Alienation * Life and death

Yuan Yusheng stood on the stands of the Dueling Arena, watching the Konoha carrying building materials downstairs.

Several days had passed since the attack ended, and he had expected to see a devastated and mournful Konoha, but what he saw was a completely different scene.

The funeral was held on the night of the incident.

There were no grand ceremonies or lengthy eulogies; the bodies of those killed in the attack were cremated, and their ashes were claimed by their families.

The evacuated people accepted the fact without panic and attended the funeral in silence.

As the Daimyo, Yuan Yusheng stood in the front row, watching the entire event from the periphery of the crowd.

He saw the deceased's wife holding the urn of ashes and crying, but the next morning she appeared in the shops on the Commercial Street, took the door panels off piece by piece, and opened for business as usual.

He saw the deceased's son, a child who looked no more than twelve years old, offer a flower at the funeral and then appear at the reconstruction site of the Dueling Arena the next day, moving wood with the adults.

The stands that were kicked to Isshiki, the Arena that was pierced by the Black Rods, and the crater that was smashed by the cube were all cleaned up in less than two days.

New stone and timber were neatly stacked at the edge of the site.

The Ninjas stood on the scaffolding, hammering and banging away, using Earth Release to reinforce the foundation, while some chatted and laughed along the way.

Although the Amusement Park was forced to close, people still talked about that dreamlike place that had just been attacked during their leisure time.

It's as if the previous disasters were nothing at all, just a routine interlude.

The nobles and Samurai, still reeling from the shock, were all stunned.

A young civil official from the Land of Fire stood behind Yuan Yusheng, his lips moving several times before he finally spoke the words he had been holding back for days, "Daimyo, aren't these Ninjas... aren't they too cold-blooded? Their loved ones have died, their comrades have been crippled, how can they continue working as if nothing happened?"

Yuan Yusheng turned around and looked behind him.

The attendants and Samurai from the Capital of the Land of Fire followed behind him, their expressions mirroring those of the young civil official.

Confusion, unease, and even a hint of resistance.

They had never seen anyone like this before.

In the Capital, mourning requires a seven-day vigil and the wearing of mourning clothes for three months. Neighbors must walk quietly to show their grief.

But these Ninjas who lost a comrade yesterday can joke around with people today; to them, this isn't strength, it's indifference.

Yuan Yusheng did not stand in the Dueling Arena stands for long. He instructed his attendants to continue monitoring the reconstruction progress, and then returned to the Post Station with a few trusted confidants.

He remained silent the entire way. The young civil official following behind him tried to speak several times, but seeing his tightly pursed lips, he swallowed his words.

When they returned to the Post Station, Wakako was sitting on the veranda in the courtyard.

She was wearing a plain-colored everyday kimono, holding a letter in her hand and reading it. When she heard footsteps, she looked up and smiled at Yuan Yusheng.

"Quickly! Mansaku and Mariko have sent word. Mansaku says everything is fine in the Capital City, but handling government affairs is too troublesome. He's asking when we'll set off back. Mariko wants a piece of jewelry... Hmm... I wonder if there are any jewelry shops in Konoha."

Wakako rambling went unanswered, Ruozi realized that her husband's expression was off.

"What happened?"

Yuan Yusheng sat down on the veranda, took a sip of the tea she handed him, remained silent for a while, and then told her what he had seen in the Dueling Arena that day.

He spoke slowly, as if he were organizing his thoughts as he spoke, recounting everything he had seen and heard, up to the words of the young civil official.

"He said they were too cold-blooded." Yuan Yusheng's fingers unconsciously traced the rim of his glass. "I didn't answer him then. Because to be honest, I felt the same way."

He turned to look at Wakako, puzzled. "I've never seen anything like this in the Capital. They start working right after the funeral, without even a seven-day mourning period, let alone wearing mourning clothes. Wakako, do you think they're really different from us? I mean, their Ninjas... are they...?"

He hesitated for several seconds, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to say such harsh words.

But Wakako understood.

He meant to say that Ninjas are not human.

She placed the letter on her lap Teuchi Yuan Yusheng across the face.

The force was very light; it was more like a touch than a hit.

But Yuan Yusheng was stunned. He subconsciously raised his hand to touch the side of his face that had been touched, and stared wide-eyed at his wife.

