Hatred * Explosive Tags

When Heitaro was brought before Yūki, his face was still covered in dust from the Arena.

Yūki stood in the aisle behind the audience seats, arms crossed, his expression a mix of anger and disappointment.

"What did I say?" Yūki's tone was calm, but the calmer it was, the more chilling it became. "Don't sign up. Did you ignore me?"

Heitaro kept his head down and remained silent.

Do you know how many eyes were on that Arena today? Do you know how many people saw the way you looked on stage just now?

Heitaro bit his lip, but still didn't say anything.

"You are Senju." Yūki's voice deepened. "Every action you take, every word you utter Uwagi the Senju surname. You killed Uchiha Izuna in full view of everyone. What do you want everyone to think of us? Hmm?"

"..." Heitaro's fists clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Say."

"... I hate him." Heitaro's voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth.

"Hate him?" Yūki sneered. "Then you've certainly picked a good time."

Heitaro suddenly raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed. "This is my only chance! He never accepts my challenges at other times!"

That's not the reason you got on stage!

He killed my parents!

In an instant, the corridor fell silent, and the surrounding Senju all bowed their heads in silence.

The air was thick with a suffocating atmosphere.

Yūki couldn't help but sigh, "This is... why I didn't let the people in my tribe sign up..."

As he spoke, he reached out and patted the boy, who was two years younger than him, on the shoulder.

Go and rest.

When Heitaro was taken to the rest area, his injuries had already been treated by the medical-nin.

He sat on the bench, staring at his toes, his mind a jumbled mess.

The sound of footsteps grew louder as they approached.

A person sat down next to him.

Heitaro didn't look up, but he knew who it was.

"How was it? Got scolded, huh?" Senju Hideki's voice came from the side, sounding somewhat nonchalant.

Heitaro remained silent.

"You're such a stubborn person." Hideki leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. "Why did you have to provoke that guy? He's not someone you can beat."

"He killed my parents," Heitaro said in a muffled voice.

"So what?"

Heitaro whirled around, glaring at Hideki: "Didn't your brother die by their swords too?!"

Hideki's smile faded slightly.

"Yes," he said. "So?"

Don't you hate it?

"Yes, I hate it," Hideki answered quickly, without any hesitation.

"And you--"

"That old bastard I hate is fucking dead." Hideki interrupted him. "Who am I supposed to get revenge on? You tell me."

Heitaro was stunned.

Hideki looked up, and a few rays of sunlight shone through the gaps in the roof, falling on his face.

"Heitaro, do you know what? You're very lucky." His voice softened. "Your enemy is still around, and you can still challenge him."

I have none left.

Heitaro stared at him blankly, somewhat at a loss.

Hideki continued speaking to himself.

"My brother's blood was still warm, and he lay there, his eyes closed, never to open again. A voice inside me kept shouting: Revenge, revenge, revenge."

"But before I could even get ready, that old bastard had already kicked the bucket during one of his missions."

Hideki looked at Heitaro, "Guess how I felt at that moment?"

Heitaro opened his mouth, then his expression hardened, "That's also the Uchiha's fault!"

"Yes, that's what I think too."

"So I began my revenge against the Uchiha." Hideki's voice was calm, as if he were telling someone else's story. "They were the clansmen of the person who killed my brother, and they were also enemies. The more I killed, the more children like my brother I could save."

Heitaro's pupils contracted slightly.

He instinctively realized something.

"That's right." Hideki turned his head and looked into his eyes. "That's what you think, that's what I think, and that's what the Uchiha thinks too."

"So the more I kill, the more the other side kills. Those who harbor hatred will torment my people if they can't encounter me in a mission. Even after I die, they will continue to spread hatred, endlessly and without end."

Hideki reached out and gently patted Heitaro on the back of the head.

"I'm not advising you to give up," he said. "I'm just telling you that the path you're considering, I've walked it, and it's a dead end."

Even if you manage to kill Izuna today, you won't have achieved your revenge.

Just like the older generation said.

"The hatred won't disappear until the last enemy is killed." Hideki pursed his lips. "But is that even possible? It's unlikely, so what should we do?"

Heitaro lowered his head, racking his brains, but what could a child with an incomplete mind possibly understand about a problem that even adults tacitly avoid thinking about?

