In Memory of Uzumaki Hideki

Tobirama a moment, then said, "I'll go ask. As for Kasuga, the Hyuga Clan belongings. As for Asari, I'll go find his teammates."

"Then I'll leave it to you." Izuna placed the scroll back on the table and casually turned to the next document.

Seeing him like this, Tobirama couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you sad?"

Izuna looked up at Tobirama.

The morning light slanted in through the window, casting alternating shadows on his face.

He thought for a moment, then spoke.

His tone was calm and frank. "Actually, there are some, but we still have to make a living. Although I don't want to say it, my relationship with Kasuga and Asari isn't actually that deep."

He turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on the view of the Konoha outside the window.

"I only know their names, understand their personalities, and have spoken with them."

"Although they introduced themselves, that wasn't all there was to them. I didn't know what they liked or what their thoughts were."

The only difference between them and complete strangers is that I see them Tenten and we talk more.

"It's just that with this kind of relationship, I really can't feel sad. I just feel a little sorry that the world has lost two interesting people, that's all."

Izuna turned his gaze from the window to Tobirama's face. His expression carried a hint of regret.

"If I had known they would die young, I would have spent more time with them. But there are no 'what ifs' in this world. Now, all I can do is remember them at their funeral."

So that was Izuna's idea.

Tobirama thought to himself.

He felt neither utilitarian relief at the small number of casualties, nor did he grieve and shed tears like their families.

He simply believed that a person's life was precious, so when a person died, he wanted to find something they left behind to commemorate them.

Such a simple truth, so simple that Tobirama felt he should have understood it long ago.

But only Izuna had this thought.

Why?

Izuna put the scroll back on the table, unaware of Tobirama's thoughtful expression.

He quickly went through the Memorial Service process in his mind, and then realized that there were a few parts he was still unclear about.

First, let's look at the situation on the family's side.

Although Tobirama brought back the Daimyo's charter, he didn't know if anyone had investigated the specific family circumstances of each victim and whether they had any special needs. If not, then he would have to hurry up and put it on the agenda, since he only had two days to prepare.

Secondly, there's the opening remarks for the Memorial Service. The wording for such a formal occasion should be neither too stiff nor too casual, so it needs to be prepared in advance.

There's also the selection of the chief priest.

This is easy to solve; just let Hashirama handle it. He's the Hokage, and he's the most suitable person to step in for this kind of situation.

Moreover, Hashirama seems perfectly suited for this kind of job. His personality is truly uniquely kind and benevolent. Apart from needing to memorize the opening remarks, let him improvise the rest.

Just as he was about to list these issues and discuss them with Tobirama, the Office door was pushed open.

Hashirama strode in, a green tuxedo coat draped over his shoulders and a straw hat on his head. His eyes lit up when he saw him.

"Izuna! You're here after all!" Hashirama rushed to the desk, looked Izuna up and down, then grinned. "Madara told me you were awake, and that he saw you jumping around on the Hokage Rock last night. Looks like you're really alright. How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"

"I'm fine, Hashirama- nii." Izuna smiled. "You've come at the right time. I was just about to discuss the Memorial Service with you. I'd like to draft the opening remarks in advance, and it would be most appropriate for you to host it."

"Leave it to me!" Hashirama, who had experience hosting events before, readily agreed.

"And another thing, Tobirama," Izuna said, looking at Tobirama was sitting down reviewing documents, "Have you visited the families of the fallen?"

"Not yet," Tobirama said. "I'd like to pay him a visit today."

"Then leave this to me."

Behind the window of the Banzhuo Mission Hall, he held a document he had just approved, but his eyes were not on the paper.

He was worried about Izuna. Ever since he woke up yesterday, Izuna's mood had been a bit off, and Madara felt uneasy whenever he couldn't see him.

He handed the scroll to the receptionist and turned to go upstairs.

Pushing open the Office door, Hashirama sitting behind his desk, holding a document, while Tobirama was flipping through a scroll beside him.

Izuna is not here.

"Where's Izuna?" Madara asked.

"He said he went to visit the deceased's family." Hashirama looked up. "He just left a short while ago."

Spot nodded, about to sit down, when he suddenly stopped.

He stood in front of his desk, his brow furrowed, as if he were recalling something.

Hashirama noticed the change in his expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

"He wouldn't be looking for that person..." Madara's words trailed off.

He opened his mouth, but the name slipped through his fingers like a fish; it was right there on the tip of his tongue, yet he just couldn't remember it.

He remembered that Izuna knew someone, but what was their name? What did they look like? What clan were they from?

No matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't remember who Izuna was supposed to meet; he only knew that Izuna was probably going to see that guy.

Hashirama he hadn't moved for a while, Hashirama couldn't help but ask, "So... who is Izuna looking for?"

