Read 20+ Chapter's Ahead in Patreon
As night fell, Kyōsuke finally returned home after a day spent wandering around.
"Phew~ Even though I didn't do anything, I still feel like I deserve a break."
Just as he was about to step through the door, his sharp senses told him that, besides his wife and children, there was someone else in the house.
A man.
A man holding his daughter while chatting and laughing with his wife!
"Mito, you're looking younger and younger."
"Oh, stop it~"
"You seem to be—"
Before the man could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly changed. Before he could even stand up, Kyōsuke sent him flying with a single kick—straight through the window.
At the sight of this, Mito immediately stood up. But instead of paying attention to her husband, she rushed toward the man who had been knocked to the ground.
"Father!!!"
"Hahaha, this is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding." Kyōsuke grinned sheepishly, his expression making it impossible to tell whether he had acted intentionally or not.
On the sofa, Uzumaki Ashina's face was slightly swollen, his expression dark as water, clearly not in the best of moods.
And who could blame him? He had come here happily to visit his daughter, yet before he could even sit down for a proper meal, his son-in-law had sent him crashing to the ground with a single kick. Anyone in his position would be livid.
"Misunderstanding?!" Ashina's beard practically bristled with rage.
What nonsense! This bastard had clearly done it on purpose!
As the leader of the Land of Whirlpools, it was impossible for the Hokage of Konoha not to have known about his arrival.
"Father," Mito finally spoke up to explain on behalf of her husband. "He spends all his time wandering about these days, leaving his Shadow Clones to handle the office work. Since it's not the end of the workday yet, he probably hasn't dispelled his clones."
"Yes, exactly!" Kyōsuke quickly nodded, putting on an indignant face. "They make me work overtime every day! This village is so inhumane. Even if it's just a clone, I still feel bad for it, you know?"
"... Is that really the case?" Ashina still looked doubtful, feeling that something wasn't quite right.
But since his daughter had already said so, what else could he do?
From the looks of it, he had taken that kick for nothing.
"Grandpa~"
At the crucial moment, his adorable granddaughter diverted Ashina's attention.
"Hehehe, come here, let Grandpa take you to play on the swing." A bright grin spread across his old face, like a chrysanthemum in full bloom. He lifted little Nagisa with his arms, swinging her up and down in the air.
For the sake of his precious granddaughter, he decided to let that bastard off the hook.
"How are things progressing now?" Ashina suddenly asked.
Kyōsuke knew he was referring to the war with the Hidden Cloud Village.
Catching his daughter as she swung toward him, he playfully tossed her into the air before answering, "Everything's going fine. The major legions have already reached their designated positions, and Izuna's pre-war command post has been set up."
"As long as that damn Raikage doesn't lose his mind and go charging into battle alone, there shouldn't be any major problems in the short term."
"Not necessarily." It was clear that Uzumaki Ashina had some understanding of that reckless, dark-skinned brute.
"No matter." Kyōsuke chuckled and shook his head. "It'll be a good opportunity for the younger generation to gain some experience."
"Hah, you're quite carefree about this."
"They have to learn how to face threats on their own sooner or later. If—"
At this point, Kyōsuke paused slightly and did not continue speaking.
Ashina frowned, sensing something unusual.
Though he didn't think much of Kyōsuke in the past, he had to admit that the young man before him was no longer the brat he once was.
That kick alone was enough proof—if they were to truly fight, he probably wouldn't last more than ten minutes before being forced to his knees.
A man of such strength... What could he possibly be afraid of?
"Don't worry," Ashina said, though he had misunderstood the concern. "If other nations try to interfere, the Land of Whirlpools will not stand idly by."
Kyōsuke suddenly sighed. "I never thought…"
"What?"
"I never thought you'd grow old enough to be halfway into your coffin and still manage to show such an adorable side."
"... I knew you wouldn't say anything decent."
As they continued playing with Uchiha Nagisa, the two men threw insults at each other from time to time. The scene, strangely enough, carried a sense of harmony.
Before long, dinner was ready, and the family finally sat down to enjoy a long-overdue meal together.
During the meal, Ashina casually mentioned, "Recently, the Land of Water has been making more and more unusual moves."
Hearing this, Kyōsuke paused briefly before realizing—so the Hidden Mist Village was about to be established.
The Land of Water was unique. Unlike other nations, it was extremely closed off and hostile to outside influence. Among all the nations in the shinobi world, it was the most difficult to infiltrate.
If not for this old man bringing it up, Kyōsuke might not have received any concrete information until the village was already fully formed.
"No, I need to speed up our infiltration of the Land of Water."
With that, the three of them began analyzing the overall situation of the shinobi world. Sitting nearby, Haruto and Eri listened attentively, expanding their understanding of the world beyond their home.
The only one completely indifferent to the discussion was little Uchiha Nagisa. Head lowered, focused entirely on her meal, she was the very picture of a dedicated eater.
While Kyōsuke's family enjoyed their peaceful dinner, the fires of war had already ignited at the borders.
---
Main Camp of the First Army Corps
"Report!"
Within just half an hour, Uchiha Kochou had received nothing but bad news.
Never in her wildest dreams had she expected that Raikage A, the supreme leader of the Hidden Cloud, would personally charge straight into enemy territory.
This went against all logic in warfare! Did he not consider what would happen to his village if he were to die in battle?
"That damn brute." Uchiha Kochou gave him a fitting label.
Beside her, Hyūga Kenji, acting as her second-in-command, proposed a plan. "Why don't I take a team to intercept him?"
To win a hundred battles, one must first understand the enemy. Before engaging the opposing commander directly, he was willing to take the risk of gathering intelligence.
Having transplanted the Sage Body cells gifted to him by Yayoi, Hyūga Kenji had finally broken through the bottleneck that had held him back for over a decade. He was now a legitimate Kage-level combatant.
In his view, as long as he exercised caution, there shouldn't be any major issues.
"Kenji makes a good point," a Nara strategist added. "The Raikage is, after all, someone of equal standing to Lord Kyōsuke. We must proceed as cautiously as possible."
"…Fine." Kochou couldn't refuse, especially when everyone was making such a reasonable argument. Even though she knew full well that Kenji was no match for the Raikage, a probing attack wouldn't be a bad idea.
Once they had a clear grasp of the enemy's capabilities, she could set up the perfect killing move.
Did that arrogant fool really think he could just charge into their camp unchallenged? As if her Dojutsu was just for show!
With the mission assigned, Hyūga Kenji immediately led a squad of elite shinobi to intercept the enemy.
But before twenty minutes had passed, grim reports began flooding in.
"Report! Captain Kenji's squad encountered the Raikage. After approximately two minutes of intense combat, all members except Captain Kenji have been slain."
"Report! The enemy has been spotted seven kilometers ahead."
"Report! The enemy is now within five kilometers and charging directly toward our main camp."
"Report! The identity of the approaching enemy has been confirmed—it is indeed the Raikage, accompanied by members of the Cloud Shadow Guard!"
BANG!
With a single palm strike, the table exploded into splinters. Uchiha Kochou shot to her feet, fury blazing in her eyes.
"That bastard is not leaving here alive!"
..
..
[IMAGE]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter End's]
🖤 Night_FrOst/ Patreon 🤍
Visit my Patreon for Early Chapter:
https://www.patreon.com/Night_FrOst
Extra Content Already Available