Chapter 38: You're Fighting Like This, and You Want Me to Stop?
In the dead of night, the entire encampment fell into a deep silence. Aside from the occasional, distant crunch of boots from a passing patrol, only the mournful whimpering of wind and sand remained.
Stelle stood with her arms crossed, a solitary figure against the desolate landscape. In this moment, the benefits of her Flame Release Chakra Mode were obvious—it formed an invisible barrier, keeping every last grain of sand from touching her. Without it, standing watch out here would be a gritty, miserable affair, tantamount to eating sand for dinner.
Fifteen nights of patrol meant fifteen nights of eating sand. The very thought was enough to make her spirit crack.
With nothing better to do, she tasked her system with keeping an eye on the perimeter while she explored her inventory of rewards. Of the one hundred she had started with, various ones had been used here and there, but a fair number remained untouched—either because they were currently unnecessary or because they simply weren't very useful.
For instance, that 'Artificial Body' piqued her curiosity. If she learned some kind of spiritual projection technique, could she leave her physical form behind and go out to play in a synthetic vessel? It sounded fun in theory.
But on second thought, the idea was utterly pointless.
The system had already gifted her a special version of the Shadow Clone Jutsu; why would she ever need to bother with something as risky as soul projection? Her Undying Body was her greatest trump card. If she grew careless and neglected her real body in favor of a spiritual jaunt, she could expose her biggest secret. The potential trouble far outweighed any fleeting amusement.
So, it was better to let that particular item continue gathering dust in her system's warehouse.
[System, why is there still a blind box in here? What would I even get if I opened it?]
[A blind box is a blind box. It all depends on the Host's luck. However, as a cheater already blessed with a hundred starting rewards, it hardly matters what you pull.]
The system certainly had a way with words. Stelle mentally turned the blind box over and over. It was a dull, unremarkable gray, giving no indication that it contained anything of value.
[If I open this, it won't just give me the Three Basic Jutsu, will it? Can duplicates be exchanged for something else? Like emotional value points?]
[Rest assured, Host. It will not duplicate any rewards you currently possess.]
Stelle felt a wave of relief. Her current strength was just about sufficient, and she could slowly research any areas where she felt lacking. Her 'Super Brain' was, after all, the biggest cheat of them all. Still, opening something fun would be a nice diversion—Mind Reading, perhaps, or something equally entertaining.
She decisively clicked to open the blind box.
The once-dull gray container suddenly erupted in a blinding flash of golden light. The special effects were dialed to the absolute maximum, as if she had just hit the grand prize in a lottery.
When the dazzling light finally vanished, the box had transformed into a single card.
After Stelle read the instructions printed on it, a sharp, involuntary gasp escaped her lips.
[Holy crap! My Luck Goddess hand actually pulled gold!]
She had been hoping the system would unlock this function for a long time, even if it was only a single-use item.
The system, too, saw the contents of the card.
[Does the Host intend to use this card after your current alias goes offline?]
The system's question brought her crashing back to reality. Now that she actually possessed this ability, she didn't dare use it casually. There were far too many uncertainties. Who was to say that using it would result in a better outcome than her current situation?
If anything, she was finding more and more things to look forward to in this life.
[Let's just let it gather dust for now. Maybe I'll find a use for it one day.]
After stowing the reward away, Stelle prepared to take another stroll around her patrol route. It would be ideal if that man, Retsudo, hadn't gone to sleep yet; she could pester him for a fresh batch of emotional value. If not him, then Chiyo would do just fine.
She had only walked a short distance when the whisper of subtle footsteps reached her through the howling wind. A familiar figure emerged from the swirling sand. Stelle paused, waiting for the person to approach. It was Uchiha Kagami.
The whistling night wind whipped against his cheeks and playfully ruffled his naturally fluffy, dark curls. Whether from the wind or his own movement, the curls bounced a few times, looking so incredibly soft that they reminded Stelle of a lamb's fleece. For a fleeting moment, her hands began to itch with an almost unbearable urge to reach out and give them a good, vigorous rub.
