Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
Kakumei – Arc 4: Might Makes Right
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Chapter 83 – Heating the moment
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At the end of the day, after hours spent training his perception of movements and focusing with the Byakugan on another planet, Boruto Hyuga is sitting on a swing attached to a tree in front of the ninja academy's entrance. Tired from his day-long effort, he thinks of everything he's learned and everything that will come, while waiting for his little sister.
Next to him is a second swing strapped to the same branch, that Naruto personally installed here as to deal with his past and symbolize his breakout of loneliness. A young girl comes to sit here, by Boruto's side. Blue eyes, blonde hair, wearing a white buttoned shirt and a short black skirt. She obviously noticed the well-known young man sitting there, but pretends she didn't, too shy to engage in conversation with someone like him.
Also waiting for someone in the academy, she relaxes and starts to whistle a little rhythm often brought to her ears by her father. Boruto, deep in his memories, is brought back by the little song that he recognizes from somewhere. It was the janitor of the academy, Inaka Doroku, who used to sing this annoying piece and get on his nerves.
Without moving his head, Boruto notices the girl next to him in his Byakugan's view field. To make her stop her whistling, and out of excitement, he starts speaking his thoughts out, about his training day.
"It's still hard to believe… I just asked him to teach me, with not much expectation, but that was… ground-breaking! Jutsus to level villages, foreign world landscapes as training grounds, super human perception… That was really over the top."
The girl doesn't even understand what he says. She just wonders if he's actually talking with her and feels flattered, but she's too anxious to answer.
"Even grandpa 4th, or my dad, or anyone in the world, didn't have the privilege to receive such a training." Boruto continues. "I was already better than everyone before me at the academy. But there's still people around my age who are out of my reach in other lands. With this training, I'm sure I'll finally beat Takeshi… But Kawaki… He must be far stronger than what I actually saw him do. Would Takeshi be able to stand his ground against him?"
After this question, a silence, as if he actually expects an answer. The girl doesn't know anything about Takeshi Minamoto other than his name. Still feeling like it's her turn to talk, she tries.
"Wh-Why are you telling me this?" she asks, hoping that she didn't get it wrong and that he was actually speaking to her.
"Hm… I don't know. You're sitting there, and I feel like I need to speak out about some stuff." Boruto answers before going on about Kawaki. "Sasuke-sensei's lessons to me feel like their main purpose is to defeat this guy. It's all just heating up the moment we meet again. He has to be my rival. Even more since I've learned about his ties with Hikari's ruler… About him, should I ask Sensei about it? Who is he?"
"Sensei? You mean Lord Hokage, or Sasuke Uchiha?" the girl asks, now participating in the conversation. "I didn't know you were Sasuke Uchiha's student."
"I wasn't until yesterday."
"So what about Hikari's ruler?" she says. "Why would Sasuke Uchiha think anything about him?"
Boruto doesn't answer. He may feel like speaking out his thoughts, but he still needs to keep other people's secrets safe. Instead he changes the topic again, and makes it more about him.
"Am I getting too arrogant?" he asks. "I just thought of what I said again and, I'm really talking about the previous Hokage like fodder compared to what I am to become. And you're not even denying it… So what do you think?"
"… Aren't your father and the Shodai some kind of ninja gods?" she replies. "Sounds difficult to surpass them, I guess, but you're the 7th's son after all."
The yellow haired Hyuga doesn't answer and is interrupted by his little sister who comes running out from the academy. Before leaving the swing, He ends the discussion by acknowledging her.
"I guess you're Mister Doroku's daughter." he suggests. "If you come here every day, we'll see each other a lot."
The girl just feels oddly glad for this statement, and contains a smile. Himawari comes to them and happily jumps around, surprised by her brother's presence.
"Hey big brother!" she exclaims. "Picking me up? What are you doing?"
"Hima! I just had a tiring day and passed by there…" he answers. "And I was just speaking with her in the meantime." he adds before standing up to leave and go back home with his sister, without any good byes.
Himawari looks at the girl sitting on the bench curiously, and greets her.
"Hi Her!" she says, joking about not knowing her name. "My dad put 2 swings here so people sitting don't have to be lonely. Is that why you're here?"
"Me? No!" she exclaims. "I'm there at that time almost every week."
