“Dugu Nine Swords?”
Hatake Suiin had never heard of such a sword style.
It wasn’t part of the Hatake clan’s inherited swordsmanship.
In fact, as far as he knew, no one anywhere in the shinobi world had ever heard of it.
Little Sakumo, however, displayed an intelligence beyond what one would expect from a child his age.
He stretched out his chubby little hands excitedly.
“I want to learn!”
“I want to learn!”
Sora smiled.
“Good.”
“From today onward, you’ll be my first disciple.”
The rest of the meal passed in a warm atmosphere.
After dinner, Suiin’s wife began clearing the dishes while little Sakumo went off to play.
Sora and Suiin sat outside beneath the night sky.
A bright half-moon hung overhead.
After a while, Suiin finally spoke.
“Great-Uncle, there’s something I’ve never understood.”
Sora glanced at him.
“With the strength you’ve shown recently, you could have led the Hatake clan during the Warring States era and turned us into a powerful clan no weaker than the three great clans.”
Suiin hesitated.
“So why didn’t you?”
Sora remained silent for a moment.
Then he asked,
“The Uchiha have the Sharingan.”
“The Senju have Wood Release.”
“The Hyūga have the Byakugan.”
He looked toward Suiin.
“What does the Hatake clan have?”
Suiin fell into thought.
Sora continued calmly.
“Our clan is naturally born with smaller chakra reserves.”
“Even with our swordsmanship, only the rarest geniuses can truly reach the pinnacle.”
“If a clan grows larger, naturally, the chances of producing geniuses also increase.”
“But how would we grow quickly?”
“By accepting outsiders?”
Sora shook his head.
“Suppose one day one of those outsiders stole our inherited sword techniques and spread them throughout the shinobi world.”
“What advantage would the Hatake clan have left?”
Suiin remained silent.
Sora looked up at the moon.
“I never expected to live for a hundred years.”
“Imagine that I’d aggressively expanded the Hatake clan back then.”
“Perhaps I could have made us powerful while I was alive.”
“But what happens after I die?”
He smiled faintly.
“All the enemies created during that expansion would still exist.”
“Without someone powerful enough to protect the clan, those enemies would eventually come looking for revenge.”
“Perhaps there wouldn’t even be a Hatake clan today.”
Sora paused.
Then he gave Suiin a mysterious smile.
“Wait another twenty years.”
“Then look at Konoha’s three great clans again.”
“You’ll understand.”
Suiin’s expression changed slightly.
He began contemplating those words seriously.
Meanwhile, Sora’s actual thoughts were considerably less profound.
What I really want to say is…
If I’d actually been this strong back then, would Hashirama and Madara ever have gotten the chance to create Konoha?
Of course, he couldn’t possibly admit that.
That would expose the fact that he’d spent the previous hundred years genuinely weak.
The dignity of a great-uncle had to be maintained.
Suiin respectfully lowered his head.
“I’ve learned something today.”
“I understand.”
Sora nodded solemnly.
“Good.”
“You’re teachable.”
Internally, however—
I barely understood what I was saying myself.
And he somehow figured out some profound meaning from it.
Talking to intelligent people is ridiculously easy.
…
Sora’s yōki was already fairly substantial.
And now that he had chakra as well, he didn’t feel any urgent need to train every waking moment.
So his old lifestyle gradually returned.
Drink tea.
Watch television.
Relax.
And generally continue being a professional slacker.
Unfortunately—
the next few days were destined to be anything but peaceful.
The very next day, Sora received an invitation from Hashirama.
An invitation to drink tea.
…
Night — Rooftop of the Hokage Building
Moonlight covered the rooftop.
Uzumaki Mito elegantly prepared the tea.
Hashirama, on the other hand, clearly had absolutely no understanding of tea culture.
The moment his tea was ready, he picked it up and gulped the entire cup down.
Sora had originally intended to act a little refined himself.
Then he watched Hashirama.
Forget it.
He also picked up his tea and drank casually.
He didn’t understand tea appreciation anyway.
Hashirama smiled sincerely.
“Thank you for saving me that day.”
“If you hadn’t been there, I might never have returned to Konoha.”
Sora waved it off.
“It was nothing.”
He looked Hashirama over.
“You seem to be recovering pretty well.”
“Of course!”
Hashirama grinned.
“How could Madara possibly defeat me?”
But as he said Madara’s name, a trace of sadness flashed through his eyes.
He lifted another cup of tea and drank it almost as though it were alcohol.
Then his expression became serious.
“Elder Hatake.”
“There’s something I need to ask.”
Sora waited.