Hideki looked at Heitaro again, "Now that Lord Hashirama and Lord Madara have given their answer, all we can do is forgive each other and continue living with the burden of our fallen comrades."

Heitaro sat there, motionless.

He felt this was wrong. This deep-seated hatred, the grief and hardship after losing his parents—if he truly forgave them, who would pay the price?

Why did I have to go through all this? Why must I face the death of my family members and be unable to seek justice from those responsible?

That guy deserved to die! He should have paid for my parents' lives!

Can his strength alone offset this?

Does the unity of the village mean their deaths can be ignored?

Why should I?!

Why!

Suddenly he remembered the lip movements Izuna had made to him.

[The spring night is fleeting, so move forward, young man.]

I can't move forward! Are those things I can just let go of?! What will happen to my parents if I let them go?! What will I do?!

How many times have I offended you! Why aren't you angry?! Just kill me and I won't be in so much pain anymore!

Senju Heitarō covered his face in anguish, "Damn it! Why are you such a gentle person?!"

Hideki was stunned. "Huh?"

However, Heitaro remained silent.

Hideki blinked, then sighed, ignoring Heitaro's sudden outburst, and said, "Actually, revenge doesn't feel good. You know I was once controlled. That incident caused quite a stir in Konoha back then, and it was only after that guy intervened that everyone calmed down."

Heitaro looked up at him.

"When that dark thing took control of my body, I felt like my soul was being torn apart," Hideki recalled. "That thing was like me when I wanted revenge. Only from an outsider's perspective did I realize how terrifying my desire for revenge was."

"I felt a burning pain all over my body, my heart was acting up, and my mind was filled with blood-red thoughts. The flames of revenge were burning my brain, and my senses were being distorted."

"I feel like I've turned into some kind of indescribable monster, it's such a terrifying feeling," Hideki sighed. "I feel like a monster myself, but Shinya could still forgive me when he saw me like that. I wonder if there's something wrong with his head."

Heitaro uncontrollably recalled the battle he had just fought.

Just now, I seemed... like a monster too...

"In short, let go of your hatred as soon as possible." Hideki rubbed the child's back. "If you're really angry, then surpass those Uchiha in terms of infrastructure development. That's all you can do now. Unless Konoha splits apart, you'll never succeed in this lifetime."

Heitaro was shocked, "Konoha is splitting up?!"

"Yes," Hideki smiled, "You didn't want it to be like this, did you?"

Heitaro lowered his head reluctantly, muttering sullenly, "I understand, I won't do it again."

"That's my good cousin~" Hideki vigorously rubbed Heitaro's head. "Alright, I have something to do. Think about what you want to do next. Whether you want to go to the Amusement Park or go back to watch the game, it's fine. That's all! Bye-bye."

With his hair a mess, Heitaro reached out to shoo him away, speechless. "Get out of here."

Haha! Okay, okay~

Hideki left.

After silently fixing his hair, Heitaro pushed open the door to leave the lounge, but after thinking for a moment, he returned to the Dueling Arena.

On the stage, Izuna was still defending his title.

After him, several other children went on stage.

Heitaro had seen some of them, and some he hadn't.

They were all people who harbored murderous intent towards Izuna.

One of them, dressed in drab gray clothes and looking unremarkable, didn't waste any words after stepping onto the Arena; he immediately drew his sword and charged forward.

Izuna dodged the first strike by sidestepping, and his hand was already on Izuna's wrist, giving it a gentle twist.

The Short Sword fell to the ground.

The boy gritted his teeth, pulled a second knife from his waist with his other hand, and stabbed Izuna in the abdomen with a backhand motion.

Izuna released his wrist, took a half step back, and avoided it.

"Not bad," Izuna said, "They kept a trick up their sleeve."

The boy didn't speak, picked up the knife from the ground, crossed the two knives, and lunged forward again.

This time it was faster and more ruthless, like a small beast that had been provoked.

But anger cannot bridge the gap in Strength.

In the blink of an eye, Izuna disarmed him of his twin swords, pressed down on his shoulder with one hand, and pinned him to the spot.

"Shall we continue?"

The boy glared at Izuna, his eyes red-rimmed, but he didn't admit defeat.

Izuna looked at him and released his grip.

The boy stood there, panting heavily, his hands hanging emptily at his sides.