Himawari nods, with a comprehensive face. She waves at her and runs to leave with her brother. In the distance, a clone of the 7th Hokage is looking at the scene. When his daughter isn't getting home by herself, it's usually him who picks her up. But since his son is here, he just looks after them.
Earlier that day, he was already keeping an eye on his firstborn as much as he could while he was training with his new teacher. This, however, somehow disturbs him. For what reason would Sasuke accept to be Boruto's sensei while already having to take care of his own business.
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This question, his original self asks to the Uchiha at this exact moment, both sitting on top of his face carved in the cliff. Before he answers, Sasuke, standing on the edge, back to Naruto, thinks of the few hours he just spent with his son, and comments on what he's felt.
"Despite his proud and arrogant attitude, Boruto really seems to have respect for you, Naruto." he says.
"Oh, you're calling him by his name now?" the Hokage answers, used to hear Sasuke say 'your son' instead. "Not that I'm worried you may steal my son. It's just that you accepting to teach him is pretty weird."
"I can't even be a father for my children." Sasuke responds. "How could I be one for yours?"
"Thinking about Oshio, is it?" Naruto guesses. "Honestly, I'm still really confused about this. But he sealed one of my friends, so I can't stay here doing nothing."
"Please don't." Sasuke demands, as he turns around to face him. "You're the one who always chooses pacific ways. Do it one more time, and let me handle this."
"How long will I have to wait? He already has a Biju, killed one of the Daimyo and murdered family members of another one. He's going after all of them, and all their loved ones. And then, he'll go after the Kage and the other Biju, and finally after you."
Sasuke doesn't answer and just tries to think of how he'll get to reach him. Seeing his friend's silence, Naruto goes on.
"He calls his group Kakumei. His plan is to bring peace by becoming the most powerful person in the world. Doesn't it sound familiar to you?"
Sasuke makes a cringed face and breaks his silence.
"Doesn't matter how long you'll wait. Just leave him to me. I honestly don't care about what happens to the Daimyo, yet I'll still do my best to stand in his way. I'll stop him. I don't know how much time it'll take, but your Biju friend will have to blame it on me."
"… I'm sorry. I really don't get it." Naruto says, confused. "Why do you believe him to be your son so easily? We've seen dudes who could make genetic clones, travel in time… Yamato-sensei has the first Hokage's abilities. And in Sojobo's illusion, I saw an adult version of Takeshi Minamoto…"
"It's not anything like this!" Sasuke interrupts him, hearing him just repeating the questions he asked himself for 5 years. "I've searched for it. Momoshiki had no ties to things such as different timelines or cloning. It's clear to me that he made this. But I still found nothing to explain it."
"So what did he do?" Naruto exclaims, frustrated. "He didn't just collect your sperm cells and shove them up a random woman! Do you even have any idea who his mother is, if he has one?"
"Stop asking questions! I don't know! But I'll figure it out!" Sasuke yells back. "Oshio probably knows himself. If we want answers, we need his cooperation. To figure this out is essential, not only for me, but to get a better understanding of the celestials' behavior and range of abilities… Did you read my report by the way?"
Naruto calms down and stops questioning him. He understands that yelling won't get him any answers. He may really have to wait for Sasuke to solve this one by himself. For now he moves on to another topic and remembers the pages of reports he had his clones read for him this last night.
"I've read it… It's a lot to take actually." he says. "So… They come from a place named Takama?"
"They may have changed their home many times… But Takama is the last planet that Kaguya knows of." Sasuke explains. "She was the princess, daughter of the sovereigns there. The man we've seen as a statue in the ice desert was her father. Her mother was the absolute being that ruled over everything that light touches."
"So to them, Might makes right, huh?" Naruto thinks aloud, remembering Oshio's monologue.
"Luckily this queen is no more." Sasuke says, ignoring his remark. "Earliest archives I found are from Katashiki, and it says the clan is now ruled by a council named the Shinden. It is an assembly gathering the most powerful among those who stay in the home world."
"And let me guess… This dragon sage god is among them." Naruto says, remembering the complaints of Momoshiki.
"Did I tell you about him?" Sasuke asks, a bit confused about the chronology of what he's learned. "The statue we saw on the ice desert, Kaguya's father, had this nickname, but there are indeed references to such a person in more recent notes. Someone else must have taken on the title. I don't know what it means… Just that the Ryu Shinsen is also said to be The One to escape God's rules or the Golden horned Sage."
