At this moment, Senju Touka, looking thoughtful, slowly said,'Speaking of which, when I saw this story, two people came to mind.'
'Who?' Satomi and Kana couldn't help but ask.
'People you're both very familiar with,' Senju Touka said. 'Hashirama-sama and Madara.'
The two were slightly taken aback. If judged by the outcome, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara indeed both met their demise. Although only Uchiha Madara died on the spot, Hashirama's illness and death were largely related to the toll of that battle. But besides that, there didn't seem to be any similarities.
'Perhaps you young people don't know, but those of our generation have some understanding,' Senju Touka said. 'Many people were curious as to why Hashirama-sama was so lenient with Uchiha Madara. Although they knew it was because they were close friends, they didn't know this friendship began when they were children.'
'What?' Not only Kana, but even Satomi was very surprised. By the time Satomi was born, Hashirama was already an adult clan head, so she naturally didn't know much about the past, let alone the younger Kana.
Senju Touka and Hashirama were very close in age. In the Senju clan, she had also worked her way up to a high-ranking position through her own efforts. During her time spent with Hashirama and Tobirama, she gradually learned about those past events and knew when Hashirama and Madara's friendship began.
'You should know that during the Warring States period, our ninja clans were constantly fighting amongst themselves, especially between the Senju and Uchiha. If one side took on a mission, the other would inevitably take on a rival mission, leading to the saying, "When the Senju move, the Uchiha also move." In those times, everyone lived very difficult lives. It was then that Hashirama-sama wished to end this chaotic era, and the person who shared his vision was Uchiha Madara.'
'No way, that Uchiha Madara...' Satomi and Kana exchanged glances, both somewhat disbelieving. Their impression of Uchiha Madara wasn't good, not only because he indirectly caused Hashirama's death, but also because of Madara's usual conduct, which made him seem like a radical, militant type.
When the Hidden Leaf Village was first established, everyone was content with peace. Uchiha Madara's radical ideas didn't gain much approval, which led to him becoming increasingly estranged from the village. In the end, even his own clan members didn't believe Madara's ideas were correct.
In Satomi and Kana's impression, Uchiha Madara was like those warmongering militants in court. Yet, according to Senju Touka, such a person was once a like-minded companion to Hashirama.
'When they first met, they didn't know each other's identities, but they formed a friendship due to their shared ideals,' Senju Touka recalled. 'Later, as their identities were revealed, they were forced to part ways because of their clans. They both cared about their friendship, yet they had to fight each other.'
The process in between was just as Kana wrote: a constant struggle between friendship and family feuds, back and forth, even leading to the death of Madara's younger brother, Izuna, in the conflict. Even after finally reconciling with great difficulty, they drifted apart due to political differences after the village's founding. After disappearing without a word, Madara even attacked Konoha with a Tailed Beast, forcing Hashirama to confront him, and that marked the end of their lives.
After Senju Touka's explanation, the two finally understood that the relationship between Hashirama and Madara truly seemed to be as described in Kana's manuscript. Kana herself couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Although she didn't know the past between her father and Madara, perhaps it was the conflict between Hashirama and Madara after the village's founding that inspired her to write this novel.
'The inspiration for this manuscript came from the legend of Lord Asura and Lord Indra's reincarnation in the Shinobi Sect scriptures. The Senju and Uchiha are descendants of the two respectively. If there are reincarnations, they might appear within these two clans. Looking at it this way, it feels like there's some truth to it,' Senju Touka said with a smile.
'How could that be?' Hearing this, Satomi and Kana couldn't help but laugh. Although it sounded very similar, neither of them took the idea of reincarnation seriously. Reincarnation might be possible, but for the grudges of a past life to be passed down through generations felt unbelievable.
Regarding such theories in the Shinobi Sect scriptures, Fumori masaki unequivocally refuted them. He believed that a person's life is determined by their experiences in this life, and so-called past lives are merely distant illusions. He never believed that Senju Hashirama or Uzumaki Naruto were identical to Asura. Hashirama and Naruto's personalities were influenced by their living environments — Hashirama chose the path of peace due to the pain and suffering brought by a chaotic era, while Naruto, thanks to the care of people like Iruka and Teuchi, was saved from despair over others' indifference and was willing to pursue such love. What determined all this was not some past life figure, but the choices made by the two living in this world.
'Indeed, let's just treat it as a story,' Senju Touka shrugged and laughed.
Fumori masaki probably wouldn't have expected that the reincarnation theory of Asura and Indra would be discovered this way, but if he knew, he would only be pleased. Because he had been considering how to expose Black Zetsu's existence and past conspiracies. If he expressed it without proof, it might lead to some undesirable consequences, but it would be different if others discovered it themselves.
Everyone is more willing to believe what they see with their own eyes. Letting others personally discover the truth behind it is better than Fumori masaki stating it himself. Although Fumori masaki had originally sought out the Shinobi Sect scriptures primarily for his training in Sage Mode and the establishment of new ideas, he also harbored a hope that there might be other secrets within the Shinobi Sect scriptures.
And now, Fumori masaki's previous arrangements finally bore fruit. Kana truly found the words about Asura and Indra's reincarnation in the Shinobi Sect scriptures. Although they themselves didn't believe it to be true, they thought it was a story fabricated by the Shinobi Sect ancestors to support their own theories.
But undoubtedly, people are now gradually coming into contact with that truth. As time passes, the secret will inevitably be revealed, which will have an extraordinary impact on how Fumori masaki solves the problem of Black Zetsu.