"You're shameless." Wakako's voice was calm, but Yuan Yusheng knew she was angry. "Yuan Yusheng, how could you have such thoughts?"

Wakako sat upright with his hands folded on his knees, his appearance dignified, like a Buddha statue.

Her eyes scrutinized her husband, clear and sharp.

"You said they opened for business, went to work, and laughed and joked the day after the funeral."

"Yes, it is indeed very strange. I feel chills just hearing about it." She looked directly into Yuan Yusheng's eyes. "People who were crying yesterday can be laughing today. In the Capital, this kind of thing is enough to make people gossip about you for a lifetime. I don't understand why they are like this, and I don't understand the habits of Ninjas. Perhaps I never will."

"However, Hashirama Senju said that this land should be governed in the way of the Ninjas."

"So whatever actions they take, as long as they don't infringe on the interests of the Land of Fire, then they are correct."

"No matter how strange or uncomfortable something is, you must never show it."

"Especially since you are the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, the one who granted Konoha its legitimate status, you absolutely cannot have such thoughts, not even for a moment."

She covered his hand that was resting on his knee.

Her palms were warm and soft, and Yuan Yusheng couldn't help but reach out and grasp them in his own.

"If you treat Ninjas as outsiders, your civil officials and Samurai will treat them as outsiders as well. They will harbor resentment and resist everything related to them."

"At that time, even without external enemies invading, conflict will break out between the Land of Fire and Konoha. This is the only thing we must avoid. Because I will not allow my husband to become a foolish ruler who turns his allies into enemies."

Yuan Yusheng looked down at his two hands clasped together and suddenly smiled.

"I understand." He placed his other hand over hers, cupping Wakako hands between his own. "Thank you, Wakako. You've always been the one to pull me out of my wrong ideas. Thank you so much."

Wakako slightly curved the corners of her mouth, and her sharp, knife-like eyes returned to their usual gentle appearance.

She gently squeezed his hand back, her voice soft. "This is the responsibility I should fulfill as your wife."

Yuan Yusheng took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

The Plum Trees outside the corridor swayed gently in the afternoon breeze, and a few leaves twirled and drifted down onto the white sand in the courtyard.

He raised his head, and his youthful spirit returned; the man who had been gripped by confusion and prejudice vanished without a trace.

"I heard Hashirama Senju is coming back tomorrow." He stood up and pulled Wakako up with him. "Let's go, let's get ready. We'll go welcome them back first thing tomorrow morning."

"Wait," Wakako pulled her hand out of his palm and turned to collect the letters scattered in the corridor. "Put the letters away first. If we lose them, I don't know how long Mariko will nag me. I don't want my dear girl to hate me anymore."

Yuan Yusheng stood behind her, looking at her back with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. He could only squat down and help her tidy up.

The following day, based on the Ninja's message, Yuan Yusheng and Wakako waited at the Konoha Gate at noon.

The Land of Fire's Procession wasn't fully displayed; Yuan Yusheng only brought a few trusted followers. Cheshire stood beside him, Wakako Cheshire lay at her feet yawning.

Sunlight streamed down from the eastern mountain ridge, illuminating the Konoha emblem on the Konoha Gate in a vibrant red.

Yuan Yusheng had expected to see a victorious army.

He had a picture in his mind: Hashirama and Madara walking at the front, their steps steady, their armor gleaming, the Ninjas behind them in neat formation, even those with injuries holding their heads high.

However, the moment the first figure appeared on the horizon, the image in his mind shattered completely.

Walking at the forefront were Hashirama and Madara.

Hashirama's spring-like coat was nowhere to be found; he was wearing a jacket that was clearly something he had found at the last minute.

A bandage was peeking out from his collar on his left shoulder, and there was an abrasion on his face that hadn't fully healed.

Madara walked beside him, his dark blue Haori neat, but the Haori were torn in several places, and his hair was untied and sticking out unruly.

The two walked steadily, but the fatigue on their faces couldn't be hidden by tidying up their appearance.

Behind them was a long line of stretchers.

Some of the people on the stretchers were drowsy, their snoring audible from a distance, while others were full of energy, chatting and joking with the people walking beside them even with their arms in slings.

They laughed out loud, though they didn't know what they said. But the laughter aggravated their wounds, and they grimaced and cursed.

Those Ninjas walking beside the stretchers, whose injuries were relatively minor, were dressed relatively neatly, but only relatively.