He glanced at the twin swords that Izuna had tossed aside by the Arena, then glanced at Izuna himself.

Then he turned around and walked off the Arena.

I didn't pick up the knife.

Some people in the audience breathed a sigh of relief.

However, some people noticed that the boy's hands were trembling as he walked off the Arena. He only fell silent after his uncle slapped him and left with him.

After the retaliatory actions of the first few children, viewers couldn't help but wonder whether the next few children were there to challenge the established order or to seek revenge.

When a girl went on stage, she performed quite well, using Shuriken, Kunai, and Taijutsu with decent skill.

The audience thought she was just a child who had come to learn from her.

But the moment she approached, Izuna's brow suddenly furrowed.

He grabbed the girl's wrist with one hand, and with the other hand, he quickly reached inside her collar and pulled out a stack of things.

Explosive Tag.

There were at least a dozen neatly folded sheets inside the lining of the undergarments.

The audience erupted in cheers.

"Explosive Tags?!"

"What is she trying to do? Take us all down with her?!"

"This kid is asking for it!"

When Izuna grabbed the girl's wrist, a hint of panic flashed across her face, but she quickly reacted, pressing her two fingers together, "Explode!"

However, the Explosive Tag did not work.

Izuna held them, having already replaced the Chakra covering them.

When the girl realized it wasn't working, she struggled, shouting, "Let me go!"

Izuna did not let go.

He only looked at the girl after confirming that the stack of Explosive Tags wouldn't go off accidentally.

Do you know what this is?

"Of course I know!" the girl gritted her teeth. "I'm going to blow you up!"

"Blow me up?" Izuna's tone remained completely unchanged. "Have you ever considered that you might also be blown up?"

The girl's eyes, consumed by rage, were contorted in a ferocious grimace, like a demon's. "I'm not afraid! Killing you would be a bonus for me!"

Izuna looked at her and remained silent for two seconds.

Then he stuffed the Explosive Tag into his sleeve and released the girl's wrist.

"Your Yūki is commendable." Izuna's voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly throughout the Dueling Arena. "But your method is flawed. Revenge isn't the same as dying."

"You're only a teenager, you have so many years to squander. Can you guarantee that after today you won't have even one day where you can laugh happily?"

The girl stood there, bewildered.

Her prepared words, her prepared anger, and her prepared resolve to die were all shattered by Izuna's questions.

She couldn't help but start following Izuna's train of thought.

Yes, I'm still so young, am I really going to die like this?

But... my hatred...

"Go down," Izuna said. "Go back and think it over. As for revenge? I'm in the village. You know where I am. You're welcome to challenge me anytime."

When the girl was led off the Arena by the staff, her people in the audience were already terrified.

A middle-aged woman rushed over and hugged her tightly, her voice trembling. "Are you crazy! Are you insane?!"

The girl was nestled in a warm, soft embrace, and only then did she belatedly begin to feel regret and fear.

She couldn't help but cry.

A buzz of discussion rose and fell in the audience.

"How many is this now? Why are there so many reckless kids today?"

"They're all orphans left over from the Warring States Period..."

"What a tragedy!"

"But the Explosive Tag..."

"That girl might be..."

Just then, Izuna's voice came from the Arena.

"Gentlemen, as I said, there are no restrictions on weapons. This is a rule I set. This child has not violated the rules and will not be punished."

"Besides, an undetonated Explosive Tag is just a piece of paper."

Please be patient and continue watching the game.

Heitaro stood at the entrance to the audience seating area, completely frozen in place.

The audience around him whispered among themselves.

He said... it doesn't count as breaking the rules?

"But he almost got blown up..."

"If I were threatened like that, I would kill that bitch on the spot."

"That Uchiha Izuna actually tried to comfort the child in the end... really..."

Heitaro's hands clenched unconsciously.

The audience around him were still talking, but he couldn't hear them. Only one thought kept running through his mind.

Why?

Why is this person so forgiving?

How could he so easily let go of someone who wanted to kill him?

Is it because he is so powerful that he doesn't care about this level of threat?

Is it for the village? For the "Konoha Special Administrative Region"?

Winning hearts and minds? Demonstrating magnanimity?

But if it's about winning people's hearts and minds, that's far too risky. Those Explosive Tags are no joke; what if they actually detonate?

What is that?

Heitaro was completely baffled.