Chapter 89: Yugito: "Neji-kun, Please Use Me to Your Heart's Content."
"Conflicts of interest between nations have always existed, and hatred is growing at every moment."
"When the world's situation changes, a new war is inevitable."
"The shinobi world has been calm for so many years only because the Five Great Nations bled themselves dry in the Third Great Ninja War and desperately need to recover."
"We lost the Third Raikage, Iwagakure lost nearly ten thousand people, Kirigakure was reduced to just a few scattered remnants, and Sunagakure was practically wiped out. And Konoha, which fought against four nations, was severely weakened by the Nine-Tails attack and suffered the most."
"Everyone has bled dry. They all need time to lick their wounds and recuperate."
"The moment they recover, and an opportunity arises, they will not hesitate to start a war. When that time comes, Kumogakure will be just like Konoha—an enemy to the entire world. This is the price that must be paid for bearing the title of the number one ninja village."
Yugito held Neji-kun's face in her hands, her sparkling eyes filled with determination. "Then, Neji-kun, is there any way to achieve lasting peace?"
Neji-kun, in turn, wrapped his arms around Yugito's slender waist, his fingertips rubbing gently. His translucent white eyes unfocused, his thoughts drifting. "There is, Yugito-san. There is a way."
"This world has lived in war since the dawn of time. In just over sixty years, the shinobi world has endured three great wars. But we have to admit, compared to the Warring States period, our lives are much better now. And that is thanks to the 'one country, one village' system."
Yugito nodded. "Then, what is the path?"
"Hashirama Senju's unfinished business."
"Unification."
Neji-kun stated it calmly.
Surprise flashed in Yugito's eyes. "Unify the shinobi world?"
Neji-kun nodded slightly. 'But not just the shinobi world,' he thought. 'The moon, too. And beyond that, the shinobi must rise up and take control, no longer to be manipulated by the nobles.'
If shinobi had their own sufficient sources of income, they wouldn't need to rely on missions, and there would be far less conflict between them. Of course, as long as conflicts of interest exist, so will strife.
The current situation for shinobi was absurd. The world was a giant cake. Ninety percent of it, or even more, was held in the hands of the nobles. Shinobi, who possessed superhuman powers, fought and died for the scraps that were left.
It was unfair.
The path to unifying the world would not be easy. Brute force wasn't enough; the key was to break the inherent, ingrained mindset of the shinobi.
Hashirama Senju could have unified the world with his power. But he couldn't convince himself to overthrow the Daimyō and take their place, nor would his followers have agreed. The Daimyō were the true rulers of the world. Even shinobi with transcendent power had to show them respect.
In every Great Ninja War, the battles were fought between shinobi. No matter how brutal it became, the conflict never touched the Daimyō. The Akatsuki, in all their schemes, never once thought to kidnap a Daimyō.
It was an absurd reality.
Hashirama ultimately settled for the "one country, one village" system, most likely because he was wary of the Daimyō.
"Yugito-san, this path will be fraught with peril. But to achieve lasting peace, I have no regrets. Even if the sky falls and the earth shatters, I will walk it to the end."
Hearing this, Yugito's eyes became mesmerized.
"Neji-kun, to be able to follow you on this path to peace is my greatest wish. From this day forward, I am the sharpest blade in your hand and the strongest shield at your back."
"Please, use me to your heart's content."
Neji-kun hugged her tightly. "Yugito-san, the road ahead is long. Thank you for being with me."
That night.
Samui sat on the sofa, her pale, slender legs crossed. She wore a nightgown that stopped short of her knees, failing to hide the alluring mystery of her thighs, which seemed to glow in the dim light.
Her toes, perfect as pearls, curled shyly as she glanced at the wall clock, then relaxed when she looked away.
Beneath her cold expression, her mind was racing, as fickle as her toes.
"It's ten o'clock. Why isn't Neji-kun back?"
'If he left the village for a mission, he would have told me.'
"So... was he asked out?"
'My best friend Yugito wouldn't do such a thing... Was it that Uzumaki woman? The Red Maple Izakaya's owner? Or... one of the Uchiha?'
