The Hatake Clan

In Yemo's memory, the Konoha's White Fang incident was mainly caused by White Fang's decision to break the rules and choose to save his comrades when faced with a dilemma between his mission and his comrades (the rules for ninjas are not to abandon their missions midway), which resulted in losses for the village.

This led to White Fang being ostracized by everyone, and even his rescued companions turned around and blamed White Fang. Day after day, unable to bear the ostracism, White Fang committed suicide.

Currently, White Fang is in a phase where he feels guilty and is ostracized by the villagers, which is why he stays indoors.

In a corner of the restaurant, Yemo and his three companions sat on either side of a table. Large pieces of meat sizzled under the heat of the charcoal fire, their fat dripping onto the embers and igniting flames, filling the air with a rich aroma.

Shikaku took a sip of his drink and said with some emotion, "We've only been away from the village for a little over ten days, but it feels like an eternity. It's such a hassle."

"You're talking about White Fang, right? It's truly unbelievable that White Fang abandoned his mission for his comrades, causing the village to suffer huge losses," Inoichi interjected.

For ninjas of this era, missions were the most important thing, even more important than their comrades. It was perfectly normal for them to abandon their comrades for the sake of a mission.

However, abandoning a mission for your comrades is not the right thing to do. If there are no consequences, it's fine, but if it causes huge losses, you will face the blame of many people. You might call it heartless, but this is the rule of the Shinobi World. For hundreds of years since the birth of ninjas, all ninjas have acted in accordance with this rule.

At this moment, Yemo, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "I don't think White Fang did anything wrong. The mission is important, but the lives of our comrades are also important. If I were to carry out the mission with you, and I had to choose between the mission and your lives, I would definitely choose you."

Upon hearing this, Shikaku and the other two were stunned. Chōza's grilled meat, which he had picked up, remained suspended in mid-air. The three of them stared at Yemo in shock, as if time had stood still for them.

In the current Shinobi World, Yemo's words were extremely controversial and went against the rules of the entire Shinobi World. However, for Shikaku and the other two, Yemo's words brought them not only shock but also deep emotion.

Although as ninjas everyone knows that some people are needed for a mission, ninjas are also human beings, and everyone has feelings. Sacrificing oneself or others is an extremely painful thing. No one wants to see their comrades die, especially when they are able to save them.

Seeing the three of them staring at him without saying a word, Yemo said, "Why are you all looking at me? This roast meat will burn if we don't eat it soon." As he spoke, Yemo picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of roast meat, and started eating.

After finishing their barbecue, Yemo and the others parted ways and went home. Chōza paid for the dinner, which is pretty much what he does every time they eat out.

Among the four of them, apart from Yemo, the other three are all wealthy. Shikaku Jiu and the other two are disciples of the main families of various clans and will inherit the clan leadership in the future. Needless to say, their living expenses are considerable. Yemo lives in Konoha with his older sister. They have no relatives or friends. Their family's life is neither very good nor very poor. Yemo is aware of the family's difficulties and basically does not ask his older sister for living expenses.

Although Yemo is still a child, his mental age of twenty means he can't bring Yemo to ask someone younger for living expenses. Yemo basically earns all the money he has himself.

Walking down the street, the streetlights cast orange-yellow light on both sides. There were hardly any people on the road. Yemo walked alone with his hands in his pockets, the only sound being the echo of his own footsteps.

The village was unusually peaceful and safe. Yemo, who had just returned from the battlefield, felt a slight sense of unreality. On the battlefield, he had to be on high alert at all times, fearing an enemy attack. Especially since Yemo had gone deep into the Land of Lightning, he was even more vigilant about his surroundings, afraid of being discovered at any moment. Now, suddenly returning to the safe village, he felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Clatter...

A slight sound came from behind. Almost instinctively, Yemo gripped his Kunai. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the sound came from a small black cat. Sensing the sharp killing intent emanating from Yemo, the cat shrieked and scurried over the wall, disappearing in a few darts.

Seeing this, Yemo laughed at himself, saying, "It's just a cat. I've been so nervous on the battlefield these past few days, even a cat makes me instinctively defensive."

With that, Yemo shook his head slightly, put away the Kunai, put his hands back into his pockets, and swayed as he walked towards the street.

Walking leisurely without any intention of going home immediately, Yemo deliberately took a slightly longer route. As he walked, Yemo couldn't help but think of the Konoha's White Fang.

Yemo felt both sympathy and regret for White Fang's death. White Fang did nothing wrong in sacrificing himself to save his comrades; the only problem was the current state of the Shinobi World.

It's a pity that such a powerful ninja as White Fang would commit suicide because of the villagers' accusations. Even ants cherish life, let alone humans. He ended his life just because of some misunderstanding.

Yemo had thought about it, but how could he change anything? Was he supposed to rush to the Hatake Clan and tell Hatake Sakumo that he couldn't die, that his death was pointless, that he was a coward, and that he should just give up? After all, Ye Yemo was just a six-year-old kid. People wouldn't listen to him, and it would be good enough if they even saw him. He wasn't even familiar with Hatake Sakumo; they had only met that one night and hadn't even exchanged a few words.

Lost in thought, Yemo suddenly veered off course, and by the time he realized it, he had no idea where he was.

Where am I?

Yemo looked up and around. It was completely silent, without a single person in sight. Only the faint sound of the wind rustling the trees on both sides made a creaking sound. Under the lamplight, the shadows of the swaying branches fell to the ground, like a group of demons dancing wildly, brandishing their evil claws. Yemo felt a chill run down his spine.

Yemo quickly looked away, but it was late at night and he couldn't see anything clearly. For a moment, Yemo couldn't be sure where he was.

"I'm speechless. I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice where I am now," Yemo said to himself, blaming himself.

Scratching his head, Yemo walked to the gate of the nearest courtyard. Each gate had a sign with the family name on it. In the dim light, Yemo finally made out the four characters written on the wooden sign.

'The Hatake Clan!'

Yemo was immediately incredulous and shocked, saying, "No way, what a coincidence! I was just thinking about Hatake Sakumo, and now I'm standing right here at the Hatake Clan."

Is this really just a coincidence? Yemo couldn't say for sure. He didn't know the answer, so naturally he didn't know what to say. But if it really was a coincidence, it was too much of a coincidence. Could it really be a divine decree that he should appear in the Hatake Clan to stop Hatake Sakumo's death? Yemo wondered to himself.