Akemi saw her father to the door of the Research Department. Halfway there, she suddenly remembered something and asked Fumori masaki, "Oh, by the way, Father, Kana-neechan came back today. Mother and Grandma Momoka will be home to welcome her. Do you want to go back?"
Fumori masaki paused and said, "No, I still have things to do. I probably don't have time."
"Really?" Akemi knew that it was wartime, and as the village's highest leader, her father would naturally have to work tirelessly. However, the current situation wasn't so tense that he needed to stay up all night, so he should still be able to find time to go back. She suspected her father might be avoiding something, because she also knew some things.
"Ah, really." Fumori masaki could vaguely sense his daughter's thoughts. He had to admit, Akemi was right. The fact that Kana harbored special feelings for Fumori masaki wasn't unknown to everyone; at least those close to their family could sense it.
Although nothing had actually happened between them, and others were well aware of the situation, even with that understanding, some unnecessary thoughts would arise. When everyone was present before, the atmosphere felt subtle. While it wasn't exactly a problem, it was somewhat troublesome. It was best not to get involved. It was better for the women to talk among themselves than for him, the only man, to be there.
"Is that so?" Akemi nodded thoughtfully and said, "Alright then, Father, you go and focus on your work. Mother, Grandma Momoka, and I will welcome Kana-neechan in your stead."
"Hmm, remember to rest." Fumori masaki instructed, then turned and left the Research Department, walking towards the Hokage's office building.
At the same time, at the Kazemori home, Satomi was busy preparing to welcome Senju Momoka and Kana. The former was someone she regarded as a mother, and the latter was Lord First Hokage Senju Hashirama's second daughter. Both required her sincere attention, and their relationship had been very good over the years.
After the First Great Ninja War ended, Satomi gave birth to Akemi and Asuna. To care for them, she chose to resign from her ninja duties and focus on her family. Taking care of two children was very demanding, and even though she could use Shadow Clones, she didn't want to resort to that method. In her heart, a clone was always a clone, different from the original body.
To ensure Satomi could still contribute to the village from home, Fumori masaki had her study literary creation, thoroughly read the classics of Ninshū, and write novels to contribute to the cultural output of the Konoha Hidden Leaf Village. Cultural output was an important part of Fumori masaki's policies, and after understanding this, Satomi indeed found enjoyment in it.
Because of this, Satomi's relationship with Kana improved. In the past, Kana was mainly connected to Fumori masaki, which sometimes made Satomi feel a subtle unease. However, after they started collaborating on literary creations, their personal relationship became closer. Due to her background, Kana was more skilled in aristocratic traditional literature, and her books had a good reception among people of status—
Satomi, however, did not have such high status. The education she received from a young age made her closer to commoners, and she wrote popular literature, which mainly had a high reception among commoners.
The target audiences for their books were different, which meant they had no creative conflicts. Instead, they could learn from and refer to each other. With shared goals, they also got to know Kana as a person more deeply.
From Kana's scattered words, Satomi understood why she harbored feelings for her husband. Fumori masaki was indeed different from others; his vision seemed to extend further than anyone else's, including Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama. For Kana, who had always held onto her own obsessions in the past, Fumori masaki was able to resolve them, and his influence on her was immense.
To be honest, Satomi's feelings were very conflicted. In the Warring States period, polygamy was not uncommon in ninja families because the death rate of ninjas was very high at that time. If there weren't enough women to bear children, ninja clans would quickly fall into the predicament of dwindling populations.
Therefore, to ensure the number of offspring and for the sake of marriage alliances, most influential people in ninja clans would marry varying numbers of women. For instance, Hashirama's father, Senju Butsuma, married three women to have so many children. Even so, by the end of the Warring States period, only Hashirama and Tobirama remained.