"Golden horns, huh?…" Naruto wonders, remembering that he did see someone with such a characteristic in Sojobo's illusion. "What about the other clans you mentioned in your report? You started calling them celestials instead of Otsutsuki and I guess that's because you found out about other clans."
"As far as I know. There are close to no members left from any other celestial clan." Sasuke says, in a dramatic voice. "I don't know what caused their demise… But after all, even these beings aren't eternal… Do you remember Kinshiki mentioning something he called his kalpa?"
"… Maybe?" Naruto says. "Before his son ate him."
"Kalpa is the name of a spiritual timer that keeps their body young and strong for at least 30 centuries. After this delay, they start to age like humans."
"Really? That's odd… But 3000 years? That's a really long life expectancy. Compared to us, they're basically eternal."
Sasuke stops speaking and turns around to face the village again.
"This is part of the reason I accepted training your son." he declares to Naruto's surprise. "We may be able to fight threats like the celestials. But we'll lose against time before we win against all of them. Even if we resort to reincarnation, we won't always be there. Meanwhile, celestials live for dozens of centuries, and beings such as the Daitengu or Juubi never really die."
"So you want my son to be the next you." Naruto says.
"He could just as much be your successor." Sasuke answers. "It will be his choice to make. His talent is undeniable. He has to be among the pillars of the next generation, and needs to be trained as such… I'd like for my children, Izuna, Sarada and Oshio, to be among these pillars too."
Naruto stays silent and notices how Sasuke adapts his mind to the existence of a third child he didn't know of. It seems like he hopes for a future where they can all live as a family together, or at least where Oshio can live with brothers and sisters. This will be difficult to accomplish, but after all, didn't he himself manage to get Kabuto to join the scientific department?
For now, it's getting late and it will soon be time for dinner. So he accepts Sasuke's explanation and demands, and prepares to leave.
"Well… Not all but the Hokage's wife is expecting him at home for a family dinner." He says as he gets to the edge of one of his face's hair strands. "You should do as such too. And while you're here, spend some more time with them. Maybe a night out with Sakura?"
"I don't think I can do that…" Sasuke answers.
"Why not?" the Hokage insists. "You trust her more than you trust me. And she'll always love you. You told her the truth before you told anyone else. Nobody deserves your attention more than her."
Naruto stands on Sasuke's left and looks at his thoughtful face hidden under his hair.
"I'm going for a romantic night with Hinata later today. It wouldn't bother us if you two decided to join." he invites. "We can make it a double date."
"Hm!" Sasuke smirks, a bit disturbed by this idea, but intrigued. "I'll ask Sakura about this." he adds before vanishing to his home where he is expected for dinner too.
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Later that day, at the Hokage's family house, Hanabi Hyuga is sitting with her nephew and niece, waiting for Naruto and Hinata to bring in the meals and sit with them.
"So… Boruto." says the Hyuga clan head. "Your parents are going out tonight. What about a night training after we put Hima to bed?"
"Hey! I wanna do night training too!" Himawari exclaims, not wanting to be excluded.
"He probably shouldn't." Hinata answers for her son, as she comes in with Naruto who carries a large cooking pot that he leaves on the table. "He must be tired from his day-long lesson with Sasuke."
"I didn't even speak of this. How do you know about that?" Boruto complains calmly.
"Your dad told me." Hinata adds.
"Still spying on me, Dad?" he asks while frowning at Naruto who makes an awkward face.
"It's not spying." his mother responds quickly. "He's just looking after you. And he does so for the whole village." she adds before sharing a trustful gaze with her husband.
"Huh?" Hanabi reacts loudly. "You're cheating with another sensei now? Like two weren't enough already?"
"It's not cheating, auntie!" Boruto explains. "It's just that your training and Dad's aren't what I'm looking for. I just need more."
"So our ways are outdated?" she keeps complaining ironically to mess with him.
"I can be your new best student if you want auntie!" Himawari says.
"She's right, Hanabi!" Hinata says to support her daughter. "If Boruto is kept busy by something else, it leaves you free time to teach Himawari instead."
Hanabi holds her chin to show that she's considering her sister's words. She then nods in agreement, to Himawari's satisfaction. Hinata smiles, happy for her daughter, and then notices her husband's serious gaze toward Boruto. A bit worried, she holds his hand and waits for him to speak.
"I've talked about it with Sasuke." the father says. "Taking this training is like signing up for a defined future. You will have to follow the same path as Sasuke. Are you sure that you want this?"
