After that, Arisu and Uchiha Yuto talked a lot more.
"Since you've already made up your mind, there's no regret once the move is made. Then go ahead boldly and do it!"
Arisu sat upright on the tatami and spoke slowly.
As his words fell, a faint, almost unnoticeable trace of anticipation quietly rose in Arisu's heart.
He already wanted to see the result of this life a bit sooner.
In the previous life, Uchiha Shuhaku and Senju Hiruka were both sent to the Pure Land by him, so that one didn't count.
The contest between the reincarnations of Indra and Asura still stood at three to two, with Asura barely ahead by a margin.
And now, all the variables were tied to the future Hashirama and Madara, Naruto and Sasuke.
Uchiha Yuto and the Asura of this generation.
Arisu had not yet seen the Asura of this generation, after all, he had been living within the Uchiha clan all these years.
Across from him, Uchiha Yuto's brows were tightly furrowed, his face full of the dilemma and weight of being a clan leader. He let out a light sigh.
"Sigh, I'm not afraid for myself. I'm afraid that too many in the clan will die or be injured, causing a series of chain reactions."
"But without war, we can't obtain rewards. Just now, the daimyo of the Land of Grass also paid me and requested that we eliminate rogue ninjas…"
On one side was the safety and lives of the clan members. On the other was the resources and commissioned tasks the clan relied on to survive.
This heavy dilemma made it hard for him, who had only recently taken the position and had never experienced a large-scale war, to completely make up his mind.
"Can't act freely? I understand that."
Arisu's fingertips lightly touched the table, pausing slightly.
Then he nodded faintly, his tone steady as he reminded, "Death is unavoidable. Where there is war, there will be casualties. Yuto, a compassionate man cannot command troops."
As he said this, there was no ripple in Arisu's eyes, none of the pity or entanglement an ordinary person would have.
Hundreds and thousands of years ago, Arisu had once felt guilt over the destined struggle between Indra and Asura.
After all, the entire ninja world had become the chessboard of their master and disciple's game. Countless innocent lives had become pieces, displaced by war and dying in misery.
But ever since he personally established the Pure Land and sent all the deceased there, that heavy guilt had long since vanished.
The current Pure Land had already become an ideal land without conflict under the full effort of Otsutsuki Hagoromo.
There were no wars or suffering there, no struggle over resources, no need to worry about birth, aging, sickness, or death.
Food, clothing, shelter, and daily needs were all provided. The only things to think about each day were what to eat and what to play.
Thinking of it this way, the wars and conflicts of the human world were nothing more than a brief trial for all living beings.
Even if one died, they could go to the Pure Land and enjoy peace, so there was nothing worth worrying about too much.
If you die, you die. After death, you go to the Pure Land and enjoy blessings.
"Elder…"
Hearing this, Uchiha Yuto's whole body trembled.
This clan elder was truly rational.
Uchiha Yuto suddenly bowed deeply, his back straight, his tone full of respect and self-reflection. "Elder, your lesson is right. I shouldn't hesitate like this. I've learned."
As a clan leader, it was natural to care about the clan members.
But being too soft-hearted and indecisive would instead delay the bigger picture of the clan and might even put the clan in a more passive position.
Arisu's single sentence completely woke him up from his wavering.
"It's nothing."
Arisu raised his hand and gently helped Uchiha Yuto up from his bow.
He gave a slight nod, his eyes carrying a bit of guidance and approval toward the younger generation, and said nothing more. Everything was understood without words.
At the side, Uchiha Tajima stood by the doorway, quietly watching the two talk, his small face full of seriousness.
Seeing his grandfather casually enlighten the imposing clan head, seeing the clan head treat his grandfather with utmost respect and humbly accept guidance, Tajima's eyes shone with admiration, and he thought to himself, 'Grandpa is truly amazing and highly respected. Even the clan leader respects and listens to him like this. In the future, I must follow Grandpa and learn well.'
———
Half a year later, Uchiha Yuto returned.