But now it was no longer the Warring States period. Ninja clans avoided unnecessary family disputes, and the death rate of individual families began to drop significantly. This situation gradually ceased to appear. Moreover, due to the promotion of the new Ninshū culture, which elevated individual dignity and status, there was less and less support for such views in Konoha Hidden Leaf Village.
As someone born in the Warring States period, Satomi understood this marital tradition and felt a twinge of sympathy that Kana's feelings were unrequited. However, she also embraced new ideas and found it difficult to accept traditional marital practices, which made her feelings very conflicted. She understood that Kana, as a pioneer, did not adhere to traditional methods, but precisely because of this, her feelings became increasingly contradictory.
If Fumori masaki were present, the atmosphere among the three would be somewhat subtle. Just as Fumori masaki thought, when he wasn't there, the atmosphere between these two women might be more harmonious. They wouldn't need to involve Fumori masaki and could talk more freely about their own matters.
So, knowing that Fumori masaki probably wouldn't come today, she didn't prepare a portion for him. After a while, Satomi heard a sound at the door and immediately went out to greet them, seeing Senju Momoka and Kana at the entrance. Kana, as always, was dressed in traditional attire, exuding an elegant demeanor. Seeing Satomi, she immediately broke into a joyful smile and stepped forward, saying, "Long time no see, Satomi-neechan."
Kana is a generation younger than Fumori masaki's generation, currently just nearing thirty, while Satomi is already almost forty. Calling her "neechan" is perfectly natural. Of course, due to the unique rejuvenation secret technique of the Senju clan, the two women look to be about the same age, like biological sisters born in the same year.
"Long time no see, Kana." Satomi replied with a smile. After their relationship grew closer, she also dropped the formal address. According to Kana, the Senju clan no longer existed, and adhering to the past identity of the second daughter of the Senju clan head was somewhat counterproductive. It was fine for outsiders, but unnecessary for those close to her.
Then, Satomi smiled at Senju Momoka and said, "Welcome, Momoka-sensei."
Senju Momoka smiled and nodded, entering the house with Kana. Both were people who disliked extravagance, so a simple table of food was set up at home. After the three sat down, Satomi asked Kana about her mission situation these days and whether she had encountered anything.
Although Kana was not a ninja, she undertook a different kind of mission: the New Ninshū Cultural Movement of Konoha Hidden Leaf Village. Because Kana had a unique aristocratic background, she was best suited to conduct this cultural movement of ideological output among the nobles of the Land of Fire. She was also willing to accept this responsibility, as for her, who could not become a ninja, this was another way for her to contribute her strength to the village.
Kana herself had no power. To protect her safety—Fumori masaki could imagine the trouble someone promoting new ideas would face, even if she was a descendant of Senju Hashirama, it wouldn't guarantee complete consideration—so, an Anbu squad was assigned to protect her. The chosen members were all elites of the village, and as long as they didn't encounter overly powerful enemies, there would generally be no problems.
Moreover, those people would also have to consider Konoha Hidden Leaf Village's retaliation if they truly attacked Kana. Kana was the second daughter of Senju Hashirama, holding a very high status in Konoha Hidden Leaf Village. If anyone dared to attack her, Konoha Hidden Leaf Village would undoubtedly retaliate at all costs.
Ninja tradition dictated complete obedience to the employer's orders, but if the employer betrayed the ninja, the ninja had reason to reclaim their losses. Through this tradition, nobles could control powerful ninjas for their own use, but it was also this same tradition that empowered betrayed ninjas to reclaim everything. If it were ordinary ninjas, that would be one thing; nobles, with their samurai armies, wouldn't be afraid.
However, Konoha Hidden Leaf Village was an entity that even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had to concede three points to. If the attacker was a local noble, and Konoha Hidden Leaf Village wiped out their entire family, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire wouldn't be able to say much, because it completely touched Konoha Hidden Leaf Village's bottom line and was entirely reasonable.