“I know I killed Madara.”
Hashirama’s gaze hardened.
“But afterward, I lost consciousness.”
“When I woke up, his body was gone.”
“Do you know what happened to it?”
Sora glanced around.
“We’re talking about this here?”
Mito answered while continuing to prepare the tea.
“I’ve already placed a barrier around the rooftop.”
“No one outside can hear anything we say.”
“Then that’s fine.”
Sora answered truthfully.
“A black guy showed up and took Madara’s body away.”
“He escaped too quickly for me to stop him.”
“And if I’d chased him, I was worried something might happen to you while you were unconscious.”
“So I brought you back instead.”
Mito frowned slightly.
“That could become a problem.”
“Madara’s Sharingan is far too dangerous.”
Hashirama sighed.
“I’ll have Tobirama investigate.”
His gaze drifted toward the night sky.
“Even though Madara left the village…”
“I still want to give him a proper burial.”
His voice became quieter.
“There aren’t many people left from our generation anymore.”
Sora immediately waved a hand.
“All right, enough.”
Hashirama looked at him.
Sora rolled his eyes.
“You’re only in your forties or fifties.”
“Why is a little kid like you sitting in front of me lamenting about age and mortality?”
“Almost everyone from my generation is already dead.”
“…”
Hashirama froze.
Then he smiled awkwardly.
“That’s…
true.”
After a moment, he continued.
“Actually, I invited you here for two reasons.”
“One was to ask about Madara.”
“The other—and more important reason—was to properly thank you.”
Hashirama looked at Sora seriously.
“Your strength is extraordinary, and I don’t know what someone like you would want.”
“So please name something.”
“As long as it’s within my ability, I’ll do my best to fulfill your request.”
He stared at Sora with such determination that it almost seemed like he wouldn’t allow him to leave until he asked for something.
Sora fell into thought.
“Let me think…”
He had never been the kind of person who refused gifts out of politeness.
Besides—
Hashirama was richer than him.
And stronger than him.
No reason to feel guilty.
Then Sora’s eyes lit up.
“I want a giant seaside villa.”
“You got one of those?”
“…Huh?”
Hashirama stared at him.
The Senju clan was certainly wealthy.
But that didn’t mean he personally controlled every piece of property they owned.
He hadn’t expected Sora’s request to be so extravagant.
Sora laughed.
“I’m joking.”
“There should be plenty of empty land near the coast in the direction of the Land of Whirlpools, right?”
“You don’t need to gather a whole construction crew and build me some ridiculous mansion.”
He pointed casually toward Hashirama.
“You’ve got Wood Release.”
“Just make me a huge wooden house.”
“I’ve spent far too long living inside the clan compound.”
“I’d like to move out for a few years.”
“Grow some flowers.”
“Plant some vegetables.”
“Take it easy.”
Sora smiled.
“And experience what it’s like to face the sea, with spring blossoms all around.”
After chatting casually for a little longer, Sora finally left.
…
Not long after his departure—
a figure flickered onto the rooftop.
Tobirama Senju.
The moment he appeared, he looked toward Hashirama.
“Brother.”
“Do you believe what Hatake Sora told you?”
Hashirama answered immediately.
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“Elder Hatake is an interesting man.”
“Who would have thought his reward would be asking for a giant villa?”
Tobirama stared at him.
“You’ve misunderstood him.”
Hashirama blinked.
“Huh?”
“He’s an intelligent old man.”
Tobirama’s expression became serious.
“The purpose of establishing the Elder Council and redistributing authority is to reduce the influence individual clans possess over Konoha while increasing the political influence of ordinary shinobi.”
“The Hatake clan now has two members on the council.”
“Their prestige will inevitably rise.”
“And at this exact moment, Hatake Sora chooses to move away from the Hatake compound.”
Tobirama narrowed his eyes.
“He’s sending a message.”
“To us.”
“To the other clans.”
“And to the Hatake themselves.”
“He has no intention of competing for political power.”
“And he’s also warning his clan not to become dependent on him.”
Hashirama stared at his younger brother.
Then sighed.
“Tobirama…”
“You think too much.”
“You don’t have to turn everything into some kind of conspiracy.”
He smiled.
“I think Elder Hatake is a good person.”
“And a powerful shinobi worthy of respect.”
Tobirama remained silent for a moment.
Then his expression hardened.
“I hope you’re right.”
“I only hope that this powerful man never becomes our enemy.”
His gaze shifted toward Hashirama.
“I don’t want Konoha to produce a second Madara.”
Tobirama paused.
“Especially when your injuries still haven’t fully healed.”
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