"Haruki!"
Unbeknownst to her, Konan's face was covered in tears.
She stood at the doorway, shouting at the figure that was getting further and further away. Unfortunately, the person in front never looked back.
Tears streamed from Konan's eyes.
How could this be? Everything was fine just a moment ago.
"Haruki…"
[Ding!]
[System detected Konan's pain value + 5000]
[Your Cursed Spirit Kenjaku's rank has increased to 15%]
Konan's legs felt weak, and a terrifying thought made her dizzy. She clutched the doorframe tightly, her vision blurred. "Will you still come back…?"
Would Haruki still come back? Would they ever see Haruki again?
"What happened?"
Jiraiya, holding a bucket full of seafood, looked at the three children in confusion.
He had only left for a moment, how did it become like this?
Why did Haruki suddenly leave?
Didn't he say he would stay for dinner?
And why was Konan so sad?
She was so upset she looked like she might faint.
Nagato stood rooted to the spot, his soul seemingly having left his body.
Jiraiya looked at Yahiko. Yahiko choked back a sob, and a line of tears suddenly flowed from his eyes. He immediately wiped them away with his sleeve, stubbornly unwilling to admit his sadness.
[Ding!]
[System detected Nagato's pain value + 10000]
[Your Cursed Spirit Kenjaku's rank has increased to 25%]
Nagato moved, slowly sitting on the floor, his hands wrapped around his knees, not saying a word.
Jiraiya looked at the three children, then at Haruki, who had already disappeared.
He walked over to Yahiko, patted Yahiko's shoulder, and asked, "Yahiko, did you and Haruki have a fight?"
These four children were closer than family, how could such a fierce argument break out?
"It wasn't a fight." Yahiko sniffled.
He looked at Jiraiya, and his emotions, which he had just managed to compose, burst forth in tears again when he met Jiraiya's concerned eyes, "He changed!"
"Jiraiya-sensei!"
"Haruki changed!"
Yahiko hugged Jiraiya and cried loudly.
Jiraiya gently patted his back and asked, "How did Haruki change?"
"He… he's been following… following Hanzo… for Hanzo… he said I… he knew I… I hate Hanzo…" Yahiko spoke incoherently.
Although Yahiko's words were jumbled, Jiraiya still understood his meaning.
It turned out that Haruki had been following Hanzo and working for him all this time. Jiraiya felt this was both unexpected and, at the same time, somewhat expected.
Haruki was originally an orphan from the Land of Rain. It was understandable for him to join Amegakure and work for Hanzo.
To be honest, Jiraiya didn't dislike Hanzo. One could even say he admired Hanzo. But Yahiko seemed to deeply resent Hanzo.
Children's minds are simple. He couldn't grasp the deeper meaning, so he attributed the current situation of Amegakure to Hanzo.
Yahiko, who viewed Hanzo as an enemy, couldn't accept Haruki becoming Hanzo's subordinate, which led to a dispute with Haruki.
"He just left… I won't… won't forgive him…" Yahiko sobbed.
Jiraiya sighed.
…
Haruki ran wildly on his way back to the village. Along the way, he hummed a song in good spirits.
"Today is a good day…"
"Everything you wish for will come true…"
[…]
Before dark, Haruki arrived at the main gate.
"Haruki!"
The moment Mizuna saw Haruki, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"You're finally back. Did you see your friends?" Mizuna opened the iron tower for Haruki to enter.
Haruki nodded.
Mizuna's eyes widened in surprise. Haruki actually found them.
"Why are you still so unhappy after seeing your friends?" Mizuna looked at Haruki's dispirited appearance and asked worriedly.
"I wanted them to come to Amegakure with me, but they refused…" Haruki told Mizuna disappointedly.
So that was it.
Mizuna smiled wryly and shook his head, explaining to Haruki, "Haruki, not everyone is as brave as you. They also don't have the outstanding talent you do. If they came here, they would encounter danger."
"I will protect them!" Haruki looked at Mizuna and said firmly.
Mizuna smiled helplessly. "But you can't protect them their whole lives. There will be times when you're not around. What will they do then?"
Haruki slowly lowered his head and said, "Big brother Mizuna, you're right. I was too selfish…"
Mizuna looked at his forlorn expression and comforted him with a pained heart, "How could Haruki be selfish? Haruki is the bravest and most amazing child I've ever seen."
"Really?" Haruki looked up, cautiously looking at Mizuna.
"Of course, it's true." Mizuna said firmly.
"Then I will continue to work hard in the future. I will become the bravest and most amazing ninja big brother has ever seen." Haruki promised earnestly, word by word.
Mizuna: "…"
He smiled and nodded. "Good."
[Ding!]
[System detected Mizuna's affection value + 1000]
[Your Companion Cursed Spirit Rika's rank has increased to 63%]
After saying goodbye to Mizuna, Haruki returned to his single apartment.
Through the eyes of the crows, he saw that Suzaku and the other two had already begun to pack their bags.
According to a ninja's speed, if they set off tonight, they should reach the border where the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire meet by noon tomorrow.
Haruki quickly packed his ninja tool bag, slung his long sword over his back, put on his raincoat, left a note, closed the door to his single apartment, and set off with Suzaku, Sakikawa, and Kurogaya.
Rain still enveloped Amegakure.
The rain gently tapped on Haruki's raincoat. He was like a shadow merged with the night, clinging to the shadows of a giant water pipeline.
Haruki remained motionless, his breathing suppressed to an extreme low, almost merging with the sound of the rain.
Not far away, three Amegakure ninjas on duty were on their routine patrol.
Rain flowed down their hat brims and headbands. Their steps were steady, and their gazes sharply scanned their surroundings, not missing a single corner.
The different perspectives provided by dozens of crows allowed Haruki to easily find a route to avoid these patrolling ninjas.
Haruki's footsteps were light and silent, not splashing a single drop of water when he landed.
The complex terrain formed by Amegakure's discarded machinery, giant condensing iron towers, and layers of pipes became his natural cover.
Haruki weaved through the gaps, moving further and further away from the center of Amegakure.
Guided by the crows, he submerged himself in the water and, after a period of underwater stealth, skillfully bypassed the line of sight of the watchtowers and fixed sentries.
Leaving the most heavily guarded area, Haruki breathed a sigh of relief.
He quickly ran forward, his figure speeding through the rainy night.
Leaving the confines of Amegakure, Haruki took a deep breath, and cold air mixed with water vapor rushed into his lungs.
Several crows flapped their wings above Haruki's head as he chased after Suzaku and the others.