"Why did you call me here, Kiyoshi?"
Tengen looked at the man, just his age, standing at the edge of the cliff from which one could see the whole ninja village.
Uzui Kiyoshi—that is his name.
And frankly, Tengen was quite confused and surprised that Kiyoshi, the weirdo in their family of brothers, called him out of nowhere to meet here.
Remembering all from the past, times when they were trained together, Kiyoshi was the abnormal one, since he didn't put all his time into training and occasionally sneaked into the kunoichi quarters. To this day, Tengen doesn't know the reason behind it.
But because of that, the rest of the brothers didn't mingle much with him. Nor did Kiyoshi try to. And now he was calling him out of nowhere? Why?
Kiyoshi, the weirdo in Tengen's mind, standing at the edge of the cliff, continued to look at the village that appeared much smaller from here and asked a question in return instead of answering Tengen.
"Doesn't the village look nice from here, Tengen?"
Tengen came out of his speculative thoughts and turned his eyes the way Kiyoshi was looking. And his eyes widened. He, who had come to this cliff multiple times but never cared to take a look, for the first time took a look at his village at sunset.
The sunlight reflecting on it made the village shimmer with a golden hue, and the great mountains with greenery spanning around it created a breathtaking vista.
And without a doubt, it was...
"It's beautiful."
There was surprise, knowing the beauty of his ninja village. But his face also carried an ironic smile. This ninja village appears so beautiful... he, a member of the ninja village, clearly knows how beautiful it actually is.
He, Uzui Tengen, was born and raised here. And by nature, he should respect and love it, but all that was left in his mind was doubt, questions, and a bit of hatred for this village.
All that glitters is not gold.
"So, why did you call me here?"
Not wanting to look more, Tengen inquired of Kiyoshi once more. Kiyoshi turned his head and looked at his fellow brother and then sighed.
"Tengen, can't you appreciate the beauty a little bit? Learn to be a bit patient."
Kiyoshi told him in a somewhat educative tone, making Tengen's eyes twitch.
Patient?
Who was the one who couldn't endure the training and sneaked to play in the kunoichi quarters?
Who was the one who couldn't stay in one position during assassination training and slept?
The last thing he needed to learn from Kiyoshi was patience!
'It is a waste of time.'
Tengen didn't want to waste any more time here and turned back, wanting to return to the village. And looking at his actions, Kiyoshi panicked inside.
'Damn! I thought of starting with a little talk to make the conversation smooth, but he turned back and wants to go back.'
There was no way Kiyoshi could let Tengen go back. He needed Tengen on his side. Or else his plan might not—no, it won't—succeed.
"Tengen. Do you want to change the village?"
This single sentence stopped Tengen's steps. He turned around and looked at Kiyoshi with a serious face.
"What do you mean?"
Facing his question, Kiyoshi didn't wait and started his prepared speech to make Tengen lean to his side.
"Tengen, it's wrong."
"Huh?"
Ignoring Tengen's confused face, Kiyoshi pointed his right hand toward the village and continued his speech.
"The village is wrong. You, me, Takami, and our other brothers... when we were just kids, we were trained so hard that some of our brothers died."
This sentence made the hidden emotions in Tengen's heart flare up. He looked at Kiyoshi to listen to what he was saying. Finding that his line struck a chord in Tengen, Kiyoshi continued with more sadness in his tone.
"When that wasn't enough, we were ordered to kill other brothers, unknowingly that we were killing them, all in the name of producing great ninjas. And Tengen, I want to say that all of this is wrong!"
Kiyoshi's words, especially "all of this is wrong," made Tengen tremble. He looked at Kiyoshi, who looked at him with a resolute expression as if his words were absolutely right.
But...
'Why? Why can you make that kind of face?'
Tengen was born and raised in this ninja village. And without a doubt, he was instilled with the morals and values of this place. Ninjas are tools. They need to follow the orders of the "Leader."
All of it was right for him... until he killed one of his own brothers with his own hands. And from then, it wasn't right for Tengen anymore. He didn't know and started to doubt his own morals, values... everything.
Was it right? If not, then was it wrong? But if it was wrong, then didn't it mean that everything he learned and his whole life was wrong?
Tengen couldn't understand, nor could he comprehend. He was in an existential crisis.
And because of that, he couldn't understand why Kiyoshi was resolute while he was in such confusion?!
But without a doubt, those words were the words somewhere Tengen wanted to hear. He wanted to know if someone out there also thought the same as him.
And now, he found one.
...
'He is completely mesmerized. Now, I need to give the final push.'
Kiyoshi looked straight into Tengen's eyes and said in a determined voice, "Tengen, I want to change the village. And I need your help for it."
Those words made ripples in Tengen's heart. But still, perhaps out of guilt and low self-esteem, he wanted to deny it.
"Me? Why me? Others can also—"
"They don't share the pain we do, Tengen!" Kiyoshi interrupted him. "Others weren't in pain when our brothers died. You and I... only we were. Only you can help me."
And with that, Kiyoshi stretched his hand forward and asked Tengen in his earnest voice, "Tengen. Come, and let's change the village for the future."
A gust of wind passed, and Tengen instinctively closed his eyes. And once he opened them, he saw Kiyoshi standing there, with warm sunlight illuminating him, his scarf fluttering alongside the wind. He looked no less than a savior in Tengen's eyes.
And it made him determined.
Uzui Tengen is a ninja. And once determined, he won't deter from the path. Without any more doubts or questions, he grasped Kiyoshi's hand, taking the path he believed to be right, and looking forward to changing the village.
"Let's change the village, Kiyoshi!"
...
The sun was almost down, casting its last rays. Kiyoshi was treading down the mountain, returning to the village with a happy smile on his face. And the reason for it was obvious.
"Finally, I got him on my side."
If possible, he wanted Takami, his other surviving brother. After all, he truly was a perfect tool the "Leader," his father, made through hellish training. But Takami was completely brainwashed, echoing his loyalty to his father all the time. In the end, he could only choose the second-best option.
"And it was good that I acted quickly. From Tengen's condition... if I had waited more, he might have abandoned the village."
There was no way he could let it happen. The ninja village was already in its last stages. It was a miracle that it could survive this long in the midst of changing times. The only treasure left was human resources, and among them, Tengen was a top-tier one.
If he left, it would be disastrous. These human resources were for him to exploit... to utilize. But for that to be done properly, he needed to unleash his plan as fast as possible.
"I need to launch the coup as fast as possible."
As a reincarnator, how could he not take the chance? It would be a waste not to take it, and this could also give some payback to his so-called father.
One shot to gain double benefits!
Soon, Kiyoshi found himself in front of a familiar house. It was his house, gifted by the village to live in.
"I reached home and didn't even realize it."
Kiyoshi opened the wooden sliding door, putting all his thoughts behind him. At home, he preferred to keep tense thoughts aside. Why?
"I am home."
Hearing his voice, three beautiful women quickly came to the doorstep, looking delighted at his arrival, and welcomed him.
"Welcome back, Kiyoshi-sama!" x3
Because his three wives—Hinatsuru, Makio, and Suma—were at home waiting for him.
Kiyoshi looked at them with a grin on his face.
Ah... this is life.