Funeral

Only after the two Sand Shinobi fell one after another did Kyosuke make his way to Fugaku's side, his heart heavy.

He looked at Fugaku's expressionless face, opened his mouth, yet had no idea what to say.

Putting himself in Fugaku's shoes, even if he had a way to revive her in the future, he probably still...

Hm? Revive?!

Kyosuke's eyes suddenly lit up at the thought. Just as he was about to speak, he ultimately fell silent.

Better not tell him yet. After all... Sasuke and his brother flashed through Kyosuke's mind, and he decided to set the matter aside for now and discuss it later.

Whoosh~

Whoosh~

Whoosh~

Three sudden whistles cut through the air, and Kyosuke and Fugaku saw several Anbu arrive.

"Kyosuke Uchiha, we have been ordered to escort you safely back to the village. Come with us." As the lead Anbu spoke, he could not help glancing around at the scene.

When he saw the state of the two dead Sand Shinobi, his face beneath the mask twitched in shock.

Then, he secretly assessed Fugaku's back.

It seems his strength assessment needs to be raised another level. The Anbu thought to himself.

At last, Fugaku turned around. Ignoring the Anbu, he asked Kyosuke in a hoarse voice, "Is Nagisa all right?"

Kyosuke silently nodded, indicating that she was safe.

Before the battle had begun, he had secretly hidden the unconscious girl away. As long as she was not carried off by some passing wild beast, she should be perfectly safe.

With that thought, Kyosuke nodded to Fugaku and prepared to retrieve that "pig" who had been sleeping all this time.

Before he left, Fugaku gave him a faint look. Kyosuke nodded knowingly, signaling that he understood.

The meaning behind that look was simple: keep the Mangekyo's existence hidden for him.

Of course, even without that request, Kyosuke would never have leaked the news.

The Uchiha Clan was already arrogant and overconfident enough. If they gained another pair of Mangekyo...

The consequences would be unthinkable.

The return journey was many times slower than the trip there.

Those Anbu were hardly going to carry him on their backs like his clansmen had.

Not to mention that Kyosuke still had to care for Uchiha Nagisa, who remained unconscious.

As for Fugaku, after destroying the "eyes" of the fallen clansmen, he carried Ikezu's corpse in his arms the entire time, following behind without uttering a word.

And so, in that suffocating silence, the group slowly made their way back to Konoha.

Soon, three days had passed since Kyosuke returned to the clan.

Though the Rescue Team had suffered devastating casualties this time, they had successfully completed their mission and received substantial rewards.

Fugaku Uchiha in particular had practically been chosen as the Uchiha Clan's next leader.

Kyosuke also received some rewards, though they were mostly money and other material goods.

As for the clansmen who had died in battle, only their descendants or families could be compensated.

Not long after they returned, Konoha's upper ranks sent people to offer their "condolences," but their behavior made Kyosuke feel sick to his stomach.

Hypocritical. Kyosuke felt that no other word could have described them more fittingly.

Those people probably wished the Uchiha Clan would lose even more members.

Whoosh~~~

A torrential downpour poured from the dense clouds high above, adding another layer of desolation to the Memorial Stone.

Dressed in black, Kyosuke and the others watched the funeral of the "heroes" with solemn faces.

At the very front stood Fugaku, infinite grief visible in his eyes.

He had organized this funeral.

As for the high-ranking Elders, for some unknown reason none of them had attended. Even the Second Elder, who should have been there most of all, was absent.

Heh, maybe he's too old and his rheumatism acted up? Kyosuke sneered inwardly.

Then he turned to look at Nagisa, who had long since cried herself into a teary mess.

"Sniff~~~ Sister Ikezu, everyone... This is all my fault, sob, sob..." Nagisa, also dressed in black, stood with her head lowered, weeping without pause.

Apparently, the Second Elder had initially refused to let her come, but in the end, he could not overcome his stubborn granddaughter and reluctantly allowed it.

Before she left, however, he repeatedly instructed Kyosuke to look after his granddaughter.

She had only just "recovered" from her injuries and could not catch a chill; he was not to let her become too upset, and so on.

As for the dead clansmen, he did not mention them at all.

In the eyes of people like those high-ranking officials, dying for them was simply what these people were supposed to do.

Feelings like guilt would never appear in their hearts.

Kyosuke could only respond with silence.

At the same time, the thought of seizing power grew ever stronger in his mind.

For now, though, it was not something he needed to worry about.

Because Fugaku, standing at the front, likely harbored that thought even more intensely than he did.

"Human life truly is such a fragile thing, wouldn't you say, Kyosuke?"

A hoarse voice suddenly sounded beside Kyosuke's ear.

He turned to see Orochimaru, dressed entirely in black.

"You are right. Life truly is fragile," Kyosuke replied expressionlessly.

Orochimaru's eyes brightened slightly at his words, but he did not continue probing him.

After a while, Orochimaru left.

Before departing, he told Kyosuke to visit his home tomorrow.

Kyosuke's heart stirred slightly. He nodded in agreement, then lowered his head once more to mourn.

"Hey, Kyosuke, where do you think people go after they die?" On the way home, Nagisa lay sadly on his back and murmured the question.

Seeing that her grief had yet to fade, and afraid she might be left with emotional scars, Kyosuke could only tell her some beliefs from his previous life.

He treated them as stories to distract her.

"Legend says that after people die, their souls travel to a place called the Netherworld."

"There, red Red Spider Lilies bloom everywhere."

"Legend says that each time they bloom, they bloom for a thousand years, and when they wither, that too takes a thousand years."

"But when the flowers bloom, they have no leaves; when the leaves appear, there are no flowers. Flowers and leaves never meet."

"It means that once people die, they can never see one another again, for all eternity."

"And there is also a bridge there..."

The rain dispersed, and warm sunlight once again shone upon the earth, bringing a trace of warmth back to this cold land.

At that moment, two small figures slowly walked down Konoha's streets.

Though they were still tiny and powerless now,

They would eventually grow up.

Volume One, "First Arrival," complete.

Whew~~ Volume One has ended. The even more exciting contents of Volume Two will begin next. I hope everyone enjoys it.

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