"What's wrong?"
Seeing Kimimaro's confused and conflicted expression, Haku tilted his head, clearly not understanding what was going on with him.
Looking at this boy about the same age as himself, Haku inexplicably felt a sense of closeness.
Watching Kimimaro, Haku suddenly felt a strong impulse—
he really hoped Lord Hoshiyomi would take Kimimaro away.
Then he could become friends with him.
And someone as kind as Lord Hoshiyomi definitely wouldn't want to see Kimimaro locked up in a place like this.
With that thought, determination flashed in Haku's eyes.
Before Kimimaro could answer, he continued:
"Right… why are you being kept here?
Did you do something wrong?"
Already confused, Kimimaro only became more lost:
"I don't know… I don't know why they locked me here.
I don't know what I'm supposed to do with you two…
They only said I'm the clan's weapon, and I must fight for the clan."
At his small age, Kimimaro's mind was hardly mature.
He had been inexplicably imprisoned here since he was two years old, never seeing anyone from outside.
Now suddenly facing two strangers—Hoshiyomi and Haku—and then being questioned by Haku, his thoughts were a mess.
He could barely form coherent sentences.
Haku also felt confused hearing this, but he understood one thing clearly:
"So you've been locked up here the whole time?
How could they do that!"
Just imagining that this boy—someone about his own age—had been imprisoned in this dark dungeon for years filled Haku with anger… followed by a deep sadness.
Looking at the lonely Kimimaro, he remembered his earlier thought—
If not for Lord Hoshiyomi… he might have ended up exactly like this.
His eyes grew red again.
Staring at Kimimaro in the cell, he said sympathetically:
"You must feel really lonely, right?"
"Lonely…?"
Kimimaro wasn't fully sure what that word meant.
But at that moment, he suddenly understood.
Am I lonely?
Only now did he realize the name of the feeling that had surrounded him all these years.
That feeling… was loneliness.
Seeing Kimimaro so lost, Haku clenched his fists and turned around, saying:
"Lord Hoshiyomi, let's rescue Kimimaro, please!
His clan treats him terribly.
Let's get him out of here and take him with us!"
Hoshiyomi was stunned for a moment.
What is this?
Haku helping me recruit him?
Good grief—he hadn't even started persuading Kimimaro yet, and Haku had basically finished the job already.
Originally, Hoshiyomi only intended to show his face to Kimimaro now, and then rescue him after the Kaguya clan was wiped out…
But looking at this opportunity—
Only an idiot would waste it.
Besides, the Kaguya clan meant nothing to him.
He didn't care whether they lived or died.
So why wait for their destruction?
Realizing this, Hoshiyomi understood immediately.
He glanced at Kimimaro and said:
"If Kimimaro wants to come out, rescuing him is no problem.
But the question is…
Does Kimimaro himself want to leave?"
Haku hurriedly said:
"No one wants to be locked up forever!
Kimimaro, you definitely don't want to stay here, right?
Hurry and tell Lord Hoshiyomi—you want to leave this place!"
Kimimaro's mind had completely turned to mush. Everything that had happened today was far beyond what he could process.
Ever since he could remember, he had lived in this tiny dungeon.
He'd never wondered whether he was lonely, nor questioned why he was here.
Now Haku was telling him to tell that terrifying man that he wanted to leave—
Kimimaro fell into utter confusion:
"I… I don't know. Should I go out?
But they all say I'm the clan's weapon.
I must fight for the clan until I die.
That is my honor."
Hearing this, Hoshiyomi almost laughed out of sheer anger.
He had originally viewed the Kaguya clan with indifference, but after hearing what they had brainwashed into Kimimaro…
He suddenly felt that such a disgusting clan deserved to be destroyed.
Haku's face flushed red with fury.
If the cell bars weren't in the way, he genuinely wanted to rush over and shake Kimimaro until all the nonsense the clan put into him was flung out:
"You're not a weapon!
You're a person—a living human being!
They lied to you. They forced those ideas into your head.
Those aren't your own thoughts.
They treat you so horribly—why should you listen to them?"
Kimimaro froze as if struck by lightning and muttered blankly:
"I'm not a weapon…
If I'm not a weapon… then what is the meaning of me being alive?"
He glanced at Haku, hesitated, and asked:
"What is the meaning of your life?"
Any normal child his age could never answer such a heavy question,
but Haku knew the answer clearly and instantly:
"Of course—it's to repay Lord Hoshiyomi!"
"Why do you have to repay him?"
"Because Lord Hoshiyomi saved me!
If not for him, I would already be dead.
So I have to live well and repay him."
Hearing Haku's words, Kimimaro showed a strange expression.
He looked at Hoshiyomi behind Haku, then thought of his own past.
He had lived obeying the clan, believing he was a weapon.
But he had never been happy. He was always alone.
If he let go of the idea that he was a weapon…
Then what was the meaning of his existence?
Did he have no meaning at all?
As Kimimaro frowned deeply, Hoshiyomi's voice arrived at the perfect moment:
"Everything in this world exists for a reason.
People are the same—every life has its own unique meaning."
Kimimaro frowned harder:
"But I can't think of anything.
If I'm not a weapon… then what meaning do I have?"
The moment he finished speaking, a flash of white light streaked before him.
Before he could even react, he suddenly realized—
the bars in front of him, and even the shackles on his wrists, had been cut clean through.
He looked up in a daze and saw Hoshiyomi slowly sheathing his blade as he said:
"Not everyone can understand their purpose early on.
The meaning of your existence is something you discover for yourself—
by experiencing many things, ruling out false answers, and gradually finding the truth.
But if you stay locked in this dark dungeon…
no matter how hard you think, you'll never find it.
If you're willing… come with me.
Leave this place.
See the outside world.
Maybe then, you'll discover the meaning of your life."
Kimimaro stared blankly at Hoshiyomi, then after a moment of thought, he nodded firmly.
He stepped out of the cell and gave Hoshiyomi a deep bow:
"I understand.
Please guide me from now on."
..
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