I Have No One Beside Me, I Won't Cry Alone

"Chapter 34: I Have No One By My Side, I Won't Cry Alone"

"Two bowls of ramen."

"The Third Hokage is treating."

Akihara Kagura pointed at the old man behind him, appearing rather impolite.

"I want two bowls of ramen too!"

"Hokage Grandpa is treating as well!"

Naruto Uzumaki, imitating Akihara Kagura with a pretense of coolness, pointed at Hiruzen Sarutobi following behind them, acting even less politely than Akihara Kagura.

This little kid, Naruto Uzumaki, didn't understand politeness at all. A six-year-old child at this age would imitate the people they meet.

Even...

Naruto Uzumaki could surpass his teachers.

"Uncle Teuchi, Ayame!"

Naruto Uzumaki's face beamed with joy, laughing heartily, "If you have any wishes, you can ask Hokage Grandpa! As long as you state your wish, he'll make it come true for you!"

"Huh?"

Boss Teuchi blinked, looking confused.

"Really?"

Ayame looked at the old man with surprise.

"Ahem..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly coughed a few times, speaking with a hint of helplessness, "Naruto, the Hokage isn't here for everyone to make wishes casually!"

"Oh."

Naruto Uzumaki's expression immediately turned dejected.

However, Naruto Uzumaki's mood quickly brightened again: "Never mind, I'm just happy to eat ramen tonight!"

"Forget it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed deeply and sat down beside them. "Teuchi, a bowl for me too. I might have to put this on tab tonight."

"Oh, okay."

Boss Teuchi nodded honestly, unbothered by the Third Hokage putting it on his tab.

At this time, Konoha's Hokage's credit was still maintained quite well. No one would think that the Hokage of the strongest ninja village would default on a debt.

"Hey, I just remembered something."

While waiting for the noodles to cook, Naruto Uzumaki curiously turned his head to look at Akihara Kagura, "I don't think I've asked your name yet?"

"Kano."

Akihara Kagura stated his codename in Root, then added, "But only Lord Danzō can call me that. You can call me Kagura, Akihara Kagura."

"Why?"

Naruto Uzumaki asked directly.

"Because Lord Danzō gave me new life."

Akihara Kagura's expression was calm, as if he were merely stating a fact. "I used to be a child at the orphanage in the village. Someone sent me to a dark place, where a long-haired man would cut me with a knife every day. I couldn't even die. Lord Danzō saved me."

"Oh? Danzō saved you?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's furrowed brow suddenly relaxed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been contemplating Akihara Kagura's relationship with Danzō Shimura, but upon hearing Akihara Kagura's account, he immediately had some inkling.

"Yes, Lord Danzō saved me."

Akihara Kagura picked up a pair of chopsticks and slowly adjusted his emotions. "When I thought everyone had abandoned me, when I despaired of this world, Lord Danzō saved me, made me a ninja, and taught me ninjutsu..."

"He sounds like a good person..."

Naruto Uzumaki's impression of Danzō Shimura improved significantly.

"Ahem..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt like he was choking on smoke.

Danzō Shimura is a good person?

That seemed to be a slight insult to his old ears.

"The Third Hokage thinks so too, right?"

Akihara Kagura's face also broke into a smile, seemingly happy about Naruto Uzumaki's praise. He reached out and stroked the blonde's hair, "When you become a ninja, I'll have Lord Danzō transfer you to Root, and we'll kill the others in Root together."

"Huh?"

Naruto Uzumaki's smile instantly froze.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi began to cough violently.

The Hokage suddenly felt that by transferring Akihara Kagura from Root to Anbu, he was actually saving his old friend Danzō, preventing Root from becoming an empty shell in the future.

Although this lesson had been somewhat of a failure, it had also yielded significant gains. Hiruzen Sarutobi felt he was gradually uncovering the truth behind why Akihara Kagura was so loyal to Danzō Shimura.

If he wasn't mistaken, the long-haired man who had subjected Akihara Kagura to human experimentation was likely his own rogue disciple, Orochimaru...

As for Danzō saving the person, only a naive child would believe such a thing. It was possible Danzō himself was the one who threw Akihara Kagura into the laboratory in the first place.

In reality, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew the truth to some extent. Danzō Shimura had consistently supported Orochimaru's illegal human experimentation in the past.

He would find a suitable opportunity to let this child know the truth...

At that time...

Would this child still be so loyal to Danzō Shimura?

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly put his pipe back in his mouth. The only trouble he needed to consider was ensuring that after this child learned the truth, he wouldn't come to hate Konoha's mistakes.

This kind of thing...

Was not a problem for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As long as Akihara Kagura formed bonds with others, allowing him to gradually learn to protect friends he had bonds with in his future life...

"Kagura."

"Don't always think about hurting others."

"The meaning of a ninja's existence is not to harm others."

Hiruzen Sarutobi held his pipe, gazing intently at Akihara Kagura, intending to restart his lesson: "Kagura, the meaning of a ninja's existence is to protect, to protect those you wish to protect. Have you ever had someone you wanted to protect?"

"I think so."

Akihara Kagura nodded, then continued indifferently, "I used to want to protect the matron, Yakushi Nonō, but she abandoned me, so now I want to kill her..."

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression shifted slightly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had indeed heard the name Yakushi Nonō. She seemed to be a member of the village's intelligence division, always providing considerable information to the village...

But...

Was this child a bit too extreme!

"Now, I only want to protect Lord Danzō."

Akihara Kagura rested his elbows on his chin, contemplating what he wanted to say. "But what Lord Danzō asks me to do for him is probably just to help him kill enemies, right?"

"This Danzō..."

Naruto Uzumaki sat on the table, trembling.

"Don't speak of killing lightly."

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe, his expression becoming extremely serious. "For a life to reach my age, it requires over sixty years; however, for a life to die, it often only takes a few seconds..."

"So, you're saying..."

Akihara Kagura, almost self-taught, his eyes lit up. "To protect someone, you need to strive to protect them for decades; but to help them kill an enemy, you only need a few seconds to do it. That seems a bit simpler..."

"..."

Naruto Uzumaki felt something was not quite right.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Although that's what you're saying, an excellent ninja often has to do what ordinary people cannot..."

"..."

Akihara Kagura fell silent.

However, after just a moment, Akihara Kagura suddenly spoke, "Lord Danzō said that I can use Wood Style Ninjutsu, which others cannot. He said I'm already excellent enough."

"I'm not talking about that..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but grit his teeth.

Danzō Shimura, that scoundrel, was clearly leading this child down the wrong path!

"Hey, what about you?"

Akihara Kagura looked at Naruto Uzumaki. "Are you an excellent ninja? Is there something you can do that others cannot?"

"Yes!"

Naruto Uzumaki tilted his head back, sniffled, and proudly replied with a flushed face, "Other brats can cry in their parents' arms, but I don't have parents, I don't have anyone around me, and I don't cry!"

"You are also an excellent ninja."

Akihara Kagura praised him with great sincerity.

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression slowly became somewhat heavy.

The old man forcefully tapped out the tobacco from his pipe, put it away, and looked at the ramen that Boss Teuchi and Ayame had served. He finally decided to give up on this lesson entirely.

"Eat your ramen..."

"Finish your ramen and then go back to rest."

"Children must go to bed early, they can't stay up late."

Second update

Just finished watching episode seven hundred...

The word count is gradually increasing...

The chapter comments seem to have been restored, so you can continue to curse Danzō. After you're done cursing him, don't curse me, okay?