Some had missing pieces on their cuffs, some had trouser legs covered in dried mud, and some had cloth bags tied around their waists as makeshift substitutes for Ninja Tools pouches.

But their backs were straight, and their faces wore a complex expression that was hard to tell whether it was tired or relaxed.

Yuan Yusheng stood at the door, his lips twitching, unsure whether this was a victory or not.

They looked like they'd just crawled out of a landslide, as if they'd won.

While they didn't seem to have won, their faces lacked the gloom and fear often associated with defeat; instead, they displayed a sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

He had seen victorious Samurai and defeated remnants in the Capital, but he had never seen such a scene before, and his expression was conflicted.

Envoys from other countries had also arrived long ago.

They had heard that the Daimyo of the Land of Fire would be coming to the gate to welcome the returning procession, so they waited early on one side.

Their facial expressions were also quite interesting, and they were probably thinking the same thing as Yuan Yusheng.

Those "cold-blooded" villagers have arrived.

They gathered early on both sides of the gate, standing in twos and threes by the roadside, some wearing aprons, some with sawdust stuck to their cuffs.

A woman holding a child stood on tiptoe, peering into the queue; the child's two short legs swung back and forth beside her waist.

As the first stretcher passed through the gate, a woman who looked to be in her forties or fifties squeezed out from the crowd.

She walked over to a stretcher and looked down at the young man lying on it.

The young man had a splint on his left leg, his arm was covered in bandages, and his face was covered in ash. He was fast asleep with his mouth open.

The woman reached out and touched his face, tears welling up instantly. Her voice trembling, she scolded, "You brat, why are you closing your eyes! I thought... Do you know how worried your mother has been these past few nights without a wink!"

The young man was awakened by the touching and scolding. He groggily opened his eyes and saw his mother standing beside the stretcher, crying and laughing. He panicked immediately. "Mom, don't cry! I'm like this and you're still crying—oh my god, how embarrassing!"

The Ninjas carrying his stretcher were laughing so hard their shoulders were shaking. One of them, who looked like a friend, was mocking him mercilessly. "I told you not to sleep, now look what you've done, you've got a scolding now~"

Didn't I tell you to call me?

"Oh dear, I forgot~"

"You just wait! You're dead once I'm healed!"

"Hey! Don't repay kindness with enmity! I had to carry you back, so watch your tone!"

The young man's face flushed, and he looked healthier than before. His mother was both amused and exasperated by the sight.

Then the sounds of crying and laughter seemed to burst forth as if a floodgate had been opened.

A female ninja from the Yamanaka Clan, with bandages wrapped around her head, ran out of the group and pounced on a girl from the same clan by the roadside. The two hugged each other, jumping and shouting.

A young man from the Senju Clan was hugged by three children younger than him at the same time. He almost tripped and knelt down, rubbing their heads and saying, "Brother, it's okay. Brother, it's okay."

The burly man from the Akimichi Clan sat up from the stretcher, took the Rice Ball his wife handed him, stuffed his mouth full, and mumbled, "Your Rice Balls are still the best." His wife cried and punched him so hard that he almost fell off the stretcher.

Those who have not yet found their loved ones are eagerly awaiting their return, hoping that their children, husbands, or wives will come home safely.

This time, they all got what they wanted.

Yuan Yusheng stood in the center of the gate, looking at the chaotic, noisy, and tearful scene of welcoming people.

Suddenly I understood.

These people aren't cold-blooded; they're just putting on a brave face and pretending nothing's wrong.

The previous funeral wasn't because they weren't saddened by the deceased, but because the fate of those people had already been confirmed at the funeral.

When someone dies and their ashes are brought back, the urn they hold in their arms is quite heavy.

Although it was a bad ending, at least the weight was lifted, and all that's left is to return to daily life and continue living with the pain.

The real torment is for another group of people.

The families of those who did not attend the funeral or join the procession.

Their relatives and friends only sent back the message that they were "injured." They hadn't seen them, didn't know the extent of their injuries, or whether they would survive.

These people have been holding back for the past few days, opening their shops and going to work Amaterasu.

They filled their days with labor, never thinking, "What if my injuries are too severe and I don't make it?" or "What if what comes back isn't a living person but a coffin?"

They suppressed their fear so deeply that their faces showed no sign of it until this moment.

Until those bandaged figures appeared on the horizon, they were all brought back without exception.