Naruto: Kage of Kages

‘If I can obtain some genetic samples and records from that clan when I deliver Mito-sama’s scroll. Hmm . . .’

Alas, Shiki’s resolve to avoid any more trouble at all costs, was quite flimsy indeed.

Beni had already proven that his stealth was not infallible and, even if not renowned for their observational power, the clan Shiki was thinking about was a dojutsu wielding clan.

‘I was wondering whether to have a talk with them but . . .’ Shiki pondered.

‘With two Uchiha in the group, that is most definitely a bad idea. Even if I go into their territory alone, it is possible they’ll investigate the outside and see I’m with them.’

‘Though maybe I’m being paranoid, their clan has not left their territory in decades, for any reason.’ The boy considered.

‘Maybe I should bring Beni-chan along?’ He internally questioned.

The girl’s Shuigan was particularly good at messing with the perception of other dojutsu so it was sure to be of great assistance.

*

The caravan’s journey through the Land of Rice Paddies into the Land of Hot Water to its east, was quite uneventful.

With such a heavy shinobi guard, bandits familiar with the power of the Hidden Villages wouldn’t dare to attack under normal circumstances after all.

Looking at the travel plan, the Land of Hot Water had many stops. It was a country with a smaller Hidden Village, Yugakure, but its economic prosperity was quite impressive.

‘Hot Springs wasn’t it? This land’s main attraction, the towns that formed around them also became hotspots for trade and luxury services like high class resorts.’ Shiki dredged up the info in his head about the Land of Hot Water.

‘If I remember correctly, Yugakure even declared neutrality and began only providing services and protection inside their country, not even participating in the Third Great War. Running their numerous hot spring resorts was far more profitable than ninja business . . .’

As for why nobody ever decided to claim this profitable territory from the hands of its pacifist inhabitants?

It was never properly explained but Shiki theorized it was the various Daimyos and other nobles who enjoyed the luxury resorts and peaceful atmosphere of the Land of Hot Water and thus made an unspoken agreement to keep the fighting out of the country.

As for the clan Shiki wished to approach, they were not native, being driven out of their original territory and forced to settle in a particularly nasty place in the Land of Hot Water, known as the Valley of Hell.

The Chinoike clan, a storied and powerful clan from the Warring States period, now functionally destitute.

Originally natives to the Land of Lighting, a woman from the clan became the most adored concubine of the country’s Daimyo however, when the man unexpectedly died soon after taking her as a concubine, his jealous wife took the opportunity to accuse her and her clan of foul play.

These accusations were seemingly believed and the Uchiha clan was hired to exile the Chinoike clan, forcing them into the hostile environment of the Valley of Hell in the Land of Hot Water where they still lived to this day.

‘What a load of nonsense.’ Shiki was internally disdainful.

More likely than not,  the Chinoike clan enjoyed some extra benefits through the Daimyo’s favorite concumbine and when he died, people took advantage of the wife’s accusations to be rid of them.

‘Even then, why the hell did they not make any attempt to leave the Valley of Hell in decades?’ The boy wondered with disbelief.

In the original timeline, despite nobody acting as jailors, the Chinoike clan did not make any attempt to leave their open prison until they self-destructed from accumulated internal conflicts.

Based on context clues, this all happened around the time of the Third Great War, maybe slightly before, maybe slightly after.

The only survivors were Oyashiro En and his daughter Chino, the latter of which ended up returning to the Valley of Hell after a decade or two, only leaving after the events of Shipuuden had passed.

‘I simply can’t understand how these people’s minds work . . .’ Shiki shook his head.

The Chinoike’s attachment to their prison, the Valley of Hell, was utterly incomprehensible to the boy.

‘And for a clan too afraid to leave their open and unguarded prison, they still wanted revenge on the Uchiha who put them there, even killing each other over disagreements on whether this revenge was worth it.

‘Shinobi can truly be stupid beyond belief.’ Shiki couldn’t help but conclude.

The fault of their exile ultimately lay with the officials of the Land of Lightning that decided upon it, the Uchiha clan were merely hirelings.

Sure some of the blame can be put on them but only a small part.

For some reason however, shinobi show an inability to even consider targeting the Daimyo and their officials.

The only war where such things took place was the Fourth where Obito, Kabuto and Black Zetsu obviously had no such qualms.

Beyond that, only the worst of criminals and rogue shinobi targeted Daimyo and, even then, they usually kept to smaller and weaker nations.

‘I’m honestly not an advocate of overthrowing the Daimyos like the many fanfics I read in my previous life, it is not needed.’ Shiki pondered.

‘That said, they wield authority over shinobi that they have absolutely no qualifications to hold.’

‘And why is that? Wealth? Without the power of shinobi to protect it, this only makes them juicer targets. Heaven bestowed authority? Only a fool would care for such nonsense.’

‘The Daimyos who hold no real, tangible power, ought to be reduced to handling mundane matters of governance, shinobi were too busy to care for, while still obeying the Kage of the Hidden Village protecting their country.’

‘If a Hidden Village was a military entity, the Daimyo should be a civilian entity under its control after all, what ruler can actually keep their authority while giving control of all military power to another? Only in the shinobi world.’

The more the boy thought on the matter of countries and Hidden Villages, the more he believed they made no sense.

As for aspirations of ruling a united world, Shiki lacked them.

It was a theme explored by many fanfics but he saw the ideologies and justifications that formed the basis of that ambition to be nonsense for the most part.

At most, pulling the strings of the entire world from the shadows was much more appealing to the boy but such considerations were best left for the far future.

Banishing the diverging thoughts from his head, Shiki refocused on the present and went to look for Benihime.

*

“Beni-chan, care to help me out with a little errand?” Shiki discretely approached the girl and asked.

He did not want to draw too much attention from his Konoha comrades to this little endeavour of his.

Fortunately, the girl unhesitantly nodded in agreement, no questions, no fanfare.

‘Truly, Beni-chan is a joy to have around.’ The boy thought to himself.

Benihime herself, almost as if having read his thoughts of appreciation, also showed happiness at being called upon.

Shiki’s willingness to rely upon her was a truly joyous thing for the girl.

And so, under the cover of night and shielded by their anti sensory techniques, the pair set off for the Valley of Hell.

+++++

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