Chapter 384: Extra II - The Flower of the Yamanaka Clan
My name is Yamanaka Aoi, the daughter of the current head of the Yamanaka Clan.
When people talk about prominent clans, they often mention the Senju, Uchiha, Hagoromo, Uzumaki, and Hyuga Clans. The Yamanaka Clan may not be as well-known, but alongside the Nara and Akimichi Clans, we have formed a powerful alliance. Together with our ally, the Sarutobi Clan, our collective strength rivals that of the top ninja clans, allowing us to hold our own in these turbulent times.
My childhood was quite happy. My greatest joy came from reading books. As members of the Yamanaka Clan, who specialize in the art of memory manipulation, we have access to an abundance of books, particularly personal memoirs, which are available in large numbers.
Since I was young, I immersed myself in the vast sea of literature, witnessing the grand, dramatic lives of many individuals through the pages of books.
As I grew older, I began to entertain the idea of writing a book myself.
But who should I write about? I didn't think there was much interesting about myself to write.
Writing about my family would be tricky and would require a lot of diplomatic phrasing to avoid offending anyone.
Perhaps I should write about someone outside the clan. But given how chaotic the world is right now, going out into it would be risky.
Nevertheless, I was determined to set out on my journey.
Aside from the desire to write a book, there was another reason driving me—a sudden proposal for an arranged marriage.
The boy from the Nara Clan was too boring; the big guy from the Akimichi Clan might crush me; and as for the guy from the Sarutobi Clan, he was too serious! You might think he was over thirty years old just by looking at him.
As for my peers within the Yamanaka Clan, I knew them too well to have any interest.
After carefully considering all the options and not finding anyone who piqued my interest, I decided to run away from home, just like the protagonists in the novels I had read.
Maybe I'd find my destined partner along the way, just like in the stories.
Hee-hee.
The outside world was much harsher than I had imagined.
There was fighting everywhere.
Ninjas, nobles, samurai, bandits—people of all sorts were involved in the conflicts.
Many disasters and tragedies unfolded right before my eyes.
My abilities were limited, so I could only do what little I could to help. But it was like trying to extinguish a forest fire with a cup of water.
I started to worry.
In such a chaotic era, it might be difficult to find a protagonist worthy of being the subject of my book.
But since I was already out here, I decided to press on despite my concerns.
One day, I arrived at a place called Fuyuu Village.
It seemed like they were holding a wedding, but the villagers were either laughing uncontrollably or crying hysterically, making the scene appear quite bizarre.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to investigate.
I quickly learned that a young traveler had recently passed through and killed the local rogue ninja who had been terrorizing the village, refusing any form of payment before simply leaving.
Could this be the hero I had read about in the books?
My eyes lit up as I mentally noted down the descriptions the villagers provided of this mysterious young man.
In the following days, I frequently heard more about this person.
For instance, he killed bandits, saved civilians on the brink of death, and continued to take down evil ninjas and even corrupt nobles.
I meticulously recorded all the information I could gather about him.
Gradually, I became more and more intrigued by this individual.
Eventually, I learned his name.
Hagoromo Gengetsu.
A member of the Hagoromo Clan?
I decided to follow his trail, carefully judging whether he was truly worth writing about.
Along the way, I gathered more and more information about Hagoromo Gengetsu.
One day, I finally caught up to him.
It was in a small town filled with corpses.
I saw the cause of this disaster—a deranged member of the Kaguya Clan who had awakened the Shikotsumyaku.
As for Hagoromo Gengetsu, I only saw his back, but I could feel his overwhelming anger.
Soon, the battle between Hagoromo Gengetsu and the Taketori Clan member began.
I wanted to help, but I quickly realized that my strength was far from sufficient.
As the two fought further and further away, I wanted to follow, but then I heard cries for help from within the ruins of the town.
In the end, I chose to stay behind.
I didn't know it at the time, but this would be the closest I would ever get to Hagoromo Gengetsu in my entire life.
After handling the situation in the town, I heard that Hagoromo Gengetsu had ultimately defeated the Kaguya Clan member. I was elated.
Having decided that Hagoromo Gengetsu would be the protagonist of my book, I continued to follow him.
But fate always has a way of playing tricks on people.
In the time that followed, I never saw Hagoromo Gengetsu again. Instead, I only heard about his new exploits.
For example, he killed the lord of Ishikawa Castle and distributed food to the people, defeated evil jutsu practitioners, and even assassinated nobles, including daimyo…
I documented all of these events in detail, growing more determined with each passing day that this was the man I wanted to write about.
A long time passed, and then one day, I heard that Hagoromo Gengetsu had returned to the Hagoromo Clan to assume the position of clan head.
On that same day, I was found by members of the Yamanaka Clan and had no choice but to return home.
Back home, I began organizing all the information I had on Hagoromo Gengetsu and officially started writing the book.
Of course, during this time, I also made sure to keep gathering more news about him.
Hagoromo Gengetsu probably had no idea that, hundreds of miles away, there was a girl he didn't know who was writing a biography about him.
Hee-hee~
I thought this work would continue for a long time.
But…
Not long after I moved to Konoha, I heard the news of the battle at the Valley of the Gods.
I fell silent.
I… shed tears.
I hadn't realized that I had come to love Hagoromo Gengetsu, not just as a character in my book, but as a person in the real world.
Now, I had no choice but to bring the story to an end.
I wanted to publish the book so that the world could know the real Hagoromo Gengetsu.
But my father disagreed because Hagoromo Gengetsu was considered an enemy of Konoha.
In the end, the book was locked away in the clan's archives.
And I locked myself away as well.
Sometimes, I look up at the sky.
Maybe, in a world beyond this one, there's another world where everything is the same, except without the regrets.
In that world, I've already been united with Hagoromo Gengetsu.
Blessings to you, my other self.
I hope you can finish the story.
...
My name is Yamanaka Ino, the daughter of the current head of the Yamanaka Clan in Konoha.
One day, while I was exploring the clan's archives, I found a book covered in dust. When I opened it, I discovered that it was a biography of Hagoromo Gengetsu, the same person who had appeared during the Chunin Exams. The book was written by an ancestor of mine named Yamanaka Aoi.
Curious, I continued reading.
As I read, I found myself becoming deeply fascinated by Hagoromo Gengetsu.
To my great surprise, not long afterward, I actually met Hagoromo Gengetsu, although he was in disguise at the time.
Oh my gosh!
I actually talked to him, and we had quite a conversation!
Even though many people in the village spoke ill of him, I held firm to my own understanding of Hagoromo Gengetsu.
Until the great war that engulfed the entire ninja world began, my heart began to waver.
But after being captured and put to work, I saw firsthand how the ninja world under Hagoromo Gengetsu's rule was changing for the better, day by day.
Not only did true peace finally come.
Every aspect of life, from clothing, food, shelter, to transportation, saw great improvements, and the smiles on people's faces became more and more genuine.
I finally realized that Yamanaka Aoi's words were true.
Soon after, I regained my freedom.
When I returned home, I picked up the biography that Yamanaka Aoi had written.
After some thought, I picked up my pen.
In the days that followed, I would continue the story.
Hagoromo Gengetsu's biography isn't finished yet.
Yamanaka Aoi, I'll leave the next part to me.