Setting out with troops in spring and returning victorious in autumn, wars that ended quickly had now become the norm.
Arisu remembered the battles before he pacified demons.
Those wars lasted at least a year, and the longer ones even went on for decades.
But ever since he pacified demons, because ninjas could not produce resources themselves and needed funding from the daimyos, they naturally could not fight prolonged wars.
The kind of drawn-out, exhausting battles from before had completely become a thing of the past. The form of warfare in the ninja world was gradually approaching the trajectory he was familiar with.
Wars began swiftly and ended more and more decisively.
Quickly determining victory had become the mainstream.
However, there would be even faster ones in the future. He remembered the Fourth Great Ninja War ended in just four days.
"Grandpa! Clan Head Yuto is back! We won!"
Uchiha Tajima ran over at full speed, his face full of wild joy.
"Got it."
Arisu simply nodded calmly upon hearing this.
He showed little emotional reaction to the Uchiha clan's victory.
Seeing his grandfather's calm response, Tajima quickly stepped forward and couldn't wait to share an even more astonishing result. "Grandpa, this is huge good news!"
"In this campaign, Clan Head Yuto personally took the field and directly killed the Senju clan head. Our Uchiha clan has achieved an unprecedented great victory!"
Hearing this, Arisu's originally calm expression suddenly paused.
'Wait?'
'Uchiha Yuto killed the Senju clan head?'
Arisu immediately frowned.
According to the eternal reincarnation destiny of the ninja world, the Senju clan head of this generation should have been, with near certainty, the reincarnation of Asura.
The reincarnation of Asura carried special destiny and life force in their bloodline. How could they be so easily completely killed?
Back then, Senju He fought Uchiha Sha, and it dragged on for years.
Arisu hesitated slightly, and as his thoughts moved, he immediately separated a clone that others could not see.
In just a moment, Arisu's clone arrived at the territory of the Senju clan.
The Senju clan, which used to be bustling with activity and full of vitality, was now completely shrouded in deep sorrow. Everyone in the clan wore mourning clothes and white headbands.
Low sobbing mixed with the solemn atmosphere of the funeral, and everywhere one looked was the bleakness after losing their leader.
Arisu concealed himself to one side, his gaze sweeping calmly over the entire funeral. He focused his senses on every trace of aura around him, his brows tightening even more.
There was truly not the slightest trace of Asura's unique aura?
'Could it be that the Asura reincarnation of this life was really killed so easily by Uchiha Yuto?'
'Or was it that in this life, Asura didn't reincarnate into the Senju clan at all?'
Suddenly, Arisu paused, as if thinking of something.
He no longer stayed and immediately turned to head toward another clan, the Uzumaki clan.
———
[Uzumaki Clan Leader's Residence]
Inside the residence, a young man with a tall and straight posture sat at a desk. One hand steadily held the child beside him, while the other calmly handled clan affairs.
This person was the Uzumaki clan head, Uzumaki Itsuki.
"Father, why do you always look so unhappy?"
The child raised his tender little face, full of confusion, tugging lightly at Uzumaki Itsuki's sleeve as he softly asked.
Uzumaki Itsuki sighed gently and slowly spoke to the child in his arms, "Ashina, the Senju clan head has died. He was killed by someone from the Uchiha clan."
"Oh…"
Uzumaki Ashina responded in a half-understanding way. Being so young, he couldn't yet comprehend the coming upheaval in the ninja world behind this matter.
Not far away, Arisu's clone stood quietly, his gaze calmly falling on Uzumaki Itsuki as understanding already settled in his heart.
The Uzumaki clan head before him, burdened with worries, was the true reincarnation of Asura in this generation.
And the child in his arms named Uzumaki Ashina was not unfamiliar to Arisu either. Uzumaki Ashina was a character who existed in the original story.
From the fact that Uzumaki Ashina was already old during Senju Hashirama's middle age, it could be inferred that Uzumaki Ashina belonged to the same generation as Butsuma and Tajima.