After a while, Akemi's voice sounded at the door, followed by a flurry of hurried footsteps. The door slid open, and Akemi, who had just finished work at the Research and Development Department, stood at the doorway, slightly out of breath, saying, 'I'm late, I'm sorry, Kana-neechan, Touka-baachan.'
'It's alright, Akemi must be busy too,' Kana, knowing that Akemi was a capable hand in the R&D department, replied with a smile, 'Come on in quickly.'
'Okay,' Akemi agreed, put her things away, and then quickly walked over to sit next to her mother, letting out a soft sigh. 'I told Father that Kana-neechan was back, but he's busy with something and couldn't make it.'
'It's fine, being Hokage is a very busy job. It's normal for him not to be able to come,' Kana nodded.
Satomi and Senju Touka felt a little subtle, but indeed, if Fumori masaki wasn't there, they could be more relaxed. Having the only man there always caused some trouble.
'Akemi, how do you like the R&D department? I heard you've been coming up with some new gadgets lately, so you must be quite busy,' Kana asked.
'It's alright. But there are indeed many new designs. We're not entirely responsible for everything; at least the production part is someone else's job,' Akemi replied.
'Akemi is currently mainly responsible for the research of aerial combat ninja tools, right? If these are developed, who knows how much impact they'll have on future wars,' Senju Touka said.
'Yes! The latest delivered Thunder Explosive Tags gave us a lot of ideas. The next research should go even smoother,' Akemi said.
'If aerial combat ninja tools really appear, I can imagine what a blow it would be to enemy nations. Wars should end much faster,' Senju Touka, as a battle-hardened ninja, naturally understood the value of aerial combat ninja tools. In a situation where large-scale flying ninja have never appeared, no ninja village has a good way to deal with aerial ninja.
'I never thought before that something unrelated to direct combat could also play a role in battle,' Kana said. 'Fortunately, I learned from Fumori-sensei that not everything requires direct combat. Even the rear has extraordinary value.'
Senju Touka nodded slightly and said, 'Although I also know the importance of logistics and provisions in war, to be honest, I never really took them seriously. I completely no longer have that thought now. Thinking about it now, it was because I used to overemphasize individual strength.'
'It's because of Father that the village started to value strength from all aspects, right?' Akemi said. 'I often hear people in the R&D department say that the Hokage gave them their current lives. If it were in the past, they would have probably died without any value. Similar sentiments are also heard in other non-combat departments.'
'That's right, during the Warring States period, that was the only outcome for ninjas without sufficient strength,' Senju Touka said. 'It took me a long time to accept the existence of departments like the propaganda department, which don't require combat strength but rely entirely on writing skills. Masaki really found new paths for ninjas with mediocre talent.'
'In the past, we were too fixated on the value of individual combat. Thinking about it now, maybe it really doesn't need to be so important,' Satomi also recalled at this time.
'Back then, it was an honor to go out and fight. Satomi even had conflicts with Masaki over these things,' Senju Touka smiled and said.
Kana and Akemi looked at Satomi with some curiosity. Satomi couldn't help but blush and said, 'I was young and impetuous back then, please forgive me. Fortunately, there were no bad consequences later. Besides, even if I wanted to go to the front line now, I probably wouldn't be able to. My body feels completely out of shape.'
'That's the result of being away from battle for too long,' Senju Touka let out a soft sigh. 'Me too, I've been in school for too long, I wonder how much of my skill I have left.'
'I've had some training, more or less, but compared to those fighting on the front lines, it's still too far off,' Satomi took a sip of her drink. 'I used to be considered Jonin-level in strength, even by current standards, but now, if I had to face a Chunin with rich front-line combat experience, it might take some effort.'
'Hmm, the same strength, but being in a constant state of battle versus a state of ease really affects combat power significantly,' Senju Touka said. 'Experienced people can adapt to front-line combat in a short time, thereby restoring their peak physical and mental state. This takes a certain amount of time; it's not enough to just fight occasionally.'
'So, the strength Fumori-sensei can display now isn't his peak state either?' Kana asked.
'Yes, perhaps Masaki during the First Shinobi World War was even more dangerous than he is now, even though their strengths would definitely differ,' Senju Touka clearly understood how much this difference in mental and physical state would affect strength. 'However, it's the same for everyone else, so there's no need to worry too much. Masaki is already very strong; even if he's not in his optimal physical and mental state, not many people can beat him.'
Then, Senju Touka showed a relaxed smile and said, 'Besides, for us semi-retired people, shining and contributing from the rear is the best kind of battle.'
With that, Senju Touka enthusiastically spoke about the letters sent by her students from the front lines. Guided by Hashirama's emphasis on the collective and Fumori masaki's redesigned education system, she made her genjutsu combat knowledge fully accessible. The ninjas specializing in genjutsu were effectively using the knowledge she imparted on the front lines, winning many victories for their side.
Many of them were ninjas from civilian backgrounds. Out of gratitude to their mentor, they all wrote letters to thank Senju Touka, and Senju Touka felt very happy. Due to her age and early injuries, she had long since retired from front-line combat, dedicating herself to teaching at the academy. No longer going out on missions, she also settled down, married a decent man, and had a child.
However, Senju Touka sometimes recalled her glorious youthful years. Now, she could feel her spirit being passed down through her students, continuing to contribute their strength to the village. Thus, she had no regrets.
Although not as intense as fighting on the front lines, staying in a safe place, they were also contributing their strength silently from the rear in their own ways, supporting the front-line ninjas' operations. This was true for them, as well as for those in other departments.
—I wonder how Asuna is doing now.
While eating and chatting, Satomi and Akemi both simultaneously thought of their loved ones fighting on the front lines. Unable to go to the front, they could only pray in their hearts and ensure support from the rear.