"… I think so." Boruto answers, not much sure, but definitely certain that he wants to go on with this formation.
"As you wish… It's your choice after all." he answers, leaving his son to choose for himself.
Hinata isn't as serene as Naruto about this. Still, she knows that he'll keep looking after their son and won't leave him alone.
The Hyuga family moves on to a happy and noisy family dinner. They all tell about their day and plans for tomorrow, while Boruto's usual mockeries of his father's silly behavior, Hanabi teasing her sister, and Himawari's excessive enthusiasm bring some laughs to the table.
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At the Uchiha home, the ambiance at the table is far less cheerful. Sarada sits next to Izuna and in front of Sakura. The usually empty seat next to the mother is now taken by Sasuke. Two other seats, made for guests, are still empty.
Sasuke calmly eats, deep in his thoughts. Sarada does the same while trying to hide her childish joy to finally have her dad over for dinner. Izuna just stares mistrustfully at his silent father. Sakura, not much satisfied by this quiet room, tries to make conversation.
"So… Izuna, how is the training with Lady Tsunade going?" she asks. "How far along are you with the seal now?"
"… It's slowing down." he answers after a silence. "It's hard to focus properly with that many questions bothering me…" he adds, to blame his dad.
Sakura makes an awkward face and keeps it down, annoyed that her son simply keeps being upset. But Izuna doesn't give up yet. He looks at the two empty chairs. The one on his mother's right is usually taken by Lady 5th when she comes over. And the last place, on his sister's right…
"I guess this chair is supposed to be meant for him." Izuna says, thinking of Oshio, to no answer. "You know… He got the same eyes as you." he adds, looking at his dad, who just stares back blankly. "Maybe if it wasn't for him inheriting first, I would have been born with them."
"Rinnegan isn't something that can be passed down through a lineage." Sasuke answers calmly.
"Why does he have it then?" Izuna says, raising his tone. "Where did he get it from? Where is he even from? When will you finally answer?"
"Stop this, Izuna!" his mother orders. "Stop bothering your dad."
"I just want answers." he says. "How about you, mom? You should be asking the same things. Or maybe you're just lying as much as him."
Sarada widely opens her eyes, shying away from the conversation, shocked by what her brother just said. Sakura raises her hand ready to hit the table, but Sasuke reacts first. He quickly stands up, done with his meal.
"You don't understand or aren't satisfied by any answer I give." he says to his son before leaving for the kitchen with his empty plate.
Sarada, wanting to run away from the tension at the table, hurries to follow her dad, also finished. Izuna just meanly looks at his father going, while Sakura wonders how they could get him to understand. She already tried explaining it to her son earlier, and he simply seems not to be convinced by her answers about his elder brother.
Sasuke leaves his plates in the sink, turns around and sees his daughter handing him hers. He grabs them and puts them away too. Sarada stays there, happily looking at him.
"Can you get me to bed?" she asks him.
"Going to sleep already?" Sasuke questions.
She doesn't speak and just waits for an answer. Sasuke stares at her silently, and nods in agreement while gently smiling. He pulls her up in his arm and goes upstairs to her room. There, he gently lies her down to sit on her bed. She hurries to her closet and grabs clothes. She quickly changes herself and gets in bed. Her father tucks her in her blanket and sits quietly, thinking of the many times he's taken her out of this bed at night to go on secret trips.
"So, no night exploration this time?" she says, a bit upset. "But next time maybe?"
"Hm! I may have stuff to do this night." he answers. "Next time." he adds while rubbing her cheek.
"Say, dad…" she shyly asks. "This Oshio that Izuna is yelling about… Is he my elder brother?"
Sasuke first doesn't answer and just stares at her curious face.
"He may be… Why?" he responds.
"I don't know… I'm just curious about it." she says. "Is the empty seat really meant for him?"
"I don't know… Do you want it to be?" he answers calmly.
Sarada thinks of it, and doesn't reply. She just turns around and lies in her bed to sleep.
"Good night." she says.
"Good night." Sasuke responds, understanding enough from this silence, before standing up to leave her alone.
Outside, Sakura is against the door, lovingly looking at him. Without even answering with words, Sarada still gave her father an answer that he could interpret right. Truth is that she simply wants what Sasuke wants. Sakura is flattered by this complicity.