Ban remained silent for a long while, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"I can't remember." Madara's voice was low, tinged with a rare hint of confusion. "But I know Izuna is definitely looking for someone. Who could it be?"

Madara was right. Izuna did not visit the deceased's family immediately, but instead went to find the person Madara could not remember, or rather, the demon.

Last night, Izuna recognized Mokushō using a secret code. This guy is probably from modern society like Izuna, and was given the identity of a Shikigami and thrown into this world.

Novels that summon the Fourth Calamity... the characters in them all act recklessly.

Although Mokushō seems harmless now, who knows what kind of earth-shattering thing he might do one day on a whim.

He had to stop this guy before he did anything weird, and also warn him not to reveal his identity.

He followed the small Shikigami marker on the map through the Commercial Street and turned into an alley he didn't often take.

Then he stopped in front of a gambling den.

The moment Izuna saw the gambling den sign:...?

Wait, is it normal for a transmigrator to go to a gambling den on their first day? Is this guy addicted to gambling?

And this guy is actually feeling down.

He squatted on the steps at the entrance of the gambling den, head down, drawing meaningless circles on the ground with his finger.

The Talisman Paper covering half of her face swayed gently in the morning breeze, and the Red Eyes Talisman Paper looked rather pitiful at that moment.

And right beside him...

There were several neatly stacked piles of gold and silver jewelry, and next to them were small mountains of rice, flour, and cooking oil.

There were even two brand-new bolts of silk.

Izuna:?

Holy crap, he's got so much stuff, how come he's so depressed? Is he addicted to gambling or not?

As Izuna approached, he discovered that there was another person squatting next to Mokushō.

The red-haired man, not very old, was gently patting Mokushō's shoulder with a wry smile.

Izuna recognized him.

Uzumaki Hideki, the nobody in the Land of Whirlpools Delegation, came with that group of arrogant clansmen.

"Ugh... I just wanted to play a game... Why won't you let me play..." Mokushō's muffled voice came from behind the Talisman Paper.

Hideki tried to persuade him gently, "Well... it's not your fault for winning money. I can help you lose it, if you really want to."

"It's more fun to play by yourself..."

"Shall we play without setting a wager?"

"But I have no motivation without a prize..." Mokushō became more and more dejected as he spoke, his head almost buried in his knees.

Hideki sighed, clearly having already tried to comfort him for a while, but he was truly at his wit's end.

Izuna walked over and looked down at the two people squatting on the steps. "What are you doing, hey?"

Upon hearing his voice, Mokushō immediately looked up, his Red Eyes on the Talisman Paper practically brimming with tears of grievance. "Izuna- chan! The gambling den won't let me in!"

"Then let's not go in. We'll shut this place down sooner or later." Izuna casually said something that made Mokushō crack.

Mokushō's wails grew louder. "How could this happen!"

Izuna ignored him and turned to look at Uzumaki Hideki beside her.

When the red-haired youth was looked at, he subconsciously shrank to the side, a hint of guilt appearing on his face.

Izuna looked him up and down and asked, "How did you run into him?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Hideki's face.

What could he say? He said that early in the morning, he passed by an alley near the Post Station and saw this child, dressed in a green Kariginu and with Talisman Paper covering his face, Earth Flow down the street. People around him seemed not to see him at all, so he found it suspicious and secretly followed him.

They got caught red-handed at the entrance of the gambling den?

The child turned around, the Red Eyes on the Talisman Paper staring straight at him, and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "You've come at the right time. Help me cover for you, and I'll give you half of the winnings."

And so it became a place to confide in others.

He didn't know how to explain this series of events, so he could only give a wry smile.

Seeing his expression of unspoken suffering, Izuna roughly guessed what had happened and turned his gaze to the still dejected Mokushō: "So you won all this stuff at the gambling den?"

"Hmm," Mokushō responded weakly.

"You've won so much, and they won't let you in anymore?"

"Um..."

"And then you just squatted by the door, feeling dejected?"

Mokushō pouted, looking pitifully at Izuna, "I just want to play games, why won't you let me...?"

Hideki added quietly from the side, "He won seventeen rounds in a row, taking all the dealer's Chips. Later, the people at the gambling den accused him of cheating, so in front of everyone, he turned a table into... uh, a bunch of jumping frogs. Then he was asked to leave."

He paused, then added, "Permanent ban."

Izuna remained silent for a while, then looked at Mokushō with an expression that seemed to say, "What are you thinking?": "Then you deserve it, don't you?"

Mokushō buried his face in his knees and let out a muffled "ooh".

"Stop whining." Izuna squatted down expressionlessly and poked Mokushō's head. "Get up, come with me, don't just squat here."

