28 Chapter 28

"Ah, you don't have to worry about that, Sensei. None of them will remember that they were ever subjected to such a ritual. Hahahaha." Kazuki laughed in an evil way because he had no intention of sharing the information with the others. Tsunade was the only exception.

"Do you want some help regarding Senpai, Sensei?" Kazuki directed his gaze towards Kakashi, who was still silently contemplating Tsunade's words.

"To be honest, kid, I feel like his condition is similar to mine. The kid is lost after losing all his loved ones, just like I was after losing Nawaki and Dan. Shizune was what kept me going, and Kakashi still has a lingering attachment to Naruto, acting as his guardian, so he is not beyond help. He just needs assistance, and the kid is not willing to seek any, so it's better I intervene to prevent him from wasting away his life."

Tsunade had a nostalgic and sad tone when she mentioned Nawaki and Dan, but Kazuki realised that even though she was sad, she had moved on.

"Fine, Sensei, I will see what I can do from my end. And about my team, who are its members?" Kazuki agreed to help Tsunade with Kakashi's matter and inquired about his teammates.

"Not telling, kid. Find out for yourself." Tsunade simply ignored Kazuki and walked back to Kakashi, leaving the Nara home without disclosing any more information.

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Kazuki's life continued following the same routine of training and more training, and it was always poor little Shikamaru and Choji who got caught in the crossfire. Today, however, was a rare day of leisure because it was Shikaku's day off. Shikaku and Shikamaru were playing on the exquisite crystal shogi board that Shikamaru had bought earlier. Kazuki watched from the side, munching on the snacks Yoshino had made for them.

Shikamaru, who was only three years old, was now already aware of most things around him, and Shikaku found it comfortable to teach his son while playing shogi, the exquisite crystal board being a part of the reason.

"Father, is there going to be another war?" Little Shikamaru jumped into the heart of the matter as murmurs about the war had been increasing among the villagers. Both Iwa and Kumo had strengthened their forces along the border, and even the Leaf had strengthened its patrols, with Hiruzen yet to retract the war-ready state.

"No, not yet. I don't think the conditions have deteriorated to such a state yet. Unless one of the villages does something major, I don't think there will be war," Shikaku answered Shikamaru while making his move on the board.

"Father, from what my big brother tells me, old man Hokage is the strongest Kage currently. So why doesn't he subdue the other villages just like the Shodaime did back during his time?"

Shikamaru, even though he was only three, wanted to grow strong to support his big brother. He was lazy, but not reluctant to learn. After one day of listening to Kazuki and his father's conversation about Kazuki's parents, he tried his best when big brother Kazuki asked him to train.

"Sandaime-Sama is a man who knows the true worth of war. According to him, the most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war. That is why he always looks to resolve conflicts through peaceful dialogue. But sometimes, not everyone reciprocates such thoughts."

Shikamaru started digesting the answer, and Shikaku continued.

"Do you know what happened to the Third Raikage?" Shikamaru simply nodded, and Shikaku continued. "Sometimes one man's strength is not enough to stop a war. Although Sandaime-sama is an extremely strong Shinobi, he is not at Shodaime's level. Contrary to what everyone believes, it was not just kindness from Shodaime-sama that kept others at bay but also his strength."

"So what does one truly fight for, father? Wouldn't it save lives if one party were to simply give up without fighting? Won't it be better to share everything equally?"

Shikaku raised his brows at the question raised by little Shikamaru and turned his gaze towards Kazuki, who was still munching on his snacks.

"What do you think, Kazuki? Care to share your thoughts?"

"Sharing equally, such a glorious dream. Tell me, little brother, if tomorrow you could avoid a war with an enemy by simply sharing your wealth equally, would you agree?"

Shikamaru simply nodded. Even Shikaku was curious to know how Kazuki viewed the world.

"And the next day, the same enemy comes and asks for your lands, and the next day he comes for your women, and the next, your children, and in the end, everything you hold dear. Would you still be willing to part with it, little brother?"

Little Shikamaru pondered deeply the weight of Kazuki's words and shook his head.

"Greed is an inherent nature of humans, Shikamaru. Don't naively believe the world is white and black. You asked Uncle, Why should we fight if we can achieve peace by sharing? A true Shinobi fights not because he hates what is in front of him but because he loves what is behind him. Wealth and other resources are something that you can part with, but not the lives of your loved ones. Sometimes you have to fight to protect what is dear to you."

Kazuki simply shared his thoughts, and Shikaku was really impressed with Kazuki's thoughts. He added, "It's not like sharing always brings about positive changes, Shikamaru. You should know there was a time when the leaf controlled all the bijuu except for the one-tailed. Shodaime-sama, as a gesture of goodwill, shared it among the major villages. He looked for coexistence by sharing power, and do you know what happened after Shodaime-sama's passing?"

Shikamaru simply nodded because he was well aware of the history.

"Without like-minded people, coexistence is simply a dream, Shikamaru. Even if it's achieved by force, it is only temporary."

With that, Shikaku made a move, ending the game. However, Shikamaru didn't react, still absorbing the information that his brother and father shared.

"Uncle, has there been any response from Kumo and Iwa? I heard from Sensei that recently a Chunin team with a Yamanaka was captured and killed near the borders while performing a mission," Kazuki questioned Shikaku, as now they were talking about war.