Right after closing the door to his daughter's room, Sasuke passes next to his son's. He sees him standing on the edge of the window looking back to him. Izuna stares at his father, waiting for him to say something. After a moment, realizing that he won't, he makes a mean face and jumps out to go for a night solo session of physical training, like he did the whole week.
Sasuke sighs and stays at the door of the empty room. Sakura comes behind him and lies her arms around his waist, before trying to reassure him.
"I tried explaining it to him yesterday. And you did even before. He just won't believe anything. He's too stubborn to accept it. He's just becoming like his younger self again. It will pass, you'll see."
"It won't… Not if I don't solve this." Sasuke answers. "Izuna isn't unsatisfied by the answer. In reality, he's upset that I didn't act about this earlier. And he's right."
"It's not too late. If Naruto can get Obito or Pain to change their mind, we can do the same to Oshio."
"How? I missed my chance. It's my fault if he's down this path. He asked for a father, and I failed him."
"He'll give you a second chance. I'm sure you can make it. You should see yourself with Sarada now. Such complicity is heartwarming."
"Bullshit." Sasuke quietly exclaims. "This is nothing like Sarada's case. I can be prince charming showing up in a little girl's dreams, but I can't be a father. I don't know how to."
Sakura sighs and grabs her husband's hand. She turns him around to face her. With her right hand, she wipes the hair off his face and looks at him straight in the eyes.
"Listen to me. We can do this." she says.
"Why We?" Sasuke answers doubtfully. "Why are you so optimistic? You don't even know if he's really your son."
"Ohh! You're really as stubborn as Izuna." she complains while gently clapping her hands against his head. "You just have to make it clear to him that you're ready to talk. Tell him that you made a mistake last time and are ready to start over. Then, just leave him time. Wait until he's ready too."
Sasuke doesn't answer and just stares in his wife's eyes as if she just caught his almighty eyes in an illusion. He lets her words to his mind, and decides to stop whining and start to act like the father he should be, even if he's not sure how to. Now having nothing but Sakura's green eyes on his mind, he changes the topic.
"Say… Naruto and his wife are inviting us to a night out." he proposes. "Would you like to go?"
Sakura makes a flattered face, and then smiles uncontrollably. She curves her body to fall against him and tilts her head. Seeing her visible enjoyment, Sasuke guesses the answer, and feels good with following Naruto's advice.
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In the lands of Heart, in the capital hidden village of Light, Hikarigakure, the Yamanaka twins are sitting with Kawaki and Minoka on the roof above the throne room of the main castle. They're all enjoying a simple meal that they picked up at a restaurant down in town. Akiko looks down at the village's lights glowing in the night, giving a new meaning to its name.
"This place sure looks good, seen from up here." she comments.
"I'll take this over a boring family gathering dinner any time." Fuyuko adds.
At these words, Kawaki looks back to see Oshio who sits above the staircase behind them, also eating. He thinks of what Fuyuko just said and wonders if it is his case too. He never knew what a normal family is like, so he can't really tell if he'd prefer dinner at a table in a family living room. Next to him, Minoka tilts forward to look at his thoughtful face.
"You're not eating?" she asks.
Kawaki wakes up from his thoughts and looks at her, and then at his untouched meal. Not feeling like eating now, he raises it and hands it to her.
"You can have it." he says.
"Really? But I may get fat." she jokingly says.
Kawaki looks at the already very thin girl boringly, not amused by this joke. Minoka looks away awkwardly and asks the two twins.
"Akiko, Fuyuko?" she asks. "Anyone wants Kawaki's food?"
"Nah! I want to stay just as thin as you, Frankenstein." Akiko answers.
"Sigh… Not taking it either." Fuyuko says then, annoyed by his twin's attitude. "One of us gotta keep the twin illusion real, and this bitch's not gonna make any effort."
The meal suddenly flies off Kawaki's hands and is pulled back to land in Oshio's. Kawaki looks behind at the leader who seems very relaxed despite the discussion he had earlier with the 7th Hokage. This bothers him. How can he, of all people, show so little concern about what he's getting them into?
"So are we not gonna talk about the fact that the other pedo mercenary was just randomly killed in the forest?" Akiko asks about Guroi's dead body found earlier today in the forest by Kawaki and Minoka.
"Not that it bothers me." Fuyuko answers first. "I'm keeping his sword. I like it."
