in the Land of Whirlpools—thin, lifeless eyes, and not a single smile.
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