According to what Senju Hashirama said before his death, there was no need for a grand funeral; it should be kept simple. Therefore, at the burial, only Uzumaki Mito, Misaki, Kana, Tsunade, Fūmori Masaki, and Uchiha Kagami were present—either those close to Senju Hashirama or those who were successors to Senju Hashirama and Tobirama.
Except for the oblivious Tsunade, everyone else was grieving the passing of Senju Hashirama. Fūmori Masaki gently patted Tsunade on the head and said, "Child, mourn for Lord Senju Hashirama."
"Why does Grandpa have to sleep in the dirt? When will Grandpa wake up to play with me again?" Tsunade asked, puzzled.
"Lord Senju Hashirama will never wake up again, and he won't be able to play with you anymore." Fūmori Masaki shook his head.
Tsunade burst into tears. She didn't yet understand what death was; she only knew that her grandfather would no longer play with her, which was why she reacted this way. Fūmori Masaki would not blame her for this; this was exactly how a child who knew nothing should behave.
Senju Hashirama's funeral ended quickly. No matter how heartbroken they were, they couldn't dwell on it; the war was the top priority. Because Fūmori Masaki had lost his family's ninja tool, Uzumaki Mito prepared to find him a suitable one.
Uzumaki Mito summoned all the ninja tools from her storage scroll and said, "These are the ninja tools Senju Hashirama used during his lifetime. He doesn't need them now, and they are going to be donated anyway. You should pick one that feels right to you first."
Fūmori Masaki looked at these ninja tools. Most of them were large and bulky because Senju Hashirama himself possessed incredible strength, and using such tools could cause massive destructive power. However, for Fūmori Masaki, they were somewhat unsuitable. He was a fast-attack type Ninja, and ninja tools of this style could not allow him to push his speed to the limit.
Fūmori Masaki selected the narrowest blade among all the ninja tools, swung it a few times to test the feel, and was not very satisfied with it.
"It looks like it's only barely acceptable." Uzumaki Mito saw through Fūmori Masaki's thoughts at a glance.
"Yes, and its absorption of Chakra doesn't seem very good either." Fūmori Masaki injected Chakra into the blade and could clearly feel that the effect it produced on the blade was lackluster.
"After all, the metal used is limited; most of it was used to forge those large ninja tools," Uzumaki Mito said.
"Is the production of this chakra metal not high?" Fūmori Masaki asked.
"At least the sources discovered within the Land of Fire are limited. In the Land of Wind, however, quite a few places that produce chakra metal have been found. Before the war, the Village used to trade with them, but the quantity was limited and it was very expensive," Uzumaki Mito said.
Fūmori Masaki understood why only the Land of Wind had the special ninja tools known as puppets; this had a lot to do with the abundance of mineral resources in the Land of Wind. He stared at the blade in his hand for a moment and said, "This should be the best one. I'll use it for now; at least it's better than nothing."
"Tobirama said he would find your family's ninja tool, but I think it's unlikely. Aside from being able to absorb Chakra and easily display its nature, this metal is not very sturdy," Uzumaki Mito said. "According to what you said, after Ginkaku went berserk and blew up the entire food storage site, your family's ninja tool likely didn't survive."
"I know." Fūmori Masaki said softly. He was already mentally prepared for the fact that he wouldn't be able to retrieve his short blade. The reason was exactly as Uzumaki Mito had said—it was unlikely to be unscathed in that environment, and it wasn't the legendary, most durable kusanagi sword.
"It's a pity that it was lost as a family heirloom. Among the existing ninja tools, you probably won't find another one suitable for you. For your sake, you should forge a suitable ninja tool." Uzumaki Mito directly suggested forging a new one.
"Lord Uzumaki Mito, if possible, could you help me find a suitable craftsman?" Fūmori Masaki accepted the suggestion and asked in turn.
"I have already thought of who to ask," Uzumaki Mito smiled. "It's someone from the Taketori Clan."
"What, Kaguya?" Fūmori Masaki was immediately startled. Wasn't the Kaguya Clan the Ninja clan that possessed the Shikotsumyaku Bloodline Limit? They were also a bunch of war-crazed lunatics who, in later generations, started a rebellion in the Land of Water and were eventually wiped out. The only survivor, Kimimaro, also died in battle against Gaara.
"Not Kaguya, but Taketori." Uzumaki Mito corrected him and showed Fūmori Masaki how to write Taketori. "Many people get it wrong since the pronunciation is the same, but they are two different clans—or rather, not entirely different. At first, there was only the Kaguya Clan, but later, the ancestor of the Taketori Clan, disliking the clan's warlike traditions, broke away from the clan, subsequently multiplied, and formed the Taketori Clan."