Under these circumstances, everyone, including hired ninjas, had to think twice. With elite guards, Kana's only concern would probably be reckless thieves or similar types, who would be easily eliminated by the Anbu. As for other dangers, they would be relatively low—of course, it couldn't be guaranteed that there wouldn't be adventurous people like Kakuzu.
However, Kana had indeed not encountered any trouble in these years, and even if the Anbu ninjas around her were replaced, they were still elites within the Anbu, ensuring her safety to the maximum extent. Therefore, Kana could freely display her talents without worry.
Due to her extensive knowledge and understanding, Kana became a highly esteemed guest among the more enlightened nobles in the Land of Fire. In the Ninshū revival movement sweeping through the Land of Fire, Kana undoubtedly played a very significant role, and another key figure was Princess Chihime of the Land of Fire.
"I recently wrote a new book, Satomi-neechan might want to take a look." Kana chatted for a while, then took out a draft to show Satomi.
Satomi immediately grew curious, as their writing styles were completely different; even if both originated from Ninshū thought, their expressions varied. She picked up the draft and began to read it, while Senju Momoka also leaned in to look.
This novel told a story of fate, with two people entangled by grudges from a previous life. The plot was quite tragic, with the initial joy, the struggles in the middle, and the tragedy at the end depicted vividly and movingly. It was undoubtedly very impactful for emotional girls.
Kana herself didn't particularly like this style of writing, but she couldn't resist the fact that the noble ladies and women in the capital enjoyed such tragic stories. For the purpose of gaining their favor, in addition to her works for other male nobles, which had a more heroic and mythical atmosphere, she also produced literary works with a strong sense of sorrow.
"What a sad story, and the fatalism in it is too strong." Satomi put down the manuscript, wiped away her tears, and then questioned the plot in the manuscript, "Kana, why did you write it like this?"
"This was a new idea I had while I was away. Satomi-neechan, you know I correspond with the priestess of the Land of Demons, right?" Kana said.
Satomi nodded, remembering clearly, as the Ninshū scriptures of Konoha Hidden Leaf Village came from there. She asked, "What about there?"
"No, it's mainly that there are newly unearthed documents there, concerning something about the successive priestesses and our Senju ancestor, Lord Ashura." Kana said, "That document mentions that after Lord Ashura exiled his elder brother Lord Indra, he always felt uneasy in his heart. Although he achieved victory, he didn't make his elder brother understand his Ninshū, and his elder brother Lord Indra, even after being exiled, never gave up the idea of returning."
"And then?" Satomi's heart skipped a beat, and she asked.
"According to the document, after Lord Ashura and Lord Indra both perished, their wills did not disappear. Their souls reincarnated in the world, and they are destined to be entangled in their respective Ninshū until one day, one of them can prove that their Ninshū is more correct," Kana replied.
"I see, so this is the inspiration for this manuscript." Satomi said, suddenly enlightened.
"Is this true? It's a bit incredible that souls can reincarnate after death. I don't really believe in this kind of fatalism," Senju Momoka said. "Although Ninshū scriptures are important theoretical basis for studying the mythical era, we can't completely believe them, can we? According to your research, haven't some things been confirmed to be fabricated stories due to Ninshū's tradition of pursuing artistic conception? This might be one of them too."
"Indeed." Satomi's finger lightly traced a line of text on the manuscript. It spoke of two people, entangled by grudges from a past life, who died together without forgiving each other, as if foreshadowing that their feud would carry into the next life. "This idea feels so bleak; I don't like it."
"I don't like it either." Kana said, "I don't plan to publish this manuscript. In the manuscripts Masaki writes, he always emphasizes the power of 'humans' and the struggle against fate. As for fate, I've never believed it to be predetermined."
"Then why did you write this?" Satomi couldn't help but ask.
..."Perhaps it's because after seeing that document, there was a strange sense of reality," Kana mused, then looked up outside. "I wonder if in this world, the souls of Lord Ashura and Lord Indra are truly still hating each other and wandering in this world?"