Chapter 15: What I Sent Wasn't a Love Letter—It Was a Statement
"What a huge catch..."
After leaving Ota's house, Asuka strolled through one of Konoha's streets, letting out a quiet sigh.
He hadn't expected that female Root operative...
To have such an interesting background.
She was a member of the Nara Clan.
Recalling everything Ota had told him, the corners of Asuka's mouth slowly lifted.
In the past, buying intelligence had always cost money.
But money alone was never enough.
He often had to threaten people.
Manipulate them.
Sometimes he even resorted to the Sharingan.
Now, however...
Things were much easier.
With his ANBU identity...
Gathering intelligence had become remarkably convenient.
While Minato is still alive...
I'd better make full use of this ANBU status.
Once the Third Hokage returns to power...
There's a good chance I'll be kicked out.
---
Creak.
Asuka pushed open the front door.
The first thing he saw...
Was an enormous orange cat sprawled lazily across his bed.
Hanging his ninja pouch on the wall, he greeted it casually.
"Yo."
"Fatty."
"You're back."
"Did you deliver the letter?"
"Hmph."
The orange cat lazily opened one eye before closing it again.
A young girl's voice emerged from its mouth.
"I delivered it."
"Lady Tsunade almost punched me into a cat pancake."
"But..."
"The moment I handed over the 100,000 ryō..."
"...she immediately had Shizune write you a reply."
"And?"
"What else did she say?"
The cat rolled onto its back with an expression that looked remarkably human.
"She said..."
"Jiraiya spent years chasing her."
"He wrote her three hundred twenty-eight love letters."
"More than two million words altogether."
"Only after that..."
"...did her heart soften a little."
"So..."
"One letter from you proves absolutely nothing."
"Write five hundred first."
"Then she'll consider it."
"Oh."
"And don't forget to keep putting 100,000 ryō inside every letter."
"Otherwise..."
"...that old woman's fist is going to land on me."
The orange cat looked up at the ceiling helplessly.
"Asuka."
"I honestly think you're wasting your money."
"Five hundred letters."
"One hundred thousand ryō each."
"That's fifty million ryō."
"Do you know how much cat food fifty million ryō could buy?"
"I could even learn the Transformation Technique and keep you company."
"You don't understand."
Hearing that answer...
The orange cat instantly sprang to its feet.
It leaped onto Asuka's head and began sharpening its claws in his hair.
"Then explain it."
"And don't use the same excuse you used last time."
---
"Sigh..."
Asuka glanced upward at the cat that looked moments away from relieving itself on his head.
Then he patiently explained.
"Everyone knows..."
"The Senju and Uchiha have hated each other for nearly a thousand years."
"So if people suddenly hear..."
"That the Uchiha Clan Head wants to marry the head of the Senju Clan..."
"Their first reaction will be..."
"'Impossible.'"
"'Fake news.'"
"But..."
"If they discover..."
"That quite a few Uchiha support the proposal..."
"They'll begin taking it seriously."
"Because..."
"The opinions of clan members can influence their clan head."
"It doesn't matter whether the letter actually came from Fugaku."
"As long as outsiders believe..."
"...it represents the will of part of the Uchiha Clan."
"The Hawk Faction."
"The Dove Faction."
"The neutrals."
"I don't like any of them."
"So..."
"I'm creating a new faction."
"The Divorce Faction."
"Our platform is simple."
"Convince the Clan Head to divorce."
"Marry Lady Tsunade."
"Merge the Uchiha and Senju into one clan."
"And aim for the Fifth..."
"Sixth..."
"And Seventh Hokage."
"This isn't only about promoting my ideals inside the clan."
"It's also about showing Konoha where I stand."
"Reconciling the Senju and Uchiha..."
"...is also part of the Will of Fire."
"As for whether Lady Tsunade and Fugaku actually agree..."
"That isn't important."
"The important thing..."
"...is that I've taken a public stand."
"Anyone who agrees with my ideals..."
"...will eventually stand behind me."
"They'll become my supporters."
"And the letters can't stop."