"Is there any difference between this Taketori Clan and the Kaguya Clan?" Fūmori Masaki was somewhat confused.
"Just as I said, the Taketori Clan left because they hated fighting. Therefore, the people of the Taketori Clan are not as warlike as the people of the Kaguya Clan. I don't know if that's why, but they have never manifested the Kaguya Clan's Bloodline Limit," Uzumaki Mito explained. "Disliking conflict, they are best at forging ninja tools, which is very famous in the Ninja World. Even samurai go to them to forge weapons."
"So that's how it is." Fūmori Masaki suddenly realized. He hadn't expected the Kaguya Clan to have a branch like the Taketori Clan, but he still had one doubt.
"Lord Uzumaki Mito, the Taketori Clan should be a clan from another Ninja Village, right? Will they forge a ninja tool for me?" Fūmori Masaki asked.
Uzumaki Mito smiled and said, "Rest assured, the Taketori Clan has never joined any Ninja Village. They seem to have grown weary of fighting; when the Sengoku era ended, they went into seclusion. As long as you provide the materials and money, they will forge a ninja tool perfectly suited for you."
"Then I am relieved." Upon hearing this, Fūmori Masaki had no more questions. As soon as this war ended, he would be able to go find the people of the Taketori Clan.
After bidding farewell to Uzumaki Mito, Fūmori Masaki left the Senju Clan. On the way, he ran into Uchiha Kagami, who was talking to the Police Force. Seeing Fūmori Masaki, Uchiha Kagami ended the conversation with the Police Force, told them to execute his orders, and then walked toward Fūmori Masaki.
"Masaki, did you find a suitable ninja tool?" Uchiha Kagami asked.
"No, this one is just barely passable." Fūmori Masaki patted the hilt of the ninja tool on his back.
Uchiha Kagami took a look and said regretfully, "Since this one can only be considered passable, I don't have any suitable ninja tools here either."
For fast-attack types like the Fūmori Family, neither the Senju Clan nor the Uchiha Clan had such Ninjas. Occasionally, one or two might appear, but they didn't have the ability to obtain exclusive ninja tools, so Uchiha Kagami could only be helpless to assist.
"Better than nothing, I suppose." Fūmori Masaki smiled. "Although the speed isn't great when swinging it, the reach is still okay. At least it has some advantages. However, this war won't end anytime soon, and I can't rely solely on this; I need to think of other ways."
"What ideas do you have?" Uchiha Kagami asked curiously.
"I want to research a Ninjutsu so that even without a weapon in hand, I can achieve a similar effect." Fūmori Masaki mused. "I have some ideas now, but how exactly to do it still requires experimentation, and I don't know if I can successfully create it."
In Fūmori Masaki's mind, this Ninjutsu should be a signless Ninjutsu like the Rasengan; only then would it suit his fast attacks. Originally, he wanted to use the Rasengan directly, but the Rasengan had very high requirements for Chakra. Although the power was concentrated, it wasn't as good as the ninja tool he used before, which not only consumed less Chakra but also had a concentrated destructive power that was not inferior to the Rasengan.
Fūmori Masaki felt that the range of the Rasengan was still too large. The signless Ninjutsu he needed should consume less, have a smaller range, and be usable for both long-range attacks and close-quarters combat.
"That doesn't sound like a Ninjutsu that can be easily created." Uchiha Kagami said.
"Yeah, so I have to think it through carefully." Fūmori Masaki shook his head, then asked, "Putting me aside, how are things on your end? Have you selected the people to go to war?"
"Of course, I've already selected them." Uchiha Kagami shrugged and said, "For this deployment, I'll take those hardline members of the clan with me. These people are a destabilizing factor if left in the clan, so it's best to take them away. Besides, aren't they confident in their powerful strength? Then let's leave them on the battlefield to deal with the enemy."
"That's great." Fūmori Masaki expressed his agreement. Regardless of anything else, those of the Hawk Faction were very strong. It was perfect for them to deal with the enemy, and it could also let the Uchiha Clan make a showing on the battlefield. Meanwhile, the moderate faction that remained could serve as the Police Force to take care of the civilians, presenting a positive image of their clan—killing two birds with one stone.
"We are about to go to different battlefields." Fūmori Masaki took a deep breath, looked at Uchiha Kagami, raised his hand, and extended his palm. "We will definitely win this war and return safely."
"Yeah!" Uchiha Kagami also raised his hand and clasped it with Fūmori Masaki's. "We must return safely."