"Why does everyone get to him before I do?"
'Damn it, would things be different if I had just gathered the courage to take him six years ago?'
But even as she thought it, she knew she wouldn't have had the courage. She might look cold and aloof, but inside, she was a total coward.
Knock, knock, knock.
"He's back?"
Samui's heart leaped, thinking she had worried for nothing. She ran barefoot to the door and opened it.
"Hey, Sis! I'm back!"
A boy with short blond hair and the kanji for "Hot-Blooded" on his arm stood there.
Samui's eyes fell on Atsui, and the warmth in them instantly vanished.
"You're back, so you're back. Why are you shouting?"
Her mouth twitched. She slammed the door and, after putting her shoes on, started walking to her bedroom.
Her hand on the doorknob, she paused and looked back at her brother, her voice softening. "Atsui, have you eaten? There's food in the pot."
Atsui, his arms behind his head, pouted. "I don't want Neji-kun's leftovers."
Samui walked back, stroking his blond hair. "Atsui, you really should learn from Neji-kun."
Atsui slapped her hand away, his lip jutting out. "I hate that guy!"
He stormed off into his room.
Samui sighed and found the maid. "Hana, go to Matsuichi's and buy a top-grade meal box. Send it to Atsui's room."
"Yes, ma'am."
Samui went to her room and lay flat on her bed. From the side, her perfect body sketched an astonishing curve. She quickly put Atsui out of her mind and thought of Neji-kun again.
'It's not too late... should I just take him by force?'
'He can't resist me... probably? I hear the more they resist, the deeper the impression it leaves...'
The next day, at high noon.
Neji-kun stumbled out of Yugito's house, his steps unsteady as he adjusted his pants.
Don't misunderstand. His steps were unsteady because his pants weren't on right and needed to be fixed. It wasn't because his legs were weak. Neji-kun wasn't that drained.
He found an empty training ground, sat on the steps, and began to think.
There was so much to do. Learn senjutsu, perfect his bloodline, fuse the Kekkei Mōra, and fix his low chakra reserves.
The shinobi world's senjutsu traditions were all in Konoha. Perfecting his bloodline required the help of Orochimaru and Hiruko. Neither of those was happening anytime soon.
Fusing the Kekkei Mōra was not something that could be done overnight, but he could put it on the agenda. He didn't need to fuse all seven natures at once. He theorized that if he could raise his nature transformations to a high enough level, and then develop new Kekkei Genkai or Kekkei Tōta based on them, it would help him achieve Kekkei Mōra.
"Right now, I have the Tenseigan, which is Yin-based, and Storm Release, which is Lightning-based. I still need to develop bloodlines for Yang, Wind, Earth, Water, and Fire."
"Looking at Kumo... is Magnet Release an option?"
Magnet Release was extremely rare. Aside from Toroi, all its users were in Sunagakure, so it had become Suna's trademark.
"I hope Magnet Release requires the exact chakra natures I need to train."
Although Magnet Release was a Kekkei Genkai, it wasn't a "blood-based" one like the Sharingan, Byakugan, or Shikotsumyaku. It could be developed. Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance, for Neji-kun, that meant it was one hundred percent possible. Therefore, developing it wouldn't be too difficult.
He then considered his chakra reserves. He was Kage-level, but even among Kage, there were large differences. He couldn't compare to Naruto or Yugito, and he was far behind someone like the Fourth Raikage, who had a unique constitution.
Fwoosh.
Neji-kun took the Amber Purifying Pot from his storage scroll, patting it thoughtfully. It had its own internal space; capturing a Tailed Beast to use as a "power bank" wouldn't be a problem. But all nine Tailed Beasts were controlled by the great villages.
He had to find another source. In the shinobi world, there were two other Tailed Beast-like entities: the Mōryō from the Land of Demons, and the Dragon Vein in the ruins of Rōran. The Mōryō's chakra was evil and violent, useless to him. That left the Dragon Vein.
"What a treasure," Neji-kun smiled, patting the pot. Without it, he'd have to follow Shinnō's example and artificially create a Zero-Tails, which took decades. He couldn't wait that long.