"They represent unwavering resolve."
"Worst case..."
"I'll just keep taking missions..."
"...to earn money to support Lady Tsunade."
"If I were an elder of the Uchiha Clan..."
"...I'd sign those letters with my own name."
---
"So..."
The orange cat scratched its head.
It still didn't fully understand.
But Asuka looked so serious...
That it instinctively nodded.
"So you're not actually trying to persuade Fugaku to divorce?"
"No."
"That part's genuine."
"I really do want him to divorce."
"And while I'm at it..."
"...I'd like to arrange a vasectomy too."
"Then why don't you defeat the Grand Elder..."
"...and send the letters under your own name?"
"Nah."
"Lady Tsunade's a little too old."
"I'd rather find someone younger."
"...Really?"
"She looked pretty youthful to me."
"...You've seen her?"
"Not only have I seen her..."
"I even slept on her chest while she was gambling."
"Haven't you?"
"..."
---
Night fell.
Dressed entirely in black...
Asuka quietly stepped out of his house.
With several rapid Body Flickers...
He crossed the rooftops toward the Nara Clan compound.
Inside the increasingly fanatical Uchiha Clan...
Moderate opinions attracted no followers.
Especially after watching the conservative elders constantly propose plans like:
"Secure second place."
"Compete for third."
"Charge toward fourth."
Only to waste everyone's hopes.
If that's the case...
I might as well push my own ideas instead.
Konoha had existed for fifty-one years.
The older generation was gradually disappearing.
Meanwhile...
The younger generation had spent fifty-one years living alongside the Senju.
Most of them no longer carried that ancient hatred.
Are these letters I'm writing to Tsunade...
Love letters?
No.
They're a declaration.
A statement of my ideals.
---
Screech.
Asuka suddenly halted atop a rooftop.
Closing his eyes...
He quietly searched for the chakra signature of the Nara kunoichi.
There...
A few moments later...
He opened his eyes and looked toward a darkened house.
"...First time sneaking into a widow's home at night."
Since he hadn't bothered hiding his movements...
The moment he slid open the window—
"Who's there?!"
A kunai instantly pressed against his throat.
Looking down at the blade resting against his neck...
Asuka slowly raised both hands.
"It's me."
"The Uchiha you attacked the other day."
"You—"
Before she could finish...
A sharp pain shot through her wrist.
"Ah!"
The kunai slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the floor.
Asuka rubbed his neck before casually kicking the weapon aside.
"Nara Ryōko."
"Don't point kunai at people's throats."
"It's dangerous."
Walking over to the nearby table, he reached toward the candle.
"Don't light it!"
Recognizing him by the moonlight...
Ryōko hurriedly stopped him.
Standing opposite him, she frowned.
"You sneak into a widow's house in the middle of the night..."
"And you're blaming me?"
"Oh, come on."
"If I hadn't deliberately made noise before entering..."
"You would've never noticed me."
Asuka casually collapsed into a chair.
Looking at her increasingly displeased face, he continued,
"Don't misunderstand."
"I came at night because..."
"Visiting a widow during the day would attract gossip."
Ryōko stared at him in disbelief.
"...And sneaking in during the middle of the night somehow looks better?"
Asuka shrugged.
"No one sees me at night."
"..."
"...What exactly do you want?"
"I came to chat."
"I have nothing to say to you."
"And don't expect me to tell you anything."
---
While the two quietly argued inside the house...
A passing member of the Nara Clan happened to walk by Ryōko's courtyard.
She glanced toward the darkened room.
Then looked up at the moon...
Which was slowly disappearing behind thick clouds.
Ever since Ichiki died...
Ryōko has been living alone.
I wonder if she's lonely.
Maybe I'll visit her sometime...
"...?"
Suddenly...
She froze.
There were...
Two shadows inside the room.
She rubbed her eyes.
Did I just imagine that?
Why are there two silhouettes inside Ryōko's house...?
Could it be...
She misses her husband so much...
...that she's using the Nara Clan's Shadow Possession Technique to recreate him?