Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, a full year had gone by.
During that year, Yosuke traveled throughout the ninja world together with Deidara and Karin. Through studying the historical records of the shinobi world and listening to accounts from ninjas who had survived the great wars, Yosuke gradually came to understand the true nature of the three Great Ninja Wars.
At their core, the Ninja Wars were fought to construct a new order for the shinobi world—to establish a shared destiny for all of ninja-kind.
More specifically, they were a process driven by the Five Great Shinobi Villages, leading the rest of the ninja world toward partial unification of will. The most critical aspect of this process was balancing the interests of the Five Great Nations.
From the First to the Third Great Ninja War, this goal manifested primarily through territorial annexation.
However, annexation proved to be an ineffective method.
Although there were differences in strength among the Five Great Villages, they constantly restrained one another. If one village attempted to attack another, the remaining powers would inevitably intervene. After all, once the balance was broken, the village that successfully annexed another would gain an overwhelming advantage.
The First Great Ninja War was sparked when Kinkaku and Ginkaku launched a coup during the alliance ceremony between the Raikage and the Hokage, resulting in a war involving only two villages.
The Second Great Ninja War began due to widening economic disparities among nations. Under the banner of demanding greater fairness and privileges, militaristic factions rose to prominence, and Amegakure became the primary battlefield for the Five Great Nations.
The Third Great Ninja War—also the most widespread—saw all five great villages participate. Its origin lay in the disappearance of the Third Kazekage. With Sunagakure leaderless, the rapidly expanding Kumogakure seized the opportunity, eventually igniting the Third Great Ninja War.
After finishing his analysis of the Ninja Wars, Yosuke let out a deep sigh.
"As expected… human desire truly knows no end."
"Deidara-gege, wait for me!"
Over the course of the year, seven-year-old Karin had become Deidara's constant little shadow. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Deidara had not matured much with age—he was still just as troublesome as ever.
"Karin! Art cannot wait!" Deidara shouted dramatically. "Every artist awaits that moment of inspiration! Inspiration is fleeting!"
Yosuke's expression darkened as he closed the ninja history book and barked at them, "You two! Have you finished today's training?!"
Deidara replied carelessly, "As long as my art improves, my strength improves too."
Karin said matter-of-factly, "Yōsuke-sama and Deidara-gege will protect me anyway, so I don't need to train."
Yosuke felt a sharp pain in his temples.
Because Karin was a member of the Uzumaki clan, Yosuke had used a scroll left behind by Minato Namikaze to inform Uzumaki Kushina about Karin's situation.
Upon learning of this, Kushina immediately had Minato bring her to Yosuke's location. She asked Karin if she was willing to become her disciple and study Uzumaki sealing techniques by her side.
When Karin met Kushina—another Uzumaki—for the first time, she was overwhelmed with excitement and immediately agreed to become her student.
However, once she learned that it would mean leaving with Kushina, Karin stubbornly refused, insisting on staying with Yosuke and Deidara.
Left with no other choice, Kushina taught the sealing techniques to Yosuke before departing, entrusting him to pass them on to Karin.
When Yosuke asked why Karin refused to go with Kushina, her answer was:
"I'll never forget the moment Yōsuke-sama and Deidara-gege pulled me out of the abyss. I'm already a member of the Crow Organization, and I will never leave you."
Her words moved Yosuke deeply—though he was also helpless, knowing he couldn't escape the responsibility of raising another child.
Fortunately, Yosuke had previously taken care of the Kochō sisters, Kanae and Shinobu, so he wasn't completely inexperienced.
Karin's talent was also quite impressive. She had already mastered the Four Symbols Seal and Adamantine Sealing Chains. In addition to sealing techniques, she had learned medical ninjutsu such as the Mystical Palm Technique.
Yosuke discovered that Karin had the aptitude to learn the Sword Forms of Love Breathing and asked if she wanted to try.
At first, Karin eagerly agreed—but after realizing how grueling the training would be, she spent every day looking for chances to slack off.
Deidara didn't need supervision when it came to training, but Karin was another story. If Yosuke didn't keep an eye on her, she would definitely sneak off somewhere to avoid practice.
"Karin," Yosuke warned, "if you still haven't mastered the First Form within a month, you'd better prepare to be punished."
Karin stiffened instantly and forced an awkward smile. "I love training the most! I'll go practice right now!"
Yosuke's punishment wasn't physical—it was making Karin eat her most hated food: dumplings. And not just once, but continuously for one or two months. To her, it was pure psychological torture.
Once Deidara and Karin began training, Yosuke finally had a rare moment of peace.
Just as he was about to enjoy some quiet time alone, a ghost crow landed on his shoulder.
After reading the memories carried by the crow, a sharp gleam flashed in Yosuke's eyes.
The memories came from Hakuji and concerned information about Orochimaru.
Hakuji had identified the organization to which Orochimaru's clothing and ring belonged.
The Akatsuki.
A mercenary organization unaffiliated with any nation.
Moreover, every full-fledged member of Akatsuki possessed Kage-level strength.
By now, Hakuji had already made contact with the Akatsuki's leader.
Hakuji was no match for him at all.
However, instead of killing him, the leader attempted to recruit Hakuji into Akatsuki.
In order to uncover Orochimaru's whereabouts, Hakuji accepted and joined the organization.
But Orochimaru had already defected from Akatsuki.
Akatsuki was currently hunting him down.
Hakuji had now taken Orochimaru's former position, becoming the new "Void."
The reason Hakuji sent the ghost crow to Yosuke was to ask how he should proceed next.
Yosuke felt genuinely pleased—Hakuji had found a lead faster than expected.
Having a local organization track down Orochimaru was nothing but beneficial for Yosuke.
"For now, continue infiltrating Akatsuki," Yosuke instructed. "Follow them and help track Orochimaru's movements."
After transmitting the order, the ghost crow spread its wings and flew off into the sky.
Not long after, another ghost crow landed on Yosuke's shoulder.
This one carried a message from Yosuke's disciple—Uchiha Itachi.
After reading it, Yosuke found only a single sentence in the memory.
[Master, I need your help.]
Yosuke's expression grew solemn.
Itachi would never ask for help unless he had reached a critical juncture.
Yosuke let out a quiet sigh. "It seems Itachi has already come into contact with the darkness of Konoha."
He called over Deidara and Karin. "We need to go to Konoha."
Karin looked confused, while Deidara wore an excited grin.
"Does that mean—?" Deidara began.
Yosuke nodded. "That's right. You'll finally meet my disciple… Uchiha Itachi."
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