Uchiha Kagami held out a food container, his voice warm despite the chill.
"This was all that was left in the kitchen. I heated it up for you. Eat something to settle your stomach, have some hot tea, and then go get some rest. I'll take over the watch for the second half of the night. You can come back at dawn."
Stelle accepted the container, a smile blooming on her face. "Didn't you say you were going to ignore me this time, to teach me a lesson?"
Kagami turned his head away, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "I said that would be after we return to Konoha. We're still at the border." He began to urge her again. "Hurry up and eat. Don't let the other patrol teams see you."
"Then I won't be polite. This wind and sand is driving me crazy."
Stelle gave him a little wave and turned to leave. But after only two steps, she found she truly couldn't resist the itch in her hands. She spun back around, catching Uchiha Kagami completely by surprise. With a sudden leap, she reached up and gave those small, soft curls a vigorous tousle.
The texture was every bit as wonderful as she had imagined.
Stelle let out a delighted chuckle. Before Kagami could even process what had happened, she turned and bolted, leaving him standing there, utterly stunned.
Following Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama's return to Konoha…
The border battlefield fell into a tense stalemate. No one made a move. The Four Great Nations didn't dare to advance, and the Konoha forces couldn't act without new orders.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, Senju Hashirama was locked in a heated argument with his best friend and his younger brother.
"You told me it was a feint! You said the main goal was to draw out the man in the black robes! Then why were the battles on the other three fronts so tragic?"
He had sensed something was wrong the moment he arrived in the Land of Lightning, but at the time, his full attention had been consumed by his target. He'd had no time to worry about anything else.
Now that he had the time, Senju Hashirama was immediately settling the score.
"You actually started a war behind my back! War is the easiest way to stir up hatred. The other three nations will surely remember this grudge and remain hostile to Konoha forever. Why would you do this?"
Uchiha Madara dropped the pretense, laying his cards on the table. "That's right. I've decided to unify the ninja world. These casualties are a necessary price."
"Unify the ninja world?" Senju Hashirama's gaze shot to his brother. "Tobirama, do you think so, too?"
Senju Tobirama gave a firm nod, his expression earnest as he tried to persuade his older brother. "Yes. I support Madara. There are too many disparate voices in this world; various disputes will eventually arise no matter what we do. Only by integrating all resources and consolidating all forces under the control of the most suitable leader can we prevent large-scale wars from ever happening again. Brother, your 'One Village, One Nation' system might be suitable for now, but once the other villages develop, we will inevitably face each other on the battlefield."
Senju Hashirama had heard this argument many times from their cousin, Stelle, and he was already tired of it. He felt his brother had been deeply influenced by her. His brow furrowed, and he turned back to Uchiha Madara, his tone heavy with disappointment.
"We clearly said we would be the leaders of this era. We can pass on our system, our methods of governing the village, to them so they can also develop their own villages. When no one is poor, when everyone in every village can live a rich and happy life, who would be willing to start a war?"
Uchiha Madara couldn't believe it. After all these years, Hashirama was still clinging to the same naive ideals they had argued about by the river as boys.
Stelle had been right; when a person gets stubborn, they really can stay that way for a lifetime.
"Hashirama, can you stop being so naive?" Madara's voice rose, laced with frustration. "They might cower now because of our strength, but what about later? What happens when we are both dead and can no longer suppress them? At that time, the prize that is Konoha will become the very reason the other Four Nations start a war!"
He jabbed a finger toward the village outside the window. "Are you going to let our descendants continue to experience war even after we die?"
Senju Hashirama hesitated, but only for a moment, before shaking his head and rejecting Madara's words.
"Impossible," he said, his belief unshakable. "I still firmly believe that people can understand each other—like you and me, or like Tobirama and Izuna."
Uchiha Madara was so utterly rendered speechless by the familiar answer that he felt a burning desire to crack open Hashirama's head and see what, exactly, was inside.
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