"Guys…" Minoka says, ready to change the topic, knowing that Kawaki would get embarrassed about it. "Are y'all really cool with what happened earlier with the Hokage?"
"Why not?" asks Akiko. "Dude just came up, attempted Talk no Jutsu and left. Sure he was scary and oddly reassuring at the same time, but he didn't menace to beat us all to Hell."
"Why are you even engaged in this cause?" Kawaki asks to have a discussion that they never had before.
Kawaki only wants a group of people to consider his family, and Kakumei is this to him now. Whatever their objective might be, he's just willing to stay by their side. But what Oshio said to the Hokage is getting him worried for how the future will go for them.
"Just wanna eat the filthy rich!" Fuyuko and Akiko speak in complete sync.
"Really?" Minoka says. "Honestly, I don't think I really feel engaged in this cause. It's really just that y'all are the only people I know. After master Suto died and Gentsuchi betrayed us, I was left alone, but you invited me to stay."
"Fuyuko, get the violin!" Akiko says, to break the emotion.
Kawaki stays silent and looks at Minoka who expressed a motivation really close to his. He then turns around and waits for Oshio to give his answer. The ruler doesn't speak, he just stays quiet as if he didn't pay attention to the question.
From the staircase, Meinu and Mikitaka walk in. The white haired dude lies down, tired, on the ground as soon as he arrives, and the young woman jumps up to sit next to Oshio who's surprised by her presence.
"I thought you went back to Ketsu." the Uchiha says.
"I'm going there tomorrow. For now, I'm staying with you." she answers.
"What about you guys?" Fuyuko asks Mikitaka and Meinu. "What are you actually in this for? What part of the cause is your cup of tea?"
"I just want the 5 great nations to burn." Mikitaka says. "And you, Kiss?"
"You're kidding me, right?" she sassily says. "You dare to ask? As if I wasn't the one who brought up the whole idea first. Everything is my cup of tea. From the Daimyo's fall to Uzumaki Naruto's death."
"What about the sole leader stuff?" Akiko adds.
Kawaki looks at Oshio again, and waits for him to speak. He finds that everything, including this last part of the plan, is legitimate and waits to see Oshio's word on it, as he is supposed to be the main actor of this plan.
"Well, that's our dark pink boy's triumph!" Meinu sings as she lays her hands on Oshio's shoulders, to reply to Akiko.
The Uchiha lightly tilts his head to see her behind him. He doesn't say anything but answers Kawaki's question in his mind, about what part of the plan gets him engaged. He looks at Meinu and thinks of how everything started.
Originally, all he wanted in his life was to carelessly live as a child. After Momoshiki abruptly changed his world, all he wanted was to get back to a family again, but Sasuke denied him and ran away. Alone with the few people who were also taken by the Otsutsuki, he was left with nothing.
However, Meinu, despite not giving him any reason to live, showed him hers. Her deepest desires that she expressed to him because she knew he could make them real. He didn't make this plan his. He simply decided to make it for her, because without this, he'd just end his life, like he already tried.
Kakumei, this plan, this dream, they're not his. They're Meinu's. But he knows that they hold this group together and that everyone here is happier this way. He has to fake it, keep acting like he's the wielder of these ideals, and carry on with it. The hopes Meinu and the others have put in him are the only thing that keep him going.
"We have to think of our next moves." he says. "Let's take time to make it properly. The Daimyo will go first, but we won't act until we're ready to efficiently take them all down. Don't forget that we have resistance now."
"So what until then?" Fuyuko asks.
"… Kawaki, please keep going with the young elite's formation. I want to have a solid team that may join our leading group in the future… Meinu, you still have to get done with what you promised about Ketsu… Minoka I'd like you to prepare for giving the same physical boost that your master had to other individuals… Fuyuko, Akiko, you'll elaborate the attack plans. Miki, do whatever you want, just leave the villagers alone. I will stay here to protect them."
Kawaki looks at him and nods. Whatever his past was, whatever his future will be, whatever it is the Hokage seems to see in him, his only rightful place to this day is next to Oshio. He'll stay there and serve his friend's purpose until he either gets an epilogue, gets a final rest, or finally gets caught by the curse he carries.
And so Kakumei remained hidden in their land for almost a whole year before taking action again, leaving the Shinobi Union to relax on this problem. Prepared for new offensives, fully armed, they aim for the feudal families again after waiting for the right time to strike.
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End of Chapter 83 – Next Chapter: Is this war?