Mokushō looked up. "Where to?"

"Go and get rid of all this stuff first." Izuna pointed to the small mountain of gold, silver, jewels, rice, flour, and cooking oil next to them, then pointed to Hideki, "Then explain why he can see you."

Hideki hesitated for a moment, glancing at Izuna and then at Mokushō, his tone uncertain. "Shouldn't I have seen him?"

Mokushō tilted his head, and the red pupils on the Talisman Paper turned towards Izuna, as if seeking his opinion.

Izuna glanced at the passersby at the alley entrance, then at the ostentatious pile of gold and silver jewelry beside Mokushō, and made a decisive decision. "Let's find another place. There are too many people and too much attention here."

The three of them walked through two alleys and circled around to a secluded Training Ground.

This place is some distance from the Commercial Street, surrounded by a few sparse Cedar Trees and a few primitive wooden stakes on the ground, indicating that it is rarely visited.

Mokushō put the several bolts of silk he was carrying on the ground, and Hideki also neatly stacked the rice, flour, and cooking oil that he had helped carry next to him.

After everything was put away, Hideki turned around, faced Izuna, and suddenly bowed deeply.

He bent over so deeply that his red hair almost reached his knees, startling Izuna.

"Thank you so much, Lord Izuna." Hideki's voice was muffled from bending over, but it was still clearly heard. "If it weren't for your last move, Sōsuke definitely wouldn't have survived. His internal organs were already... the medical team said there was no hope."

"But after your rainbow light fell, his wounds began to heal, and his heartbeat returned. He's still in Konoha Hospital, but he's out of danger. I know this kindness is immense, and can't be repaid with just a thank you, but at least, please allow me to say it."

After listening to this long string of words, Izuna's expression changed from confusion to bewilderment, and then from bewilderment to a subtle sense of guilt.

He had seen the name Sōsuke on the list of wounded soldiers; it was the name of the man named Botan, but he had no recollection of doing anything special to save him.

That final strike? That rainbow light? Did he release that? He couldn't even remember how he won against Isshiki, let alone the details of saving people.

"Uh, well, no need to be so polite." Izuna replied dryly, unsure of what to do with his hands, so he simply gave Hideki's shoulder a light nudge to make him straighten up. "It's good that he's alright, it's good that he's alright."

Hideki straightened up, somewhat surprised by Izuna's slightly embarrassed reaction.

He had imagined Uchiha Izuna to be a more assertive and capable figure, but now it seemed... that wasn't the case?

But he didn't say much, he just obediently straightened up.

He turned to look at Mokushō, who was squatting beside him poking ants with his finger, a subtle expression appearing on his face, before taking the initiative to explain how he and Mokushō had met.

This morning, I happened to see a child dressed in Kariginu swaggering down the street near the Post Station. Then I realized that no one around me seemed to see the child. Out of curiosity, I followed him, and finally, I was caught red-handed at the entrance of the gambling den.

He spoke the whole thing in a very organized and logical manner, with a clear timeline and a complete logical chain of events—it was as normal as could be.

After listening, Izuna slowly turned to look at Mokushō.

Mokushō was squatting on the ground, poking at the ants with a small twig. Noticing his gaze, he looked up and said, "Why are you looking at me?"

"You know it yourself," Izuna said.

Mokushō put the branch down, dusted off his hands, and stood up.

He explained, "He didn't see me with his eyes, he saw me with his heart. You Ninjas call that the Mind's Eye of the Kagura a sensory ability, but where we're from, it's called the Yin-Yang Eyes. This child was born with the ability to see spirits and the like, but he just hadn't encountered them before, so he didn't know it."

"A spirit or monster?" Hideki's eyes widened.

Izuna raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and looked Hideki up and down with a scrutinizing gaze. "Special hair color, a nobody normally, and a suddenly discovered special ability—with these features, you'd be a perfect protagonist template in a novel."

A look of utter bewilderment, completely unable to keep up with the flow, crossed Hideki's face. Protagonist? What does that mean? Why?

Mokushō tossed the branch aside, walked over to Izuna, and announced, "So I plan to keep him here and let him learn Yin-Yang Jutsu with you."

Izuna glanced at him. "Are you trying to cause me trouble?"

Mokushō returned his gaze with a self-righteous look, "I'm helping you!"

Hideki stood to the side, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two. The red hair was slightly disheveled by the wind from the Training Ground, and his expression was somewhere between "Have I been dragged into something terrible?" and "But they both seem very powerful, should I listen to them?"

Izuna turned his gaze away from Mokushō, looked at Hideki's still somewhat bewildered face, and suddenly grinned.

The sight of that smile sent a shiver down Hideki's spine, and he couldn't help but raise his hands to protect his chest.