"Speaking of which... even though this is one of the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths, it's not very famous. It's not even as well-known as the Seven Swords of the Mist, let alone Spirit Weapons like the Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror."
"Wait... the Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror?"
Neji-kun stood up abruptly. After a moment, he headed straight for the Uchiha district.
If you were to rank all the weapons in the Naruto world, the Totsuka Blade would be at the top. When Orochimaru used his Eight Branches Technique, his body was nearly immortal, his power comparable to a Tailed Beast. Yet, he was sealed by it with ease. Edo Nagato, who had easily suppressed both Naruto and Killer Bee, was also powerless after being pierced by it. The sword's track record was undeniable.
As for its upper limit... could it seal a Six Paths-level, or even a Kekkei Mōra-level, being? It had never been tested. Besides, a weapon's strength depends on its wielder. Kisame and Samehada were a perfect match, creating an effect greater than the sum of its parts. For Killer Bee, Samehada didn't make much of a difference.
So, it wasn't impossible that Kaguya, wielding the Totsuka Blade, could seal another Kekkei Mōra user.
He could set aside the Yata Mirror for now, but Neji-kun had to have the Totsuka Blade.
He had two theories about what they were.
First: They were unique abilities of Itachi's Susanoo, a part of his chakra.
Second: They were chakra-based Spirit Weapons that Itachi had found by chance and equipped to his Susanoo.
Neji-kun was betting on the latter.
When Itachi used them, Orochimaru was shocked. He had been searching for the Totsuka Blade himself and had no idea Itachi had found it. This was the main reason for his defeat. Black Zetsu, who was watching, also recognized them and knew their abilities. This proved they had existed in history.
Orochimaru had scoured the world and couldn't find it. Itachi was not as worldly as Orochimaru. The fact that he found them first meant the clues must be within the Uchiha clan.
Soon, Neji-kun arrived at the Uchiha district and found Shisui.
The Fourth Raikage was a man who, once he trusted someone, trusted them completely. In just six years, Shisui had been promoted several times and was now the Jōnin Commander, a position of great power.
"Neji-kun, you're here?" Shisui smiled, though he was inwardly curious. Neji-kun came to the Uchiha district often, but he almost always went to Mikoto's house.
Neji-kun got straight to the point. "Clan Head Shisui, I would like to look through the Uchiha's collection of historical records. Is that convenient?"
"The records?" Shisui was puzzled, but nodded slowly. The Uchiha's records were dry and uninteresting, filled with entries like, "On this day, the Uchiha defeated X clan and were glorious." The clansmen were proud of it, but Shisui had no interest.
A truly strong clan wasn't defined by its past glories, but by its present prosperity. The Senju and Uchiha were called the strongest, but one was scattered and the other was nearly wiped out. A clan with power that couldn't even ensure its own survival wasn't truly strong. The Yotsuki clan of Kumo, on the other hand, had weathered every storm and only grown more prosperous. That was the strongest clan.
Shisui didn't know why Neji-kun was interested in their boring records, but it wasn't as if they held any dark secrets. If he wanted to look, he could look.
"The clan records are in the underground vault of the Mount Kumokumo Shrine. I'll take you now."
"Good."
Soon, Shisui led Neji-kun to the new shrine's underground vault. It was wide, large enough for a hundred people. In the center was a one-meter-tall stone tablet, covered in strange, twisting text.
The Uchiha Stone Tablet.
Neji-kun's eyes lit up. "This tablet looks ancient. Was it left by your ancestors?"
He knew, of course, that this was the tablet Black Zetsu had altered, the one that had caused the Uchiha's tragedy, and the world's.
"Yes."
"The writing on it is strange. It must be over a thousand years old, right?"
Shisui nodded. "The text seems to be from the age of myths. It can only be deciphered by the Sharingan. The stronger the dōjutsu, the more one can see. Neji-kun, wait a moment, I'll translate it for you."
Neji-kun waved his hand. "No, I'll do it myself."
As he spoke, Neji-kun's translucent white eyes became brilliant, as if ten thousand stars were flowing and dying within them.
Shisui stared, shocked, at Neji-kun's Tenseigan.