"Yeah, that was unfortunate. It seems like Iwa still holds the grudge they had against Yondaime. The team was brutally tortured before they were killed, and the Yamanaka girl... We could barely recognize the girl when her body was brought back by the ANBU. And there have been talks about Kumo sending a team to handle peace talks, and unlike last time, the meeting will happen in Konoha."

Kazuki contemplated the timeline, realizing that the Kumo delegation was a bit early compared to what he remembered. In the original anime, no such events were unfolding. It seemed like this world was somewhat different from what he knew, hiding many more secrets. Kazuki couldn't wait to explore them all. He had already received the items promised by the Hokage during the exchange, and the two techniques he chose from the scroll of seals were Edo Tensei and Hiraishin no Jutsu.

Originally, Hiruzen was hesitant about providing Edo Tensei, fearing that Kazuki might follow in Orochimaru's footsteps. However, after a week of discussions with Tsunade, Kazuki finally obtained consent. Tsunade, adamant about helping her student, personally vouched to keep an eye on Kazuki and prevent him from going astray. As for the Kage Bunshin Jutsu, it was one of the earliest techniques Kazuki learned after arriving in this world. Without it, he wouldn't have had time to master all these skills in just three years.

Currently, Kazuki is working on learning and mastering his own variation of Hiraishin. Much like how Minato created the Rasengan, Kazuki wanted to incorporate his own style with the Hiraishin. He chose Kenjutsu as his base, drawing inspiration from the Demon Slayer. Kazuki planned to integrate the Thunder Breathing Art as a new form of Kenjutsu with his Hiraishin. His spatial awareness, due to his Kekkei Genkai and control over shadow and darkness, was unrivalled.

Kazuki intended to take Minato's Hiraishin one notch higher by creating seals for his teleport points by materializing shadows and darkness, and his Kekkei Genkai made this possible. This would eliminate the need for physically throwing special kunais with Hiraishin seals. As Kazuki could physically materialize and give form to shadow seals, he wouldn't have to worry about light dispersing these shadows as well. Kazuki understood the degree of complexity that he had envisioned, so he estimated that it may take anywhere close to a year or two to completely master, even with his level of mastery over Fuinjutsu.

"Kazuki, have you been assigned to your new team? Any idea who your Jonin sensei is going to be?" Shikaku inquired as Kazuki casually enjoyed some snacks while pondering.

"Yes, Uncle, Master has informed me about it. It looks like I'm going to have an interesting team, and my Jonin sensei will be Maito Gai," Kazuki shared the news he had acquired from Tsunade, having put in considerable effort to extract the details from his master.

"Uncle, we need to be prepared for the Kumo team. I'm sure they aren't coming with good intentions," Kazuki expressed his concerns to Shikaku.

"Hmm, yes, I feel they might have ulterior motives. But Sandaime-sama doesn't want to let go of a chance at peace, even if the chance is inherently small. Any guesses about what their true intention might be?" Shikaku asked, relying on Kazuki's insightful perspective.

"I'm sure they are coming for my head, or rather, the seal master's. Their priority will be to find my identity. In addition, Kumo has always envied our Kekkei Genkais, so I'm sure their targets might also include the families that possess Kekkei Genkai. I'll have to remind Master about Naruto and keep an eye on him during Kumo's visit," Kazuki speculated, outlining his thoughts on Kumo's potential motives. Shikaku contemplated the information shared, acknowledging the possibility of Kumo's nefarious deeds, given their history.

"Well, in that case, I must discuss a few things with Hokage-sama. The meeting with the Kumo delegation might take place within two to three months from now. It's better to start making preparations ahead of time. Oh, I almost forgot, the Uchiha clan leader has asked our Nara for a personal favour," Shikaku mentioned before leaving to meet the Hokage. Kazuki, still munching, raised his brows in question.

"Fugaku wants to employ the help of the master who built our Nara clan compound. He specifically mentioned that price was not going to be an issue, and he has also offered an option of exchange," Shikaku informed Kazuki about the Uchiha clan's request.

Kazuki was contemplating what to do about the Uchiha clan's request, considering the additional workload it would bring. However, Shikaku wouldn't have brought up the topic without a reason, so Kazuki patiently waited for his uncle to elaborate.

"Well, I was thinking of getting a few of the Uchiha clan Genjutsu in exchange for the fire ninjutsu that you acquired. Helping them with their new home's design would be in our favour," Shikaku explained his reasoning, recognising the strategic advantage of expanding the Nara clan's jutsu repertoire.

"Fine, fine, let the little kid do all the work. Ah, it's such a drag. Maybe I should learn how to be lazy from my little brother," Kazuki commented, tacitly agreeing to help the Uchiha clan as per his uncle's request.

The next day, Kazuki made preparations to start his life as a shinobi. He was officially going to meet his teammates and his Jonin leader. The meeting place was decided to be the number-ten training ground. When Kazuki reached there, he saw that Maito Gai and Torune were already waiting. However, Torune was consciously making sure to stay away from Gai, and his outfit covered up almost his entire body to avoid unintentional physical contact with others.

"Ah, if it isn't Chibi Kakashi, come meet your new teammate. This is Torune Aburame; he has a special trait. I'm sure Tsunade-sama has already mentioned it. Tsunade-sama will also be present today, just as an added precaution while we carry out the tests later," Gai announced.